Students across the country understand the exhaustion that comes from a long night of studying, but no one knows it better than Boston Latin School students. With its increasing popularity, caffeine is in just about everything students drink, from their favorite soft drink to a refreshing glass of sweet tea. Due to its effective ability to keep people awake, many have found themselves relying on caffeine to power through their days. Stressed students incorporate caffeine into their schedules as a crucial way to keep their head above water. With the daily stress that BLS places onto its students, caffeinated drinks are, for many, a useful way of navigating school life.

Caffeine is a stimulant that provides much-needed energy boosts. When new students begin to assimilate into BLS life, they quickly learn that not all learning environments are the same. Unfamiliar with the amount of effort and dedication it takes to produce the same quality work they did at their former schools, students feel overworked and tired.

Students who consume caffeine can give themselves more energy to stay up and finish school work to the best of their ability while juggling other activities, like sports or jobs. When they are more energized and productive, their stress levels decrease. Caffeine supplies students with a form of aid that is essential to maintaining good mental health.

BLS students are constantly held to a high standard of academic performance, leading to pressure to perform well. Caffeine combats this draining effect. Since caffeine is performance-enhancing, students feel solace when they have caffeine up their sleeve as a tool for getting by, decreasing the risk of feeling overwhelmed by work. Reducing stress is important when the school environment already produces so much of it.

When asked about how caffeine affects her school life, Carine Badawi (I) recounts, “On days where I have tests, I definitely feel as though my testing performance increases because I’m overall in a better mood.” Many, like Badawi, feel the positive effects that caffeine has to offer and use it to their advantage.

Drinking caffeine improves memory, cognitive thinking, and in turn, productivity. Being able to recall information more easily results in students doing better on tests and quizzes. This increases their grades and overall performance at BLS, because always being on high alert helps to overcome the pressure from school.

The productivity boost provides a way to deal with the massive workload BLS pushes onto its students as enhanced concentration helps assignments get done quicker. “Drink a cup of joe and you’ll remember more things from meetings, solve problems faster and be able to focus on (and complete) tasks more productively throughout the day,” states an article from the Entrepreneur.

While reliance on caffeine can cause students to become addicted to the substance, students reap a lot of benefits and can avoid this problem with moderation. Caffeine is a tool; it should clearly not be a lifeboat — overdependence on anything is never good. Students seeking the benefits of caffeine can only do so through mindful use.

Ultimately, caffeine has a lot to offer struggling students. It positively
supports people in all aspects of life. Academic life is full of daily stressors,
and if students can find a good strategy to shoulder that, it should not be discouraged.