By: Tara Goodfellow
Home or college? That’s a question students may find themselves asking this time of year as they consider which location is best to cram for finals.
A full night of caffeine, energy drinks, snacks and assignments are what cause many sleepless nights for Algonquin students.
As the end of the semester nears, final assignments are handed out and students can be seen staying up late in their dorms, the cubicles in the Student Commons and the Mobile Learning Center.
“I don’t have Internet at home,” said Olivier Vereer a second-year marketing student. “My friends are all drunk right now so it’s impossible to focus (there).”
Students have many reasons for staying on campus to complete their assignments or study for tests such as escaping obnoxious roommates or being in need of an Internet connection.
“When I was living at residence, yes it was very common (to stay up all night),” said Shehzad Mithani, a second-year accounting student. “School is always quiet and no one is here, so I can focus on more and study more because no one is here to shout.”
Campus is a good place to gather for the Internet service and resources available, also for gathering to work on group projects. However, many students find staying in their home comforts to be very beneficial.
“The school is too inconvenient and my bed is a good place to work as it is at least comfortable,” said Mylo Olivier Hildrieth, a first-year professional writing student, who says he prefers his dorm in Algonquin residence to anywhere else.
Regardless of where students are spending their sleepless nights it is common knowledge that feeling drained will take away from the next day’s learning experience, if students make it to class at all.
“The next day I feel like shit, but my work is done and it was worth it and I don’t feel any stress anymore,” said Mithani.
What students choose to put into their system or the activities they do to stay awake can greatly affect their performance the next day.
“I feel exhausted (staying up all night) but I just try my best to stay focused,” said Hildrieth “I find coffee makes you crash harder, so I just try to ignore the pain in my eyes and the headaches I get and focus on the school work at hand.”
For most students, the drive to pass is enough to stay up late in order to get their work completed on time. College isn’t cheap and getting your money’s worth is on any students’ agenda.
“I listen to music constantly and the thought of failing keeps me wide awake with worry,” said Hildrieth.