And so begins another day of on-campus chaos. Of course, bright and early, your first class is less than five hours from the moment you shut down the late night cram session AND your brain. This is common practice when it comes to the daily ritual of college life.

So how does one function with such semi-conscious precision? With caffeine, of course! But seriously, as if this were any surprise. After all, college and coffee, together, are what harmonious coexistence tries to portray when it comes to being confined in a classroom.

You see, without a cup of Joe, your average Joe wouldn’t be much more than a backpack occupant suffering from amnesia. Or worse, “the fog.” And there’s nothing more unfortunate or uncharacteristic than a poor soul in the public display depths of morning head haze. So, it’s only fitting that more students prefer coffee over, well, pretty much any other collegiate cocktail, right?

“Think” responsibly, folks.

College humor aside, here are some of the basic reasons why taking your java just the way you like it betters your chances at succeeding with your studies.

Enhanced concentration:

Also known as focusing, this action becomes super-powered when given a solid jolt of jitter juice. This aids in tedious tasks, such as reading academic material and making it more tolerable due to the enhanced mindset of being “in the zone.” Of course, if you still have difficulty with drawn-out readings, there’s always the learn quick, learn smart  alternative. Just keeping all options on the table, since good decision-making stems from better concentration.

Memory upgrade, short-term, that is:

As opposed to its long-term counterpart, caffeine stimulates short-term memory by giving one’s ability to stay alert a much-needed upgrade. This helps to not only take in but comprehend what you learn. Your short-term memory then processes and transfers the information to your long-term memory bank for storage. Hopefully, right?

Spirit-lifter:

Perhaps best of all, good brew, especially the high-octane stuff helps elevate your mood. Never mind your nerves, those have to take one for the team here or else those around you will suffer the bitter consequences of your bad attitude. Besides, who wants to do schoolwork, even worse - in a study group, when they’re in trainwreck mode?

Altogether, college life on little sleep is never a good combination. And though we still choose to do ourselves in this way, we should at least make pursuing a higher education worth our while with an enhanced state of being. Of course, yoga can be thrown into this equation, but not everyone is looking to relax when taking down a quadruple-shot latte with six sugars to taste.

True, this article could’ve been more direct in pointing out the necessities for what it takes to earn a degree without such harsh realities. But where’s the fun in that? After all, we’re only human. And we people are pretty darn good at learning the hard way too.