A professor here once told me, "The purpose of college is to teach you the art of crisis management, and the BS that comes after."
Well, the daily crisis of a DePauw student is balancing socializing, sleep and studying. More often than not, sleep is the one that gets cut.
Here at DePauw, we are masters of time management. People at other schools might miss social activities to work on a Saturday night, but not us (at least until finals week). We are the champions of all-nighters, and, let's be honest, the inventors of the "I'll get up in the morning and do it" trick.
But have you ever wondered how you could maximize your study time so you can actually sleep? You've come to the right place. Since there are a number of things to consider when picking a study spot, we'll rate them all on their quietness and social factor, with other notes at the end.
Roy O. West Library 1st Floor
Quietness: D
Social Factor: A
This is where studying turns into a social event. Be ready to see and talk to everyone you know and spend a lot of time on Facebook. All the first floor needs is some loud Top 40 and bad dancing, and we've got a party. It avoided the F for quietness by having one silent moment in the time I was there.
Roy O. 3rd Floor
Quietness: A
Social Factor: F
Walking up two flights of stairs might as well have taken you to a different world. The silence is almost eerie and if you can stay focused you'll get an astounding amount of work done. Social factor is an F because you can occasionally hear other people around you (writing, flipping pages, etc.) but you can't see them because most of the desks face the wall.
Julian Science and Mathematic Center 2nd Floor
Quietness: B
Social Factor: B
If the porridge is too hot or too cold in Roy O., you might find it's just right at Julian. There's a little ambient noise and friends will walk by occasionally but nothing too distracting. Perfect study space for an afternoon study session.
Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics
Quietness: A
Social Factor: Motivational
There's something in the water here, and it turns students into geniuses for a couple of hours. Assignments that should take ten hours take two hours here. Especially during finals week, Prindle is popular but silent. Looking around the lecture hall and seeing other students working productively is just the peer pressure needed to sign off Facebook and work like a boss. Using it for daily studying, however, feels like killing a spider with a cannon.
— Carter is a sophomore from Carmel, Ind., majoring in English writing.
opinion@thedepauw.com