Midterm season is upon us all. Camp Yale is but a distant memory as we memorize chemical compounds, suck up to TFs like our lives depend on it, and manage to BS our way through eight-page papers on little more than Blue State, naps, and our prayers. Since midterm season can last anywhere from a few days to the entire month of October, you might get a little tired of the same old Bass-and-Sterling routine. Here are a few suggestions for a change of scenery while you hit the books.
We at the Boola are right there with ya.
Evans Hall, School of Management
Distance from Cross Campus: 13 minute walk
Hours: 7:30 am-5 pm (Monday-Friday), closed on weekends
Nestled between Pearl (where the hell is that, you may ask) and Whitney, the new(ish) SOM building is gorgeous. It has an all-glass façade and windows looking down onto its enclosed, very lush courtyard. If you’re an undergrad, you might get kicked out if you venture onto the second floor, but play it ~cool~ and you can loiter around the first floor and snag a table or couch. It’s a little off the beaten path for undergrads, which means you won’t have to deal with running into that ex you’ve been ghosting for the past month.
Divinity School Library
Distance from Cross Campus: 23 minute walk
Hours: 2 pm-10:50 pm (Sunday), 8:30 am-10:50 pm (Monday-Thursday), 8:30 am-4:50 pm (Friday and Saturday)
If you’re willing to make the (uphill) trek, not only will your calves look bomb, but you will also get to enjoy the Divinity School Library: the perfect mix of the coziness of a residential college library and the wow factor of Sterling. If there’s room, find a perch along the balcony level for a great view of the main floor and the Divinity School Quadrangle.
Chaplain’s Office
Distance from Cross Campus: 6 minute walk
Hours: 8:30 am-11 pm (Monday-Thursday), 8:30 am-5 pm (Friday), closed Saturday, 5 pm-11 pm (Sunday)
I lived three floors above the Chaplain’s Office freshman year, and it was the ultimate blessing and curse. They have free ice cream, granola bars, tea, and a literal boat-shaped table filled with candy. But once you’re done stuffing your face with Starburst, you can easily take advantage of the comfy couches, fireplace, and seminar room down the hall with a round table for group studying. Life hack for freshman: While you’re waiting for your laundry in the Bingham basement, swing by the Chaplain’s Office and snag a Klondike bar.
St. Thomas More and the Vincent Library
Distance from Cross Campus: 7 minute walk
Hours: 10 am-midnight (Monday-Thursday), 10 am-10 pm (Friday and Saturday), noon-midnight (Sunday)
Three quasi-religious study spots in a row? Damn. But regardless of your religious affiliation, you should check out St. Thomas More’s dope (also new-ish) study center. They even have a kitchen with free food and Lord knows (pun unintended) that helps me struggle through late-night p-sets. Their library also has a separate room with a working fireplace, which adds to the intellectual ambience.
Tables in front of YUAG
Distance from Cross Campus: 7 minute walk
Hours: Hey, if you wanna sit out there at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday, you are free to do so. Unless they bring the chairs and tables inside for the night.
For those who are desperate to soak up the last remaining moments of over 60 degree weather, the outdoor seating in front of the YUAG is a great option. It’s perfect for a solitary study lunch (Starbucks and Panera are both across the street) or for cramming between classes, especially if you’re coming from LC. Street side seating can mean high noise levels and a prime selection of people watching, so it’s not a spot for the easily distracted. But there’s the added benefit of people seeing you be studious in a cool place.
Courtyard between Davies and SSS
Distance from Cross Campus: 5 minute walk
Hours: Again, camp out as late as you want. We won’t judge.
This little courtyard is tucked behind SSS, but its relative obscurity makes it perfect for when you need some peace and quiet and want to study outside. The space is surprisingly green, especially compared to the concrete expanse of Becton plaza, which overlooks it. Go on your way up or down science hill to get some last minute reading done.
Cross Campus wall next to the ramp
Distance from Cross Campus: N/A
Hours: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
This is too ~college~ and ~hip~. Go now before New Haven freezes over. Pop on some headphones, whip out your textbooks, and you will look like you’re straight off a Yale brochure.
Taft Library in JE
Distance from Cross Campus: 6 minute walk
Hours: 24/7 if you can get in
Befriend someone in JE just to abuse that sweet, sweet JE privilege. Their library is ridiculously nice. My first reaction to seeing it was awe followed swiftly by jealous rage. There is also a door that leads straight into the YUAG sculpture garden, because of course there is.
Yale Student Health Waiting Room
Distance from Cross Campus: 10 minute walk
Hours: 8:30 am-5 pm (Monday-Friday)
Slip in during peak hours without checking in, and you could easily stay parked there for hours. (Or do check in, and you will almost definitely stay parked there for hours.) There’s a pretty cool view of the new residential colleges a construction site. If you aren’t a germophobe, this is the ideal place to study because no one will bother you, and if they do, just look them dead in the eye and say, “I have hepatitis.”
That haunted room in Saybrook
No one will bother you there.
Except for the dead.
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