Studying. It is Hopkins’ most frequent, and begrudged pastime. Ask any student on campus and they’ll bemoan how much time they spend studying. Then again, they might also brag about how many all-nighters they’ve had to spend trapped in the dungeons of the library.
It’s no wonder then that parents often call, worried, about their child’s study habits. Don’t all the dorms come with desks? What are you doing at the library at 5am?
Yes, every Hopkins student’s dorm comes standard with a desk for studying, and if you’re living off campus, maybe you even have a comfy couch in your apartment with close access to a refrigerator. Both are perfectly suited places for studying, and yet these desks often just become depositories for random papers, and junk. So, why the late night treks to the library?
Well, if you’re like me, the proximity of my desk to my bed in my dorm room is a problem. Hours are lost taking “five minute naps” between assignments, rather than losing hours reading Plato’s Republic. And with no one looking over my shoulder in my dorm, I can easily indulge watching The Vampire Diaries as a “study break.”
In short, your dorm room is a place of comfort and happiness, and you don’t want to taint that by bringing your Hopkins stress into the space. This is why we trek to the library late at night. We only want to be in our rooms late at night if we are sleeping, or engaging in other stress relieving activities.
Also, with a lack of a central social hub, like a student center (hint, hint, administration) most students find themselves (and their friends) hanging out in Hopkins’ various study spaces, whether they are there to study, or to pretend to study.
So, since studying in your dorm room is usually not a practical choice, or a socially conducive one, here’s a breakdown of the study spaces on campus. I’ve evaluated them based on social atmosphere, and studying intensity. [pagebreak]
MSE – The Library
It’s classic. It’s timeless. It’s the center of the Hopkins campus. It’s where most people don’t want to be, but where most people inevitably end up. While nothing physically has changed about the library – there are still the M-D underground levels; there are still stacks of books and crowded desks – it seems like a different place. Especially when you look across the Brody Learning Commons’ atrium into the library, the contrast is striking. MSE looks depressingly dull and outdated, compared to the new space.
Major changes:
Hours:
First, while M and Q levels used to be open 24/7, now all levels of MSE are only open until 3am. If you’re still studying after that, you’ll have to migrate to Brody. One good thing about M-Level no longer being 24/7? No longer having to say hello to the mice that appear just before dawn and scurry around under the desks…
Q-Level:
Café Q is no more. If you need your coffee fix, you’re going to have to walk across the terrace to The Daily Grind in Brody. But the absence of Café Q is shockingly visible on Q level. What was once a buzzing hub for TA office hours, or a quick coffee date with friends, is now a ghost town. However, while the array of tables may be awkwardly abandoned, and the space has no apparent purpose, it’s become an underused sanctuary, where students can still find an open table to work quietly. And because no one has any reason to walk through the space anymore, it’s unlikely you’ll be distracted by anyone, so you can actually get some work done.
Studying Intensity: HIGH
Social Atmosphere: LOW
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Gilman/ The Hut
The Gilman atrium and HUT reading room are still two of my favorite places to study. It’s only open until midnight, but the early closing time forces me to get my work done early. While Gilman atrium can be kind of dark and chilly at night, the HUT reading room is still warm and cozy. During the day Gilman is one of the most popular study spaces, especially for humanities students who are in-between classes. Access to the Alkimia café is also a fantastic perk. But at night, with the café closed, and Brody’s opening, Gilman has become quiet and almost deserted. So, if you’re struggling to find a place to study before midnight, and don’t mind being a little isolated, don’t forget Gilman is a wonderful option across the quad.
Studying Intensity: MEDIUM
Social Atmosphere: MEDIUM
Brody Learning Commons
Brody? The BLC? Bro-Co? No matter what you’ve decided to call it, it’s clear that students are fans of the new space. It’s brand new and shiny, who doesn’t like that? It’s also open 24/7 and easily the new social hub of campus. Here are a few other features that I love.
Windows! No more studying underground; now Hopkins students can actually see the world outside! I even think a few pre-meds have been lured out from the dungeons of D-level to see the light of Brody’s atrium. People don’t understand this very often, but space affects people’s emotions. The large light filled atrium combined with the colorful chairs and walls is actually uplifting. The open space also means that M-Level is no longer the place to go see people, or be seen. If you’re going to socialize more than study, you can camp out in Brody, and you’re always guaranteed to see someone you know.
Bonus: Now you can you can have a really good view of the sunrise after those all-nighters.
Drawback: With so many windows and transparency, don’t expect any privacy. Brody has become people watching central. So, if you think you’re close to proving the Riemann hypothesis, or hiding from your ex, don’t book the Blue Room.
Dry erase walls: It’s no wonder these study rooms are always occupied, you can do one of the things your
mother scolded you for doing as a child: Write on the walls! If you’re lucky enough to snag one of these rooms, make sure you have an assignment where you can take full advantage of these dry erase walls, and windows. While the walls are often covered in complicated equations, some students have become more creative, like sharing phone numbers via the Blue Room windows that look out on the atrium. Personally, as a non-math major, I’m planning on using the walls to draw a floor to ceiling recreation of Van Gough’s Starry Night.
Drawback: These study rooms are popular. Reserve early, if you really need them. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if the pre-meds have already reserved them all for reading period by now.
Comfy Chairs: I love the variety of seating options in Brody. All the chairs are incredibly comfy, almost too comfy for studying purposes. But I especially like the flexibility of the atrium space. Because most of the chairs have individual desks, you can easily gather up a few for group study sessions, or drag a chair and a footstool to the side for some serious individual study time.
Bonus: The green chairs on Brody’s C-Level. It’s the best place to take a quick nap. Secluded. Extra comfy. What more could you want?
Downside: While there are plenty of seating options, there aren’t very many tables, or desks for computers in Brody’s open plan. So if you really need to spread out for an intense paper writing session, Brody might not be the best place.
The Quiet Study Room: This space is much more structured compared to the Brody atrium. The atrium is much more relaxed and social, but if you need to get some serious studying done, look no further than the quiet room on Brody’s Q-level. It has a classic atmosphere that rivals the HUT reading room in Gilman. With rows of tables and easily accessible outlets, this is the perfect place for paper writing. The art installation of floor-to-ceiling cabinets of Hopkins treasures is also worth a visit.
Downside: You could hear a pin drop in this room. It’s almost painfully quiet. If you see a friend here and want to chat, try using hand signals to suggest moving to the Café.
Café Wars: Café Q vs. The Daily Grind
While I like the new café, it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to Café Q. On the plus side, the new space for Brody Café is a big improvement on Café Q, which seemed like an awkward cramped corridor, rather than a functional café space. Instead, Brody is much more open; the expansive windows on either side allow for some interesting people watching. However, while there may be better coffee options, the new Café doesn’t seem to be well equipped for Hopkins’ late nights. While Café Q always had a selection of baked goods out until it closed at 3am, Brody Café’s food is easily cleaned out by 9pm. All I’m going to say is, unless you like vending machine food, or late night hikes to Char Mar, pack snacks.
Studying Intensity: LOW
Social Atmosphere: HIGH
And to all my friends still studying like good Hopkins students, I’ll leave you with this thought: The best comment overheard in Brody: “There is no more D-Level challenge. Now, it’s the Blue Room challenge.”
By Contributing Writer: Kathryn Alsman
Photo Sources:
Jasmin Gonzalez, Her Campus JHU Photographer