I used to think essay writing services were for people who had completely given up.

I remember the first time I opened a blank document in Microsoft Word and stared at that blinking cursor. It was on a rainy September afternoon in Dublin, the kind where the sky can’t decide if it’s upset or indifferent.

It’s a strange thing to reflect on the usefulness of an academic service while walking through a crowded city square, hearing the murmur of dozens of conversations — some about exams, some about existential dread, others about lunch.

I’ve been around the academic block long enough to know that students today are drowning in pressure—exams, part-time jobs, social lives, and that looming dread of a deadline you forgot about until 11 p.m. the night before.