By Magda El Dada | Staff Writer
With a campus as vast and beautiful as AUB’s, it can be overwhelming to find a safe space where one can clear their mind and study to their full potential. The quietness of some areas can sometimes be deafening, with the chaos of another being too distracting, but here’s the twist – sometimes we find ourselves making peace with that silence and may even enjoy the bustle of people talking. There is no one set place a person needs to limit themselves to. AUB is home to tens of spots that can suffice for its students’ multiple study methods; you just need to match a place to your mood and goals!
- Jafet Library
One can never go wrong with classic old Jafet, home to students of any and all majors. There is a feel to the university’s central library that has yet to be found anywhere else on campus. Despite my, and I admit, biased favoritism towards Jafet, I am certain my opinion is universal: it is the one place on campus where students can perfectly balance between a productive study session and a thriving social life. If you’re looking to find an efficient couple of hours where you can effortlessly focus, all the while recognizing at least a few familiar faces and catching up with them during your breaks, Silent Jafet is the place for you. It creates a dissociative environment that isolates you from the world outside, forcing a one-on-one session between you and your to-do list. While upper Jafet can be a little too noisy (and smelly) and the white room can feel like a psych ward more than anything, Silent Jafet lies at the intersection of both the chaos and the isolation.
- Bechtel Design Hall (BDH)
Jafet, though of huge merit, may not be ideal for those who wish to avoid the intense focus sessions and would rather prioritize the social aspect of college while also getting some work done. If that is your case, you may find that Bechtel – or BDH – is the suitable place for you. It has a cottage-core feel and comforting ambience that makes studying easier and even encourages it. The wide tables extending from one side of the hall all the way to the other facilitate the socializing process and bring down any barriers that may hinder one’s ability to talk to people. It serves as the ideal place to get some daily revision or light studying done, unlike Jafet that may sometimes render the studying process slightly too serious and suffocating. Though essentially a study hub for the engineers, you’d be surprised with how many students turn to Bechtel when Jafet, very unfortunately, closes at 11:30pm.
- Oxy Engineering Complex
I’ve heard many complain that Bechtel is a little too “cheery” and pretty much an introvert’s worst nightmare, and that is why they turn to Oxy. After its peak hours between the afternoon and around 10pm, Oxy’s dark ambience creates the perfect study atmosphere. Other than its diverse labs and lounges and its mesmerizing views, it is truly the best place to pull all-nighters. Yes, the long nights devouring material and surviving on caffeine can associate the place with some trauma, but I’ve honestly yet to find another study spot that pushes students to give their all to their studies. Its metallic tables and green-grey color scheme may be a bit too depressing for some, but it contributes to the whole mechanical and undistracted student atmosphere.
- Green, green, green!
A study spot heavily overlooked that is the most accessible and good for the soul is no other than AUB’s lovely green areas. Cliché as it may sound, nothing comes close to exposure to nature that cleanses your mind from the stress that college life brings about. Hours reading and memorizing can be reduced to minutes amid the peace that comes with taking in your surroundings and appreciating the greater goal to life. Whether you sit on one of the many benches scattered around campus or enjoy a study picnic in the green oval, your connection with the wonder that is the natural world can impact your productivity vehemently.
We underestimate the confines of our rooms or the routine of studying in the same place and their disruption of our focus and overall efficiency. This campus is built on grounds tailored to satisfy every student’s needs, but it is up to us to smartly invest in the areas that make us feel safe and represented. A satisfactory GPA and a productive routine cannot be achieved without the tiny details that ensure we feel most like ourselves, and for that, the fate of our goals lies in the minor changes in our choices that make AUB home.
P.s, during finals season, you may or may not find that some of the classrooms are left unlocked for an optimized study session (but you didn’t hear it from me).