Studying is a hassle; studying in your room is even more so. You start off motivated, invigorated and ready to do work but then as time goes on the bed starts to look inviting, it feels extremely comfortable, and then the struggle of staying concentrated begins. The lure of my bed is one of the reasons I love studying in places that aren’t my dorm room but so is getting fed up with it. I love my dorm room but I spend a lot of time there, both during waking and sleeping hours, and often I need to find another place to chill out and get some work done.
The hall lounge is always an option but it can get crowded and filled with distracting conversations from hall mates you’re just itching to jump in and be a part of. Earl Gregg Swem Library is always nice but depending on where you live it’s a bit of a trek and then after you are slightly winded, tired from walking and dying to set your stuff down, there is always the search for a comfortable seat which you’re never guaranteed to get. All the times I’ve gone to Swem and the couch is taken and no comfy chairs are available have been upsetting. There is one holy grail of studying places and that is any academic building. An empty class room filled with seats, air conditioning, and the ability to choose a building close to wherever you are, make academic buildings a perfect location for studying alone or for having a study group.
Academic buildings used to be my favorite places to study; I would go there with a group of my hall mates whose main goal was to work. We would talk and laugh but still manage to finish what we set out to accomplish; this system worked wonderfully until the unthinkable happened: the invaluable and precious academic buildings have unjustly started closing at earlier times. I, and many other students, have been robbed of a preferred spot for studying. It is absurd for the College to have taken away such a valuable spot for students to comfortably study in. The College is a place meant to educate us and it should support all aspects of education, including studying.
I understand the security concerns associated with allowing access to the buildings late at night, but requiring students to swipe in to the buildings is enough for me. It is unfair to limit students’ options in studying locations, especially since Swem can get crowded and finding a seat turns into a scavenger hunt and takes up a lot of valuable time. The closing time for the academic buildings should be reverted back to what it was before and students should be given the option of using the buildings that our tuition pays for.
Contact Gabriela Montesdeoca at gabrielamontesdeoca97@email.wm.edu.