It’s the “other” kind of partying that happens at Cornell.

4 a.m., finals week and Club Uris is buzzing with energy. Some students are sipping caffeinated cocktails while others are chugging shots of Red Bull. A sleep-deprived student here or there is completely blacked out. And, like any party, a handful of people are popping pills.

Running on Addy: Though there is research showing that students overestimate the use of "study drugs" on campus, Adderall is known as the "Ivy crack."

Unlike other wild parties, the pill poppers are the studious ones — so awake and focused on their work that nothing could distract them from their studying. For this small group of students, taking drugs isn’t a means to get high but a coping mechanism to deal with the academic pressures of Cornell.

A Cornell student, who wished to remain anonymous in fear of being bombarded with Adderall requests, recounted a time he was speaking about his learning disability with his friend in Olin Cafe when three students came up to him, asking him if he had any Adderall to sell.

Another student, a junior majoring in chemistry and biology who wished to remain anonymous for fear of legal rammifications, explained his use of Adderall as more of a luxury than a necessity.

“For the vast majority of my life, I didn’t take any academic performance enhancer and I did very, very well,” the student said. “[Using Adderall] hasn’t improved my grades, but it allows me to relax my study habits.”

Instead of studying five hours a day for eight days for his prelim on Tuesday, with the help of Adderall, this student can now study 10 hours a day for four days.

“While I still study the same amount of time, I now know that I can devote a huge chunks of time to studying,” he said. “I don’t have trouble doing well, Adderall let’s me use my time more efficiently.”

Buying from people with “bull shit prescriptions” for about $4 every 5 milligram pill, this student uses adderall to both study and party more effectively.

“After you have a lot to drink, you usually slow down, but Adderall puts off that feeling. It helps you sustain the best part of the night for longer.”

Some students even “crush up Adderall and snort it,” seeking to make the effect faster and more powerful.

“At this point, it’s practically like cocaine,” he said.

Studies and media reports show that “study drugs” like Adderall and Ritalin are becoming increasingly popular on college campuses, as students seek to enhance their academic performance.

At Cornell, a 2006 Gannett study found that at least six percent of the student body had used the drugs in the past year — though the impression of many students is that the actual percentage is much higher.

“Our past findings suggested that many students tended to overestimate the level of use that was being reported by their peers,” Gannett’s Director of Mental Health Initiatives Timothy Marchell said in an e-mail. “It’s also likely that there are pockets of high use within certain social groups, which can make it seem like the prevalence of these drugs is more widespread than it actually is.”

Marchell also said Cornell’s surveys have been consistent with national studies that suggest a higher rate of use among white students and students in the Greek system.

Adderall, whether it is known as “Addy,” the “brain steroid” and the “Ivy League crack”, is a member of a class of compounds, amphetamines, that enter the presynaptic neuron and cause more dopamine to be released, thus increasing the amount of neurotransmitter available to reach the postsynaptic cell and amplifies the strength of the neurosignal.

In other words, Adderall stimulates the production of the messengers that carry signals between nerve cells, increases concentration and alertness as a result. Ritalin, on the other hand, inhibits the reuptake of dopamine, resulting in the same net effect as Adderall.

Usually intended for patients of ADHD and narcolepsy, Adderall reduces hyperactivity, improves impulse control, and increases one’s energy level. For students who do not have a condition that requires Adderall, Adderall will enable them to stay focused without feeling tired or hungry. In higher doses, the effects of Adderall can mimic that of other amphetamines, such as speed, cocaine or Crystal Meth.

However, diagnosis of ADHD, although entirely based on clinical impression, is based on a set of strict and well tested DSM-IV standards. The patients must satisfy six symptoms in two categories and the symptoms must appear before age six, according to Dr. David Rubin, assistant professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.

So just your inability to concentrate on this article will most likely not score you any pills. Even so, students across the country who do not have ADHD continue to successfully obtain Adderall through underground trade to study for exams, stay up at night, lose weight and get high.

