Conquer the Semester with These Amazing Study Spaces on Campus

by: Elana Melzer

The semester has just begun, and classes are beginning to get tough, so it’s time to start taking your studying a bit more seriously. Holing up in your dorm to study may seem like a good idea at first, but there are plenty of distractions. From your roommate to your phone to the same scenery you see every day, a dorm room can be a difficult place to try and study. But where else on campus can you go to study? And what are these places like?  

Quiet Places at McKendree to Study 

If you’re the type of student who needs silence to do your best in a study session, then these are some top tier places to go! 

Holman Library 

The library is often viewed as the most obvious place to study. You might be expecting rows of boring chairs and tables to take up all the study space in Holman Library, but that is not the case. Holman Library is full of different seating arrangements for people to study or quietly work on a puzzle. Free student amenities like computers, a printer, a coffee machine and more line the first floor of the library. A cozy seating area takes center stage. The second floor of the library is home to the more typical study setup you may be imagining. There are desks with separators so you can stay focused on your work and tables for group work. There is also the writing center on the second floor that students can use as a separate study space when available. This setup allows for many students to get their work done in the same place.  

ALC 

The ALC, or Academic Learning Center, is a collaborative yet quiet place to study. The room is connected to the New Res West and requires a scan of your McKendree ID to enter. This isolated room has whiteboards and TVs lining the walls. There is also an arrangement of high-top seating and low tables with spinning chairs for students to choose what works best for them. The ALC is also the place where the SAMs, or Student Academic Mentors, go to meet with and help students. And the final touch of the window facing the quad allows for natural light to seep in. This creates a beautiful backdrop for your study session.  

Busy Places to Study 

Some people do better with a bit of background noise happening during their study session. If that’s you, then these are good places to consider hitting the books at.  

The Hett 

The Hett has two different places students can go to study: the front of the building and the student lounge that faces Leemon Field. The front of the Hett has comfortable chairs situated around small tables for people to sit and relax in, along with some high-top tables. This area can be a busy place with the hustle and bustle of people entering and exiting the building along with staff members walking through the front lobby and music from the speakers seeps into the space.  

The student lounge is full of more activity than the front. The occasionally chaotic noise of multiple musicians practicing various tunes can be heard from all angles. Musicians consistently enter and exit the practice rooms, choir room, and band room. As for studying, the lounge has the same comfy chairs as the front, along with a square table that seats four people. The Hett also is home to its notable floor-to-ceiling windows that fill the building with natural light, along with views of the campus you may have never seen before.  

Pearsons Hall 

Pearsons Hall is another lively place to study. The main floor of the building is home to 1828 Cafe, a popular place for students of all kinds to gather and eat. People can be seen chatting with others over lunch or a snack or doing homework on their laptop. The 1828 Cafe can get busy at times with the noise of the kitchen announcing orders taking over and the smells of food cooking in the kitchen spreading through the air. Nevertheless, some people do well studying in a hectic environment.  

The bottom floor of Pearsons Hall is home to the Hub. The Hub has two conference rooms students can rent for club meetings. There are also many small tables for individuals to study at and a large table in the center of the room for people to gather. The echoes of footsteps and the sound of the creaky floor above resonate throughout the room. Discussions from people using the conference rooms for club meetings or group assignments can be heard by others in the area.  

McKendree is full of different places and environments for studying, making it easy for students to find their favorite study spot. Nearly every academic building has a student lounge somewhere for students to connect with others and do some studying. If you need help on how to study effectively, check out this article for study tips. Discover something new on campus by visiting one of these fantastic study spots!