The only thing preventing finals week from being my final week is my daily trip(s) to the Arbor. From a wide variety of snacks to meals to sweet treats, the Arbor truly offers it all.
Additionally, because of my increased frequency at both the Arbor and the library, I’ve inadvertently subjected myself to field work because I have collected empirical data upon the student body with people’s preferred food/drink choices and correlation with their study habits.
With Week 10 approaching, maybe it will be an insightful experience to learn how your cravings dictate your study habits — or a distraction from the impending studying you must do.
subway surfers
Just like you can never fully run away from the cop in Subway Surfers, week 10 always seems to catch up to us in no time.
I will never forgive our nation’s economy being eroded to the point where we lost the 5-dollar footlong. However, even without its catchy tune, many beachy Gauchos turn to the Subway inside of the Arbor for the $6.99 12-inch sub (an exclusive app offer).
This choice of food encapsulates lots of the student population, and I would be brash to make any broad assumptions. Perhaps more research can go be dedicated toward studying the specific sandwich choices within Subway that define certain students at UCSB, such as getting your bread toasted or untoasted.
Either way, it’s a quick and easy lunch fix for many students on campus. With the ease of sandwiches not requiring the need for utensils and travel-friendly composition, these subs are built for ease.
These students usually have at least one earbud in at all times because the best pairings with a Subway sandwich are chips and a YouTube video. However, during “dead week” especially, the YouTube videos playing during their meal are past lectures or other helpful online tutors attempting to reteach the entire course within 18 minutes.
Just as these students memorize their specific order for their sandwiches, they do the same for their lecture material. It’s perhaps not the most reliable studying technique, but it’s definitely utilized by most of the student population.
Caffeine crash outs
The Arbor offers a wide variety of caffeine to the college population here in Santa Barbara. The main ones I find in the grasps of students include Yerba Mate, Red Bull, and Celsius.
In my mind, Yerba Mate drinkers are excluded from this category because its caffeine levels are not comparable to those of Celsius. Like Subway subs, these beverages have a wide variety of types and flavors, so perhaps a more in-depth analysis should be conducted in the future.
In general, these caffeinated individuals, or addicts, are the grinders within the library. These are the individuals that you pass by in study rooms, with no one but themselves, their devices, and their caffeinated beverage by their side.
Often times, I’ll be peeved that they’re hogging a whole room to themselves, but that’s just a personal gripe.
Additionally, I’ll often overhear, “I need to lock in,” as they reach with shaky hands for their energy-inducing beverage. Somehow, they’re always 15 lectures behind, even if the quarter just began. By the time finals week rolls around, they convince themselves that they can cram 10 weeks worth of content into 2 days of diligent studying.
They can’t, but they will try and continue to do the same thing for every quarter until they graduate.
Their library stays last into unthinkable hours, and all-nighters are commonplace. If you’re in need of a quick snooze, I highly recommend the wonderfully comfortable red couches on the 2nd floor. But let’s be real—if you didn’t know that already, you likely don’t belong to this group because they’re the real library experts.
instant noodle intellects
These Gauchos have no time to waste. Leaning by the microwave, they’re wishing they could somehow speed up the already incredibly short process of making food. Their deadlines are hovering over their heads and driving them to always be working.
Students that eat instant noodles from the Arbor consider the time to heat up and eat their instant ramen, a bathroom break, or even a sip for water a deviation from their planned work schedule.
The tabling clubs that line the Arbor walkway are their worst nightmare. Many a times they use the excuse that they’re heading to class, but they’re really going to the Arbor to eat as quickly as possible.
These people have their schedules planned down to the minute; their Google Calendars are blocked out for each hour of the day. They don’t have time to go to the dining halls or their home to have a full meal because the grind never stops for them.
Just as their microwavable meals are not healthy, neither are their studying habits. Not taking regular breaks can cause mental fatigue, which may reduce concentration and productivity. Making time dedicated for full nutritious meals is beneficial for both your body and your studying!
spicy chip slackers
One of the options of food, if it even can be considered as such, with the largest diversity of options that the Arbor offers is spicy chips. Ranging from all chip brands, shapes, and sizes are the red hot crunchy snacks.
However, let’s be real, you’re not planning to do work if your fingers are dusted in that magical (and possibly radioactive) Red 40-infused powder.
I would know, as I think I belong to this sub-group the most.
My typical study sessions in the library look like this: one hand is equipped with my phone and an overworked thumb while the other arm is elbow deep in the chip bag. Cleaning off my spice-coated fingers is a commitment that I often am unable to make, and so I continue to doom-scroll while my laptop stares blankly at me.
Also, it’s hard to touch the quiet floors because of both the lack of motivation and the heightened acoustics of the crunch made by the potato/corn chips. The judgmental side-eyes of neighboring students is a pressure I have broken numerous times under, and so I largely stay on the first four noisy floors of the library and so do the rest of my spice-enjoying population, again limiting the effectiveness of my study sessions due to outside distractions.
Procrastination is our worst enemy and yet our most employed studying tactic. It often leads to cramming and lots of stress, but the bliss of a spicy chip and a funny TikTok is an unfortunately addictive force.
Gummy gauchos
These types of people would be happy with a peach ring on their finger rather than an actual diamond. These students at UCSB are the happy-go-lucky studiers. They have enough energy without the sugar but stay replenished throughout their study session with gummies in hand.
The residue sugar left from certain gummies is much easier to get rid of than spicy chips, and they pose less of a distraction than spicy chips. However, their addictive nature is similar and may draw attention away from their studies momentarily.
Often these students are on the move in the library, taking proper breaks, or on social hour. They don’t touch the quiet floor and look at the individual cubicles with disdain as the sugar encourages conversation.
Gauchos with a bag of gummies in their hand often practice active recall. They may more frequently engage with their class material. Very likely it is that they are the ones summarizing and teaching the content to others within study groups.
Some Final words
Unfortunately, a large population of students have been omitted from this incredibly sound study from the esteemed research institution that UCSB is, such as the salad slayers, baked good baddies, and many more.
Or even, people may consider themselves a mix of these groups, but aren’t we all a mix of different studying habits anyway?
With finals week approaching, I advise that you take a trip to the Arbor and reflect on the possible choices you make, as they may influence just how you study for your exams!
This is also definitely not a ploy to try to preserve the supply of spicy chips within the Arbor. But you should definitely stay away from the Flaming Hot Cheetos Puffs.