Auburn offers popular study spots and helpful study tips as semester finals near

With finals quickly approaching as the end of the fall semester nears, Auburn University wishes to offer some helpful information when it comes to popular study spots and helpful study tips. 

Some of the top places to study on Auburn’s campus — as recommended by Auburn students and others — include:

The rooftop Gavin Terrace of Horton Hardgrave Hall

The rooftop of the Horton Hardgrave Hall is on the fourth floor of the Horton Hardgrave Hall. The six-level business building features collaborative working and learning spaces, utilizing innovative classrooms and flexible and convertible spaces throughout. The rooftop offers great seating, covered areas and an amazing view of Jordan-Hare Stadium. A timelapse of the view from the Gavin Terrace at Horton-Hardgrave Hall is available for viewing online.

Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art

The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with extended hours on Thursdays until 8 p.m. The Museum Café is operated by the grazer co. + coffee from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday with extended hours on Thursdays until 7 p.m. Coffee and snacks are available for purchase. When the weather is nice, the museum grounds offer spots to spread out — as well as landscaped walking paths, water features with sculptures, gardens and a walking path (three times around equals a mile). The lobby has modular couches for group sessions or relaxed reading. When those studying need a break, they can look at art from the university collection. Admission is free, and Tiger Transit runs along the South Quad-Fine Arts Line.

Academic Classroom Laboratory Complex

The Academic Classroom and Laboratory Complex, or ACLC, is adjacent to The Edge at Central Dining and Auburn Amphitheater. It features adaptable classroom spaces, labs, relaxation and quiet study areas, lecture halls and atriums and can accommodate up to 2,000 students at a time. The building includes more than 12,000 square feet of space for informal learning, study and breakout work for students.

The Ralph Brown Draughon Library

The Ralph Brown Draughon Library, better known as RBD, is connected to the Mell Classroom Building and offers individual and group study rooms. The library offers a Panera Bread as a popular option for those needing a snack while studying. The fourth floor of the library is designated as individual quiet study. There is also a small area on the second floor designated as an individual quiet study area. All other areas are open for group study. On the second floor of the RBD, the Learning Commons provides 10 partitioned group study areas, 415 seats with whiteboards and 300 power outlets for individual and group study. Additionally, Mell and RBD Library provide private study rooms. Thirty-five group study rooms are strategically placed throughout the buildings, complete with dry-erase boards and outlets. The rooms are open for any students by reservation. The library will be open continuously from Sunday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. until Friday, Dec. 8, at 9 p.m.

Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center

Located in the heart of the engineering campus, the Brown-Kopel Center specifically addresses students’ professional and academic needs, providing one of the most comprehensive, active-learning environments in the country. The ground floor of the building includes an innovation center, which consists of student maker spaces, laboratories, shops and project incubators; a design studio, large- and small-group study rooms, flexible classrooms, computer labs and more, while also serving as the home for engineering student organizations. The main floor houses suites for student recruitment, scholarships, tutoring, academic advising, career development and corporate relation, numerous small-group study rooms, the Center for Inclusive Engineering Excellence and offices for support staff. The third floor incorporates ample, spacious student study areas with large-group and small-group study rooms, along with boardrooms, conference rooms and a Grand Hall all outfitted with the latest smart technologies. 

The Harold D. Melton Student Center

The Harold D. Melton Student Center serves as a home away from home for Auburn University students and offers numerous spots for students to study, grab a quick meal or simply visit with friends. The building offers numerous student resources, including the Foy Information Desk, dining venues, a newly opened state-of-the-art game room, meeting spaces, quiet study areas, ATMs and more. Students can take advantage of first-come, first-serve study rooms with amenities that include whiteboards and TVs equipped with AirPlay.

Bonus!

As a bonus to those studying on campus, Recre rental boxes placed in high-traffic student spaces offer essential items such as phone and laptop chargers, science models, calculators, Bluetooth headphones and more. Recre rentals are free, and items can be secured using a smartphone. A partnership between the Student Government Association and Student Affairs, Recre boxes can be found in the Melton Student Center (first and second floors), Lowder Hall, ACLC, Haley Center, Brown-Kopel Engineering Achievement Center, the Quad Center laundry room and Village View Dining.  

Student comments

“Horton-Hardgrave Hall is my favorite place to study because it has a state-of-the-art indoor facility, but most importantly also has the outside rooftop! Having all classes inside, it’s important to still get some vitamin D. It is beautiful up there, with a stunning view of campus (including Samford and Jordan-Hare) and beautiful gardens on the rooftop. The inside is a peaceful focus location, full of windows so that you don’t feel locked into a dark studying hole, with plenty of tables and desks. There’s also a vending machine inside! Basically, what more could you want!”

“My favorite study spot on campus is the third floor of RBD! It’s the perfect balance of quiet and loud to where I can talk with my study partners, but also put in headphones and grind out if I am by myself. The whiteboard tables are also perfect if I need to do any quick calculations or make charts and graphs! I also love how the whiteboard tables have outlets just in case I forget to charge my devices! The chairs are super comfortable and can be brought up and down so I can stay there for hours at a time if needed!” 

“I go to the fourth floor of the library...The other floors are great, but I personally focus better when I’m on my own. Overall, the distractions on the fourth floor are very limited. Each study spot is pretty private, with a lot of them being somewhat enclosed, so even if the fourth floor is packed, you still won’t experience a ton of distractions. I’ve just found the fourth floor to be the place I get the most work done in the shortest amount of time. So, I’ve definitely become a fourth floor-er for life!”

“First and foremost, I love studying outside, and HHH (Horton Hardgrave Hall) has the best outside venue on campus to study in my opinion! Whether you’re at the tables or on the couches, every seat there is the best seat in the house. Also, it just something about the view of seeing the whole campus that really gets me. In my study breaks, I take time to walk around and just observe the beautiful campus that we have. It’s also very quiet yet has enough background noise to keep me focused, and I love the cool breeze that comes in from time to time. The best time to study at HHH is right before sunset. HHH has the best view to watch a sunset from and nothing is more spectacular than studying while watching the sun paint the Auburn sky orange and blue.”

Study tips

In addition to finding the perfect place for studying on campus, students can also benefit from the below tips provided by Auburn’s Academic Coaching team:

• Prioritize rest in between study sessions! Sufficient sleep and breaks for eating, socializing and engaging in physical activity are essential to efficient and effective study sessions.
• Studying for finals in advance to be able to break up your studying into smaller chunks of time each day and reduce the stress of long, last-minute study sessions.
• For finals that are on the same day, be sure to make time to study for each exam in the days and weeks leading up to them and switch between exam materials to reduce burnout on any one exam during study sessions.
• Start now! It’s not too early (and never too late) to put in study time! Taking steps today will put you in a better place for exam prep.
• For exam success, try using the four steps of the Feynman Technique: Step 1, study. Step 2, teach. Step 3, fill in the gaps. Step 4, simplify.
• Minimize procrastination by laying out your plan with small steps to achieve the larger goals.
• Try studying in locations near food to fuel your brain as you go.
• Identify ways to use timers to boost your studying. The Pomodoro technique is one way to break up your time between work and rest.
• Make a study plan for your finals with our Weekly Assignments: Breaking it Down resource, which can be found on the Academic Support website. Having a plan on paper can help ease stress and help start the week off strong.
• Mimic your exam environment by strategically choosing where you practice problems and do self-testing.