Most of us seem to be ready for break, to go home and reunite with friends and family. Unfortunately, one week gets in the way of that relaxing time. Finals week should not be taken lightly. You do not want your determination all year to oversighted by your lack of it during finals week. As we enter reading period, we have complied a list of study locations for every type of studier. Good luck and may the odds be the odds be ever in your favor.
The Silent Studier
You prefer complete silence or close to it when studying to focus your thoughts and reabsorb the material. Even at Amherst College, there are a few spots on campus where you can dwell without being interuppted by other students.
Keefe Campus Center early in the morning– If you don’t mind waking up a little bit earlier, and during reading period getting to Keefe by 8 would be enough, you can have the campus center all to yourself. If you like to spread out, you can sit in the general lobby area or by Schwemms. If you prefer more nooks and smaller spaces, you can walk upstairs and relax there. If you don’t mind waiting until the weekend to study, Sunday is a great time to study at Keefe in the morning year round.
C-Level of Frost Library– This is not a secret that C-Level is where you go if you want to lose contact with the outside world. The few students who do visit C-Level are either fellow Silent Studiers or are actually looking for a book down there. C-Level is definitely one of the places you need to visit in two to three hour doses and then come up for fresh air and sunlight.
The Basement of Seelye Mudd – If you are a computer science major or have taken an intro to CS course, you already know the wonders that is the Computer Science Lab. After reading period, the area is completely empty as most of the computer science projects have been completely. Like C-Level, this are is windowless and has limited cell service, if you’re into that kind of thing.
The White Noise Studier
You still need to focus on your work but you love the sound of people. You don’t want too much noise that you can’t focus, but you need to see a few faces in order to feel comfortable. Hence why your dorm room won’t make the cut. There are a few less traveled areas at Amherst College that you would find beneficial to your study style.
Valentine Hall for breakfast– When there are no classes and the weather is not the greatest, you find less students wanting to wake up to go Val. This is the perfect time to study, start your day right with a full breakfast and while being surrounded by the other students willing to do the same. The chatter from a few old friends and group meetings will give you the white noise you crave to focus.
A-Level of Frost Library – A – Level of Frost always has people lightly chatting but most people are there to do work. This means you get the best of both worlds in the sense you get to see people, but don’t have to worry about the volume getting too loud. Also the computers allow you to pack light if you live off-campus and still want to study around others.
Beneski Museum of Natural History– Most of the people who visit the museum are actual viewers, groups meeting for a project and other studiers. The area is great to spread out and there are plenty of cool things to look at while your eyes in wandering from that dull problem set.
The Buddy System Studier
You need a bit more than the ability to see other people. You need the opportunity to actual interact and talk with others in order to take break or absorb more material. However, you don’t want to spend your entire time talking about the last movies you watched on Netflix. Here are places on campus where you will be able to find others like yourself.
Getting A Study Room in Frost – This does take planning and a few classmates or friends, but you can create your own study space. You can choose a room with a computer or not and most rooms come with a marker board or chalkboard to brainstorm ideas. It’s the perfect study group!
Your Dorm Common Room – Your dorm most likely has the breed of studier we didn’t both to mention, the In My Own Room Studier, since their location is already predetermined. However, even they seek to get interaction every now and then and would love to interact with you. Whether that’s complaining about different subjects or discussing material from a course you both share. You may even get them to study with you (or find other Buddy System Studiers who were waiting for someone else to join).
Most places on campus – The Computer Center, Valentine Hall during lunch and dinner hours and most floors of Frost Library accomodate the studier who likes to be around other people. You don’t have to look very far, but you do want to choose spots where you can focus on your work and not get too distracted.
FOR EVERYONE
At the Gym– According to this New York Times article, lightly working out while you study may help you to retain more information. You will also stay fit and receive the other health benefits of lightly exercising daily. So get on the eliptical machine and listen to your Spanish vocabulary file or read over your English Course Reader. You may find it beneficial in many ways in the long run.