Our HUB has been open for four months, and by far, the best places, besides my beloved Wellness Suite, are the study spots. The more I’ve grown accustomed to the new HUB, the more I’ve appreciated the variety of study spots in this colossal building. What’s even more impressive is that these study spots are constructed for different settings and contexts.
When it comes to places to study, I always consider comfort and practicality in the equation. If I’m locking in to work on my honors project, for example, I like to be in a room that is more hidden away from busier areas, but isn’t too isolating. For me, a spot at the very least must have a window so I don’t completely lose my mind.
On the second floor, near the Spencer lounge, there are small, simple individual rooms with wall padding and a desk and chair that are somewhat practical places for isolated study. However, since the second floor tends to have more foot traffic and tabling, these aren’t usually my first choice when finding a place to buckle down to do deep work. Still, I really like that they don’t feel too isolating, and I can get a little view of the outside, and I can at least get light work done if I happen to be in one of those rooms.
I can say the same about the CIE lounge located right across from the fireplace. I typically don’t go there during the day since club meetings and events are going on, but sometimes, in the evenings, I like to spend time there doing tasks for the clubs and organizations I’m a part of.
The third floor features kitschy study booths that can be an ideal setting if you’re studying with another person. I adore being in these booths, either by myself or with my boyfriend; they give the same feel as the booths in DeLight’s, but without all the commotion of students during the lunch rush or the blaring sound of blenders going off every four minutes.
Aside from the booths, the third-floor alcove features glass study rooms perfect for a group meeting or study session. I don’t tend to use these rooms (mainly because most of the time, they are occupied and I prefer the more liberating study rooms with a round table), but I do appreciate their functionality. I prefer using the small, more open study spaces.
As practical as all the spots I mentioned above are, none of them come close to the phone rooms located on the fourth floor. As I’m writing this article, I’m sitting comfortably and soundly in one of the phone rooms, oscillating between writing assignments. Whoever constructed these rooms or came up with the idea to include them, I hope you know that these rooms are the blueprint for a practical study room. I know that isolated studying may not be the intended purpose for these rooms, but regardless, they are perfect for getting your academic grind on.
First of all, the fourth floor doesn’t get much foot traffic aside from the occasional large-scale events and shindigs. The fewer people hustling and bustling while I agonize over researching and writing, the better! Secondly, these rooms have a perfect view of that classic Moravian skyline over Mak Field; I just love pensively looking out at the skyline while I take a break from excessive writing or when I need to remind myself that the outside world exists outside of my crusty MacBook.
Also, these rooms are surprisingly comfortable and spacious – it’s the prime example of “a little goes a long way” with having just a small patterned chair and a tiny desk surrounded by blue wall padding. It’s not sterile, but it’s not horrendously tacky either. Sometimes, when I’m studying here, I am graced by the sound of some virtuoso flexing their talent on the grand piano nearby, which is always a delight when I need some amusement after sending email after email.
As much as I love studying at the library, I just love that the HUB provides even more study spaces with enough variety to motivate me as an academic weapon.
