Making Time With Adderall

Adderall XR Capsules

With only 24 hours in a day, many New York University students are having trouble finding the time to finish all of their schoolwork. And it’s understandable. With a required four classes each semester and an average of two hours of homework every night, most NYU students spend a minimum of 20 hours each week studying or in class. And that’s not counting the time students spend on internships or working at a part-time job. For many, the hours start to add up quickly.

“This semester, I have way more than I can do,” said Chole Moffett, a NYU junior majoring in comparative literature. On average, Moffett spends 10 hours each week working on homework for her classes. “There’s usually more than is feasible to get done, and I usually don’t get it done.” 

For Moffett, finding a way to do the bare minimum amount of work and still pass has become an art form. 

Moffett is not alone in finding it difficult to finish her homework. Alex Merrill, a NYU sophomore studying pre-med estimates that she spends roughly 20 hours each week studying, and sometimes that’s still not enough. 

“I can’t even add up the hours,” Merrill said as she lifted a dense biology book from her backpack. The text, a requirement for all pre-med students, had nearly enough pages to be considered a lethal weapon. “Drop this, and you’ll really do some damage,” Merrill joked. 

Setting the book beside her on the worn leather couch in NYU’s Bobst Library, Merrill prepared for the long haul. “I’ve got a paper due tomorrow,” she said, “So I’ll probably be here all night.” 

An overnight stay at Bobst is, for many NYU students, nothing unheard of. For students like Merrill, it is expected. “It’s a lot,” she said, “But I guess that’s what you assume in college.”

But not every student shares this opinion. For some, prescription medication is an easy fix. 

Adderall, or a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine, is traditionally used as a prescription treatment for attention deficit disorders, narcolepsy, depression, and obesity, according to DrugEnquirer and adderall.net. But for many NYU students taking these pills without a prescription, Adderall has easily become their illegal substance of choice. These students, however, don’t pop these pills for the high. For many NYU students, Adderall is a study drug.

While the occasional student does take Adderall recreationally, the majority of NYU students using Adderall do so for the extreme focus provided by the pills. According to Merrill, eight of her friends who are also studying pre-med all take Adderall before every exam. 

For one NYU sophomore majoring in English literature and earning a double minor in law and society and psychology, taking Adderall made it much easier to finish the 800 pages of reading she was assigned on average each week. 

“It was amazing,” she said, recalling the high she felt after first taking one 10 milligram pill. “I felt like I was the best version of me possible because, not only was I getting everything done, but I was doing everything faster and better.” 

On Adderall, this student was able to finish a five page paper in under 30 minutes, a task that, without the medication, would have taken her the better part of the afternoon. 

“It was the quality of the work and the whole processing everything that made it awesome,” she said. “I would read something and I would just process it instantly, and I’d remember it the next day too. That would never happen if I did my homework without Adderall. I was like superwoman.” 

30 Milligram Tablets of Adderall

Ten milligrams, for many, is a very basic dose of Adderall. And, at $5 a pop, it almost seems affordable, too. The problem, however, is that Adderall and its combination of amphetamines have, according to DrugEnquirer’s website, “a high potential for abuse.” 

Essentially, after taking 10 milligram pills for a couple of weeks, many students build up a tolerance, and the initial 10 milligrams no longer makes the cut. Instead of quitting, students often up their dose, buying pills up to 30 milligrams in weight and spending roughly $30 per pill. Often, the habit quickly becomes costly to maintain; but many students find the A they earn on a paper worth the expense. 

Not all students, however, view Adderall as a miracle pill. 

“I don’t think it’s cheating,” said Dayra Pardo, a psychology major who spends five hours on homework each day, “Because it’s not doing the work for you. But I don’t know if it’s right,” she added.

Many students not abusing the substance have a much firmer response. 

“I think it’s unfair,” said a NYU student studying international relations who preferred not to be named because friends of hers take Adderall. “It’s almost like taking steroids, and that’s illegal.” “We all have focus issues,” she added, “But I don’t take anything to get my work done.”

Bryant Park Defies Mayor’s Statistics

Parks in New York aren’t as “acceptable” as Mayor Bloomberg would like them: the current 83 percent success rate didn’t quite reach the Mayor’s goal of 85 percent, said the May 2010 Mayor’s Management Report. In Bryant Park, however, no one was complaining. This 9.6 acre park was, in their eyes, a haven. 

“I like the little pieces of green,” said Miriam Talamni, an office worker from one of the buildings surrounding Bryant Park. Sitting alone at a one of the park’s green tables, Talamni nursed a cup of coffee, enjoying her Saturday afternoon break and the late-February sun. “Concrete’s nice,” she added, “But so are trees.” 

