So midterms are upon us, which means for once in many moons, the library is jam-packed with people. And little freshman Susie who is studying her butt off for her first biology midterm stole your favorite table. The library is so stuffed with people it’s at a dull roar, even on the fourth floor. So Club Hillman won’t be your scene today… but where do you go when you can’t study in the library?
Option A: Chevron is surprisingly versatile for studying. There are 14 floors, and while several rooms are lab spaces and offices, the spare classrooms make excellent spaces for some alone time with your textbooks. The library on the first floor is an option, though it’s very small. Additionally, you can sit up on the second floor balcony overlooking the hill and absorb that chemistry knowledge from the rotating tutors. It’s a well-known common space to work with your friends and be within noshing distance of the café, the Bunsen Brewer.
Option B: The Biomedical Science Tower 3 Library is a fan favorite for pre-med students. Just being in the space can help remind those struggling with organic chemistry just why they’re putting themselves through this madness. The space is super quiet and allows students to focus, though it is a little far from the center of campus.
Option C: Weirdly enough, the Information Sciences Building is a great space to be alone and crack down on those textbooks. Since many of the spare classrooms are only used in the evenings, it’s particularly useful for early morning cram sessions, especially considering a new café has opened up on the first floor.
Option D: Highly underrated, the Frick Fine Arts Library is an excellent space to get your creative juices flowing for the humanities. The artwork and sculptures are inspiring, and the space is quiet due to the lack of student activity. Also, I stinking love the small garden in the center of the first floor.
And evidently, it’s great for engagement photos.
Option E: The excellently located lounge in Towers lobby, next to the technology help desk and printers, is a very quiet place to study. Despite being right next to the chaos that is Towers lobby and a single flight of stairs away from Market, once you walk through those glass double-doors, the atmosphere is entirely different. Usually one or two groups of people will be there, but it’s not a high-stakes competition for seats.
Option F(a) and F(b): Benedum Hall and the School of Nursing (Victoria Hall) are excellent spaces to study, but beware of the local fauna. Notoriously overwhelmed with work, neither nursing nor engineering students will appreciate having intrusions upon their sacred study space. So if you have a group project to work on, Panera is more ideal.
Option G: Literally anywhere on O’Hara Street is a perfectly good place to study. Whether it’s the Student Center, Allen Hall, Thaw or the Old Engineering Building and beyond, all are seriously underrated spaces to catch some alone time and get in your zone.
Option H: I don’t personally enjoy studying in these locations, but the Union, Cathy and Market are my last-ditch efforts for study space. Routinely just as packed and noisy as Club Hillman, there is rarely space available at these popular spots. However, they make for excellent landmarks to meet up before leaving for a better location.
Best of luck to you all!