The stereotypical college experience involves curling up in the library with copious amounts of coffee and homework. However, the University of Michigan’s Hatcher Graduate and Shapiro Undergraduate libraries get old pretty quickly, and during midterms and finals, they are packed with students desperately trying to cram in some last-minute studying or finish up the last few paragraphs of an essay. During my freshman year, I made it my personal mission to avoid studying in the libraries as much as possible. Below are my expert tips on the best campus study spots for any occasion.
Central Campus Classroom Building
One thing that I loved about the CCCB was that it also housed a lot of my classes. After going to my international studies lecture, I would take the elevator up to the second or third floor to sit by the bright open windows and do work. My personal favorite is the third floor, as it has the best views. Seating options include booths, short tables with chairs and tall tables with stools. Besides the occasional noise from students leaving and entering classrooms, it’s fairly quiet but has a hum of activity.
Michigan League
The League is typically overshadowed by the Michigan Union based on prestige and recognizability. However, for someone who prefers a steady level of background chatter while they do homework and wants to spend their Blue Bucks on a snack at the robustly stocked Maizie’s Cafe, the League is perfect. If you are looking for a little more quiet, the basement is always nearly empty; and, despite its lack of sunlight, it has tables, booths and plenty of outlets (a scarce resource on the U-M campus).
Natural History Museum
Inside the Natural History Museum lives my favorite on-campus coffee shop, Darwin’s. This cute cafe contains several booths and tables that are available for studying while enjoying a sweet treat or cup of coffee. Further into the museum, you will find even more tables and a row of soft chairs. Everything faces the tall windows of the building, meaning there is tons of natural light and perfect people-watching opportunities. If it is nice outside, there are outdoor tables and benches in front of the windows. While there are no outlets and the sun can create a laptop glare, it’s the perfect break from being holed up in a stuffy building all day.
Kinesiology Building
Contrary to what some may think, you do not need to be a kinesiology student to study in the Kinesiology Building. The architecture inside is amazing, and with multiple floors, there is always a new study spot to discover. The one downside of this building is that it is difficult to find seats next to outlets, but to make up for it, there is an abundance of couches and soft chairs to offset the back pain from sitting through hours of classes.
Michigan Union
While this is one of the more popular study locations on campus, I urge you to explore beyond the main floor. The basement has an abundance of seating in addition to restaurants, including a new Qdoba; the Idea Hub on the second floor has plenty of space and unique table set-ups, perfect for group projects; and there are even massage chairs on the fourth floor for when you inevitably need a minute to relax. Top it all off with a delicious coffee from Sweetwaters, conveniently located under an enormous skylight that brings some sunshine to your darkest hours of studying, and you can’t beat the Union.
LSA Building
Word to the wise: Check when this building is open. Unlike some of the other buildings where you can enter with only Mcard access on the weekends, the LSA Building has very specific and limited hours. However, the large glass windows, open atrium and multiple floors of seating allow for a range of studying spots all within one building. Additionally, there are study rooms that you can reserve in advance for when you need no distractions. Just don’t forget to reserve the room for long enough, because you will be kicked out — I learned that the hard way!
Dorm Lounges
The quality of the dorm study lounges highly depends on which residence hall you live in. Living in Mary Markley Residence Hall, I did much of my studying in the Markley lounges and basement. Yet from my visits to South, East and West Quad Residence Halls, the dorm lounges there are a lot higher quality. There are typically tons of different seating options, and some dorms even have private study rooms. Depending on the location, these lounges can either be on the social side or more isolated for when you really need to grind, but the best part of these study lounges is their proximity to your dorm room!
Summer Managing News Editor Madison Hammond can be reached at madihamm@umich.edu.