Even hardened New-Yorkers need a break from the pavement. 

Talamni is not alone in loving the “green” of the city. Lisa McCarty, a frequent visitor to New York, said the city’s parks were what she liked best. Nowhere but New York can McCarty find such a compelling combination of urban congestion and green space. Only seven blocks south of Times Square, Bryant Park is truly at the heart of the city.

For such a central space, Bryant Park was surprisingly spotless. With no garbage surrounding the tables, the park seemed to defy statistics in the May 2010 Mayor’s report.

As of 2006, the report suggests, the city’s parks are growing dirtier every year. In 2006, 93 percent of the city’s parks were rated “‘acceptable’ for cleanliness.” That figure has since dropped to 88 percent in 2010. 

Visitors to Bryant Park, however, would be hard pressed to find even a cigarette butt on the ground. The only thing floating between the park’s tables was an occasional pigeon. 

Though it is a haven, in reality, very little of Bryant Park was actually green. Despite the warm wind and a high of 43 degrees, the park’s ice skating rink -- the Citi Pond -- was still open, covering a lawn that sits at the park’s center. The trees surrounding the park were leafless, and cobblestone walkways travel at right angles around the park. There was, in the end, very little space for the would-be color. 

The skating rink that covered the lawn, however, did not go unappreciated. The ice, at noon, was packed: the fanciest skating anyone had space for was to travel clockwise with the crowd around the edge of the 170-by-100-foot rink. 

It was the last Saturday of the season where Bryant Park’s visitors could kick off their shoes at Citi Pond and strap on a pair of ice skates -- $13 if visitors need the rink to supply their blades of glory. 

On Sunday, February 27th, the rink closed for the season. This year was, according to Citi Pond’s website, the best season yet: over 300,000 skaters took a turn around the ice.

One week later, Bryant Park was still more brown than green. Tables around the fountain, however, remained crowded: a group of 12 people stood because they couldn’t find a seat. 

With the Stephen A. Schwarzman Public Library as a backdrop, visitors watched as construction workers pulled down a building’s metal skeleton, the last official marker of the ice rink. Afternoon conversations mixed with the breeze and the sound of a single backhoe. Even the 58 degree weather couldn’t summon leaves: two plastic bags were all that blew in the trees’ branches.

Still, visitors to Bryant Park seemed happy, as a mother and her two sons posed for a picture in front of the construction. In the end, green or not, the park remains a sanctuary. 

Walking Through Central Park and the 22nd Precinct

Central Park 

It’s an old New York truism and the command of many mothers: Do not walk through Central Park at night. Male or female, young or old, no one interviewed was willing to enter the park after sun-set. This, in their opinion, was common sense.

“I’ve never had an incident,” said Jools Antiniadis, a 30 year resident of New York and frequent visitor to Central Park. “But I still never cross the park at night.”

Nearly everyone interviewed agreed with Antiniadis: Walking through Central Park after dark is asking for trouble. “Why expose myself to that threat?” Antiniadis asked. 

But is this an accurate perception?

The park’s dangerous atmosphere is an impression often fueled by television. Over its seven seasons, CSI: NY has aired eight episodes dramatizing victims’ murders in Central Park, according to episode synopses on IMDb. That’s eight TV murders since September of 2004. 

“It makes you weary,” said Tom Troyer, a tourist visiting from Toronto when asked about the impact of television. “But in a city like New York you always have to be aware of the dangers.”

The problem: Over the past seven years, there have been no actual murders in Central Park. The park, in fact, and the 22nd Precinct have the lowest crime rate in the city, according to CompStat reports released by the NYPD.

In the last 28 days there have been only four reported crimes and 12 misdemeanors in Central Park, a figure many who were interviewed considered impressive, especially for the largest park in Manhattan. Central Park and the 22nd Precinct cover 840 acres, according to the 22nd Precinct’s website. That’s roughly the size of 150 city blocks. 

With 58 miles of pedestrian paths and 690 acres of land available to visitors, the fact that central park has had no cases of murder, rape, felony assault, burglary, or grand larceny auto this year is indeed impressive. To date, CompStat reports released by the 22nd Precinct show only four robberies and four incidents of grand larceny this year. That’s four fewer cases than reported during the same time period in 2010. 

But do these statistics hold any value? Are people feeling any safer when walking through the park?

When asked if she feels safe in Central Park, Vicki Samuelson answered “absolutely.” Samuelson has lived in New York all her life. The park, she said, has been much safer since the city cleaned up the underbrush. “Before, you couldn’t see people. You didn’t know who was coming.” Now, she said, the park is open and bright. 

