“I have been having trouble studying in my dorm because of how loud it is. Where can I go on campus to find a quiet area?”

Being in a noisy environment when you need to accomplish something can be very frustrating. Luckily for you, and all the other suffering students out there, our campus has some great areas where you can indulge in some peaceful studying.

If you’re not looking to venture out too far from your dorm, then your first bet is to try the basement or the lounge of your building. If they are unoccupied, these places could be a potential getaway. The downside is that you don’t know when a group of people will come down to watch television or play pool. If you go to one of these places, be sure to sit in a corner or someplace away from the main attractions of the basement so it will not disrupt your flow.

Another place that would work is the Andersen Library. Despite what some may think, the library has three floors, and not all of them are noisy. The second/main floor of the library is for talking, and the lower and upper levels are quiet floors. Andersen also has a lot of space for you to spread out and get down to business.

Next to the library is McGraw, which is a great place to go if you don’t want to lug around your laptop. McGraw has plenty of computer labs that have printing capabilities and are generally pretty quiet.

A less obvious space would be in the lounge area or upper floors of Hyland, Heide or Upham. These academic buildings have small desks, work tables and couches dispersed throughout them, allowing you to pick and choose what makes you most comfortable. There are also vending machines in these buildings if you need a mid-study snack.

If going this far from your dorm is too much, then talk with your RA about enforcing quiet hours or asking some of your floor-mates to keep it down. No one wants to walk all over campus looking for a quiet place to study, but sometimes a change of scenery can be just what you need to buckle down.

If you find yourself unable to focus, definitely try and scope out one of these places and see if it helps your ability to concentrate.

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