MEGA - Studying, Exams, Stress, and coping with them

I. I am not currently in college. I graduated with various honors this past spring.
II. I don't have any official statistics but in my experience stimulant use was fairly widespread and socially acceptable. By no means ubiquitous mind you, but still commonplace and in many ways entrenched into the school's social culture (I.E. jokes about Adderall abuse in the school's humor publication, etc)
III. Midwestern United States

1. I have used Cocaine, Adderall, Ritalin/Methylphenidate and Dexedrine.

2. I have taken them both to help with academic work and recreationally with about a 50/50 split between the two.

3. I enjoyed the mental sharpness. I am by no means a social butterfly but put a 20 mg Adderall or a couiple of lines of yay into my system and I am the life of the fucking party, sharp as a tack. My mind tends to go at a mile a minute and the drugs help my body catch up. (ADD/ADHD? Probably) Being able to drink and party into the wee hours of the morning on weekends after getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night over the course of the night is a nice bonus.

4. In my experience as well as that of others stimulants as a 'study buddy' are a mixed bag. On one hand they are fantastic for processing and churning out information, I.E. reading or mathematics. On the other hand they are a hinderance to writing, academic or otherwise. In spite of the mental acuity stimulants seem to harm my creativity.

5. No, especially considering the weight loss factor.

6. Not really. Obviously cocaine takes the biscuit as far as recreation goes (and was my drug of choice back in High School) but I'm not even that big of a fan of that these days.

7. Oral, snorted or plugged for the pharms. Always nasal with the cocaine.

8. By my senior year I hardly used any stimulant stronger than coffee any more. I was an English major and given what I said earlier about their effect on writing they really weren't that useful and I preferred opiates for recreation.

9. A little over four years back, in the midst of finals in my freshman year, I suffered what would probably be considered a nervous breakdown brought on by stress and heavy amphetamine use. Bad stuff to say the least. Furthermore, in order to fight off the comedown of the various stimulants I had been using I turned to depressants, most notably opiates. After this episode I began to move away from stimulant use (Yes, I know a smarter man than I would have quit right away but there's no quit in me) but quickly fell into opiate addiction. Been there on and off (currently off) ever since.

10. One of my main problems I have with stimulant usage is that it turns me into such a nice person. When I'm thwacked out on coke or uppers I am considerate, understanding and helpful. It's like the asshole switch in my brain is turned off. This sounds like a good thing but it isn't. I enjoy being an asshole and the feeling of drugs taking away an aspect of my personality, albeit one that most people would see as negative, is fucking frightening. Beyond that I could care less, I just like getting high.

The war on drugs: Even Nixon, who coined the term, would be revolted. Local, state and federal drug enforcement units are nothing short of paramilitaries, the strong-arm branch of a war on the American underclass. I am by no means wholly pro-legalization: I've got no illusions about my primary hobby being good for me and America's hyperconsumerism and tendency towards excess makes grilled fucking meat a health threat, much less crack. That being said arming cops with assault rifles and using military equipment to find and destroy fucking plants on public land are not viable solutions.
 
I think this is a normal thread, with a little more structure in it, and I think it would be appropriate in Other Drugs. Of course, OD Mods may disagree... feel free to discuss more if needed.

-----> Other drugs

I like it :)
 
One thing you might consider Eagleman is your tenth question is worded in such a way as to be both inaccurate and prejudicial. You asked for anyone who uses prescription or illegal stimulants for any other reason other than ADHD to answer the questions, implying that any use other than ADHD is abuse. ( You ask them to describe what they feel after abusing their medications. )

It is not. There are many prescriptions written for amphetamines that are off-label, meaning they are not tested and verified medical solutions by the FDA and the medical association. But they remain valid, as most pharmaceutical companies will not spend the money to get their drugs approved for treatment for all pertinent conditions as it is very expensive to do so. They just get it tested for the condition(s) most likely to provide the greatest market share.

Amphetamines have been proven to be effective for rehabilitation of stroke victims, otherwise untreatable depression and chronic fatigue as well as many other conditions, and are often prescribed as a sound treatment for those ailments.

They are still prescribed on-label for narcolepsy as well.
 
