Your guide to finding the best study spaces on campus, or tips to make your own.

The University of Saskatchewan campus is quite large, and it can be hard to find the right environment for studying; especially when you don’t even know where to start looking. Here are a few different spaces on campus you can check out, as well as a few tips and tricks on making a cozy study space in your room for those who prefer to work at home.

The St. Thomas More Shannon library is the perfect place for those looking for a quiet and cozy environment. My personal favourite spots are the window-side nooks to the left of the library entrance. With outlets, pillows and adjustable overhead lighting, this spot makes for a comfortable and cozy studying experience — just make sure to take your shoes off before climbing onto the cushions!

Another great spot in STM is the St. Basil Atrium. This location has plants and a nice, relaxing ambience to get your work done to. There are a variety of chairs and tables that make it perfect for individual or group studying.

The Health Sciences building being the largest building on campus means it’s a given there are a variety of great spaces throughout. The Leslie and Irene Dubé Health Sciences library has three floors, all being quiet spaces: the main floor providing an abundance of natural light but usually has the most students present, the lower floor having more private cubicles with desk lights and outlets, and the upper floor having bookable study rooms for individuals and small groups alike.

The Education and Music library is another alternative. With tables and chairs on one side, and more private cubicles with outlets along the walls, this library is very quiet and has a great amount of natural light. It usually isn’t as crowded as the Health Sciences library if you prefer working with less people around.

Another favourite of mine is the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre. The large windows that make up a majority of the building along with the skylight provide one of the best natural light spaces on campus. The main floor provides open tables with chairs perfect for group studying, and the upper level provides more private, individual spaces. There are often very few students here outside of events which also makes it one of the quietest spaces on campus.

Gordon Oakes Red Bear by Photographer Maeve McKee

If you prefer complete privacy and dead quiet spaces to study in, the north wing of the Murray library is perfect for you. From the second floor and up are quiet study rooms and another personal favourite spot of mine is in the second floor of Murray’s North wing. It’s a bit tricky to get there — you need to climb up the flight of stairs, turn left through an art gallery of sorts, then walk up another flight of stairs and to your right will be rows of library books and a deadly silent space with private cubicles all along the walls right next to the windows. The confusing path is worth the trek when you’re rewarded with complete silence and privacy.

If you prefer a louder, active environment to study in, the ground floor of the Murray library and the lower floor of Place Riel are guaranteed to have lots of chatter and people moving at all hours.

For those who prefer studying at home, here are a few tips on setting up a space tailored to your liking. Of course, it may depend on each individual’s preference, but here are some that worked for me that may work for you as well:

1) Work at a desk, and make sure to keep it clean!

Working on your comfortable bed may be tempting, but it’s detrimental to your posture in the long run and creates a stressful environment where it should be for relaxation. Working at a tidy desk with little distractions and clutter helps to keep you focused on your work. If there’s clutter on my desk, I find myself getting distracted and end up thinking about cleaning the mess instead of actually studying and retaining information.

2) Keep a desk lamp or a nice ambient light.

Working with an ambient light — whether it be soft LED lights or just a simple desk lamp — helps switch my brain into focus mode. Working in ambient light can help relax your mind to focus on studying.

3) Listen to instrumental music.

I personally find I need total silence to focus, but if you prefer having music playing while studying, music without lyrics like classical pieces or the infamous lo-fi study music can help you focus on actually studying rather than on the song’s lyrics (and rids the temptation to sing along instead of focusing).

These were just a few study spaces and at-home study tips I had to offer. The next time you want to check out a new study spot, be sure to visit any of the above locations or if you want to give studying at home a shot, feel free to implement these tips to create your own perfect study environment.