Finals: that glorious time of year when classes end and so does your will to live. Running solely on caffeine and the power of the curve, you'll likely find yourself pulling off some sleepless nights, grinding out final projects and papers or prepping for an exam. If you're like many students at Syracuse and have never stepped into a library setting prior to finals week, then you're in luck. Here, a handy dandy guide full of the best places to study on campus. Your bank account and faith in humanity may be in the toilet, but at least your grades won't be.
1. Carnegie Library
If you're in need of serious grind mode and looking to buckle down without distractions, go for the reading room on the first floor of Carnegie. You may receive a couple murderous glares if you so much as sneeze, but you and your final GPA will thank me later. Plug in, enter grind mode, and get shit done.
Finals Week Hours: Begin Friday, 12/9, open 24 hours.
2. Bird Library.
Wait, why didn't I rank Bird first, you might ask? Because Bird, to me, is the Ernie Davis Dining Hall of libraries: noisy, overcrowded, and a place where you'll find yourself running into people you'd probably rather not see. Bird is a great place to go if you plan on studying with a group or if you're someone who can't handle total silence, but with the increased number of people comes the increased possibility of getting distracted. However, if you're really looking for complete and total concentration, head on up to the 6th floor with a Pages cup of coffee, and treat yourself to silence and reprieve. Bonus points if you go at sunset-it'll be one of the best ones you'll see on campus.
Hours: Floors LL-2 = Open 24 hours from Friday, 12/9 through Thursday, 12/15; 3-5 = 8 am-2 am (weekdays), 10 am-2 am (weekends); 6 = 9 am-5 pm (weekdays), closed on weekends
3. Newhouse Library. Wait, Newhouse has its own library? Yes, yes it does, and it pains me as a Newhouse student to say that I only know that after stumbling upon it by chance earlier this semester. The benefit of literally everyone and their mother not knowing that Newhouse has its own library is that there's rarely anyone ever there. Located in Newhouse 3, Room 425, settle into a cozy loveseat or at the long table and buckle down for a day of studying in peace.
Hours: Normal office hours; 9 am-5 pm
4. Cafe Kubal.
Okay, Kubal is an ideal place for you if:
1) You don't mind being around other people while studying.
2) Your bloodstream craves caffeine as much as I do.
3) You're okay with confining yourself to one of the counter spaces or mini tables during peak hours.
Cafe Kubal isn't the best study place for someone who needs complete silence for concentration, but it is a nice alternative to on-campus locations for a change in scenery. Plus, nothing feels more #socollege than writing your final thesis while sipping on a Kubal cappuccino.
Hours: 7 am-9 pm (weekdays), 8 am-9 pm (weekends)
5. Panasci Lounge
Located in the upper level of Schine, Panasci is the ideal nook of campus to spend hours pouring over textbooks and papers. With school supplies and plenty of caffeine available downstairs in the Bookstore and Schine's Dunkin Donuts, it's a convenient place to spend hours lounging, studying, and admiring the beauty of Hall of Languages through the looking glass.
Building Hours: 7:30 am-midnight (weekdays), 11 am-midnight (weekends)
6. Link CIE Lounge.
While there's always a slightly daunting feeling of entering an academic building for a major other than your own, Link Hall boasts numerous computer station classrooms, quiet lounge and study spots, and the reputation of the University's esteemed engineering programs. Where there are engineers, there is success (Along with lots of sleep deprivation and a splash of tears. But I digress.).
7. Sims Hall's Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library
Located on the 3rd floor this library is a quiet corner of campus that allows you total reprieve from the chaos of Bird or the suffocating silence of Carnegie with a nice in-between. While you're there, treat yourself to the plethora of books available on African and African-American history and culture. Not only will you be acing those finals, but expanding your knowledge and becoming a seasoned historian.
Hours: Mondays – Thursdays, 8:30 am-8 pm; Fridays, 8:30 am-5 pm.
May you be like your coffee and remain hot and strong this finals season!
Good luck, take a deep breath, and kick ass.
You won't just survive, kid. You'll flourish.
Happy holidays!
