Study spots around SUNY Geneseo
Photo Courtesy of SUNY Geneseo
It would be a hard task to find a building on campus without tables, chairs, or desks lining the walls outside of classrooms. But everybody has a preference in what environment they like studying in; some prefer the quiet of the library’s first floor, while some find the noise in the College Union allows them to focus better. With midterms rolling around throughout the weeks following October break, finding a spot to lock in and study has never been more crucial to the lives of students.
For those looking for a place with minimal noise, one of the best places is arguably the lowest floor of Milne Library. The desks are closed off behind doors and windows from the hallways, allowing for a near-silent study spot. Make a stop at Books and Bites for a coffee, smoothie, or snack on your way to a table for a long study session when you need to get through weeks of course material right before an exam.
The rest of Milne is also relatively quiet for long study sessions. The top floor is often just as quiet as the first, but sometimes conversations can be overheard from the surrounding group study rooms. The second floor is often the loudest of the three, with people coming in, going out, and doing work together at the larger tables; still, it’s never extremely loud.
The outside seating near Milne is also a pretty good spot to get work done, although it likely won’t be a valid option for long due to fall slowly turning to winter; letting yourself get some vitamin D from the sun for a while when you would otherwise be inside is always a good thing, especially as the days get shorter and the sky cloudier.
For quiet spots, the tables around the academic halls are also pretty good for long study sessions. The sound level is different depending on which hall you are in, but most are quiet aside from people walking by. The tables in the second floor of Fraser Hall and in the hallways that connect Fraser with South and Welles are some of the more quiet areas on campus.
If you are somebody who likes some sound around you during a multi-hour long study session, the College Union is the perfect study spot. With a large variety of seating, the Union offers the perfect study location for many. If you prefer studying in more of a “cafe atmosphere,” the area outside of Starbucks has the perfect spot you are looking for, and of course, while you are there you can grab a coffee or snack for your studying.
The top floor of the Union offers a lot of seating, much of which has outlets for days where you forgot to charge your laptop overnight and need to get work done in between classes. The lowest floor of the Union is also home to a study spot that people rarely take advantage of; the mail room is full of tables and desks—with relatively comfortable chairs—that very few people ever use, making it a relatively quiet spot to get work done besides people coming and going to get their mail.
Of course there are some people who prefer a loud area to study in, for whom the dining halls around campus are the perfect spot. Sitting down at a table at Mary Jemison with a smoothie from the smoothie bar, grabbing a seat at the bar-style tables with a great view of campus at Letchworth, or sitting at a table by the fireplace in Red Jacket all serve as good spots to sit and get some work done—especially when you need to eat something mid-study session.
Luckily, SUNY Geneseo is home to an abundance of study spots of all different types so anyone who needs to get a lot of work done can find a spot that suits them. Hopefully, anyone with midterms coming up is able to find their study spot on campus and complete their necessary studying to do great on their exams. I hope that everyone with midterms coming up feels prepared and ready, and I hope that our campus’s wide range of areas to study has helped you in your preparation.