Hi guys! This week, someone asked Natalie and I where we like to study. I thought that would make a great blog post!

The dorms here usually have study rooms- I definitely took advantage of those when I was a freshman.

Now, I would say most of the time, I study in my apartment. My roommate is abroad this semester, so I pushed our desks together and now have an L-shaped desk! It’s pretty cool, because I can have my books out on one side and computer on the other. If I do say so myself, I have a pretty awesome setup.

I also study a lot on campus. One thing I’ve learned in college is that you really can (and should!) take advantage of those 1 or 2 hour breaks between classes. Instead of going on Facebook or Reddit, use that hour to grab a coffee at the Coffee Bean and knock out 5 or 6 Calc problems. You’ll thank yourself later!

Here are my top 5 on-campus study spots:

1) Ronald Tutor Hall (AKA RTH): Definitely my favorite spot. I personally like to sit outside in the courtyard by the fountain. A lot of my friends like to study upstairs in the Baum or CED study rooms.

RTH

2) Leavey Library: I don’t usually study here by myself, although a lot of students do. But I ALWAYS book Leavey study rooms to work on group projects. You can reserve rooms for certain times on their website. They have tables and whiteboards. It’s good.

leavey

3) The Engineering Library: The first floor is pretty perfect if I need to use a computer. It’s close by my engineering classes, not too big, and has a nice lounge setup.

eng library

4) Empty Classrooms: This is something I just started doing this year. Sometimes I’ll have 2 classes in the same building with just a short break in between. Usually I can find a classroom that isn’t being used. It works well because I don’t have to leave the building.

5) Upstairs in the Campus Center: I also work on team projects in the campus center upstairs study rooms! It’s an equal distance for everyone on the team, because it’s in the middle of campus, and you can also talk in the rooms!

ronald-tutor-campus-center-usc

I’ve always been someone who likes to listen to music while studying. In high school, I listened to my favorite albums and favorite songs while doing my homework. In college, I learned that that wouldn’t work anymore, because I kept singing along and getting distracted. Now I listen to a lot of classical music, and a couple instrumental bands, Signal Hill and El Ten Eleven. You should check them out!

That’s it for me this week!