Everyone studies differently. The important thing is that everyone studies. Whether the preferred ambiance involves silence or ruckus, solidarity or company, while highlighting, there is a place for every study style.
Yogurt Express, 426 E. College Ave.
The huge TV is almost always showing news, so patrons don't have to work in total silence or lose touch with reality during those marathon nights before midterms, employee Jessica Myers said.
And although Yogurt Express is best known for soft-serve frozen yogurt, lunch and dinner foods are available, too, she said. Snacking may bring concerns of the "freshman 15," but low-fat and non-fat frozen yogurt are available alternatives to University Creamery ice cream at Yogurt Express, Myers added.
Ye Olde College Diner, 126 W. College Ave.
At the Ye Olde College Diner, one dollar will buy a bottomless cup of coffee or any fountain drink after 11 p.m., employee Susan McCall said. After 11 p.m., a section in the back of the restaurant is reserved for study hall.
The music is low, smoking is permitted and students can order food, including anything from burgers to breakfast food 24 hours a day, she said.
Sticky buns, a popular cinnamon-flavored dessert smothered with icing, are also available, she said.
HUB lawn
Every now and then, students see beautiful weather in State College.
On those days, it would be unfortunate to hide indoors to study and would be equally unattractive to fail classes because of playing ultimate Frisbee outdoors in the sun. The HUB lawn is a great place to study to reconcile being outside and getting work done.
"My computer's a distraction," Isaac Meeder (freshman-electrical engineering) said, which is why he studies outside. The noise level outdoors is not especially loud either, he added.
White Building
There is rarely enough time in the day to do everything intended, so why not take care of two chores at once? Small shelves on treadmills in the MBNA Fitness Center's White Building hold class notes and textbooks.
By studying while using the stair- climber or treadmill, it's possible to workout the mind and the body at the same time, freeing up the evening for time with friends.
However, the gym is recommended for lighter studying, as there are obvious distractions.
Pollock Computer Lab
The fluorescent lighting in the Pollock computer lab is on 24 hours a day.
The lack of windows and sounds of never-ending clicking on the 203 computers
play tricks on the mind, preventing fatigue.
At the Pollock computer lab, there is also the fastest Internet.
Library
The library is the most obvious place to study on campus. Pattee and Paterno libraries hold more than four and a half million volumes and have dozens of rooms.
Specifically, the reserve room and the map room have appealing characteristics. The reserve reading room is open two hours later than the rest of the library
and is adjacent to a computer lab and a hallway with restrooms and a copy machine.
Seating in the reserve reading room includes tables and chairs, cubicles with shelves and big, comfortable seats.
The map room has no Internet connection and is so quiet that academics will feel guilty leaving cell phones on. The entire world is in the most isolated room on campus.
HUB tables
Sometimes, background noise helps students focus. For the less distractible mind, the tables in the HUB have room to spread out books and seats for large study groups.
Students can bring headphones for better focus or grab a coffee and a friend to mix business with pleasure.
Study Lounge
They're in every dorm. They're there for dorm residents and are great place to study in pajamas.
Ben Marcusfield (freshman-engineering) said he prefers to study outdoors but has used the study lounge in Waring Commons.
The study lounge there is quiet and has plenty of room to lay out books, he said.
"It's air-conditioned," Carl Angeloff (freshman-engineering), adding that's why he studies in the lounges.
