Since the pandemic, almost everyone has had to find new on-campus study spots. Olin Library isn’t open. Graham Chapel is filled with study cubbies. And now there are gigantic white tents invading Mudd Field. We compiled a list of our favorite spots to break away from the pandemic and get some work done in the meantime:

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Parkside Cafe located on the East End

Parkside Cafe

Museum cafés are my happy place: They’re almost all monochromatic with pointy furniture and intimidating coffee menus. Parkside at Schnucks Pavilion offers the exact same ambiance without expecting a precursory trudge through some exhibition––you get to fast forward to the finish line. It’s an especially satisfying choice for deceivingly sunny days when it’s just a little too cold to study outside. If I arrive before 2:00 p.m. I most definitely get a salmon burger. I order with the touch screens because it ensures the barista says my name when the order is complete, and the pandemic has taught me to capitalize on any opportunity for intimacy. Propping myself up along the window facing Brookings, I can be pretty productive. The noise level is pretty static, lying comfortably in between 3 -p.m. Bear’s Den and Whispers, which makes attending Zooms very doable. The bathrooms and water fountains are nestled in a dimly lit hallway a level below, providing a soothing respite from the grind with a four-minute round-trip travel time. Parkside closes at 4:00 p.m. and is inaccessible on the weekends, but that’s okay, there can be no good without evil.

-Izzy Bruckman, Contributing Writer

Second floor of the Edison Theatre

I grab lunch at Subway in the Edison Theatre every Monday and Wednesday when my class ends at 2:15. After purchasing my food, I climb the stairs to the second floor and sit at a small round table. I always move the chair so that it faces the window and from this view, I can see Umrath Hall. During this time of year, the rooftops are covered in fluffy white snow. I don’t enjoy being in cold weather, but viewing it from a distance allows me to appreciate the elegant contrast of the red brick with the untouched snow on the rooftops. I study here in -between classes, sometimes listening to music, sometimes appreciating the silence of the often empty second level. Through the archway opening of Umrath Hall, I can see other students pass by, but it is never a distraction––the scenery is peaceful. I rarely run into people at this location, which allows me to better concentrate on my work and have some time to myself.

-Reilly Brady, Staff Writer

My Dorm Room

To say that my favorite study spot during the pandemic has been my dorm room would probably be an answer that surprises no one. Before anyone writes me off as a hermit who never leaves their room, I want to make it clear that I actually have some reasons for this that don’t have to do with me being anti-social. My dorm has everything a good study spot needs—low noise level, ease of access and a place to do my work. Now that it’s winter, the fact that my desk is two steps away from my bed only cements my dorm’s status as being the best study spot for me. I may be used to cold weather, but I don’t particularly care for donning three to four layers of clothing to go do something I could do in the comfort of my room. Another thing I don’t exactly care for is my glasses fogging up, which they always do without fail whenever I have to go out wearing a mask, and, wouldn’t you know it, alone in my dorm is the only place on campus that I can be mask-free. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I can eat snacks when studying in my dorm. I don’t know about everyone else, but for me sometimes the only way to get through a tough study session is a box of Cheez-Its.

-Ryan Ricks, Staff Writer

Danforth University Center Goldberg Formal Lounge

I have always enjoyed studying in the Tisch Commons portion of the DUC. Even though it isn’t as lively this year, I like hearing the chatter, I like knowing that there’s still a little bit of energy left on campus. But as a humanities major who can’t read or write without complete silence, Tisch Commons doesn’t result in much productivity. So I started going to the Goldberg Formal Lounge instead, a small room tucked away on the second floor of the DUC. Not many people know about this space (I didn’t even know its name until I wrote this paragraph). It’s built like one of those fancy in-home libraries ––without the books. There’s a fire pit, a piano, high ceilings, wooden floors and lots of windows. I need windows. I hate feeling boxed in when I’m working. I need something that can take me out of the workspace and allow me to drift off––even if I have to peeak around pandemic-made partition boards to do so.

-Benjamin Simon, Senior Scene Editor