It’s no question that students at Bronx Science have their share of work, tests, and projects throughout the school year. Although many students are trying to stay off of it, many members of the student body resort to caffeinated drinks to help them get through their days. Nationwide, students are gradually becoming more dependent on coffee and other caffeinated drinks.

One such student is Carl Liu ‘18 who said, “I usually drink one caffeinated drink per day, but when the workload gets too tough, I may have two.” Although many students do drink caffeinated beverages, there is an equally large number of our students who abstain from consuming caffeinated drinks, in order to stay invigorated and focused.

Michelle Kim ’18 goes to Bonjour Crepes whenever she faces writer’s block and a creeping deadline. She goes with her mother, orders a crepe, a coffee (for her mother), and talks for around half an hour. Once they finish their conversation, Kim goes back home feeling rejuvenated and with a fresh mindset. “It’s a really small space, so the cafe is usually very quiet when I get there.”

Kim says that this is the best setting for her and her mother to talk comfortably. She advises other students to go to quiet places such as cafes, but she stresses that the company is just as important as the place. “If you go someplace with loud friends, then you can’t really take that time to calm down and concentrate,” Kim said.

Alice Lei ’18 likes to go to cafes as well because they create an environment in which people do not have to constantly engage in conversation. Although Lei likes to go to cafes and restaurants to hang out with her friends, when she studies, she does so at home in her room, because her space is organized, which helps her to work efficiently.

In order to cope with schoolwork, Lei finds that tackling the assignments in the order in which they are assigned works better for her than lamenting over the work load. “I find that complaining about how much work is assigned takes away from the time that you could be using to make progress,” Lei said. She maintains her sanity and her grades by breaking up her assignment into manageable pieces so that she can look at her progress in increments rather than as a long marathon.

When looking for a place to hang out, Kiminu Yengopassy ’18, said that he tends to look for “a welcoming and friendly environment with refreshments at hand.” Seeing these values in The Bean and Bean, he frequents it often; he goes to this cafe in order to study and to hang out with friends when he has the time.

Although many students do drink caffeinated beverages, there is an equally large number of our students who abstain from consuming caffeinated drinks, in order to stay invigorated and focused.

For Yengopassy, taking time out of his busy schedule to wind down is an essential part of maintaining his mental health and staying in high spirits. “You can tell when I haven’t hung out with friends, as I’ll be a little grumpy and quiet.” One can only see the benefits of taking a step away from studies when observing his behaviour.