Our school lives continue to become intertwined with our lives at home, especially over the past year or so. This manifests itself in many ways: sitting at dinner only to get a dreaded Canvas notification that your test was graded, a random email from your professor on a weekend evening where you thought you might be able to relax, and the amount of distractions present on our phones and computers while in a virtual class or doing schoolwork online. This last one is a real struggle for me, even while writing this article! Something I’ve found that helps me a bit, however, is doing my work physically outside of the house! Obviously, this hasn’t really been too much of a possibility during the pandemic (and even now, some may still feel uncomfortable, and that’s okay), but I’ve found that being in a public place helps me focus more on my work than if I’m alone in my room. In a way, the presence of other people holds me accountable. With all that said, here are some nice places around campus for working or studying away from your room.
The Lounges
I don’t know what it was about the residence hall lounges in Redding in my freshman year, but there was just something about them that really helped me study and do work. I would do work all the time in my floor section’s lounge, and I remember spending hours during finals week using the white boards in the main lounge to help myself study. If you’re in a residence hall, one of the lounges might be the perfect change of environment to sit down and get some work done — plus, it’s still close to your room if you forget any materials! Working in the lounge also meant having the chance to go to the weekly Honors Study Breaks, or taking breaks from work to grab food with floormates.
Campus Buildings
If you’re not living in a residence hall, or simply can’t or wouldn’t want to work in the lounge, there are always other options, such as the Student Centers and academic buildings on campus! Places like Perkins, Trabant, and the ISE Lab have nice seating where one can sit and work. Lerner Hall has beautiful décor alongside sitting spaces for you to work in as well. These places also have easy access to food–Perkins and Trabant especially so– so, if you want to grab a bite to eat, you don’t have to go far at all! Additionally, you can also choose to reserve a seat or private study room in Morris Library. The library is also home to The Nest, which provides food and drink on a near-24/7 basis. Morris is also sure to be quieter than the Student Centers, if that’s a concern of yours.
Main Street and More!
Lastly, of course, there is always the option of going to one of the many cafés near campus. For instance, Brew HaHa! is one such coffee shop with a great balcony and a beautiful view, and doing work outside a place on Main Street can have a nice ambience to it. For many people, myself included, the separation of schoolwork and relaxing at home can be essential, and one of the ways you can cement that separation is working in one of the many great places in and around campus.