Tools for success?: Some students without ADHD use Adderall to focus, cramming weeks of studying into the the hours before a prelim.

Students on campuses across the country are increasingly using Adderall to help them study. Among 18 to 20-year-olds, full-time college students were twice as likely as their counterparts who didn’t attend college to use Adderall for non-medical purposes, according to a 2009 report based on The National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Use of prescription stimulants for non-medical purposes among college students has averaged about five percent in recent years, according to a study in 2006 Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention and Policy.

“At Florida State [where I went for undergrad], almost everyone had tried it at least once, a lot of people used it during exams, and there were a fair amount of people that abused it,” said Sakina Walsh grad.

The national average prevalence of Adderall usage at campuses varies, and Cornell’s statistics are consistent with the national average.

“The concern I often hear is that study drugs are being used by high-achieving students to get an edge over their classmates,” Marchell said. “The data suggest that it’s more likely that students who are doing less well in school turn to these drugs. They may be trying to compensate for poor study skills or perhaps the negative consequences of partying on their academics.”

One female student, a junior who wished to remain anonymous, said that while Adderall and Ritalin allow her to concentrate well during late-night study sessions, she uses the drugs only for important exams because of their side effects.

“I feel my heart rate speeding up,” she said. “After about six hours my body tends to ache, and I get a fairly large headache. I also sometimes have chest pains.”

Garrett Graham ’12 does not use Adderall to party harder or boost his grade point average. For Graham, his regular Adderall usage is a necessity.

“Without it, I would be a God-awful mess,” he said.

Ever since Graham was young, his grandfather — who was a psychologist — noticed peculiarities in Graham’s habits. When completing his homework, Graham would also need to be watching a television show and listing to music. No matter what Graham was doing, he could not be doing it for more than 10 minutes.

While Graham was diagnosed with ADHD about four years ago, it wasn’t until college where Graham saw how beneficial adderrall could be.

“In high school, nothing was all that demanding,” Graham said. “At Cornell, I’ve definitely seen the helpful effects.”

Just like how steroids are raising controversy in the athletic world, the use of Adderall to improve academic performances raises many ethical questions.

Walsh, who takes Adderall to combat her clinical ADHD, believes that it is not cheating, because she “literally cannot concentrate without it.” She knew she had the symptoms of ADHD when she studied psychology as an undergrad in FSU, and she was tested and granted a prescription which she used to study for the GMATs.

For those who take Adderall as a pure performance enhancer, the ethical issues are much more complicated.

“I absolutely think it’s cheating, but it’s not the worst thing out there.” said Prof. Ronald Harris-Warrick, neurobiology. “There are many other forms of cheating out there that are much more severe, Adderall is pretty low on the list.”

Illicit Adderall use, however, remains a hot topic on campus.

“The stress of existence does not necessarily wane after college,” Prof. David McCobb, Human Developoment, stated in an email. “In all honesty, I think better than falling back on the stuff at this early stage in life, it is far wiser to learn your limits, and gain the confidence that comes with dealing with exams, etc., on your own, without chemical aid, so that you can face future stress with the knowledge that you can survive, just by doing your best.”

“I think it’s stupid [to take Adderall], because one cheats oneself of the opportunity to build confidence without it.” he added. “I don’t think it is feasible to regulate everything by “law”, in college, anymore than at large. You are not kids anymore. But it should be discouraged, and educated about.”

While Graham does see Adderall usage among students to whom the drug isn’t prescribed as dangerous, he does understand the temptation.

“Personally, it has a lot of different effects for those who don’t use it regularly,” Graham said. “I think it is irresponsible to use it to try and get a better test score. People often ask me for Adderall. It’s understandable though, in this academic environment, the possibility to improve your test scores without putting in more work is desirable.”

“I would argue that [study drugs are] available to anyone who wants them, but like every ethical dilemma, some people are willing to take the plunge and some aren’t,” said a male junior who takes Adderall to study but wished to remain anonymous.

“More than anything,” he said, “I feel bad for the people who don’t take them.”