Quiet study areas can be hard to find

Crying babies, phone calls and Facebook can make studying impossible. That's why the least favorite study location for many students is their home.

"I can't study at home; too many distractions," business major Isai Martinez said.

As a result, many students attempt to seek out the quiet areas on campus for studying, but that can be a challenge.

The mezzanine area above the Pit is equipped with two TV screens and a laptop charging station to enable students to study on big screens. However, many who sit there are not studying at all.

Instead they're disturbing those who are, not to mention those in the Learning Assistance Center.

Campus police have been called multiple times to calm down the area that is marked as a quiet study zone.

 "This is no studying area; it's a play room with TVs where they hook their laptops up to play movies and video games," said Renee Green, an LAC staff member.

The area is provided so that those studying can easily access the LAC when they don't understand materials they're studying.

Some suggest that the "quiet" area be moved to a different location because of the commotion.

"It's too loud. Laughter, movies and rapping disturbs actual students who want to study," Green said. "We might need to take it away."

Finding an ideal studying place can be difficult. Starbucks, Café Brazil and Panera Bread are some of the locations where students can find a comfortable and relatively quiet place to work without many distractions.

But some students would rather stay on campus.

"I live 45 minutes away, and when I come here I stay all day," business major Clay McDonald said. "My next class is hours away, so I take that time to study."

Eastfield has wide range of study corners and private rooms, including the tranquil area around the track overlooking the pond and the rooms in the back of the library. The relatively new G building also has several quiet areas and a comfortable home environment. The secluded areas were specifically designed with studying in mind.

"I study here a lot. I like this place because of the sunlight, and it's a quiet, secluded spot," Kariana Amamya said while studying psychology in the G building. "The couches give you a feeling like you're at home. The quietness helps you concentrate and remember what you're reading."

The noise-canceling rooms in the library and the studying cubicles in the very back prevent others from distracting one's studying time. The library also provides quick access to research materials.

"It helps to study in here because it's really quiet and I can do my homework," Veronica Robles said while writing an English paper.

Other potential study locations on campus are the S Building, the science and math corners, the F Building and some parts of the W building.