The Advance

Issue date: 10/20/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Ben Fetherston

In the United States, alcohol is consumed by many students at most of the colleges and Universities. The use of alcohol, by students, on college campuses has brought up many questions on whether it affects their grades.
Of course, if you ask any professor if alcohol does affect academics, they would probably answer with a yes, but any student would probably say no. In reality, if a student is consuming alcohol on a regular basis, and he or she is still showing up to class, completing the work, and doing it well, that means alcohol does not affect their performance.
When asked whether drinking affects performance in class, Wayne Johnson replied, "I don't think it affects how I perform, but it does affect my attitude of the class and whether I want to get up and go or not. After a night of drinking with my buddies, I'm fully aware of what's going on, I usually just don't want to act on it."
Alcohol doesn't necessarily affect a student's academic progress but it may affect their attendance. Their attitude about the class is usually worse after a night of drinking. There are two main things that hurt a student's academic performance, attendance and a lack of effort, which can both derive from drinking alcohol the night before.
Drinking alcohol has been thought to kill brain cells, which in the end may affect academic performance. But the consumption of alcohol does not kill brain cells in the night of consumption or the next morning, it takes time to be affective towards the brain. So even if a student were to consume alcohol one night, their attitude towards going to the class is really the only effect that could harm their grades.
In an article titled, "Effects of Underage Drinking; A Compelling Presentation for Teens," in The Hutchinson News, a reporter explained, "When alcohol enters the body, the bloodstream immediately begins to absorb it. Having one drink may affect coordination, impair judgment, and slow reflexes." Also, if someone were to consume a large amount of alcohol the night before, his or her coordination, judgment, and reflexes may still be impaired the next morning, which in turn could affect their academic performance.
The students questioned about the effects of alcohol on their school performance agreed that it had little to no affect. They do not feel that alcohol is affecting their grades
"I have good grades in all of my classes, above average," Johnson said. "Yes I drink during the week sometimes, but I still have good grades so I don't think it hurts my grades at all. But at the same time, I don't think it helps my grades or performance in class."
Many students who drink alcohol may still have good grades, but maybe they could be better if they didn't drink as much, or during the week.

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