Freshman year I very rarely studied anywhere other than my dorm room. You can imagine how boring that got after a while! So one of my goals for this school year was to find more study spots. I’m happy to say that I reached that goal and have had study sessions all over this campus as well as throughout the town of Iowa City! There are a lot of great study spots here, but the Adler Journalism Building is definitely my favorite. Over the past few months, I’ve turned several of my friends—journalism majors and non-majors alike—into big fans of studying here. If you are not majoring in journalism or communications, you may have never ventured inside, but you really should, and I’m here to tell you why. Here are four reasons I love Adler as a place to study!
1. The Resource Center is THE go-to place for journalism majors
Although anyone is welcome to study in the Resouce Center, journalism majors will find it even more useful. You can read the latest issues of dozens of newspapers and magazines, receive help with your writing assignments and get assistance with research projects. All of the Macs have the software necessary to create and edit multimedia projects, which is a godsend because those programs are expensive! Last but not least, there are copies of all of the textbooks required for each SJMC course on reserve at the front desk, so you can borrow whatever you need for up to two hours. I didn’t know about this until recently, but I will have to keep it in mind for the future! I have several friends who saved quite a bit of money by not buying the required books for their courses and using the Resource Center’s copies instead.
2. The rotunda is a great place to either study or chill between classes
If I study there, I have to remember to bring my headphones because it’s usually a little louder than the Resource Center, but it’s still a good place to get some work done…or relax! Everyone needs a break now and then, right? There are tables, couches and chairs scattered throughout the huge space, as well as a wall of TVs tuned in to stations from across the US and world. (I always tell myself that hanging out on the couch in front of the TVs totally counts as a productive use of my time, since I need to stay up to date on the news for my classes anyway.)
And don’t even get me started on how gorgeous this part of the building is! With floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass ceiling, the rotunda is a pretty space, even on cloudy days. The abundance of windows also makes this a great place to people-watch.
3. Location, location, location
Adler is located roughly the same distance from either the west- or east-side dorms, so it isn’t a far walk no matter where you live. If you get hungry while you’re there and don’t want to make the ten-minute trek to a dining hall, you can something to eat at the IMU or the Food for Thought Cafe in the Main Library.
4. Do it for the #aesthetic
Of course it’s important to make sure you’re getting actual work done during your study sessions, but if the thought of taking super pretty photos of your study space and materials is motivating, then there’s no shame in that! It’s a good idea to put a limit on the amount of time you spend taking pictures—or maybe ask your friends to remind to you to get back to work if they see you adding more and more to your Snapchat story instead of studying. I personally find it really encouraging to scroll through photos of other people’s study sessions for a few minutes as I’m eating breakfast or whatever since it gets me in the mood to tackle big projects.
Although the end of the semester is almost here, it’s not too late to check out the Adler Journalism Building to see what you think of it as a study spot! I’d love to know what you have to say about it. Have fun studying, and good luck with your finals!
Photos: All images except 2 provided by the author