Need a study spot at Syracuse University? This is where you should go.
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It’s 2 p.m. on a Friday — your roommate is napping, your desk is covered in heaps of items, you have exams to study for and an assignment due at 11:59 p.m. Clearly, your room isn’t a productive space.
From the obvious choices to the lesser known nooks of campus, The Daily Orange has compiled a list of places on Syracuse University’s campus you might spend hours studying in. Some provide much-needed silence, while others have great ambience. Look to these spots for your next exam crunch or dorm escape.
Tolley Humanities Building
Known for its castle-like pillars, burgundy brick and terracotta walls, the Tolley Humanities Building houses many of SU’s liberal arts classes. But up the stairs to the third floor, across from the Humanities Center, is Leonard and Ruth Sainsbury Library. Tolley, which first opened in 1889, housed over 21,000 items from German historian Leopold von Ranke’s collection.
Though it’s small, the library is lined with stacked bookshelves and large windows, offering a great source of natural light. A wooden table in the center is helpful for group studying trips. Couches and armchairs on the sides are lit with large, warm-toned lamps — a necessary alternative to fluorescent lights.
Stop by this space when you’re seeking a quieter, more secluded study or reading break. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on the weekends.
Bird Library
The quintessential study spot on SU’s campus, Bird Library is impossible to miss when strolling down the Einhorn Family Walk or stopping at the Schine Student Center for lunch. While its seven floors can be daunting, each one offers a different environment and requires a specific level of focus. As a rule of thumb, the higher up you go, the quieter the floor. For the days you have six pages to write or 12 readings to catch up on, floors three and above are recommended.
If you’re meeting for a group project or studying with friends, the basement’s (floor LL) more bustling surroundings will be fitting. Its large tables and separated study spaces with whiteboard walls are ideal for laboring over equations and problems collaboratively. On the next two floors up, Pages Cafe, desktop computers and whiteboard cubicles are great choices for joint studying or the occasional chat-break.
Each floor presents a different vibe — there’s something for everyone. But the most underrated gem of Bird is reserved for absolute silence: the Safire Room. Located on the sixth floor, the space features wood-paneled windows and overlooks campus. It’s so quiet that even pulling a chair out feels disruptive. But the cushioned seats and large tables make for a beautiful and private option for locking in. If you’re looking for a change of scenery within Bird, try finding a seat in the Map Room on the third floor.
Bird’s hours vary throughout the week and depend on the floor, but floors LL to two are open 24 hours from Sunday through Thursday.
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Carnegie Library
The previously mentioned silent study rooms stray on the smaller end, so there may be times you’re unlucky and don’t secure a seat. But the Reading Room in Carnegie spans the entire second floor and has a maximum occupancy of 144 people. With towering ceilings, white arched pillars and skylights reminiscent of Hogwarts, the Reading Room is optimal for cram sessions.
Each table seats six people and has its own overhead warm lighting lamp. Grab your textbooks and notebooks and play beta waves in concentration frequencies through your headphones to settle in for a day’s worth of peaceful studying.
Carnegie is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Schine Student Center Panasci Lounge
For the small blocks of time between classes when you’re not necessarily cramming to finish an assignment but still have trivial work to do, take a trip to Schine Student Center’s third floor for a visit to the Panasci Lounge. Many students have quiet conversations, eat lunch and knock off a few tasks here — its big windows are great for people watching.
If you’re fortunate enough to grab a lounge chair facing the window, it’s a great view of Hall of Languages and Shaw Quadrangle as well.
The lounge is open during Schine’s standard business hours, but is occasionally closed for tabling events or meetings.
Mower Passage
When you’re running late for class and losing your way through the twists and turns of the Newhouse School of Public Communications, you’ve probably walked past the Mower Passage. If you have back-to-back classes in the building, there are plenty of tables and spots to catch a quick study break. But the bright orange lounge chairs facing the sun-soaked windows in Mower Passage are a personal favorite.
It also connects Newhouse 1 and 2 and is a quick stroll to Food.com if you feel peckish.
Other school buildings
No matter which SU school is your home college, there’s bound to be a lobby, room or walkway where you can lounge and study. The lobby of Whitman School of Management and the atrium inside the Life Sciences Complex are among various spots that offer great seating, plentiful lighting and a mix of fellow students rushing to complete assignments.
