Melissa Fose

Finals week: a time for cramming, all-nighters and midnight munchies. With over 11,000 students on campus, though, where is the best place to study?

The reality is that the “best” depends on what kind of person you are.

Students who need to be as far as possible from all distractions choose home or Hilton M. Briggs Library.

“I choose my room because it is convenient, since I have my own room and [can] control the atmosphere,” said junior sociology major Jennifer Rumpca. “Everyone studies for finals, which tends to make other places, like the library or coffee shops, busy.”

Brittany Hage, a sophomore English major, likes to hide in the back of the library’s second floor. “I don’t run into many people that I know, so I can’t chat away my study time. It also provides a much need[ed] opportunity for some time alone, which I don’t often get in the dorms,” Hage said.

Freshman agronomy major Dustin Holt uses the library’s numerous resources when he needs help. “It is a way to get away from all of the noise in the dorms,” he added.

Students like sophomore nursing major Andrea Chester focus on the convenience of studying at home. “My room has my stuff here already, so I don’t have to haul crap anywhere,” she said, “and when I get hungry or distracted, I can take a break to watch TV, computer it up or visit with friends.”

Mandi Cramer takes over the dining room table in her apartment during finals week. “I can have all my stuff all over the table and not [be] confined to my desk,” said Cramer, a junior health promotion major.

Other students do not like to study in the library or at home because it is too quiet. These students prefer to study in the Student Union or coffeehouses with people walking around and chatter in the background.

“There’s coffee to keep me awake, tables for me to sit at [and] background noise to keep me from stressing out too much,” said senior nursing major Alyssa Cleary. She welcomes distractions, choosing to study at Mission Coffee House, located in First Lutheran Church, and at Java City on campus.

Roshal Franken said that having Mission Coffee House open 24/7 during finals week is helpful too. “They stay open later than any other place, and I procrastinate, so I need somewhere good to pull all-nighters,” said Franken, a junior health promotions major.

“There is the right amount of noise to keep me from falling asleep ? but it is not as distracting as my apartment,” junior journalism major Paige Hemmah said about the Student Union.

Whatever your atmosphere preferences, there are plenty of places to study for finals. Briggs library, coffeehouses and the Student Union are just a few options of the many places around campus.