Article by Freelancer Nina Branwell
The end of the semester finds students opening their textbooks, flying through pages of notes and cramming their last assignments for classes as finals week approaches.
Finals week for many students is a time for studying. Many find themselves preparing for exams and finals all over campus in various locations.
Students on campus share their favorite study places and rituals for finals week so that others can participate and learn from their experiences.
Junior Ravid Perets studies in McKeldin Library where she feels it is the most quiet and peaceful for her to cram.
“I like all of the different options that there is there because I have a hard time focusing sometimes so I like that I could just like book out a study room and work in there,” Perets said.
McKeldin offers four-hour and eight-hour study rooms, according to Perets. She said the only downside is that the ventilation between rooms is connected.
“They’re really quiet except for the vent between all the rooms. So if somebody’s on a phone call or a zoom call in the room next door you’re gonna hear,” Perets said.
According to Perets, other spots on campus are too loud and busy to focus and the library is calming because everyone there is there to work and study.
Other students feel that there is more to studying than quiet rooms. Students look for aesthetic and background noise in order to study. These come in the form of busy crowds and big windows.
Gwen Pobee studies in the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering. The big windows and the high top tables are what drive her in.
“I like that place because it’s like a lot of open windows. And I feel like I’m outside without like having to be outside,” said Pobee.
The studying benefits come from the aesthetic of the place for Pobee. The cleanliness, lighting and windows give it an ‘wow’ aspect, according to Pobee. The people studying in the building are just as necessary.
For study environments like these, Kaylee Workman believes that Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center provides natural light, busyness and fresh air, which is what makes a good study place.
Workman studies in ESJ, a building with big windows, lots of natural light, and a Starbucks cafe where many students go to have coffee dates and study for exams. This also means when a student walks in, big glass doors allow gusts of fresh air to come in, something Workman loves when she studies.
“I think it’s just more lively. I don’t know. I know that a lot of people do homework there. But also a lot of people are social there,” said Workman. “Whereas if I’m studying and McKeldin for example, it’s just dead quiet. And there’s more like stress around me because everyone’s there doing homework and people aren’t really talking to each other and socializing with one another.”
These study spots all have something different to offer students on campus. Whether it be absolute quietness or lively backgrounds of students socializing and that in between.
These are just three study spaces available to those on campus. On the University of Maryland’s campus, there’s so many other spots to choose from.