Second edition: 8 great places to study on University of Michigan's campus
The Tanner Libraray on the first floor of Angell Hall on the central campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
As finals approach at the University of Michigan, students are on study overload.
According to the 2012 National Survey of Student Engagement, first-year college students studied an average of 14.9 hours a week during the semester and college seniors spent an average of 15.5 hours per week studying and preparing for class.
Students usually look for different components when studying. Some like absolute silence, while others prefer the hum of ambient noise and distant chatter in the background. Some like to study alone; others want a crowd around them. Whatever the preference, AnnArbor.com is featuring eight great study spots for students hitting the books and cramming for finals.
U-M final exams and days earmarked for studying take place from Dec. 12-20.
This list represents just a handful of several great places to study on campus, so feel free to add your favorite spot in the comments section below.
Also, take a look at last year's featured study spots.
The Angell Hall computing site
The 'Fishbowl' in Angell Hall on University of Michigan's campus.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
More commonly known as the 'fishbowl,' this is perhaps one of the most popular places to study and do classwork on campus. It's the largest computing site on campus and contains more than 135 computers and 18 printers for student use.
Since it's very busy, there's usually a lot of ambient noise in the background. If being in the company of other students inspires you to study harder than you would otherwise, study here.
“It’s easy to talk to people here,” said U-M junior Samhitha Sudhaker. “If you’re working with other people I would go here.”
Location: 444 Mason Hall. It is the large courtyard within the Angell Hall and Mason Hall joint building on central campus.
Hours: The fishbowl is open nonstop from Sunday at 10 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. Friday. On Saturday's it's open from 10 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.
Closest coffee or snack option: Nearby is the Michigan Union, which has a coffee shop and plenty of fast food options. There's also plenty of coffee and quick eats along State Street.
Michigan Union Art Lounge
The Art Lounge on the first floor at the University of Michigan Student Union on the central campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
If you're easily distracted, this might not be the best place to study. But if you like music playing in the background when you study, then hit the books here. This room is filled with comfy chairs and tables for studying, but it also includes a piano that students practice on regularly.
For a certain kind of studier, the live piano music could provide just the right backdrop for a unique and productive study session. If the music becomes too distracting, you can go across the hall to the Union's quiet study room. This area is best for individual study, but you can always schedule a group meeting in Amer's Café, also in the Michigan Union.
Location: Michigan Union, 530 S. State St.
Hours: Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. until 2 a.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. until 2 a.m.
Closest coffee or snack option: There's a coffee shop, convenience store and several fast food options in the building.
The Gerald R. Ford Public Policy school reading room.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
The Gerald R. Ford Public Policy school reading room.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
A steady flow of students use this room during the day, especially during finals. The spot is classic Michigan, with huge windows illuminating wooden study tables and bookshelves lining the wall.
There's also a cluster of orange upholstered chairs with lights for reading. This isn't a great place for group study, but it is quiet and provides the company of fellow studiers that many seek.
The reading room is open to students from any college.
Location: Third floor, Weill Hall, 735 S. State St.
Hours: Daily, 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. for U-M students and 24-hour access for public policy students.
Closest coffee or snack option: There's a snack machine on the first floor of the building and a couple of fast food restaurants nearby at the intersection of Hill and State streets.
Michigan League
Students study at Beanster's Cafe in Michigan League.
Kellie Woodhouse | AnnArbor.com
Michigan League is a great place to study because it has the best of nearly all worlds. Beanster's Cafe, a coffee shop on the first floor flooded with light from the League’s stained glass windows, is a great place to snack and study, either independently or with classmates.
If you’re looking for more solitude, but you still like the buzz of people, the first-floor common areas have comfortable couches and tables that are often occupied by fellow studiers. Want to be alone with your books? Just climb the staircase to the second floor and take advantage of the rarely used sitting areas there.
Location: 911 N. University Ave.
Hours: Daily, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Closest coffee and snack option: Beanster's Cafe is on the first floor. Additionally, a variety of fast food restaurants operate in the basement and there's a snack shop on the first floor.
University of Michigan students study alone and in groups on a recent afternoon at the North Quad Media Gateway.
Kellie Woodhouse | AnnArbor.com
This is the perfect place to study for someone who likes quiet, but doesn't like being completely alone when studying. The two-floor media gateway is dotted with chairs and tables for studying, is flanked by huge windows and has an open floor plan. North Quad, home to the School of Information, opened in 2010.
Working with a group? No problem. There are four rooms on the first floor where students can hash-out group projects. The rooms are available on a drop-in basis and some offer laptop connections and white boards for collaboration.
Location: North Quad, 105 S. State St.
Hours: Daily, 7 a.m. until midnight.
Closest coffee and snack option: There's a dining hall located in North Quad and several coffee shops, including Starbucks and Espresso Royale, nearby on State Street.
