‘Club Hillman’ not the only study spot on campus

Like reserving the perfect venue for a wedding, calling “shotgun” in a friend’s car or… Like reserving the perfect venue for a wedding, calling “shotgun” in a friend’s car or snagging the last seat in musical chairs, grabbing the prime study spot on campus during finals means you’ve got to act fast.

Should you fail, you run the risk of wreaking serious havoc on your GPA.

A night of studying in the Hillman Library, or “Club Hillman,” leaves many a poor soul prepared the next morning only to transcribe Rihanna’s “Umbrella” lyrics heard on loop from the iPod of the girl next to them as they stare helplessly at their advanced calculus exam.

Success, however, is simple and sweet so long as you’ve got the prime spot staked out early.

Many students believe the ideal study spot needs to be quiet, comfortable, have computer and Internet access and be close to the necessary study amenities so as to minimize procrastination.

Based on this criterion, here are a few places worth checking out:

Fourth floor lounge of Forbes Tower

This is a super-floor. It’s only a cappuccino machine short of study Eden. Every amenity a student might want or need to become the model of academic efficiency is here.

The lounge is a wide-open space with large circular tables, plenty of chairs (both padded and unpadded) and couches long enough to nap on.

Within 20 feet of the tables, there are bathrooms and a computer lab, e-mail kiosks and vending machines, water fountains and a microwave. That’s right, a microwave.

The only drawbacks to studying here are that the building is closed Sundays and if a non-Health and Rehab Sciences major invades, the natives know.

Fifth Floor of the William Pitt Union One word: outlets. Lots of outlets. It is the exact opposite of Posvar Hall in terms of outlets.

This is good news for students using their own laptops – Wireless PittNet connects here – and there’s tons of space to spread out with modular furniture, comfortable couches and chairs and long tables.

The lounge also branches over into cubicles – the ultimate in distraction elimination – and a windowed, open meeting area for when the idea of spending all day in a basement computer lab makes your soul cry.

As with any study space that isn’t a bug-free, temperature-controlled deserted island, the fifth floor has its drawbacks.

For one, a reliable person to watch your belongings while you take a break is not always available. But more than this, as the headquarters of a number of student organizations, the fifth floor leaves one vulnerable to noise ambush. There is no way to know who (as in what organization, sorority, step group, etc.) is meeting there and when. Few things are sadder than setting up shop, getting comfortable and cracking open a diet soda only to be chased out mere seconds later by a sorority bridal shower taking place in the common room. Study-wise, there’s no coming back from that.

The Cathedral Commons Why? Because it’s just like a church without all that distracting stained glass or preaching. The imposing pillars and weighty Beowulf chairs give the Cathedral commons room an ambiance conducive to diligent working. It’s quiet, there’s a lot of desk space and always a previously unknown nook or cranny for the finding. The Cathedral is best, however, for paperwork, as outlets are hard to come by during peak hours. Also, the low lighting is straight-up depressing during spring finals when the rest of Oakland is sunshine and tank tops and bunnies and rainbows.

The College of General Studies lounge on the third floor of the Cathedral The premise of this lounge is essentially a living room parked in a cathedral. Accordingly, it’s quiet, cozy and easy to nap here.

Indiscriminately warm in all seasons, the lounge and its comfortable furniture are welcome respite in winter but roasting in spring.

Luckily, the large fan stashed in the corner for just such an issue creates some excellent ambient noise to study by, stirring up the air into a soft whirr that scrambles sounds and neutralizes distraction.

Hillman Library Hillman is great for “studying” – i.e. talking with friends, using the wireless Internet for unproductive pursuits and maybe printing some assigned reading.

The reading rooms are useful when it gets down to the wire: quiet, comfortable and decorated so they don’t pulse with the stark fluorescent lighting of prisons, hospitals and the ground floor of Hillman.

Still, it’s best not to let the word “library” fool you – it doesn’t bear the nickname “Club Hillman” for nothing.

Of course, there are excellent places to study at Pitt beyond those listed here – many of which those of us not enrolled in science courses can only dream of – but the point is, don’t wait until the last second to find a spot. After all, your last second is already reserved for cramming.