To the break of dawn

Princeton students love nothing more than complaining about their work, and a good majority of us have pulled some all-nighters in our time. But no one in any department pulls them quite as frequently or consistently as those bleary-eyed, skinny-jean-clad architecture kids. Street sat down for an interview with an (architectural) vampire, to hear her take on caffeine pills, extra dinners and late-night beauty pageants.

Q: How many all-nighters have you ever pulled?

A: I can't quantify that. On average, I pull one every week and a half when our projects are due.

Q: What's your all-nighter routine?

A: I start in studio after dinner - I pack an extra dinner to eat at midnight. I might take a little nap around 3 a.m. but it's impossible for me to wake up. I hydrate a lot - caffeine works really well for me, but I feel gross and bloated afterward. A lot of people in the department drink Red Bull and take caffeine pills, but I try not to because I would get too easily addicted to them.

Q: What do you feel like the next day?

A: I feel really crappy. Well, no - I mean, most people pull an all-nighter because they need to give a presentation the next day, and it's important to be lucid and alert for that. So, I guess I just crash when I get back to my room. But there's a real sense of reward after getting so much done.

Q: What strange things have you seen?

A: Oh, sometimes it's really fun, and a really good bonding experience. People get crazy. One time, we all put this girl's project on our heads as a hat and took pictures with it. Another time, we had a beauty pageant. We also sing. Between working and sleeping, people do a lot of random stuff.

Q: Does some part of you enjoy it?

A: I definitely get a rush from getting so much done in such a short amount of time. I knew what I was getting myself into, because I had heard about it from older people in the department. It's a series of trial and error, trial and error. But yeah, I guess I enjoy it to an extent.