I have never pulled an all-nighter in my life. Despite late nights working on college applications, speed-writing a last-minute English essay, or simply scrolling through Instagram reels, I always end up succumbing to sleep. Perhaps I have never truly experienced the full stimulating effects of a caffeine addiction or the looming dread of a deadline breathing down my back that keeps me on edge until sunrise. Upon arriving at UChicago, a school notorious for its academic intensity and subsequently sleep-deprived students, I expected all-nighters to become a regular occurrence. In fact, I was excited to pull an all-nighter, as it seemed like a classic college experience. I was eager to get together with a study group, filling endless pages with everything we possibly know about a subject, and cranking away until our brains refused to function any longer. 

As the fall quarter progressed, I started making good on that plan, or I tried to, anyway. I became more and more familiar with the annals of the library as I holed up in the stacks or studied under the glass ceiling of Mansueto. Afternoons turned into evenings, which turned into nights, and I could feel my body inching toward that elusive, adrenaline-fueled stretch of staying up. But every time I neared that point, I was foiled by the Regenstein library’s closing time. As I reached the peak of my productivity, they dimmed the lights, made the final announcement, and sent me packing into the cold night. Always the evil twin, Mansueto is even stricter, and kicks everyone out at 11:45 pm, dumping us out into the first-floor study space for a sad extra 15 minutes. Like clockwork, I’m forced to go back to the dorms where the pull of my bed is too strong to resist. 

Annoyed, and itching to break my all-nighter drought, I started digging around to see if a true 24-hour study space ever existed on campus. The earliest evidence I found was a 2009 announcement about Harper Memorial Library Commons (now Arley D. Cathey Learning Center) as a redesigned 24-hour study and group collaboration space. UChicago’s own admissions website even incorrectly touts Cathey Learning Center as open round the clock, despite closing at or before 11:00 pm daily. Digging deeper, I found that the school discontinued All Night Study in 2021, citing health and wellness initiatives as the cause. A recent article from the Maroon by Grace Beatty detailed many student testimonials asking for “‘an environment where students can safely study in a place that isn’t their dorm.’” Despite the feedback, the University has held strong to its convictions. Even during the peak of finals weeks this past December, the Reg was only open until 4:00 am: an early bedtime for stressed, caffeine-addled students who still have hundreds of pages to read, or study guides to pore over.

Talking to my friends and peers alike, I found them all echoing the same sentiment. As we progress through college, we must learn how to manage our own time and health, and not offering 24-hour study spaces simply hinders our ability to find our limits. One friend pointed out that the only real alternative was the 24-hour Panera Bread, which was far from an ideal option—noisy, crowded, and off of the main quad. Another friend pointed out that 24-hour study spaces aren’t just for cramming. Sometimes they are a safe haven to unwind and commiserate with fellow students about the work we all have to do. As hectic as finals week can be, I saw firsthand how an extended Reg fosters a sense of community. Having a constant study spot year-round would not only enhance productivity, but also the shared college experience of surviving the night.

Whether it likes it or not, UChicago has a reputation for academic excellence and rigor, and for many students, it is something they relish. It’s the reason I came to UChicago in the first place. And the libraries are the central hub for all things research, homework, and study. While I agree that the university should work to prioritize students’ mental and physical well-being, I’m not convinced that closing the libraries is the best way to go about this. Perhaps there really was a college-wide increase in GPAs or test scores due to UChicago’s health and wellness initiatives, but until I see some hard evidence, I doubt the tangible effect of imposing an arbitrary midnight deadline on students’ health and well-being.

Maybe once I complete my quest to pull an all-nighter, I’ll discover that it completely short-circuits my brain the next day, or that it’s a rite of passage I can only handle once or twice a quarter. But I’ll never truly know my capacity unless I get a chance to do it. Until UChicago gives us back a 24-hour study space, I, and countless others, can only dream of the cliché, yet formative college experience. At some point, we students must take our lives into our own hands, and decide what timetables and methods of studying work the best for us, and we won’t be able to do that with a deadline imposed on us. It’s not about whether pulling an all-nighter is a brilliant or terrible idea, but having the autonomy to decide how and when we can study, even if it’s until the break of dawn.

Adam Zaidi is a first-year in the College.