By Kallie Leonard
Western Herald
Chyn Wey Lee/Western Herald: Rick Range, Dave Ludeke, Shannon Lapsley, and Jami Balgooyen study in Big Apple Bagels Xpress off of Howard Street and West Michigan Avenue.
Finals week: it happens twice each year, and is dreaded by just about every student on campus.
For many, finding the motivation to study can be near impossible.
So when it comes to getting some serious studying done, it is often necessary to get out of the house. But where to go? Here are a few great study locations on or near campus to consider.
Waldo Library: this might be the most obvious place to go. The hours are great for students, who often work on strange schedules. During exam week, it is open 8 a.m. through 3 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. Another benefit of studying here is all of the services and office supplies Waldo Library provides including Internet access, printers, photocopiers, fax machines, change machines, staplers, paper cutters, a three hole punch, scissors, and scotch tape.
There is also has an abundance of space at Waldo. There are many locations within the library with long tables to get a good group study session going, and the library is large enough that there are always places to study away from noise and other people if you want to study alone.
Big Apple Bagels Xpress, located where Coffee Works used to be in Video Hits Plus, is another option. Located on West Michigan avenue at Campus Pointe, this is a great place to study. They have a large assortment of reasonably priced foods and beverages including bagels, sandwiches, soup bread bowls coffee, tea, and smoothies. They are open from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and bagels are priced half-off one hour before closure.
A purchase is required in order to receive the password to access the Internet, but there is not a minimum purchase and bagels are only 99 cents, without cream cheese. There are also plenty of electrical outlets to plug a laptop into.
Big Apple Bagels Xpress is better for individual or partner studying rather than a group study being that they only have small two and four person tables. One downside to studying here is the noise. Because the tables are so close together, it’s easy for the sounds of others to become distracting.
The Bernhard Center Computer Lab is another good option. Here students have the luxury of being centrally located on campus in the lower level of the Bernhard Center. All you need is your Bronco ID and you are all set to go. In the lab students can print for free (as long as you haven’t exceeded your 500 free prints you are allowed each semester), and have access to basic office supplies including staplers and a three-hole punch.
The best part of studying here is that Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Biggby Coffee, and Subway are just a few feet away. The noise level here varies. It doesn’t ever seem to get as noisy as Big Apple Bagel Xpress, but it’s not as quiet as Waldo Library. The hours are great for late night studiers, open 24 hours Sunday-Friday at midnight, Saturday 9 a.m. to 12.a.m.
Another great place to study is Fourth Coast Café, located on South Westnedge avenue, just below Crow’s Nest. You have to be a certain kind of studier to enjoy this location, with loud music that may be distracting to some. Fourth Coast Café welcomes smokers. Having to pack up all of your books and laptop to trudge out in the snow to smoke gets old.
If you are non-smoker, this probably isn’t the place for you. Also, the lighting at Fourth Coast Café is a little dim, so if you need bright lights to study, this isn’t your place either. The coffee here is fabulous and the service is great. The employees treat everyone like friends, which can put students at ease while studying. Wi-Fi is free with a purchase.
Lastly, there is Water Street Coffee Joint. This is located downtown on East Water Street. The atmosphere here is incredibly welcoming and friendly. It stays reasonably quiet, and they play soft music that is easy to study to. Like Big Apple Bagel Xpress and Fourth Coast Cafe, Internet is available with a food or beverage purchase. The food here is awesome and made by hand, but is a bit pricey.
They have soups, sandwiches, desserts and more, but it’s tough to find any one food item under $5. Water Street Coffee Joint is on the small side, not ideal for partner or group studying. The hours are Monday- Thursday 6:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 6:45 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 7:45 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 8 a.m. to 10p.m.
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