Get Out of Your Dorm: The BEST Alternative Spots for Mid-day Study Sessions

Since late August, when there were still unpacked boxes left scattered on my carpet ?oor and I had yet to understand the life-depending signi?cance of the All-Campus Card, one very important verdict had immediately been made: the dorm room is for sleeping, and solely that.

 

To me, the idea of bringing homework and exam notes into the dorm room is borderline corruptive. Why contaminate your room with stress and workloads and the most cringe- inducing English paper draft that your hungover brain had ever created? As most college students would attest, sleep is sacred. Especially during the week, when most undergrads like to get their work done before a weekend of relaxation (…or something like that). When I’m lying in my bed, struggling to fall into that deep slumber that would ensure a clear mind for tomorrow’s classes, that last thing I want to be agonizing over is the stack of open notebooks and folders on my desk that are sitting at an unfortunately visible spot. I say, stuff those folders in your backpack, and shove it under your bed until you venture out to one of these substitutive study spots the next day:

 

1. PCJ (Port City Java)!

 

What better place to tackle that last-minute Psych 101 thought question than one with immediate proximity to caffeine, comfortable seats, and an organic environment of medium-auditory buzz for the Dead Quiet adverse? As far as getting work done, PCJ, located in Park Shops and several other spots, is my personal favorite to do the job. When you’re surrounded by dozens of other students who are glued to their MacBooks and highlighters, you’re essentially left with no other option than to crack open the books and exercise some motivation.

 

2. Talley Student Center!

 

With the com?est couches on State’s campus, an abundance of positive sunlight, and plenty of nosh right at your disposal, I have to wonder how the Talley center isn’t always full to the gills every day of the week.

 

3. The Natural Resources Library !

 

It’s a fun place to study if only for the fact that, to anyone not pursuing an bachelor in Marine Sciences, it’s a pretty foreign environment. The library harbors a helpful, not-too-quiet aura of focus, is rarely full (based on my experience, at least), and feels ineffably inspiring. Maybe it’s the fancy appearance and the large, towering windows? Whatever it is, more State students should check this space out.

 

4. Outside!

 

At NC State, there is no shortage of gorgeous scenery and outdoor places to pop a squat. If you’re cramming for a midterm or ?nal, then the aesthetically-pleasing Courtyard of Carolina may not be the best place to make a lot of distraction-free progress. But if you’re goal is simply to get some reading done, being outdoors is a great place to get a mood-boost and hide your nose in a book.

 

5. As a bonus, I’ll give you a little heads-up about places you might want to avoid:
(if you’re serious about ?nishing a project or an essay)

One place that you will surely get nothing done is any freshman dorm lounge. There are always people in the lounges, at least during peak-hours between classes, and while those students always sit down with the intention of knocking some homework out of the way, the social environment almost always obstructs these scholarly efforts.

As far as the most obvious — and common — location students choose? I like to utilize the library for a lot of things — Hill of Beans coffee, the abundant printers, high-tech seating for consuming a magazine or two, and homemade ice cream come to mind — but ironically, studying is not one of them. I ?nd the environment to be too forced and discouraging; between the numerous rows of scholarly bookshelves the constant visual of diligent students surely getting more done than I am, the resulting feelings of pressure are just not conducive to a successful afternoon of studying!

However, whatever your style or preference may be, it’s important to ?nd some comfortable location on, or around, campus that will best help you to focus and perservere.

and persevere.Since late August, when there were still unpacked boxes left scattered on my carpet

?oor and I had yet to understand the life-depending signi?cance of the All-Campus

Card, one very important verdict had immediately been made: the dorm room is for

sleeping, and solely that.

 

To me, the idea of bringing homework and exam notes into the dorm room is borderline

corruptive. Why contaminate your room with stress and workloads and the most cringe-

inducing English paper draft that your hungover brain had ever created? As most

college students would attest, sleep is sacred. Especially during the week, when most

undergrads like to get their work done before a weekend of relaxation (…or something

like that). When I’m lying in my bed, struggling to fall into that deep slumber that would

ensure a clear mind for tomorrow’s classes, that last thing I want to be agonizing over is

the stack of open notebooks and folders on my desk that are sitting at an unfortunately

visible spot. I say, stuff those folders in your backpack, and shove it under your bed

until you venture out to one of these substitutive study spots the next day:

 

1. PCJ (Port City Java)

!

What better place to tackle that last-minute Psych 101 thought question than one

with immediate proximity to caffeine, comfortable seats, and an organic environment of

medium-auditory buzz for the Dead Quiet adverse? As far as getting work done, PCJ,

located in Park Shops and several other spots, is my personal favorite to do the job.

When you’re surrounded by dozens of other students who are glued to their MacBooks

and highlighters, you’re essentially left with no other option than to crack open the books

and exercise some motivation.

 

2. The Talley Student Center

!

With the com?est couches on State’s campus, an abundance of positive sunlight,

and plenty of nosh right at your disposal, I have to wonder how the Talley center isn’t

always full to the gills every day of the week.

 

3. The Natural Resources Library

!

It’s a fun place to study if only for the fact that, to anyone not pursuing an

bachelor in Marine Sciences, it’s a pretty foreign environment. The library harbors a

helpful, not-too-quiet aura of focus, is rarely full (based on my experience, at least), and

feels ineffably inspiring. Maybe it’s the fancy appearance and the large, towering

windows? Whatever it is, more State students should check this space out.

 

4. Outside

!

At NC State, there is no shortage of gorgeous scenery and outdoor places to pop

a squat. If you’re cramming for a midterm or ?nal, then the aesthetically-pleasing

Carolina Courtyard may not be the best place to make a lot of distraction-free progress.

But if you’re goal is simply to get some reading done, being outdoors is a great place to

get a mood-boost and hide your nose in a book.

 

As a bonus, I’ll give you a little heads-up about places you might want to avoid if you’re

serious about ?nishing a project or an essay. One place that you will surely get nothing

done is any freshman dorm lounge. There are always people in the lounges, at least

during peak-hours between classes, and while those students always sit down with the

intention of knocking some homework out of the way, the social environment almost

always obstructs these scholarly efforts. As far as the most obvious — and common —

location students choose? I like to utilize the library for a lot of things — Hill of Beans

coffee, the abundant printers, high-tech seating for consuming a magazine or two, and

homemade ice cream come to mind — but ironically, studying is not one of them. I ?nd

the environment to be too forced and discouraging; between the numerous rows of

scholarly bookshelves the constant visual of diligent students surely getting more done

than I am, the resulting feelings of pressure are just not conducive to a successful

afternoon of studying! However, whatever your style or preference may be, it’s important

to ?nd some comfortable location on, or around, campus that will best help you to focus

and persevere.