By Kristin Wilinkiewicz | Co-Editor-in-Chief
1. Library
The library is the quintessential study center for students during finals week. Being such a large building with so many different studying environments, navigating the library can be a little confusing.
The first floor of the library is more like a social area for group projects and conversation. It has the largest tables, equipped with power strips, both Macs and PCs, and color printers. It’s considered the “loudest” floor. If you’re looking to get work done on your own, this is not the place to be. It also has a very small, unmanned café with vending and a coffee machines, if you feel like you need sustenance in the middle of the night.
The Second floor serves as a sort of in-between. It’s not quite the “quiet” floor, but it’s not a free-for-all socializing area either. Here, you can hear the tapping of keyboards and the flipping of pages, but you can also hear conversation happening between people writing the same lab report, or putting the final touches on their group presentation. There’s a lot of floor space here to spread out papers and books, if that’s what you need to do, too.
Lastly, the 3rd floor. You walk up the stairs and are over-taken by signs on every door and on every wall reminding you that this is a place where you should be afraid to talk. It’s the “quiet” floor, and people are serious about keeping it that way. But rest assured, if you go up to the 3rd floor to do work, you will get it done without any distractions. The only problem is you’ll be afraid to drop a book or flip your pages too loudly and disturb the silence that fills the entire floor. And while you’re up there, check out the sliding bookcases used for compact storage!
Both the second and third floors have study rooms that can be booked here:
http://mckillop.salve.edu/studyroom-booking.cfm?key=today
The library is open 24 hours until December 16th.
2. Miley/Starbucks Lounge
Located in the basement of Miley/Wallgreen Hall
Miley Hall’s new renovations have given students much more than just a new coffee shop on campus. The basement café now offers students a social environment to study, watch television and, of course, drink signature Starbucks beverages. You’ll often find people in the lounge, especially during finals, at all hours of the night, flipping through PowerPoints and marking up text books with highlighters.
There are two computers and a black and white printer in this lounge, as well as a glass-walled study room with a whiteboard that can be used for group studying sessions or discussions.
Starbucks is open from 7:30 a.m. in the morning until 12 a.m. on weekdays. The lounge is open 24/7 to students, though doors lock at 12 a.m., so you may need to get someone to let you in if you plan on going to the lounge after that.
3. Jazzman’s Café in O’Hare
In the middle of Salve’s main academic building, this café is always a center for studying. In between classes, it’s your best bet for getting an extra 10 minutes of studying in. Recently, though, it has been a space open until 12 a.m. for late-night studiers, with pastries, coffee and smoothies available until close. The huge windows to the back of the building look out onto the cliff walk, and there are couches, as well as tables and chairs to sit at. The giant glass-walled fishbowl in the corner of the room is a quiet escape from the sometimes-noisy café, as well, if that’s what you’re looking for.
4. Wakehurst
The Student Center, located in a giant mansion, is always full of people. It’s an ideal place to study if you want a relaxed, social setting to do your work. Though there are tables and chairs in the dining area of Global Café, the sitting area is predominantly filled with huge, fluffy couches to sit and spread out on. In the basement, if you’re thinking about taking a break from studying, there are a bunch of gaming consoles that you can rent out, as well as a pool table and a giant television.
The second floor, though, is encased in glass and is much quieter than the rest of the bustling building. There are long tables and lots of chairs to work at, as well as two computers and a color printer for all your printing needs.
Wakehurst, as well as Global Café, is open until 11 p.m. every night.
5. Mercy Center
We’ve all enjoyed the benefits of the Mercy Center at some point – Waffleween is a campus-activities must – and we know that they put on the lovely Festival of Lights this time of year. However, it often goes unrecognized as a place to do homework. When it’s not serving as a place to socialize and snack, the Mercy Center quiets down to a cozy and casual study space. Fully-equipped with a kitchen, you have access to snack-break opportunities (bring along a bag of popcorn or some hot cocoa to heat up in the microwave) and the couches are incredibly comfortable. Best of all, it’s out of the way and quiet without the seriousness of the library third-floor.
