Liam Thomas McManaman | Staff Illustrator

Delineating and separating the spaces in which you study, have fun, and rest is both more difficult and even more important when you’re in college. Studying is something most WashU students do (or should do) nearly every day. So naturally, it’s worth giving some thought to where it should take place. 

It’s worth asking why our rooms have become the catch-all for our daily activities. No longer places just for sleeping, people often find themselves eating, studying, hanging out, and doing a wide range of other things in their bedrooms. While current reporting on the phenomenon across a wide variety of contexts lists higher rent and smaller homes as primary causes, this only explains part of the story for WashU students. 

Understandably, sometimes there’s no other option than to resort to your room. A 24/7 study room isn’t always easy to access for those living on campus. That textbook is really heavy, and you don’t want to drag it around, or you’re pushing a story deadline, and the walk to Olin Library would be for nought. Simply, sometimes your room is the only study spot available. And on weekends, if your common room is in use and the nearest dining hall is closed for the night, an Uber Eats feast in your room may seem like the best option. Now, maybe it’s a bit clearer how our rooms become the space for anything and everything. 

There’s advice online for artists and writers to pick a workspace and continue returning to the same space to “get in the zone” for producing their work. This logic can be applied to all disciplines. 

According to an article published by the University of Texas at Austin’s The Daily Texan,  Professor Patricia Carter said, studying and sleeping in the same space weakens your brain’s link between your bed and sleeping, as well as your associations with focus and studying. While pushing an 11:59 p.m. deadline in bed is a cornerstone of the “college experience,” maybe it shouldn’t be. Essentially, both the quality of your sleep and studying will decrease. 

As college students with no other space that is solely our own, it makes sense that our rooms have become places for more than just resting. On any given night, you can find a college student studying, gaming, or eating a late-night snack in their bed. An Australian study from 2023 found that young people, specifically, treat their rooms more like living spaces than areas predominantly for sleep. 

It’s good to remember that even within your room, you can create separation for your mind between your sleeping space and your area for focusing. Your desk or a table to spread out your materials is a much better option for getting in the headspace for homework than a couch or another area usually reserved for relaxing. 

It’s also worth considering separating the space where you hang out with friends or family and study. At an academically rigorous school like WashU, it can be easy to let friendships or other relationships fall to the wayside in favor of studying for the upcoming chemistry exam. Friendships should be prioritized, however, as healthy connections with others can lead to improved GPA and focus in both class and studying. 

At a school like WashU, where it feels like midterm season never ends, maximizing productivity is important. The more effectively you study, the less time you have to spend bent over your computer instead of asleep or hanging out with friends. 

So, think about going into another room to answer any texts or calls you get while studying or during a study break. And maybe that assignment is best done in a library or dining hall instead of your bed.