Students find best places for studying in town, on campus

Jun 15 2009 - 12:58pm | Leigh Morgan

Students come to college with one similar goal — to make the grade.

With a multitude of distractions, any student would agree success will not come without serious time spent studying. Students have a variety of preferences for studying.

Kevin Kemp, geography senior, finds it is best to study in complete seclusion from others.

“I often study at my house, listening to music or laying out in my hammock,” Kemp said. “I’d rather stay home than wander off to the library and I always seem to be able to concentrate better in my hammock.”

Ellaire Yantis, mass communications sophomore, said she cannot study in silence.

“My favorite place to study is Einstein’s bagels on the top floor of The Den,” Yantis said. “I like the hazelnut coffee and bagels, so it lets me get breakfast and have a table to study at. The sounds of other people’s conversations are like white noise to me.”
Patrick Mankins, English senior, praised the library for its long hours and quiet floors.

“The only place I have been able to study is the library because I need a distraction-free environment,” Mankins said. “The only disadvantage to the library is that there is not any coffee. Although, it is just a short walk to find some.”

John Galbraith, health and fitness management junior, thinks there are multiple spots in San Marcos that are good for studying.

“The library is a great studying environment because you can get rooms for big study groups when it comes to test time,” Galbraith said. “The Coffee Pot is also one of my favorite places to study because you can relax and get free drink refills that will help you stay awake and concentrate.”

Yantis expressed the pros and cons of living in the dorms.

“If you live on campus, the best way to study during the week is to go to your study lounges in your dorm,” Yantis said. “Living in the dorms is also a challenge because people would slam doors, talk loudly and do stupid things to blow off steam like rip down decorations.”

Yantis said if things get too rowdy, another benefit of living on campus is the library is just a short walk away.

Galbraith agreed dorms were not the ideal study spot.

“I think of my dorm as a sanctuary to relax and be away from everything that has to do with school, not a place to do a lot of studying,” Galbraith said. “Every time I try to study in my dorm I would either start getting on Facebook, watch TV or simply fall asleep.”

There are also other distractions beckoning students from the textbooks.

“I think there is always something to do at Texas State,” Mankins said. “As far as distractions go, the river is a big one.”

Yantis said she can find a way to be distracted any day of the week.

“The main reason I do not study as often as I would like is a result of naps, going to the river or just messing around on my computer,” Yantis said.

Finals are the peak of pressure on students to study.

Yantis said students can be found around the clock, cramming all night for finals at the last minute.

Mankins advised against this route.

“By the time finals roll around, the library and local coffee shops are pretty crazy with students,” Mankins said. “The best advice I can give would be to not procrastinate. If you need to study, do it early. You just need to balance your studies with everything else.”
John Galbraith reminded students they are not stranded in difficult times.

“Texas State is a great place to go to school and it has a lot of resources to help you succeed in your classes,” Galbraith said. “The school also provides a great environment with the river, The Rec and student organizations let you relax when you are done with studies.”

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