Hi Blog Readers!

Study spaces are an incredibly important part of a university student’s experience and finding the best spot on campus for you will will allow for a much better and more productive study session. 

This week we asked the students of St. Jerome’s what their favourite study spots on campus were and got a ton of fantastic responses!

 

The SJU Library

 

“The new SJ library! It is clean and bright, and there are going to be so many study spaces available as the renovations finish up!”

 

“The SJU Library! It’s super close to rez and has amazing staff!”

 

“The new SJ library! It gets me motivated and I love the space for collaboration!”

 

The most popular space to study for St. Jerome’s students is the new library located in the Classrooms and Library Building. The library is known as the quietest library on campus to study in, and with their recent renovations the library has become an even better place to study. There are study rooms for group projects and the upper level of the library is dedicated to quiet individual study. The library provides research and reading material for students and allows them to borrow and request books from the University of Waterloo, Laurier, University of Guelph, and many other universities. This space was designed with an eye to maximizing both silent and group study and our students have been super appreciative of that.

 

When asked to describe the library, our students had lots to say!

 

“Nice quiet space to do focused work”

 

“An awesome place to study! Full of amazing staff and lots of study space. Plus the Funcken cafe is located close by!”

 

“Focused, organized, calm, best for individual study”

 

“Amazing! The new library has an amazing layout and is super quiet! There’s never any problem finding a place to sit and study! There’s also study rooms to study with friends and open classrooms at night!”

 

“Quiet, comfortable”

 

“Amazing! I could live there, and the staff are so helpful.”

 

“If you need quiet, check out the SJ library. It has been voted quietest library on campus consistently for the past few years and with the recent renovations, it’s gorgeous! If you need a little noise, the Math C&D on the third floor of MC has a great seating area with big tables for spreading out and there’s the C&D right there for all your snacking-on-a-budget needs! Plus, there’s lots of natural light!”

 

Residence Study Rooms

 

 “SJ study rooms or SJ2!”

 

“I like to study in our study rooms.”

 

The study rooms are located on the first floor of the residence building. They have nice large windows and glass-boards, making them great places to work out pesky math problems or map out a presentation. Students book time in the study rooms through notes posted on the doors. This space is great for residents who want to get out of their room to study or group projects. Non-residents are permitted to use the study rooms, so long as they have a resident with them. This space was designed with both silent and group study in mind.

 

SJU residents love this space, as you can see from their comments!

 

“A great place to do group work!

 

“A fantastic place to study and work on projects with friends or by yourself.”

 

“Helpful for deep concentration or for group study!”

 

“The whiteboards are amazing and they’re super easy to book! There is almost always one available and it’s a great space to study for exams! Feel free to invite your friends from other residences and book a study room for as long as you need!”

 

“Collaboration centered, creative space, active learning, best for group work.”

 

“Super useful, just remember to book one ahead of time!”

 

 

Residence Living Room 

 

Finally, the common area of the residence – colloquially called the Living Room - was noted as a good studying location.

 

“In the SJ living room”

 

“I like to study in the main lounge space.”

 

The SJU Living Room area takes up most of the first floor of the residence building and is an open concept lounge with circular tables, chairs, and a few couches. It has nice big windows that really make the space feel open and bright – even on cloudy days. As with the study rooms, the living room is a great study option for residents if they need to get out of their room for a time. It is best suited for group study or working on a group project.

 

When asked to describe the benefits of this space, our students were only too happy to oblige!

 

“A space to do work or hang out with your friends.”

 

“A nice open area to meet new people and hang out!”

 

“Great for lounging and taking breaks to talk to friends who pass by!”

 

“This is a great place for group studying! During the day it’s very quiet and the couches looking outside provide a nice view when you’re studying! At night it can be a little loud down there, but if you don’t like studying in silence it’ll be great for you!”

 

“Social, supportive, relaxing, best for casual homework.”

 

“A social area, more noise, but nice big windows!”

 

Some of my personal favourite study spaces are the Funcken Café, Alumni Courtyard, and the Community Centre. 

 

 

The Funcken Café is small, but provides the opportunity to get a snack, a coffee or tea, and/or lunch as you study. You get the feel of a quiet and intimate place to study, with the buzz, energy, and activity that goes along with a café!

 

 

Alumni Courtyard is a great outdoor space to study on-campus during the spring and early fall terms. There are picnic tables in the sun and shade depending on what you prefer, and there are outdoor outlets by some of the tables. 

 

 

The Community Centre is a great place for group work, much like the Living Room. It is full of buzzing activity that allows you to both study and be social, as well as grab lunch or dinner from the Servery when you get hungry. 

 

For further information on the St. Jerome’s campus you can check out the following video made by St. Jerome’s students a few years back. You should also feel free to reach out to the department of Enrolment and Upper-Year Transitions with any questions about recruitment, outreach, or your application, at St. Jerome’s University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hU1-bsZ3rM

 

If you have any suggestions for content that you would love to read about on our blog, please send an email to outreach@sju.ca! We would love to know what our students are interested in reading and knowing more about. 

 

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