Midterm studying is (mostly) over, but there’s still lots of time left in the term. If you’re anything like me, studying at home is a BAD IDEA. I just don’t get anything done. There’s always the libraries but they do unfortunate things like close, and it’s annoying to have to relocate. Therefore, the best places to study, in my opinion, are the 24/7 engineering labs. However, not every lab is created equal.
Fulcrum (E2-1313):
Fulcrum is, well, one of the older labs left on campus. Its computers are old, there’s no space set aside or available outlets for laptops. The chairs are even tied to the desks, which makes studying with a group interesting at times. However, it does have its advantages. Fulcrum is not one of the more popular places to be on campus. If the newer labs are full, this is the place to find somewhere to sit. Also, when the newer labs were locked between the end of Spring Term and Orientation Week, Fulcrum is still open. 3/10.
Gear (E5-2108):
I’ve only been to Gear once, on the day of the Grand Opening, so take anything I say as fairly uninformed. Gear is shiny and new, and has giant computer screens. Almost too big, having that much light shining at me was a bit intimidating. However, I soon began to enjoy its shininess. There’s a ton of space, room for laptops, and the work areas are spread out enough that it should keep the noise level down. On the other hand, we were told that we had to leave, apparently the building closes after 6. I’ve heard this is going to change, but I haven’t been back to check. 7/10
Helix (RCH-108):
Helix was a depressing lab. In the basement of RCH, with a few computers which barely worked, this was the place to go if you wanted to be alone or almost alone. It’s currently closed for renovations, and I’m looking forward to seeing what it looks like whenever it reopens. ?/10
Lever (E2-1302):
Lever is another lab which I hope is up for renovations sometime soon. I’ve managed to crash the computers in there by running Firefox. Any lab that forces me to run IE is dead to me… Add chairs tethered to the desks, no space or outlets for laptops, and I really can’t find much to recommend Lever. 1/10
Pulley (CPH-2367):
Pulley is a small lab, but it was nicely renovated a few years back. Its air conditioned, which is sometimes nice, sometimes freezing. As it’s one of the newer labs, it was designed with laptops in mind, spots with space for your laptops and accessible plugs, or to just spread out your papers. It’s also reasonably quiet, since there isn’t enough space to fit a huge number of people. 8/10
Wedge (E2-1302B):
I’ve sometimes said that I should change my mailing address to Wedge lab. Some weeks, I think I’ve spent more time in there than I do at my apartment. It’s a newer lab, lots of computers and space for laptops. It’s also big which means there should be a lot of computers available. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who likes this lab. During the day it can get insanely busy, although later on in the evenings it quiets down. I can say from personal experience that at 4:30 in the morning during midterm week, it’s pretty quiet. Lately, Wedge’s climate control has been a bit off. The lab has been overheated some days, to the point where staying there is uncomfortable. Most of the time though, this is my second home. 9/10
Wheel (E2-1308):
Wheel is very similar to Pulley. Much smaller than Wedge, it still has plenty of nice computers. However, there isn’t any dedicated laptop space, which is annoying if you want to use your laptop or spread out textbooks. It’s also often very cold, and it can get noisy in there easily. The computers are less spaced out than Pulley, causing a lot of echoing. 7/10
As you can see, there are quite a variety of labs available for studying (or pretending you’re studying). Whatever you like, from new to ancient, big to small, there are lots choices to pick from. Go explore them all and find your own favourite!
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