ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids" Forum
- PDaddy
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ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
There is a growing trend of students actually using ADHD drugs as a "study aid" more than as an attention management tool that addresses a real attention "deficit". Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you know of someone using this to improve their LSAT score?
http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/201 ... ocid=msnhp
To be clear, I would never use a drug to help my test performance (wouldn't need it at this juncture anyways), but it is interesting.
Imagine some of these 180 scorers testifying before grand juries that they "didn't knowingly take Ritalin". Lol. Long after they've gotten their degrees the LSAC might wind up putting asterisks by their scores, and they won't go to the halls of fame at their law schools. Lol.
http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/201 ... ocid=msnhp
To be clear, I would never use a drug to help my test performance (wouldn't need it at this juncture anyways), but it is interesting.
Imagine some of these 180 scorers testifying before grand juries that they "didn't knowingly take Ritalin". Lol. Long after they've gotten their degrees the LSAC might wind up putting asterisks by their scores, and they won't go to the halls of fame at their law schools. Lol.
- gaud
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
I think this news articles is a bit behind the times.
- vpintz
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
Why is this in the employment forum?
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
This. Also, for most people, Adderall ends up being far more trouble than it's worth.gaud wrote:I think this news articles is a bit behind the times.
- nygrrrl
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
OH BUT WAIT....
I changed my mind. Let's leave this open.
I'm interested in how this plays out, but let's keep it nice, K?
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- JusticeHarlan
- Posts: 1516
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
Why leave it in the legal employment forum?nygrrrl wrote:I'm interested in how this plays out, but let's keep it nice, K?
- IAFG
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
I do know someone who took adderall for a whole summer, locked himself away and studied for the LSAT. He didn't score well enough to get into John Marshall and is a waiter now. I don't really believe adderall is as "performance enhancing" as it's made out to be. I suspect a lot of it is placebo effect.
- 20121109
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
Was not entirely sure where to put this, but since the OP related the article to LSAT prep this will do for now.JusticeHarlan wrote:Why leave it in the legal employment forum?nygrrrl wrote:I'm interested in how this plays out, but let's keep it nice, K?
Nygrrrrrrrllll, feel free to move it somewhere else. I defer to your judgment <3
- nygrrrl
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
Yeah, I don't know where this belongs but this is better than Employment. (In retrospect, I'm actually not that interested in how this plays out. haha)GAIAtheCHEERLEADER wrote:Was not entirely sure where to put this, but since the OP related the article to LSAT prep this will do for now.JusticeHarlan wrote:Why leave it in the legal employment forum?nygrrrl wrote:I'm interested in how this plays out, but let's keep it nice, K?
Nygrrrrrrrllll, feel free to move it somewhere else. I defer to your judgment <3
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
i've used adderall during my academic careerIAFG wrote:I do know someone who took adderall for a whole summer, locked himself away and studied for the LSAT. He didn't score well enough to get into John Marshall and is a waiter now. I don't really believe adderall is as "performance enhancing" as it's made out to be. I suspect a lot of it is placebo effect.
it helps a lot to maintain focus and not get distracted at all
also, you become more interested in whatever youre studying, allowing your memory to work a bit better.
but if you're stupid, no amount of adderall will save you
it will not make the stupid smart.
I would say it would help the smart learn everything more time effectively.
- sinfiery
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
steroids allow you to go past your natural potential and actually make you stronger/bigger than you could ever have become
stims just help people pay attention
Sure, the way our public school system/some universities work, it will get you better grades because effort > intelligence
but not the same thing
stims just help people pay attention
Sure, the way our public school system/some universities work, it will get you better grades because effort > intelligence
but not the same thing
- Balthy
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
I agree with the above posters that it cannot make you more intelligent. In fact, in my experience, it makes you more frequently make stupid mistakes in your reasoning. The difference, though, is speed; writing a philosophy paper on adderall, you can make 10 incredibly stupid mistakes that you otherwise wouldn't have made, talk with strangers outside the library for a few hours, come back inside and browse reddit for a few more hours, fix those those mistakes you made earlier, eat a bagel, write the rest of your now glorious paper, and still finish faster than you would have without adderall.
- IAFG
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
I think it has a small real impact and a big placebo impact.Ioannis wrote:i've used adderall during my academic careerIAFG wrote:I do know someone who took adderall for a whole summer, locked himself away and studied for the LSAT. He didn't score well enough to get into John Marshall and is a waiter now. I don't really believe adderall is as "performance enhancing" as it's made out to be. I suspect a lot of it is placebo effect.
it helps a lot to maintain focus and not get distracted at all
also, you become more interested in whatever youre studying, allowing your memory to work a bit better.
but if you're stupid, no amount of adderall will save you
it will not make the stupid smart.
