Finals week at the library, where finding a seat, especially on your favorite floor, and especially when with other people, is near to impossible and is all about timing. We have all been through it and can relate to these emotions.
You walk in with about 50 other people, go towards the elevator and even though we have how many elevators? 6? The amount of people waiting is absurd and every elevator seems to be on floor 22.
You then questions whether to start at the bottom and just walk up to the first floor and make your way up to find a table… then you realize you have your backpack with approximately 3 water bottles, you’re holding an iced coffee and your phone, you have your laptop, a couple books, notebooks and you naturally decide against that. You look at your girls and make a group decision, to “let’s just try our favorite floor.”
Finally what seems like 20 minutes later an elevator arrives, you pack in with about 15 other people (some who hop in that just aren’t met to fit). You choose floor 9 (my favorite) the elevator stops at floor 2… you know every person but the person that is getting off on that floor is thinking the same thing…
Then you stop at every other floor letting people out and in…
Floor 9 and you’re crossing your finger hoping for a table or some comfy seats. Walk around a bit and there’s nothing. But you have hope, this was just the first floor. You develop a plan to start from a higher floor say 22 and work you way down. You wait another 15 minutes for the elevator… it opens and you guys can’t fit.
10 minutes later you fit, press floor 22 and proceed to stop at every floor before that again.
No seats on 22, so you make your way down. There just seems to be no open tables on any floor. Now you’re getting frustrated, but then you see a group get up on floor 5 and another group snags it and you go onto blame everything on UMass. How can we have 22,000 kids and not enough seats? We need a bigger library and also what time do kids get here, 5am?!?!
Last resort you go to the basement, knowing that those awesome rooms with the white boards won’t be open but you try anyway with some hope. At this point you’re sweating and are wishing your backpack rolled and it’s now been approximately 30-45 minutes.
You pass by that group room RESERVED FOR 3 PEOPLE and there is one person… you all know this feeling in your head “Did you not read the sign? If you’re one person there are these things called cubbies that are on every floor THESE ROOMS ARE RESERVED FOR GROUPS!”
Finally you choose a random floor, pray to the gods, head to the floor and miraculously there is a group just leaving and you’re feeling on top of the world.
This is if you are lucky. Sometimes you end up splitting up with your friends and going on your own way. With that good luck during finals week!