We could use this space to lecture or say that no one without a prescription should be using Adderall or other medications, but we’re all adults here — college is college, and you’re going to do what you’re going to do.

That’s not to say we condone abusing Adderall or other “study drugs” — it’s illegal, after all — but just like deciding to drink underage, use drugs or zoom down Lake Michigan Drive at 80 miles per hour, all of us are responsible for our own choices and the consequences that come with them. Crunch time is upon us and with finals a mere week away the tempting allure of study drugs is rising, but that doesn’t make them the best choice.

Almost every college student graduates with at least one all-nighter under their belt, but staying up all night to cram is rarely the best option, and with only seven days between now and the start of exams, budgeting your time well and giving yourself ample time to write papers and study for exams is the best way to ensure success — besides, studies have shown the material you study the night before doesn’t stick very well, anyway.

Even if, like many of us, you find yourself stuck in the library dueling your classmates for outlets the night before a term paper is due, alternating coffee and cold water is surprisingly effective at keeping you alert, awake and coherent.
Adderall may help you focus in the short term, but it’s classified with drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine in regard to its habit-forming nature. Yes, this exam is 50 percent of your grade, but is it really worth the risk of long-term dependency and addiction? Besides, the exhaustion that comes after the high is much more daunting than doing college
the old-fashioned way — with a lot of complaining, caffeine and will power.

Is success still success when it’s been manufactured? We don’t think so, and we hope you don’t either.

So, keep on keeping on, GVSU. Before you know it, the sky will be blue, the rhythm and regiment of the semester will fizzle out and the phrase “I pulled an all-nighter” will have only the most positive of connotations