Students Find Best Places to Cram

College students can often find themselves asking a multitude of questions each final exam period.

Questions such as, "How many energy drinks should I buy?," "Why do I always seem to be scheduled for the last final of the term?" and "Why didn't I go to this class more often?" are always among the most commonly asked questions.

The one question every college student must answer is, "Where will I study for this final?"

Whether gathered around a table with classmates in the library or locked away in the dark recess of a silent bedroom, (almost) every student must settle in for at least a couple hours at the end of each semester to cram for impending finals.

So, The Plainsman decided to do an informal survey of Auburn students and residents to find out where students like to study.

The Library.

With resources such as individual and group study rooms, study partners and the Internet cafe available, one might think the library would be the best place around town to study. But Jarrod Thorne, senior in radio, television and film and a student-employee at the library, said people should reconsider coming to the library during finals.

"It's not a good place to study for finals at all," Thorne said. "I came up here three times to study for finals in the spring and every time, just as I was about to walk in the door, a fire alarm went off and people were just streaming out. It's just impossible to do any studying up here."

Besides the seemingly endless amount of fire drills, Thorne said the level of ambient noise and lack of parking makes the library an undesirable location for finals cramming. But the biggest distraction at the library, according to Thorne, is the other students.

"People take naps here constantly," Thorne said. "We had a guy in the spring take Adderall and Red Bull and ended up having his heart speed up to a pace where he just got crazy. An ambulance had to come take him to the hospital."

Thorne said Ralph Broun Draughon may be a good place for people who are in the routine of coming to the library or want to study in a group.

"For some classes it's good when you have science classes where you can study with lots of people," Thorne said. "But for the most part try and study on your own because you want to be respectful to the people around you. Mainly the fourth floor and probably the first floor too, it's got some nice study areas. Those are probably the best places to study in the library during those times."

Daylight Donuts.

Since Daylight Donuts' arrival on The Plains in April, many students have sought out the pastry place as an alternative study environment.

Bill Springer, owner and manager of Daylight Donuts, said he built the store with students in mind.

"That's what I built this thing for; I built it to be study friendly," Springer said. "We have the best Wi-Fi system there can be put in. The lights, the greenery; we built it to be proactive for the students. It's for them to come here."

Springer said the couches, coffee and the smell of fresh donuts in Daylight Donuts make it a great atmosphere for study, but he tries to add extra incentives for students there during finals.

"Anybody that has ever come here will tell you there's always hot donuts being given out here," Springer said. "I'm always giving the kids stuff, letting them try new stuff. Nobody ever leaves here hungry, they'll tell you that much."

Katie Adcock, Daylight Donuts employee, said business has picked up at Daylight Donuts due to the impending finals period. Despite the increase in crowds at Daylight Donuts, Adcock still says it is an optimal place for people to study.

"It's like the library, but not as much pressure," Adcock said. "You know you're sitting in the library and you're cramming and you're stressed out, but here it's low-key, there are no worries. You can just kind of get your stuff done and do your thing. I think that's it, it's just low pressure."

Gnu's Room.

Some students may want a study location that is off the beaten path. For people like this, graduate student Alex Bonda said Gnu's Room is the perfect spot.

"It's a nice atmosphere, it's pretty quiet, there's free Internet," Bonda said. "People usually come here to meet each other to study. It's not quiet central to campus. It's more out of the way, so there's more of a chance that there is probably a seat to study."

Bonda said he thinks people like to study in Gnu's Room because it is not as crowded, there is free Internet and coffee for sale.

But the No. 1 reason people seek out Gnu's Room during finals is because of their quality customer service.

"We might stay open later depending on demand," Bonda said. "If enough people ask us to stay open later, we'll definitely change."

Gnu's Room is at the intersection of Gay and Samford, next to Amsterdam Cafe.

So with an abundance of study locations throughout Auburn, where do Auburn students choose to study?

Every single student polled for this article said they choose to study at home.

"Me, personally, I like a quiet place," Bonda said. "I'm more of a loner so I like to find a nice corner somewhere that it's really quiet where I can listen to my music and get stuff done."

Thorne said his home is his top choice for finals cramming because he knows it will have a soothing atmosphere and because he prefers forms of distraction in his house.

"I do a lot more of my studying at home just because I know what the atmosphere is going to be like up (at the library); between parking and having to walk over here when it's cold then to have to try to find a place, it's usually not even worth it," Thorne said. "(When we take a break) we play a lot of Call of Duty. We really get into it and kill each other off a couple times then get back into it."