Study pills boost focus, but not intelligence

As a student attending a top 50 university, I have never taken the easy road.

I was accepted to UM, and I excel because of my hard work and dedication to my studies and extracurriculars. But when I have three exams and a paper due in the same week, it is easy to want to take advantage of something that will help me focus or cope with stress.

However, barring stealing the answer sheet, there’s not much students can get away with nowadays.

Contrary to the infamous pill’s nickname, Adderall is not magic, nor is it limitless. It does not suddenly give you a list of multiple choice answers and it does not endow you with knowledge. It is ignorant to think it does.

In an article on the Huffington Post, Professor J.J. Colagrande of Barry University condemned The Miami Hurricane’s recent Adderall coverage. He wrote that taking Adderall “should basically be considered cheating.”

The kid sitting next me during my organic chemistry exam is taking the same exact test as I am with no previous knowledge of it. Whether they have taken a pill or not is moot because they’re in the class and taking the exam, filling in the bubbles just as I am.

As a pre-med student, I am constantly told that all that is special about me is the GPA stamped on my forehead. Because of this, I have considered taking Adderall.

I will never condone taking a substance that is not prescribed. But one must wonder, if a student is willing to take a drug without knowing how it will even affect them, why would he or she take the risk?

Students are not taking Adderall to get high. They’re taking it to help them pass a hard class, finish a 20-page research paper or get an A on the final exam that could make or break their future.

This magic pill might be magic for those who have ADD or ADHD. And for those who don’t, it’s magic in a different sense. Studies show that college students use it. Students wouldn’t use it if it wasn’t effective.

The next time you hear of someone taking Adderall, ask yourself why they’re risking jail time, the dissolution of their future and serious side effects for just one grade.

That doesn’t sound like the easy way out to me.

 

Demi Rafuls is a senior majoring in microbiology.