Aderall and Low Expectations

Back in the good old days, high schoolers of average intelligence weren't listed as "most likely to succeed in college" by their yearbooks.

But little pills called Adderall are improving the formerly low expectations of what lazy or less-than-brilliant students can accomplish, and smart-guy Marshall Dungan doesn't like it one bit.

Adderall, a stimulant, works to keep students awake and focused on otherwise boring material.

No Adderall will be necessary to enjoy this short (1:49) personal essay by a jaded Dungan who hoped to see his slacker classmates fail in college while he became the successful graduate celebrated at high school reunions.

Fantastic vocal quality and punchy delivery keep the piece interesting, but Dungan fails to elaborate on exactly what Adderall is or how it works.

Also, Dungan nearly glosses over the routine torture he endured at the hands of his classmates that made him dream of their failure. The words are there: he says he was given countless wet willies, shoved into lockers, berated, and exiled by the social elite, but his punchy, upbeat delivery and lack of description fails to give these words an emotional impact.

While this piece is not a comprehensive look at college drug use, it is a unique, well-produced personal story about the effects of focus-enhancing drug use on one teen's life. "Aderall and Low Expectations" would be an excellent way to hook listeners for a show about drugs that enhance academic performance.