It’s common at this time of year for some students across the country to crack open a Red Bull or bottle of pills to give them that extra surge of energy when open their books to begin the mad-dash to the finish line known as winter break.

According to a recent University of Michigan survey, more than 7 percent of students surveyed admitted to using so-called “study drugs” such as Adderall, which are not intended to aid study processes. Needless to say, these aren’t your parents’ study aides.

When students resort to using prescription medication to get through the daily grind of school, there’s a problem. It’s easy to blame teachers and universities for assigning too much work, because, let’s face it, school today isn’t the same as it was even five years ago.

With technological advances, when you leave school, you haven’t really left school. Internet assignment sites such as Blackboard beckon students at home. Gone are the days of homework done at school-the days of homework that drag on into the early morning are here to stay.

While learning techniques may be changing, one thing that should not change with the time is the way to cope with more work: basic time management. With a little pacing on your part, study aides don’t need to be a necessity. Take time to take care of yourself before taking a pharmaceutical.