What Your Ideal Study Spot Says About You

As finals week approaches, we are all scrambling to get our acts together and find places to study. Everyone knows, especially at Florida State University, that finding somewhere to study during this time is cutthroat. Not too long ago, I found myself circling around Tallahassee with a friend to six different coffee shops in search of a location to set up camp. But as collegiettes take over, we wonder: do this many people wait until these last two weeks of the semester to actually be studious? Some resort to even studying in the book aisles of the libraries; however, in my academic experience, I have observed overarching personality dynamics among people depending on their study space of choice. 

Strozier Library

Ah yes, a timeless classic—if you are fortunate enough to find a table or seat. To put it into simple terms, you are either a Stroz kid or Dirac kid. A Club Stroz kid is the life of the party. He or she goes to the library with no intention of straying from the first or second floor in order to be as #facey and sociable as possible while creating the illusion of any sort of productivity. And if you are a bold one, you will hunt for the commodity that is a booth in the Starbucks lounge. You have probably had your fair share of late nights here, as it is the one location on campus that stays open for a full 24 hours. If you are someone who opts for the fourth or fifth floor of Stroz, you most likely scowl at the mere sound of a cough.

Dirac Science Library

I acknowledge my blatant partialness, but if you prefer Dirac, you are most likely an introvert, a STEM major, kind of boring or all of the above. You probably also do not need a lot of sunlight to live. A metaphor I like to use is: Stroz is (or was) to Suwannee as Dirac is to Freshens.

All jokes aside, this is the library to go to if you really want to get stuff done. After all, even the first floor has only the slightest bit of noise at all. The lighting in Dirac is dull, its color palette is limited to gray hues and there is not much versatility when it comes to seating arrangements. That’s why they have that long table with seats facing the window outside–students must be exposed to signs of life outside in order to maintain sanity. The dinosaur of a building is filled with all kinds of sadness and it reflects upon the students inside of it.

Landis Green

Either you are the most focused person alive or you have been kidding yourself into believing that you actually get any studying done out there on the Green. I, for one, am a huge fan of sitting out on a blanket in the grass beneath the trees, soothed by the sound of the fountain, but the high traffic of dogs, pedestrians and events taking place out there is way too much of a distraction (maybe I have my ADD to blame for that). Props to y’all for being able to take advantage of the beautiful weather while the rest of us admire from afar with spring fever. You all with the Eno hammocks, however…I see right through you. You are watching Netflix in that cocoon.  

Sweet Shop

Sweet Shop–my personal preference. Sweet Shop is a home and the people there are family. The establishment receives constant customers, yet somehow maintains a pleasantly low buzz of conversation, providing a more than ideal work environment, not to mention the endless menu of sandwiches, teas, coffee drinks and other delectable items to fuel your study sesh. Students who work at Sweet Shop wish to escape the hubbub of on-campus study spaces while also being as close to campus as possible. Every now and then, a valiant student will get on the piano to provide some entertainment and boost morale.

Off-campus coffee shop

These kids really wish to go off the grid. Tallahassee is beaming with a wide array of coffee shops such as Lucky Goat, Catalina, Red Eye, Black Dog and All Saint’s Café to name the ~big ones~. If you are willing to lose your parking spot and use gas to make the journey to an off-campus location to study, you are already on the right track to an A. That kind of motivation and dedication cannot be topped. Also, good for you for supporting local businesses.

Honors, Scholars and Fellows House

Either you are in the honors program or you have friends in the honors program. With that being said, you are just a strategic person in general. Otherwise known as the “Chick-Fil-A” building, the HSF house by Landis Green is a true hidden gem for those wishing to have the quietest study environment possible. The house is equipped with sound-proof study rooms and comfortable lounges. After all, you are among some of the studious people on campus, so even the energy alone is bound to give you some efficiency. 

Dorm/apartment

If you choose to study in your dorm, apartment or even sorority/fraternity house, you might be a bit of a homebody; this is understandable. Being out and about on campus with people all day can be exhausting, so sometimes secluding yourself to your academics at home just feels better. I do not know how you all do it, though. I find myself having random urges to clean my room, hang out with my roommates, watch movies and do other nonsense when I am not being held accountable in public among my peers. But if I had lived in Azalea or Magnolia my freshman year, I wouldn’t have left my dorm either.

• apartments
• coffee
• dorm
• finals
• FSU
• landis green
• library
• strozier
• study