Come reading period and exam season and you can find students holed up at a library or in their rooms, cramming for an exam or trying to finish up a last-minute assignment. However, one aspect of college life that is frequently overlooked is the studying that is done prior to exam season, that is the weekly assignments and problem sets (p-sets) that students must work on. As such, this is an homage to the places I like to do work at when I am not in a state of frenzy trying to cram for a midterm or finish a paper.
Although my productivity varies drastically based on the proximity of the deadlines, these are all the places I have deemed productive, not too stressful, and highly accessible in my daily routine. Some of these places are simply because of the convenience, others the comfort, and the rest are simply for the ~vibes~ since I am not in finals season.
Head of College Office: Since I am a college aide in my residential college, I have office shifts every week at the Head of College Office. Sometimes I will have work in the office and am unable to do my readings and assignments. But for the most part, during these two hours, I can complete a reading assignment and start on a p-set. Even though the comfortability of this study space is quite low, the fact that I am paid to do homework is a win in my books.
Views from my office shift
Good Life Center: It is counterintuitive that I will do work in the Good Life Center since it is a space dedicated to improving students’ mental and physical well-being. However, I really like working here, especially in one of the private rooms with my friends, because the seats are comfortable, there is ample natural sunlight from the floor to ceiling windows, and because the rooms are relatively private. Best of all, if I want a study break, I can always head to the basement to get a quick treat at The Elm since the Good Life Center is in Schwarzman Center.
I love the Good Life Center chairs <3
My Common Room: Most of my work is admittedly done in my common room. More specifically, the couch in my common room. This is arguably the most comfortable study space in my weekly rotation as my suite is always stocked with snacks and beverages. However, the downside of working in my common room is that I get easily distracted (I am sadly a product of brain-rot) and the sofa quickly becomes the source of many naps and TikTok doom scrolling.
A photo of me working on this blog post (crazy)
Yale SOM: I think I naturally gravitate towards the sun and accessibility to food, especially when I need to do work. The Yale School of Management is one of the more inconvenient places to study because of its location on campus. However, since I am surrounded by somber business students, I feel more productive, which is always a plus. Also, I recently learned that I could use my dining points at the cafe so I will show up to “study” here more often.
Beinecke: This is a temperature and weather dependent study spot. Although I must be under the shade to see my laptop screen and the seats are uncomfortable, I love any chance I get to work outdoors. Sadly, many students share the same sentiment as I do, so it becomes terribly difficult to find a seat in the shade.
Just taking a well deserved study break :) I swear we were productive
Some honorable mention study spaces are The Elm, the Timothy Dwight College dining hall, Steep Cafe, empty classrooms, and Bass library. Although my use of these spaces largely depends on how desperate I am to complete my assignments, they have all served me well in the past. Hopefully with the temperatures warming up, you can catch me basking in the sun these next few weeks until I must hunker down and cram for my finals.