Peter Schon also agrees: Central Park is much safer. Schon’s experience with the park’s more dangerous perception is, perhaps, more personal than most. In 1987, Schon was attacked in Central Park at 10 p.m. while walking with his girlfriend. “I was jumped by about 12 kids. They tried to separate the two of us,” said Schon.

During the attack, Schon had a broken bottle thrust against his neck while jewelry was taken from his girlfriend. “I’m still not sure why they let us go. I guess I talked my way out of it,” he said.

Today, Schon was visiting the park with his wife and his two children. “Now that they’ve cleaned the park up,” he said, “I have no problem bringing my kids.” 

Even with a cleaner park, Schon still wouldn’t brave the paths in the evening. “That’s something I’m never going to do again.”

For Martha, a New York City mother who preferred not to give her last name, the park’s sense of community is what makes it safe. Every year, anywhere between 16 and 20 million people visit Central Park, the 22nd Precinct’s website reports. For many, the park’s 21 official playgrounds are a major attraction. 

“People watch out for each other,” said Martha; and many who were interviewed agreed with her, Harriet Hunter in particular. 

“There’s people around,” Hunter said. “Enough people to make you feel safe.”

For Zenaida Cabrera, a lifelong New Yorker, the change in Central Park is harder to pinpoint. “Before,” she recalls, “there were a lot of homeless people and drug addicts. You would always think more than three times before going [to the park].” Today, however, the atmosphere is different. “You don’t see anything out of the ordinary,” Cabrera said. 

One thing that is unusual is Central Park’s apparent lack of police men. After spending three hours conducting interviews, the reporter of this article saw no members of New York City law enforcement in the park. When the 22nd Precinct office was contacted, the police man who answered declined to comment. 

$1 Books at the Strand: The Value of a Good Book

The Strand Bookstore -- 828 Broadway, New York, NY

For $13 you could go see the top box-office movie at Regal Union Square Stadium 14 off of Broadway. A “footlong” sandwich from a Subway would cost you $5, as long as you choose from the five combinations of the month. And, for $1.29, you could buy the most downloaded song of the day from iTunes: Today, the chart-topper is S&M Remix by Rihanna -- 4 minutes and 17 seconds of entertainment. 

Or, for $1, you could buy a book from the Strand. The choice, according to everyone interviewed, was simple. 

“In a price-conscious economy, you don’t find these deals every day,” said Eric S. as he perused the books lining the north side of 12th Street. At 11 a.m., Eric was one of seven souls braving the rain, in search of a deal for $1. In his hands, he held three hardcovers, and he was still searching for more. “I find amazing things out here,” he said.

And it’s true: An amazing deal is exactly what buying a $1 book from the Strand is. Take, for instance, the hardcover copy of Speech-less by Matt Latimer -- $1 at the Strand, $17.50 from Barnes and Noble. Or Notes Left Behind by Brooke and Keith Desserich -- the Strand’s $1 vs. Barnes and Noble’s $14.12. 

At the Strand, $10 savings are not unusual. For Henry Ludmer, these deals are expected. 

Ludmer, a book collector, buys hundreds of books each year. “I couldn’t afford to do that anywhere else,” he said. 

Ludmer, who lives in the West Village, doesn’t think it’s fun to look inside the store: The hunt through the carts, for him, is the best part of the experience. “I’ve been coming here since the 1970s,” he said, “And I plan to buy a book a day ‘till I die.”

For $1, a book a day does not sound unreasonable. Like Ludmer, Ging Wong is willing to pay the Strand’s price. “I don’t like going to the library,” Wong explained, leafing through a paperback. “[At the library] you have to return a book even if you’re not done. For $1 I can keep my book. 

Like many of the Strand’s customers, Wong and Ludmer both remember a time when walking down Broadway and 12th Street meant walking through Book Row. The Stand was then one of 48 bookshops between Union Square and Astor Place. Today, however, the Strand is, according to its website, the last of this tradition. 

The $1 carts have been a feature offered by the Strand since it opened in 1927, said Zach Barocas, one of the managers at the Strand. Every morning, Strand employees restock the outdoor shelves, filling them with “the other books,” or books that don’t sell at full price or have been damaged. These, said to Barocas, are the books other stores would throw away. But for $1, shoppers at the Strand are willing to make the purchase. 

“For $1,” Barocas said, “I can deal with a coffee stain.” 

Like many customers, Barocas is a big fan of the carts. When browsing, he tends to look for books of poetry or hard fiction. His favorite find, so far, was a hardcover copy of Thomas McGrath’s Letter to an Imaginary Friend. The same book is sold used on Amazon.com. The price, however, started at $24.99. 

“Everything is out there,” Barocas said. “You just start at one end and move to the other, and see what you come up with.”