To the Library.
With spring break around the corner that means one thing–midterms. I can easily say that midterms are the second most stressful time of the semester for Babson students (other than finals and freshman year rocket pitches for FME). The exams are usually cumulative, the nights leading up to them are long, and if you’re stuck in the library late, chances are you’re halfway through a jazzman’s brownie cookie if its after 8pm.
With Horn Library now open until 2am, the world is our oyster. It’s amazing how much you can get done in those extra two hours. In the past, the library closed at midnight, except for midterms and finals when it was open 24/7. Due to student demand, this semester Horn expanded its hours to stay open until 2am every night! It’s a tad depressing that the library staying open late got a number of babson students (including me) very excited, but we’re weird I guess. I’m ok with it.
While there are many places to study on campus, personally my favorite place is Horn Library. Since we’re all studious business students, if you walk into the library at any time of day, chances are at least 60% of your best friends are hidden somewhere in a cubical or study room. With the three-tiered system Horn has, you can switch up how you study throughout the day. Personally, I usually start on the top floor–also know as the silent floor. Some find the third floor intimidating because it is the silent floor…and when I say silent I mean silent. If it takes you too long to open a bag of chips you get glares and probably want to take it down a floor or two, but it is a great place to concentrate and get some work done.
Every once and a while I’ll take breaks to go down to the first floor and print something from one of our wireless printers and talk to friends. One thing that’s great about Horn is the difference in noise level floor to floor. The first floor is mainly for group projects, so you can talk as loudly as you want! When I want to be a little more social, my friends and I will grab the secret table on the back end of the second floor, which is mainly for quiet work with some partner work allowed (as long as you’re whispering). The “secret table” is a great spot among the books and cubicles in the back of the second floor. With the variation in noise level throughout the library, each floor really is at the noise level it is supposed to be, so you can always find a spot on the floor you want to study.
While this may seem like an “ode to the library”, probably because I was there until it closed at 2am last night, it really is my favorite place to study. Since it is in the middle of campus, the couches in the front of the first floor are a great place to socialize with friends. You can grab a salad and coffee in jazzman’s cafe for lunch, or buckle down on the third floor and pump out a paper between classes.