The Performance-Enhancing Drugs MEGA-Thread

The Performance-Enhancing Drugs MEGA-Thread
Education & Careers Version


Recently, the E&C staff has decided to instantiate a MEGA-thread concerning performance-enhancing substances and their influence(s) on education and/or career experiences, within this forum. Though, as suggested in the forum guidelines, we generally do not like threads gravitating to discussions of such topics, we understand the prominence that such drugs have on university campuses and in work environments. And through such, we wish to open a proper arena for this topic, which would allow the general theme of E&C to better cross with the harm reduction and responsible substance use principles of Bluelight.

________________________________________

Here are some relavent links to information on performance-enchancing drugs:

From Erowid
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
Amphetamines Ecclectic
Methamphetamine
Caffeine
Ephedrine
Cocaine
Modafinil
Nootropyl (Piracetam)

From Bluelight (FAQs)
Safer Use of Stimulants
Amphetamines
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
Cocaine

From E&C (and the Archive)
How to Study with ADD
Drugs = Good Grades?
Do You Still Get Good Grades while using Drugs?
Adderall


________________________________________

What directions should this thread take?

The E&C staff does not promote nor frown upon drug use within academic and/or professional realms. Such choices are, in the end, personal for each and every one of us. Ideally, this thread will properly compare the positives and negatives of using substances to better one's standing, both allowing experienced posters to reflect and give advice, and younger posters to discuss their choices regarding this topic and their studies and/or work. In specific:

  • Have you used drugs to improve your performance in school or in your profession?
  • Are you contemplating using drugs to improve the quality of your work?
  • How do you feel about the moral/ethical conflicts that result from students or employees gaining a (perhaps) unfair advantage through drug use?
  • Do you belive that you have ADD/ADHD and would perform better if medicinally treated?
  • Do you have any further questions about using substances in academic or professional settings?

So share your stories! Give your advice, and ask your questions!

*Note that this is a first-draft, so any suggestions to better improve the thread should be sent via PM to either of the forum moderators Redleader and Rogue Robot, or to the relavent administrator Chaos Butterfly. We always appreciate your feedback :)
 
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I. Are you in college?
Yes

II. Is stimulant abuse common at your college?
Yes

III. What country or what part of the US do you attend college?
USA

1. Have you ever used any of these drugs: cocaine, Ritalin (or generics), Adderall (or generics), Focalin, Dexedrine or another form of dextro-amp such as Vyvanse, or methamphetamine (street dope, called crank, zip, tweak, etc).
Yes all of the above

2. If yes, was it to give you a "push" through your studies and hard work? Or was it purely for fun (i.e. taking speed at a party for increased stamina).
Both

3. If you use this drug recreationally, explain why you choose to use this drug, i.e. tell me how it "gets you off."
Really am not that big on stimulants, I will use them every now and then though. They all make me to paranoid

4. Many of my college friends refer to IR Adderall as "Study Buddies." Would you agree with this nickname? Have they benefited your academic work in any way?
I take Vyvnase and don't abuse it (much). It helps alot

5. IN YOUR OPINION / EXPERIENCE, are men more prone to abusing speed than women? I don't want facts or statistics, I want educated opinions and first-hand knowledge.
Girls seem to be bigger on prescription pills, In my experience more of them use then guys I know

6. Do you have a stimulant of choice? Is there one that simply cannot be beat?
Dextroamphetamine, just works great, not over stimulating or anxiety causing

7. How do you usually take your stimulants? Do you simply swallow it, or do you snort or inject, or in the case of meth, smoke it?
swallow

8. Have you ever tried to curb your stimulant use and were unable to do so?
No ive been on vyvanse for about a year and have no problems stopping for a week or more

9. If yes, have you suffered any ill effects (i.e. weight loss, chronic insomnia, poor hygiene, or psychosis / bizarre behavior due to excessive use)?
Slightly more paranoid then I used to be

10. Lastly, how does your stimulant abuse make you feel? Guilty? Cool? Indifferent (don't give a fuck either way)? Other emotions?
Bipolar sometimes

Thank you for your time; with your input I will turn in another brilliantly written report on drug abuse.

"Bonus" Question: What is your opinion of the so-called "War On Drugs"? I for one think it is a farce. It wastes taxpayer money, puts innocent people in jail, and the "war" is simply unwinnable. You show me a United States without a black market and I'll eat a horse penis.

