It doesn’t need to be said that college students spend a big chunk of their time at OU studying. And one of the great things about campus and adjacent Court Street is that there are great study spots to be found all over. Indoor, outdoor, group setting or private, every kind of studier can find a nook to get their focus on.
Here are some of our favorite study spots on campus and off:
If you want to study outside…
Campus green has a bunch of great spots under big trees. It’s the perfect place to throw a blanket down and get some assigned reading in. And it’s just off Court Street, so you can grab a quick study snack uptown, head to the green and get to it.
Emeriti Park near Ping is a pretty and tranquil place to prepare for that next exam. There are benches, and a whole covered pergola by the pond, so you can study outside even when it’s drizzling.
The Siegfried Mural is also a solid outdoor spot to study. It’s also covered, and it sees a lot less foot traffic than campus green or Emeriti Park.
If you want some absolute silence…
If you’re looking for a corner of campus where there’s a good chance you’ll never encounter another human, it’s the stacks at Alden for us. Floors 6 and 7 are crowded with floor-to-ceiling rows of books, with little study nooks and tables around the outsides of each room.
It’s one of the easiest places to tune everything out and just focus on the task at hand. Plus, sitting next to the windows on the upper floors of Alden give you an awesome view of the hustle and bustle at ground level.
You will have to run up and down the stairs a bit if you’re studying on the 7th floor and need to use a women’s restroom, though – it’s down on the 6th floor.
Honorable mentions: Floors 3 and 5 are good for when you need a quiet place to spread out books, notes, and other material in a more spacious place than the nooks upstairs.
If you’re studying in a group…
First off, your college’s building definitely has lobbies for studying alone or in a group. And so do many of the dorms.
First floor Alden has conference-style rooms you can book for group study sessions.
Front Room at Baker is a convenient spot to meet, plus you can grab a quick coffee and sandwich if you want. Whether you study in Front Room or wander the interior of Baker, you’re sure to find a good spot for a small group to study.
If you want to study off-campus…
You can almost always find people deep in a studious trance at Donkey. Another convenient mix of coffee and an environment conducive to focus, Donkey’s good for studying alone or in small groups.
Athens Public Library is another off-campus study spot where you can get some peace and quiet while taking a break from being on campus.
And, of course, there’s always your OU apartment! KPR even has student rental units with little kitchen booths perfect for getting some study time in without ever having to leave your house. So there’s that.
We all know how midterms and finals weeks get. Everyone’s looking for a corner to stake for themselves so they can cram for exams, so it pays to have options. Even OU’s gotten in on the game – you can now look up study spots and building access using the OHIO Study Space Locator.
Happy studying!