UPEI students learn how to handle crunch-time pressures

To help students balance the pressures of crunch time, the University of Prince Edward Island held a special event Friday night.

Other North American universities have run the Long Night Against Procrastination, but it's a first for UPEI.

Sitting at a computer for 10, 13 hours that's just not good for your brain waves.- Mark Currie, Long Night Against Procrastination

Staff at the Writing Centre and the Campus Life Program organized the event, where students work for a full evening with extra help from campus resource centres, free food and exercise breaks.

"I have a 25-page paper to do research and I look at it and I just don't want to do any of it. And that's only one course. It gets extremely overwhelming" said Alana Coull.

Organizer Mark Currie says the event is to teach students like Coull about balance.

"The idea that work with some rest, activity, nutrition that kind of thing, as opposed to just simply saying, 'Oh no, I've got a paper due,' and sitting at a computer for 10, 13 hours. And, really, that's just not good for your brain waves," he said.

Student Chris Thompson says the group atmosphere is key.

"In the modern world with television, social media and all of the other distractions in life, it's hard to just sit down with your homework and get it done," he said.

"It's that peerpressure aspect, but positive peer pressure. When you see some of your friends doing work and getting things done you're not going to be there watching Netflix on your computer while everyone else is around you typing."

Organizers say they plan run the event again in future semesters.