War on drugs is insane, I hope to see some substances now scheduled become decriminalized or legal in my life time. I am aware in some places MJ is decriminalized, that gives me alot of hope but sadly i live in the most backwards state in the union
 
Glad everyone is still responding while we throw this thread across the board like a football ;)

===> Education & Careers
 
I. Are you in college? Nope, finished.

II. Is stimulant abuse common at your college? It was moreso at my school for undergrad than for grad work.

III. What country or what part of the US do you attend college? I went to undergrad in midwest America and grad school in Australia.

1. Have you ever used any of these drugs: cocaine, Ritalin (or generics), Adderall (or generics), Focalin, Dexedrine or another form of dextro-amp such as Vyvanse, or methamphetamine (street dope, called crank, zip, tweak, etc). Yes, yes, yes, no, yes, yes respectively.

2. If yes, was it to give you a "push" through your studies and hard work? Or was it purely for fun (i.e. taking speed at a party for increased stamina). In undergrad, it was about 50/50. I used adderall, ritalin and dexedrine for studying/homework purposes, but then used cocaine and speed for recreation. In grad school, I basically only used amphetamine sulfate, and this was basically to pull 19 all nighters the semester I was finishing my master's thesis. I was using MDMA recreationally as well at the time, but that's not quite the type of stimulant I think you are interested in.

3. If you use this drug recreationally, explain why you choose to use this drug, i.e. tell me how it "gets you off." Adderall, ritalin and the other ADD/ADHD drugs basically do allow you to focus, and furthermore feel motivated about focusing, for a long period of time. This worked well for me when I was younger, as it was "all I needed." Sure, it also made me happier and more friendly, but really I often used such just to study alone in my room for 36 hours at a time. In grad school, I moved up to using pure ampheteamines, "speed" if you will, which is a lot stronger than the ADD/ADHD stuff. It allowed me to go for even longer periods of time, but it was also mcuh more euphoric. As for recreation use, I think that's beyond the scope here.

4. Many of my college friends refer to IR Adderall as "Study Buddies." Would you agree with this nickname? Have they benefited your academic work in any way? Sure, it's good for that. Really good, especially when it's your first dabble into the world of stimulants. However, after using street speed, methamphetamine, MDPV and other much stronger chemicals, I find that the former drugs no longer really work on me. My threshold got pushed way up over time.

5. IN YOUR OPINION / EXPERIENCE, are men more prone to abusing speed than women? I don't want facts or statistics, I want educated opinions and first-hand knowledge. With the ADD/ADHD meds (adderall, ritalin, etc.) no. For using cocaine and other stimulants recreationally, I'd also say no (we all know that women love coke!). But for using the harder drugs for study purposes, I'd say that yes, it's more of a guy thing.

6. Do you have a stimulant of choice? Is there one that simply cannot be beat? For studying, I actually (going against the crowd here) really like 1-benzylpiperazine HCl (refined BZP), but I also like MDPV and (of course) pure amphetamine sulfate. For partying, nothing beats street-speed/MDMA.

7. How do you usually take your stimulants? Do you simply swallow it, or do you snort or inject, or in the case of meth, smoke it?

In undergrad, I'd use stimulants maybe once every 2-4 weeks, both for studying and for recreation. In grad school, I used amphetamine sulfate and 1-benzylpiperazine HCl about 3 times per week for academic purposes, and then used other stimulants recreationally on the weekends.


8. Have you ever tried to curb your stimulant use and were unable to do so?

Stimulants have been one of the easier habits for me to break (bar MDMA). I deal much better with psychologically-addictive drugs than physically addictive ones, and most stims fit the latter.

9. If yes, have you suffered any ill effects (i.e. weight loss, chronic insomnia, poor hygiene, or psychosis / bizarre behavior due to excessive use)?


Weight loss and chronic insomnia, yes. I am pretty seasoned with drugs, so my degree of use didn't make me go loony or anything. But I had a few times where I'd try to go 3+ days awake on stims and that never ended very well.

10. Lastly, how does your stimulant abuse make you feel? Guilty? Cool? Indifferent (don't give a fuck either way)? Other emotions? I have a ton of grief for using them, becuase I feel like they give an unfair and illegal advantage to the students who do use them. It's akin to cheating on a test. Ideally, only people with medically-diagnosed ADD/ADHD should be on them. But mainly, I saw it as a means-to-an-end. I wanted to write a stellar thesis and do great work, and they allowed me to do such.


