Corinne Vandagriff, sophomore

Why wait to get your work done?

I am always curious about the papers I do well on that I save until the last minute. Papers I wait to write tend to have a more fluid process than ones I agonized over. When you slave over something, you get tired and anxious and you talk about it with your friends and get worked up about it, but when you work on it quickly in one go, the logic tends to be tighter and makes more sense. What gets me most in trouble is drawing the line between my own ideas and professor’s ideas on what a good argument is. That can keep me up pretty late.

Rick Lamb, senior

Do you stay up late to do work a lot?

I often stay up late. It’s not because I don’t like sleeping, but there’s something about nobody else being around when I can really just focus and get in the zone. Plus, I’ve been able to get away with it before, so it’s a system that works. I don’t think pressure makes diamonds. I like to work in long shifts of focus, especially when writing a long paper. By the way, rabbit rabbit rabbit.

Ted Younie, junior

Which semester has been hardest on you for late-night work?

Freshman year, second semester was pretty brutal. I remember staying up all night for a history paper. Encounters was rough, too … Late at night, the mundane becomes hilarious. The laughter sets in, and you start jumping on bean bags.

Kai Rasmussen, first-year

Do you do your best work at the last minute?

Yes. Under pressure, it’s when I really realize that I ought to do it––as opposed to earlier in the week, when it’s just not as pressing. It wasn’t a winning strategy for my last essay because I procrastinated too much. It worked well in high school, so I hope it works well on this paper … I’m writing an essay for my political theory class on Plato’s “Republic.” It’s due at 5 p.m. tomorrow. I don’t know if I’m gonna go to sleep tonight. Maybe I’ll sleep at 5 or 6, wake up at 8.

Miriam Kolker, senior

What has your craziest all-nighter been at Whitman?

I had to write a 10-page research paper the last night of Thanksgiving break. I was supposed to do it over Thanksgiving break, but I didn’t. I came to the library first thing coming back and worked from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on the fourth floor. Having friends with me helped; it was a real bonding experience.