Study Spots at FSU for when Club Stroz is Full

Strozier and Dirac are full! Help!

If you’ve made it to this article, I would like to offer you my condolences during whatever trying times have led you here. Your karma is likely out of balance if you’ve clicked on this after a night of trying to find a table and chair only to be left to suffer alone in a small corner on the third floor by yourself. Ah… the things we do when we’d rather study than sit near our roommates. I’ve been there. It sucks. The library floors are neither comfortable nor sanitary, and you’ll symbolize the epitome of an L. Dear reader, please be better than me and want more for your study space than I did. Study spots at FSU are hard to come by, especially when the library study rooms are all rented out, but I’ve figured out a few places that you shouldn’t overlook.

Mina Jo Powell Green

Okay, so you obviously know about Landis Green and how it serves as a popular student watering hole and equally popular study spot, but you might not know as much about MJP Green. It was first pointed out to me on my campus tour during orientation by my tour guide who told me about its history, and then I didn’t look at it again until the end of my first semester. It’s easy to miss when you walk by. It isn’t as big or nearly as populated as Landis Green, and sort of registers as just an empty space when you walk by. Gently nestled between Ruby Diamond Auditorium and the Longmire building, it provides all the perks of studying on Landis Green without worrying if someone’s fuzzy friend is going to accidentally crash your study sesh while playing catch with a tennis ball. I think the most people I’ve ever seen there at a time, not including myself, was maybe…4?

MJP Green is also home to a small memorial garden to honor FSU students passed away prior to their graduation date. It’s a lesser-known detail, and probably a place you’d usually not be at for more than a few minutes, but it’s a good spot to reflect. Finals week is stressful and mind-breaking, to say the least, but whenever I felt like I couldn’t reach my goals, I would come here and pick up some extra courage and hope. Sometimes you need a pat on the back from someone who’s looking out. When considering study spots at FSU, MJP is quiet, peaceful, and can place you in a better mindset.

MJP Green, a smaller, less populated version of Landis

Askew Student Life Center

The ASLC is one of the best study spots at FSU if you like a little bit of ambient noise. The ASLC is hidden behind Dunlap and The Globe; it houses the University Counseling Center upstairs, and the Student Life Cinema downstairs. On the first floor, you’ll find gaming computers, regular computers, and plenty of couches and small desks. The ASLC usually isn’t at the top of someone’s list as a study spot at FSU, but during the day, the volume is pretty low besides some light chatter you might hear. Perfect for people who need a little bit of background noise instead of a dead silent room. The room’s lighting is a bit dimmer than what Strozier or Dirac provide, so it helps with the coffeehouse vibe one often searches for when studying (because you know all of the off-campus Starbucks’ will be be full too.) For me, dining halls are a bit too noisy, but the library is a little too quiet. This is a nice in-between. 

What you’ll see before finding studying salvation inside

Your dorm’s lounge

This applies primarily to FSU Freshman and while I haven’t been a freshman in a long time, I do know that you cannot enter a dorm without your FSUcard. As far as study spots at FSU go, these are probably the least utilized. (Only real FSU students know how to get into one that isn’t theirs.) Therefore, the amount of people who could access the lounge in your dorm is extremely limited. In my experience, almost no one studies in their lounge or in the study rooms on their floor. TAKE ADVANTAGE. Soon, you might not get to live in a dorm again and those VIP perks will be gone to you unless you can afford an apartment with those amenities. Take extra advantage of the day after a football game. Your neighbors will probably still be asleep until 2 PM, so if you plan accordingly, it will be even emptier.

Of the lounges I’ve studied in, my favorite was Deviney Hall’s. Perhaps I’m biased because that was my dorm, but it was massive. There are comfy chairs and big tables. The floor-to-ceiling windows allow a lot of sunlight to come in and help warm you up. If Deviney is full, walk across the courtyard to it’s twin, Dorman. Overlooking my bias for my previous home, I also liked studying in the lounges for Gilchrist and Landis (though the Landis lounge may be a bit harder to find a spot in. Those nerds are always there (I was a nerd there too don’t be mad at me)).

Classroom Buildings + Courtyards

This one might seem a little obvious, but think about all the time you spend on campus between classes. FSU buildings wear many faces, and some are better built for studying than others. I took the majority of my classes in the Williams building, and only ever once took advantage of the courtyard in the middle of the building. On the other side of campus, full of many secret study spots at FSU is the Stone building. In addition to having multiple study lounges, I’ve found a lot of the windows on upper floors jut out enough to make you a cozy little corner to nestle up in by the sun. Take a look around the buildings you take classes in the most, you might find a hidden secret.

There’s an outdoor courtyard in the middle of the Williams building! What secret lives within the building for your Major?

Don’t Panic

Study spots at FSU are not impossible to come by. Use your eye when walking to and from class, and you’ll see you can study just about anywhere as long as the area is open to students. You’ll always be able to find somewhere to be, so don’t freak out when Strozier or Dirac fill up. Your brain got you accepted here, your brain will get you to graduate regardless of where you’re studying. Good luck!