The UCI Study Center Shuffle
Roughly every 5 weeks I enter into a period of my life that I don’t like to talk about very much. That is, midterm and final week. Several big, grade dominating, exams within a period of one week means that I am going to be spending a lot of nights in the library. And by nights, I mean the whole night. Usually something like 9pm-6am.
After three years of hellish finals weeks I’ve developed what I call, the UCI Study Center Shuffle. The Study Center Shuffle came about because UCI has a variety of study centers and libraries of varying quality and with differing hours. I like to spend my time at the most pleasant, and best equipped, study centers. However, the best ones close the earliest. Forcing me to migrate from study center to study center.
The following is my typical Study Center Shuffle and my thought process behind it.
Science Library: 9pm-11pm
The UCI Science Library is a wonderful building. It’s a outstanding 50 million dollar, six story library but all the students really just use it as a glorified study center because 1) libraries aren’t very useful anymore and 2) it’s a really nice building. Alas, it closes early at 11pm. There is a small study center on the first floor that is open till 2am but I do not like going in there because it is too cramped and often full. At 11pm I pack up and walk a third of the way around Ring Road to the Engineering Gateway.
Engineering Gateway: 11pm-2am
The Engineering Gateway is a great study center. The students in there always seem really dedicated and I’m regularly been able to get serious about studying in there. There are lots of computers to use which is nice and for some reason not too distracting when I do need to use one. Probably because they are not my distraction prone Macbook. Normally the Engineering Gateway is open 24 hours, however, on Tuesday’s and Saturday’s the Engineering Gateway closes from 2-4am forcing me to vacate the premises.
Gateway Study Center: 2am-whenever
If the Engineering Gateway is closed the only option left on campus is the dreaded Gateway Study Center. It is another third of the way around Ring Road to get to Gateway Study Center from Engineering Gateway, a calm, yet eerie walk at 2am. Gateway is my last choice because it is generally the nosiest of the study centers, impossible to find an electrical outlet for my laptop, and the desktop computers setup there are beyond obsolete. In short, Gateway is the study center ghetto at UCI. The only benefit is that it is the closest to food that does not come out of a vending machine, which at this time is only Jack In The Box but its better than nothing.
After a solid night of studying, I now have to walk back to my car which is probably parked no where near the Gateway Study Center forcing another middle of the night hike.
UPDATE (02/03/09): Not long after I wrote this post, the Gateway Study Center underwent a complete renovation. They replaced everything. The desks, chairs, computers, carpet, and even electrical outlets were upgraded. I can now say it is a comfortable place to study. Sadly, it is still very crowded.
