If you ever see me studying, you’re likely in one of three places: The Cage, the high tables on the third floor of Rolvaag, or the music library. These places suggest that I’m a social butterfly when it comes to studying — but I’m not. Frankly, I prefer when I have a table to myself, granting me the ability to spread my various devices out in any configuration I like. It seems paradoxical that I, an introverted studier, seek the most crowded, visible study spots. Yet, here we are.
There is something to be said about the anticipation that comes with studying in The Cage or on the third floor of Rolvaag. There is always the chance that someone you know will walk by, stopping for a quick chat before moving on with their day. These types of interactions are what I have come to cherish the most during my four years on this campus. I have plenty of opportunities to spend time with my dearest friends between meals, living in a quad suite, and weekend shenanigans, but studying in more public spaces allows me to see even more people. I frequently interact with certain people on a solely-Cage basis, which are interactions I look forward to every day. To coin a new term, perhaps I’m just interaction-maxxing.
There is also the element of taking breaks. I find that taking a step back from the copious amounts of writing I do goes one of two ways: either I scroll on my phone for five minutes, in which the dopamine has not settled, and I find it terribly challenging to refocus, or I have a lovely five-to-ten-minute conversation with another person, which recharges my intellectual attention. If you are going to take a break from studying, it’s best when it’s a constructive, enjoyable conversation with others. I recognize that this is often impossible, but that does not make it less true.
We are so consumed by technology. Almost everything I read and write requires my laptop, which has created a dependency on a technological device that I find rather worrying. Also, my friends often label me as an iPad kid, which I accept without refutation, but the term only increases my non-analog bandwidth. That said, it’s good to take a break from a screen whenever possible. If you want to take a break from doing something on a screen, it’s productive not to simply replace it with another screen. Human interactions, as simple as waving to an acquaintance or as complex as discussing Texan politics, serve a purpose. They recharge you by providing necessary hormones reliant on interaction. Perhaps this is why I love public study spots so much.
(Disclaimer: I wrote this article in my empty dorm room, but only because nobody studies in The Cage at night.)
