Exams are Coming: Your Guide to Campus Study Spots

Gilmore Girls

By Jimin Lee

It’s that time of year when students share looks of utter fear in the halls as the air seems to thicken with stress. Welcome to another exam season. Especially in these hectic weeks, It’s important to utilize time efficiently before the infamous anxiety-inducing exams.

The Library

A classic. The library offers a variety of seating options and arrangements from couches to formal desks. Generally a quiet place for focused study when the workload gets tough complete with towering bookshelves that remind us to study. There’s always that one person that looks like they’ve been there since the dawn of dinosaurs. Its high ceilings provide creative flow and large windows to reconnect with nature when times get overwhelming. Rating: 10/10

The CAE

The newest building on our campus gives off college vibes. It’s the prestige spot where studying here feels like it might actually make you smarter. Just being in its presence feels like you’re on your way to becoming a young CEO. Because of its vast and various environments, whether it be in the halls, on benches, sofas, breakout rooms, or the coffee shop, many students flock to the CAE entrance as if waiting for a celebrity concert opening at exactly 1 pm every day. The second the clock strikes, it’s a full-on sprint to claim the best seats in the house. It’s like the Black Friday rush. Resembling much of a college campus, it provides more independence and enlightenment different from the traditional academic buildings. Rating: 9/10

The Cement

Sometimes when all the real study spots are taken, there’s only one option left, the cold cement. Desperate times call for desperate measures when you’ve actually hit rock bottom. One can argue it’s got the rough charm like you’re in a survival movie– but the GPA is on the line. What’s good is that it’s everywhere, the most accessible spot on campus where you can just plop on down and grind for a quick review. Rating: 4/10

The Hallways

Convenient and warm for the upcoming frosty weather, what more could I say? This is one of the more social spots, where you’re guaranteed to meet at least four friends, two teachers, and someone asking you what pages the reading is on. It’s cozy, calm, and incredibly walkable to your next class. However, it’s a downside to those who prefer chairs and desks, making the hallway tend to be a more casual study sesh. There is guaranteed disturbance as people walk these halls every five seconds unless you can block out the noise. Rating: 7/10

The A & W

The smell of fresh turf and gym equipment wafting into your senses along with the little rubber crumbs that jettison from your shoes, it’s an open space to sit down and draft that English essay you’ve procrastinated. It’s spacious with high ceilings that are known to facilitate and boost creativity. However, the long trek across bridges and roads to the artificial field can drain the energy to focus. Rating: 6/10

In a Tree

Any selection of BGA’s trees, whether it’s the respected senior tree or the collection of trees next to the middle school field, is a great way to reconnect with nature and relieve that stress that’s been building up. This is one of those places where the destination is great, but the journey is iffy as climbing trees is a dangerous and difficult task. Rating: 4/10

The Black Benches

They seem to be strategically placed in front of buildings as if to encourage students to soak up nature, but don’t forget about those looming deadlines. People watching you study also makes you less likely to procrastinate. The benches are for scrolling through a Quizlet last minute while soaking up that vitamin D. However, it can also be a place of existential crisis when the gentle breeze steals all your notes. Rating: 6/10

With all seriousness, it’s important to set achievable goals and designated times and spaces to review this semester’s material before exams come around. The lure of the approaching holiday season may be tempting to give up on these last couple of weeks, but persisting and trying your best on these last stretches of the semester is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment no matter the numerical outcomes. You’ve got this!