"Bonus" Question: What is your opinion of the so-called "War On Drugs"? (This is cross-posted from a thread about legalization in DC).

I don't like its flavor and get quite frustrated over isolated incidents, but I understand its purpse. I am not for the legalization of any drugs. Let me explain why.

People are often not thinking about the entire picture when answering this question. If you think America is viewed negatively by the world now, imagine what would happen if we legalized drugs. Career criminals wouldn't just stop being bad. They'd shift ther motives from importing and distributing to exporting the (legal) American drugs to other countries where the drugs are still illegal. The drug users of the world would want the American drugs, as they'd be the most pure as a result of above arguments. Given the amount of exportation of goods America has, this would make the rest of the world paranoid that anything received from America could be hiding drugs. This would be terrible for our trade and our foreign relations, as buyers would turn to other nations to buy comparable goods with a lot less risk. We are NOT in a position right now as a nation to take another huge blow to our economy, and legalizing drugs (even if the taxing profits from doing such existed) would IMO cause a negative net effect on revenue coming from global export buyers into the USA. It's not solely a HR question.

Case-in-point: Saudi Arabia. I have a friend who works as a contractor in Saudi Arabia, where alcohol is illegal, and we've had this conversation. Now all of the alochol currently in Saudi Arabia comes to be by either 1) it being processed within Saudi Arabia or 2) smuggled in from other countries. Now given what we know about prohibition, namely that it caused alcohol to be much more dangerous because it was being produced in backwoods Kentucky "clandestinely," it makes sense that the majority of alcohol in SA is smuggled in. People will pay a premium to have a bottle of Smirnoff illegally imported than drink what's being produced at the nearest farm.

Now alcohol smuggling is pretty much a "pay them off" type of deal, since think about it - alcohol's not exactly the size of heroin. But my point is that even if the USA did not trade with SA (we do, but assume we don't), we know that some of our European allies do. Every country in the world has heroin and heroin addicts, including SA, so our allies would be forced to suffer trade blows analagous to the case I made above for USA if they legalize like we do. Because if we're producing pharmecuitical heroin, you had better believe that every country in the world will contain enough addicts to establish criminal ties to any of the given legalization nations.

The result would be that the countries that chose not to legalize (and come on, 30-50% of the countries in this world would NEVER even consider legalizing drugs) would begin to trade more amongst each other. They would become ostricized financially from the countries which did legalize, and this in turn would create economic, policial and social sentiments. Furthermore, even if trade ceases, the addicts in the ostricized countries will want our heroin still. With no trade, how does the heroin get there? Drug mules? Pretty soon there would be travel restrictions and such. In would be a step in the reverse direction from global cohesiveness, and just IMO not be a smart move for the leading countries of the world.

So in theory, this would work if every country would be up for it. But practically, given the fact that there are enough countries which would never work with us on this, I cannot be in favor of legalization. I know the ills of illegalization within our own culture are very bad (as many have pointed out), but this would be a whole new realm of chaos.
 
I was going to move it to DC, but I thought it'd be better in OD. However, this really does fit better in Education & Careers.

Good job, mods.
 
Don't you think getting your information from an online forum which is populated entirely by drug users is going to bias the results you get a little? I mean, yeah everyone here uses drugs, but does that make it a significant issue more broadly?
 
Yes, Eagleman should be careful not to generalise from these responses to "college students" generally. I think you can get around that by careful wording and including some published statistics on the prevelance of non-medical use of prescription drugs in your area. There's a lot of studies you can drawn on in the academic literature, most are from the US.
 
I. Are you in college?
Yes

II. Is stimulant abuse common at your college?

Yes

III. What country or what part of the US do you attend college?
NE USA

1. Have you ever used any of these drugs: cocaine, Ritalin (or generics), Adderall (or generics), Focalin, Dexedrine or another form of dextro-amp such as Vyvanse, or methamphetamine (street dope, called crank, zip, tweak, etc).

Yes all of the above except for meth.

2. If yes, was it to give you a "push" through your studies and hard work? Or was it purely for fun (i.e. taking speed at a party for increased stamina).

