WITH the exam period well and truly upon us, seats in the library are very scarce indeed. As you look around the room for a free desk you will notice the high numbers of energy drinks on the tables. You may even have smuggled a can in yourself under the noses of the guards. Brightly coloured cans of Red Bull and Relentless are everywhere and there may even be a few empty boxes of ProPlus in the waste baskets.

All of these are often used by students to get us through hours of study by improving our concentration, and helping us fight feelings of tiredness. But how do the ingredients in these products affect our bodies? And how far are some people willing to go to get the most out of their study time?

The common theme in all of the products I’ve mentioned is the presence of caffeine, arguably the most popular of all ‘lifestyle’ drugs. It is present in coffee, tea, and most soft drinks, however levels of caffeine rise considerably when it comes to energy drinks.

Read more: The Caffeine Fix

AS I’M sitting here writing my last ever column, it strikes me just how quickly my year abroad has flown by. When I first moved out here everyone told me to ‘enjoy every moment’ and that it'd 'be over before I knew it' – but I never really quite believed them.

Even now I’m still in denial. It'll probably only be when I'm boarding an early morning Ryanair flight back to Glasgow, struggling with my fifteen million suitcases and squished between two snoring women that I’ll realise: “this is it. It’s all over”.

But however scary it is to think that my time here is coming to an end, I’d like to think that I’ve spent it productively. Yes, some things have gone horribly wrong over the months - I’ve found myself having to do things like change flats halfway through the year, cope with a break up over a very unreliable skype connection, and endure constant ‘Lynsey doesn’t have a passport’ jokes after being pick-pocketed on the Barcelona metro (I have such supportive friends).

 I like to think that things happen for a reason, and there’s no doubt that I’ve gained a lot from these little mishaps. For example, my Spanish has improved no end now that I have a flatmate who doesn’t speak a word of English, and I’ve acquired a valuable new philosophy for when I think things couldn’t possibly get any worse: life goes on, and passports are replaceable.

Read more: Fiesta Semesta 8

“I was 20 when I experienced what I can now see as my first symptom. I was in second year at university, catching up with friends, when I realised my right pinkie was numb. A couple of months later, the numbness had moved to another finger and after that, it had made its way to my lower leg. Because each spell of numbness was localised I didn’t take it that seriously, and I was definitely guilty of that ‘bad things don’t happen to me’ mentality. By the time my leg went numb, and I developed a limp, it became obvious that I couldn’t ignore it any longer. After the doctors initially thought it was a trapped nerve, I was eventually referred to a neurologist and the diagnosis went from there”.

This is my friend Cat speaking. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in July 2007, at the young age of 21.

She goes on: “I was admitted to hospital where I had MRI and CT scans, blood tests and a lumber puncture. I now look back on this period as the hardest part of the whole thing; I think the not knowing was worse than the reality of the diagnosis”.

Read more: Living with Multiple Sclerosis

THE General Election is upon us. A great deal of coverage has already been devoted to the build up as we get closer and closer to the date of the election itself. As everyone knows, no matter who wins there will be cuts across the public sector. Under those circumstances then, some may well ask the question why vote at all?

This election is the most important election that we have seen in the past two decades. A great deal is at stake – too much to leave to chance the decision of who the next government is.

Let me explain.

Read more: Ralph’s Rant: Why Vote in This Election?