It’s about that time again.

As the first tests sneak up on us, Starbucks becomes a warzone for caffeine and study groups. The “five” in Five Hour Energy feels more like two, and there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to get things done, no matter how hard you try. 

The stress builds and becomes so overwhelming that we can’t help but look for a way out. 

While some of us turn to Red Bull and good friends, others take a glance in the wrong direction. 

The use of Adderall and other prescription drugs for concentration seem like a pretty good idea when you’re short on time and attention. You pop one and stroll into the classroom, pencil in hand and knowledge in mind, right?

Wrong. That seems like a pretty short-term solution to your problems.

Sure, half an Adderall will get you through a chemistry test with flying colors. But when you’re standing behind a pharmacy counter in five years giving people the medicine they need to live, we highly doubt they’ll appreciate you struggling to remember if they need ten milligrams or 100. 

How about you just do that thing students are supposed to do: study. 

Contrary to your belief that school is where you come to party and make friends, the main reason you’re here is to study.

If you needed those pills, your doctor would have given them to you himself, complete with a little orange bottle and a white sticker with your name on it.

You have the ability to learn and retain knowledge; all you have to do is try.

School isn’t meant to be easy and there will rarely be a time that you know everything. But if you’re relying on medication to fake your way through it, you’ll never truly learn anything at all.