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October 31, 2006

Going Study

Students find study spaces that best fit their needs

Story by: Samantha Nhema

The Shorthorn staff

The Shorthorn: Drew Campbell

Sprawled out on a couch in the University Center, Dillon Cawley reclines with his feet up on the coffee table and his biology book across his lap. For the biology junior, comfort is key as he reads ahead for one of his hardest classes this semester.

Every semester he tries to find a new place to study to help him concentrate on the task at hand.

“It breaks up the monotony of studying. I like the quiet places like the fifth floor of the library,” he said. “I try and find places that are new and have a lot of windows so I can take breaks and look out the windows.”

This far into the semester, many students have fallen into some sort of study routine. They consider when and how to study and, perhaps more importantly, where to study.

The typical solution for many students seems to be the Central Library. However, many students on campus have found other places where they get the most done.

Three times a week, Cawley can be found lying out on a couch in the UC. He finds it easier to study at school than at home where distractions get the best of him.

“I like the lights here, the skylights and the big windows everywhere and even the architecture,” he said. “The Palo Duro Lounge is even better because I can look out the window at the mall and watch people when I take a break.”

Education junior Mary Kim agreed that the lounge is a good study area and said she recently began studying there. She usually likes the ambiance of studying outdoors, she said.

“Outside, the nature gives me concentration just naturally,” she said. “I like to sit right in front of the Central Library on the benches out there. It just seems peaceful to me.”

Kim lives in Arlington Hall and said studying there is impossible because of all the distractions.

“I just try to stay away from Arlington Hall. I can’t study in my room,” she said. “Once I get away from everything and get myself organized, then I can concentrate.”

Interdisciplinary studies junior Will Smith said he recently began to develop serious study habits now that he is a junior.

“As a freshman, I didn’t really study, but now it’s habitual,” he said. “It’s a good habit.”

Smith said he studies wherever he can — at work, in the UC or between classes in the hallways.

“Because of my work schedule of 15 and sometimes even 35 hours a week, studying happens when it happens,” he said.

Smith dedicates most of his studying time to the Central Library second floor. He likes the relaxed nature of the floor, where he can chat with friends while studying.

“On average, I spend about three hours a day in the library. One hour is talking, and the other two are for studying,” he said. “I like to study with people. I take time for myself and spend time with friends, which is what being in the library is all about.”

Not all students appreciate the environment in the library. Accounting junior Adam Browning prefers the less crowded Architecture and Fine Arts Library across campus.

“It’s a lot quieter, and you get more done,” he said. “Plus it’s nice looking — big windows and the water fountain. The scenery is relaxing.”

Browning studied in the Central Library when he started at the university seven years ago but said it was a lot quieter then with less people.

Francoise Allen and Kenny Barriteau both work in the Architecture and Fine Arts Library, and, due to the nature of their jobs, they get the bulk of their studying done at work.

Barriteau, an international business and Spanish junior, said his job is perfect for a full-time student, and when he isn’t at work, he studies on the Central Library fourth floor.

“The fifth floor is too quiet for me, and the first and second have too many distractions. Besides, four has always been my favorite number anyway,” he said. “I like to go to a cubicle and listen to my iPod. Music and studying go hand in hand for me.”

Allen, an art freshman, said that though most of her studying is done at work, she has considered other spots when walking around campus, such as the semi-enclosed lawn across from Lipscomb and Kalpana Chawla halls on Fourth Street. She didn’t like being surrounded by the resident cats, though, and she said the library has also not been an attractive study area for her.

“The library intimidates me. It’s so big, and there’s always a lot of people there,” she said. “It’s almost like the cool hangout or something.”

Allen said many of the students who go to the Architecture and Fine Arts Library are serious about studying and can do so with the designated quiet area in the back of the library. There, students can have private cubbyholes or long tables.

“We get a lot of older students here as our regulars,” she said. “I believe the more mature people study here because they are not tempted by the lure of coffee.”