There’s no question to the average University of Central Florida studentâthere’s a shortage of space to study on campus. From the peak hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., UCFâs designated study spots like the John C. Hitt Library, the Student Union, and campus cafes are packed. If you havenât already claimed already snagged a spot by then, good luck trying.Â
In the past year, the UCF has taken away two well-known study spaces. Rest in peace to All-Knight Study, a student favorite for working after hours. With the library closing at 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, where do students go when they need to burn the midnight oil?
Most students have roommates, and keeping the light on while they’re sleeping is quite impolite.So, where are these students supposed to go? This is especially true for people who work early and study late, need to cram for a test, or just in general need the space!Â
If youâve been anywhere near the John C. Hitt Library recently, youâve seen that the fourth floor of the library is under construction. This renovation has taken a massive chunk of space from students, leading to the third and fifth floors being packed. Donât even get me started on the Student Union. While there are a few places to study, it is noisy and hard to focus. Iâve seen people just lay out their stuff on the floor and work, desperate to just get something done.
This isnât a good look for the school, nor is it good for students’ well-being either. UCF knows that fall semester is their most heavily packed semester, so why continue construction of the fourth floor now? It should have started last spring and finished in the summer when the campus had fewer people around.Â
There’s literally nowhere for students to study in the middle of the day. I know Iâve wasted over 30 minutes trying to find a good spot on campus, only to give up and head home. Itâs practically impossible to get a study room, as they are booked for weeks on end. Foxtail, Starbucks, and Barnie’s are so packed that theyâve lost their ambiance as peaceful places to work. Buildings such as Trevor Colbourn Hall and Classroom Building 1 used to be âsecretâ study spaces, but are now too well-known to find a good spot.
Honestly, donât just take it from me. Here’s what other UCF students had to say:Â
MarĂa LeĂłn, a senior Creative Writing major at UCF said, âIt feels like the university doesnât care about students. The fourth floor of the library could’ve been rebuilt or remodeled during the summer while students were away. Not to mention, this year they accepted the most freshmen; therefore, we see places like Foxtail and the library overcrowded as students don’t have space to study, making students seek another space off-campus.âÂ
âIt was already hard last year to find study spots, but this year it’s 10 times harder. It’s next to impossible to find somewhere to sit and work on stuff. I donât have a lot of in-person classes, so I find that when I donât have classes during the day, I donât leave my dorm. I know if I walked to the library from where I live, Iâm going to end up wandering around for 30 minutes,â stated sophomore Dayna Reyes-Kildare.Â
Coffee shop enthusiast Caysea Stone shared, â The coffee shops off of University [Boulevard] are all quite busy. Itâs hard to find a spot in those coffee shops as well.â Stone pointed out that the lack of space at UCF itself bleeds into the surrounding area off campus, causing more traffic and taking away from the experience of working in a coffee shop.Â
All in all, if you’ve been here at UCF for even a semester, you know for a fact that the crowds have just gotten worse and worse. While UCF is a great school with opportunity at every corner, ithe little thingsâ like not finding parking, too many people, and funds being cut in places they shouldn’tâ damage a student’s experience, and in turn, the university’s reputation.
While UCF boasts about the fact that it has one of the most populated campuses, have they stopped to think about the impact on an individual student?