Both

3. If you use this drug recreationally, explain why you choose to use this drug, i.e. tell me how it "gets you off."

I thought stimulants were great when I first tried them, but my opinion quickly changed to "shit". I now hate anything stronger than caffeine with a passion.

4. Many of my college friends refer to IR Adderall as "Study Buddies." Would you agree with this nickname? Have they benefited your academic work in any way?

No, my work suffers when I'm on stimulants; especially my writing. It keeps my path of focus FAR too narrow to do anything creative or interesting. When I study on speed I think I'm learning tons when I'm high on the stuff, but when I'm sober I realize that I've wasted far to much time taking notes and not enough actually memorizing/understanding the material.



5. IN YOUR OPINION / EXPERIENCE, are men more prone to abusing speed than women? I don't want facts or statistics, I want educated opinions and first-hand knowledge.

Girls seem to be bigger on prescription pills and stimulants in general. And far more annoying than guys on stimulants haha. I know that's sexist and not true for all girls though. My ex was the most annoying creature on the planet when on MDMA or dex.

6. Do you have a stimulant of choice? Is there one that simply cannot be beat?
Caffeine. And even that I don't like that much.

7. How do you usually take your stimulants? Do you simply swallow it, or do you snort or inject, or in the case of meth, smoke it?

swallow and very rarely snort (in order to decrease duration).

8. Have you ever tried to curb your stimulant use and were unable to do so?
No. Of course, it's easy for me because I hate them.

9. If yes, have you suffered any ill effects (i.e. weight loss, chronic insomnia, poor hygiene, or psychosis / bizarre behavior due to excessive use)?
I can't shut up about stupid meaningless shit when I'm tweaking. Not even when I'm alone. :p

10. Lastly, how does your stimulant abuse make you feel? Guilty? Cool? Indifferent (don't give a fuck either way)? Other emotions?
I think I'm cool as shit when I'm on them. That's the problem. I also seem to be especially badly affected by the come down. I get near suicidal on the comedown of dex. FTS.
 
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Yes, Eagleman should be careful not to generalise from these responses to "college students" generally. I think you can get around that by careful wording and including some published statistics on the prevelance of non-medical use of prescription drugs in your area. There's a lot of studies you can drawn on in the academic literature, most are from the US.

Yeah. I mean, you can argue that these are the views of regular (and probably poly) drug users, who identify enough with drugs as a part of their life that they'll spend time talking about them on the internet. But the fact that someone on bluelight thinks that drug use is common on their campus doesn't really say much. I mean, every single one of my friends smokes weed and likes it, but what can I say about the broader phd student population based on that? Nothing...
 
Hey it's just a little info to spice up my essay. I'm not basing my entire college education on shit I learn from BL. :)
So don't question me. Just do the questionnaire, or don't. Thank you.
 
I. Are you in college?

YES, GRADUATE SCHOOL

II. Is stimulant abuse common at your college?

YES

III. What country or what part of the US do you attend college?

maryland

1. Have you ever used any of these drugs: cocaine, Ritalin (or generics), Adderall (or generics), Focalin, Dexedrine or another form of dextro-amp such as Vyvanse, or methamphetamine (street dope, called crank, zip, tweak, etc).

YES, COCAINE, RITALIN, ADDERALL, DEXEDRINE, AND NOW TAKING AND ABUSING DESOXYN. I FORGOT ABOUT MDMA/XTC

2. If yes, was it to give you a "push" through your studies and hard work? Or was it purely for fun (i.e. taking speed at a party for increased stamina).

FUN

3. If you use this drug recreationally, explain why you choose to use this drug, i.e. tell me how it "gets you off."

THE RUSH FROM IV USE OF RITALIN AND DESOXYN

4. Many of my college friends refer to IR Adderall as "Study Buddies." Would you agree with this nickname? Have they benefited your academic work in any way?

NO

5. IN YOUR OPINION / EXPERIENCE, are men more prone to abusing speed than women? I don't want facts or statistics, I want educated opinions and first-hand knowledge.