I would say it would help the smart learn everything more time effectively.
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
i would say 50/50IAFG wrote:I think it has a small real impact and a big placebo impact.Ioannis wrote:i've used adderall during my academic careerIAFG wrote:I do know someone who took adderall for a whole summer, locked himself away and studied for the LSAT. He didn't score well enough to get into John Marshall and is a waiter now. I don't really believe adderall is as "performance enhancing" as it's made out to be. I suspect a lot of it is placebo effect.
it helps a lot to maintain focus and not get distracted at all
also, you become more interested in whatever youre studying, allowing your memory to work a bit better.
but if you're stupid, no amount of adderall will save you
it will not make the stupid smart.
I would say it would help the smart learn everything more time effectively.
- sinfiery
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
It's amphetamines. It isn't a placebo.
- IAFG
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
I am aware of the contents of Adderall. That doesn't make it an effective "performance enhancing drug" for LSAT or law exam prep. If it were a matter of staying awake and alert longer, I will grant you that, but that isn't the question.sinfiery wrote:It's amphetamines. It isn't a placebo.
- sinfiery
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
I wasn't aware anyone ITT actually believed it granted an actual increase in aptitude. Only ability to stay awake and alertness are improved. None of that being a placebo, all things considered.IAFG wrote:I am aware of the contents of Adderall. That doesn't make it an effective "performance enhancing drug" for LSAT or law exam prep. If it were a matter of staying awake and alert longer, I will grant you that, but that isn't the question.sinfiery wrote:It's amphetamines. It isn't a placebo.
Both of those 2 things are enough to improve grades in HS/UG and to an extent, improve your LSAT score not during the test, but while prepping.
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- NoodleyOne
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
Eh, I think it kind of works, actually. Maybe not steroids, but I'll say performance enhancers.
Anyway, I think taking anything like that is stupid, although I dose myself on caffeine to pull all-nighters before exams, so I could be full of shit.
Anyway, I think taking anything like that is stupid, although I dose myself on caffeine to pull all-nighters before exams, so I could be full of shit.
- desiballa21
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
Doesn't make you smarter but keeps you focused and up. Don't see how that would help for lsat studying?
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
That's why they can/do fuck people up.sinfiery wrote:It's amphetamines. It isn't a placebo.
- Balthy
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
HeavenWood wrote:That's why they can/do fuck people up.sinfiery wrote:It's amphetamines. It isn't a placebo.
Yeah, they totally do. I became addicted one semester. It got to the point where I could not think about anything even slightly complex without first taking adderall. I haven't used anything but coffee to enhance studying since that experience.
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
The marginal increase in productivity isn't worth the drastic cutback in sanity IMO.superdingle2000 wrote:HeavenWood wrote:That's why they can/do fuck people up.sinfiery wrote:It's amphetamines. It isn't a placebo.
Yeah, they totally do. I became addicted one semester. It got to the point where I could not think about anything even slightly complex without first taking adderall. I haven't used anything but coffee to enhance studying since that experience.
- IAFG
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
Focused is different than awake. Able to do higher order thinking is also different than awake. That is where I start to doubt how much adderall actually helps vs. how much people think it is helping them.desiballa21 wrote:Doesn't make you smarter but keeps you focused and up. Don't see how that would help for lsat studying?
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
how often did you take them before you became addicted?superdingle2000 wrote:HeavenWood wrote:That's why they can/do fuck people up.sinfiery wrote:It's amphetamines. It isn't a placebo.
Yeah, they totally do. I became addicted one semester. It got to the point where I could not think about anything even slightly complex without first taking adderall. I haven't used anything but coffee to enhance studying since that experience.
I've been taken them on and off, only when I have like 3+ examsin a span of 2-3 days. I've never felt any withdrawal symptoms or anything
- bitsy
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Re: ADHD Drugs now called "Academic Steroids"
happened to me when i took them as prescribed for three months. fucked up my sleep schedule too-- i ended up pulling an all-weeker at one point.Ioannis wrote:how often did you take them before you became addicted?superdingle2000 wrote:HeavenWood wrote:That's why they can/do fuck people up.sinfiery wrote:It's amphetamines. It isn't a placebo.
Yeah, they totally do. I became addicted one semester. It got to the point where I could not think about anything even slightly complex without first taking adderall. I haven't used anything but coffee to enhance studying since that experience.
I've been taken them on and off, only when I have like 3+ examsin a span of 2-3 days. I've never felt any withdrawal symptoms or anything
now i take them on and off. feels like shit the day after taking them, but its way better than being cracked out all the time.
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