Tanner Library
The Tanner Libraray on the first floor of Angell Hall on the central campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
This little library tucked in the corner of an Angell Hall corridor is a little-known gem and great place for studying. It's an endowed philosophy library, so, if you need a break from studying you can leaf through the thousands of philosophy books lining the halls. There's tables with upholstered chairs for studying and a few computers for public use if you don't have your own. It's usually pretty quiet in here, so this library is best for individual study.
"It's nice and warm and no one knows about it, and it's quiet," said librarian Molly Mahony, who said select studiers are "very dedicated" to the library and study in it often.
Location: 1171 Angell Hall; 435 S. State St.
Hours: Hours vary depending on day. Check here for more detail.
Closest coffee or snack option: Nearby is the Michigan Union, which has a coffee shop and plenty of fast food options. There's also plenty of coffee and quick food along State Street.
Hatcher Graduate Library Quiet Study Room
Students study in the Hatcher Graduate Library's quiet study room, located in the special collections area on the library's 8th floor.
Kellie Woodhouse | AnnArbor.com
Do you like your study spots to be so quiet a literal drop of the pen is a disturbance? Then study in this area within the university's special collections library on the eighth floor of Hatcher. Adorned with simple tables and wooden chairs and with a great view of Ann Arbor, this no-frills room is perfect for the studier that has trouble focusing if there's noise.
Location: 8th floor of Hatcher Graduate Library, located on the Diag.
Hours: Hours vary depending on day. Read more here.
Closest coffee or snack option: There's a cafe nearby in the undergraduate Shapiro Library.
The William L. Clements Library just off of South University on the central campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com
Clements Library houses one of the oldest collections of American history in the world, but unbeknownst to many students, it also has a great atmosphere for studying. The main hall has seating areas students can use for reading. It's usually not busy. This is another place that's good for individual study.
Location: 909 S. University Ave.
Hours: Listed as Monday through Friday (excluding Thursday) 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Thursday 9 a.m. until 7:45 p.m.
Closest coffee or snack option: There's an Espresso Royale and several restaurants nearby on South University.
Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@annarbor.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.
Comments
Stephen Landes
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 10:28 p.m.
Please note that hours for the Clements Library "Main Room" are from 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm Monday through Friday. The hours listed in the article are for the researchers' reading room for people registered as "readers" with the Library and using the original documents and materials in the Library collections.
YpsiGreen
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 10:25 p.m.
I know of an event called "The Final Fix" @ University Lutheran Chapel/Common Cup Coffee. Dec 12 from 8p-2a (including breakfast), too.
K. Hutchens
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 8:41 p.m.
Please note that the Quiet Study Room in the Hatcher Graduate Library is actually part of the Special Collections Library's space, so the open hours are shorter than the rest of the Hatcher building hours. The hours for this room during the academic term (excluding holiday and intersession periods) are: Monday, 9am-5pm; Tuesday, 9am-8pm; Wednesday, 9am-5pm; Thursday, 9am-5pm; Friday, 9am-5pm; Saturday, 10am-12pm. - Kate Hutchens, Reader Services Coordinator, U-M Special Collections Library
K. Hutchens
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 8:50 p.m.
Sorry, I meant to have said 10am for all of those opening times, rather than 9am.
Lizzy Alfs
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 8:01 p.m.
As a recent U-M grad, I have to say: pub pol is the best! It's super quiet and low key. The fishbowl? Absolute worst. It's a zoo.
Silly Sally
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 1:44 p.m.
Great article. Students do seem to study more now than in the past, especially on weekend evenings.
a2girl
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 1:37 p.m.
Brings back happy memories. But, ~15 hours a week? That is per class, right?
LXIX
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 1:32 p.m.
Things change. 15 hours a week? Isn't that supposed to be the number of hours spent the night before ?
a2cents
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 2:33 p.m.
I recall a guideline of three hours per week per credit hour (engineering, pre-computer)
Kellie Woodhouse
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 1:54 p.m.
According to the NSSE report, that's 15 hours overall- although I am sure students have their nose in the books at a higher rate during finals. If you click on the link to the report (in article) the summary includes a breakdown of average study times by major.
George K
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 1:11 p.m.
Well they didn't mention any study locations on North Campus, so I'll give the Engineer's perspective. This is coming from an undergrad Computer Engineering student, graduated in 2009. (Not in any particular order) - Duderstadt Center (aka. "The Dude") I did many all-nighters there myself. - In the basement of the FXB - In the conference rooms in the CSE (The building with all the glass that looks like it's from the Jetsons) - Any of the numerous computer labs, on all floors, in the EECS building (small, personal, cozy labs) - In the basement of Pierpont Commons (large, maybe noisy)
Kellie Woodhouse
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 1:50 p.m.
We did mention the Dude in our last list: http://www.annarbor.com/news/eight-great-places-to-study-on-university-of-michigans-campus/ I am thinking of possibly putting together an edition featuring North Campus spots next semester. Thanks for listing your favorites.
Billy
Mon, Dec 10, 2012 : 12:42 p.m.
Well they USED to be great places to study....now everyone knows about them...so they're going to pack the place and make all kinds of noise as they.....study.....loudly.....um.....