I THINK STIMULANT ABUSE IS NEARLY EQUALLY PREVALENT IN BOTH GENDERS, FROM PERSONAL EXP., AND DUE TO THE FACT BOTH HAVE THE SAME DOPAMINE/SERETONIN REWARD SYSTEM, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES WOULD BE THE SAME. MOST WOMEN I KNOW THOUGH GET MORE SEXUALLY AROUSED THAN MEN, AND THIS IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THEIR USING.

6. Do you have a stimulant of choice? Is there one that simply cannot be beat?

NEARLY PURE, OR GREAT QUALITY CRACK/COCAINE INJECTED, AFTER HAVING A COUPLE OF DRINKS, DUE TO THE COCAETHYLENE CONVERSION.

7. How do you usually take your stimulants? Do you simply swallow it, or do you snort or inject, or in the case of meth, smoke it?

INJECTED IV

8. Have you ever tried to curb your stimulant use and were unable to do so?

NO

9. If yes, have you suffered any ill effects (i.e. weight loss, chronic insomnia, poor hygiene, or psychosis / bizarre behavior due to excessive use)?

10. Lastly, how does your stimulant abuse make you feel? Guilty? Cool? Indifferent (don't give a fuck either way)? Other emotions?

EUPHORIC RUSH, I GET HOT, AND FEEL GREAT WELL-BEING

Thank you for your time; with your input I will turn in another brilliantly written report on drug abuse.

"Bonus" Question: What is your opinion of the so-called "War On Drugs"? I for one think it is a farce. It wastes taxpayer money, puts innocent people in jail, and the "war" is simply unwinnable. You show me a United States without a black market and I'll eat a horse penis.

HORRIBLE REASON FOR TRYING TO GRAB VOTES BY POLITICIANS. ALSO AN EXUSE BY THE LEGISLATURE TO TAKE MORE MONEY FROM U.S. CITIZENS.

Zig
 
Well, yes and no. "Yes", if you mean I studied throughout the night. "No", if you mean I never got any sleep. I *always* made time for at least 2-3 hours of sleep; if I don't sleep at all I'm basically nonfunctional the next day, and it fucks up my entire circadian rhythm at that. Not to mention that past a certain point a gallant fatalism forbade me from taking it too seriously.

As someone else said, the best way to avoid this crap is just to not wait until the last minute; this is why my peers were staying up all night fighting for computer space in the labs to finish a semester project, while I was sleeping tight on a few proofreading corrections.

I like my rest.
 
I'm an insomniac, so I tend to do more all nighters than the average person.

That being said, sleep is crucial to retaining knowledge you have acquired during the day.

On top of that, if you don't get any rest you'll be tired the next day. If you have to take an exam, that may mean your grade will suffer as a result.

It's always best to avoid procrastination. Of course, that's much easier said than done.
 
thanks. U all helped. The best way that workd(or is) working for me is to take a 10 minute break per 45 mins(stretch,walk,brush teeth,etc.) to bring me back 2 reality. I also made questions of all my lectures/notes.(made it in a test format) highlighted the most traumatizeing words and slowly milk the positive. Im stil not tired.(i shouldnt have taken that adderal at 8pm 2 nite.) im thinking more positive now than b4. Lol thanks yal wish meh luck! -d

Yup, I do that too! I cant sit still for hours and hours without getting up or having a cigerette or something.

I have pulled a few all-nighters. I don't really mess with Adderall much or anything, I just keep a lot of coffee and Red Bull on hand. The nicotine in cigerettes helps me stay up too (not that I am recommending to start smoking if you haven't already!)

The way I study best is to go over a few pages of notes (maybe like 5) at a time, make sure I know them well, and then write a condensed-version of the information (usually like 1 page) and concentrate on that from here on out. By the time I've gone through and done this for all my notes, I continue to go over my condensed versions until I think I know everything. If I do end up getting any sleep, then I make sure to wake up and spend about an hour right before the test looking at my stuff again to pick up whatever my brain missed from the night before. So far it's worked well for me, I've never gotten lower than a B in a class in college.
 
used to do all-nighters with lots of stims, but at a certain point i A) got sick of stims and B) realized that i have a productivity threshold that makes an all-nighter a waste of a lot of time.

nowadays when i procrastinate, i put in 3-4 hours the night before, and then wake up early and wrap things up before class. a little sleep goes a long way, and i find that an hour or two of study time before class is optimal for me in terms of refreshing everything i learned in my cram session the night before.
 
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