Before starting at The Quill and gaining access to its facilities I was like many of you, trying desperately to find a quiet place to study. Throughout the past few years that I have been at Brandon University I have discovered some great and some not so great places to study on campus. Today I shall share my secrets with you all.
I have always wanted to get the bad news out of the way before the good news comes in; therefore, this article will be no different. There are a few spots around campus that are absolutely terrible when it comes to finding a quiet place to study. The mingling area comes in as number one. This is understandable as both Forbidden Flavors and the Brandon University Bookstore are located there. There are also a lot of students and staff that use the mingling area to actually mingle, therefore it gets fairly loud during the day. Harvest Hall is also generally not a good location to study for exams or tests. Being the main dining hall for all three residence buildings, Harvest Hall becomes a gathering place for students staying in residence. Studying in Harvest Hall also opens the door up to numerous distractions. One such obvious distraction is that of food. Being a food hall there would be no shortage of items to eat. There are also projector screens that show TV programs, which would make it considerably difficult to concentrate on studying. Finally, I’ve had students say to me that the campus courtyard is one of the best places to study. I must, however, whole heartedly disagree. An obvious reason as to why it's not a good idea to go studying in the courtyard, or outside in general, is that we happen to live in the province of Manitoba, where half the year we are covered with nothing but snow and -20 C temperatures. Even if we were to only study outside during the warmer months it still would not prove to be the best location on campus. This is because there are loads of distractions outdoors. With everything from traffic noise to wind and rain I can assure all of you there are far better places on the Brandon University campus to study for an exam.
Having looked at all the poor studying locations on campus lets address some of the positive ones. Overall, I have found that there are three great spots, some hidden away, that truly provide an oasis of silence. These environments are exactly what you need in order to properly prepare for an exam or test. First off, and one that is probably the most obvious, is the library. On campus we have one massive, singular, library housed in the George T Richardson Building. Here you will find desks with computers available for student use as well as an area in which you can print your documents off for a modest fee. On both the first and second floors you will find a collection of desks and tables that are available for your use in order to catch up on some that studying you've been avoiding or complete that assignment which is due soon. Being a library, there is also an abundance of research material available. Books, databases and other materials make the library the best spot to complete a research paper. However, as many students soon come to realize the library is a busy place. A quiet place, but nonetheless an active one as well. Therefore, there are other areas on campus that still provide a quiet place to complete your school work. One of these areas is located inside the Education building on campus. In the basement of the education building there is a gathering spot which the majority of education students use when they have their lunch breaks. However, it is rarely used in the evening or when education students are out on their practicum and therefore provides students with a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the university campus. Although both the library and the basement of the education building provide great places for students to sit down and study I have always found the Clark Hall study rooms to be the best on campus. Clark Hall, as many of you are probably aware, is the big old building at the front of the university campus that houses both the Faculty of Arts and the University Administration. Inside Clark Hall there are four floors plus a basement. On floors two through four you will find three study rooms, one on each floor. These study rooms are centrally located on each floor and provide, in my opinion, the best possible location for a student to study while on campus. Each study room is a fair size and includes a reasonable amount of tables and chairs. Here students can study in peace and quiet while remaining on the university campus.
Now that I have shared with you the best, and the worst, places to study while on campus go out there and see what spot best fits your liking. Like most things it is better to get a grasp on studying and assignments early in the school year, rather than waiting until the last minute. By that time, not only are you struggling to find a quiet place to study, you also have an incredibly short time line to get your work done.