The Best Quiet Spots At The University Of Wisconsin – Parkside

At the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, many spots have a lot of foot traffic and get very noisy. Then some spots feel isolated from the rest of the school. Knowing where these places are and when to be in them is key in creating that perfect mental zone of focus. Here are six great quiet spots to check out!

Third Floor of the Library

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside has a library with three levels, plus two more that go into the basement. The first level, aka the ground floor, has computers and is used for group projects. So it can get louder than you might like when you try to study for that exam next week or cramming for one in an hour.

The next floor up is where you will find more independent study sessions going on, although group projects are also allowed on this floor. It is a lot quieter than the first floor tends to get, but most conversations are required to be kept at a whisper and a minimum. If you want absolute quiet, other than the tapping of keys on laptops, then the third floor would be what you aim for.

On this floor, there is no talking allowed and group projects are never seen up here. The tables tend to be farther apart from each other and there are a lot more cubbies for solo studying. There is one drawback to this spot though: the heat. This floor tends to be the hottest in the library since it is the highest up.

If you didn’t know that heat rises already, you will find out very quickly when you get to this floor. But, if you are comfortable with studying in a warmer environment and need complete silence, this is the ideal spot for you.

Common Area Near the Art Rooms

At the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, some spots double as hallways and study/napping areas. One of these spots is the common area near the art rooms. These are located on the B1 floor of the Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts and Humanities, also known simply as the Rita or CART.

This building houses most of the classes for the Arts and Humanities, with a few scattered throughout Molinaro Hall.

On the B1 floor, closest to Wyllie Hall, is where the art classes are held. During the past few years, it has seen some remodeling with a couch and chair thrown in next to the wooden bench that hugs the wall of the square. If you don’t mind the feel of sitting on the wood for a long time, then it turns into a nice cubby to prop yourself up against while you type on your laptop or read your textbooks.

With the addition of the comfortable couch and chair, there are even more spaces to relax on while you get into your study zone. If you need to use a laptop, or even just charge your phone while you study, two outlets in this little zone are reasonably close to where the sitting areas are.

This area does see some foot traffic, however, but it doesn’t last longer than a few minutes. So if you don’t mind the occasional person walking up and down the hallway, then this little hideaway would be perfect.

Wooden Benches Next to Black Box

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside has two areas that produce plays and musicals: the main stage and the Black Box.  Most of the time, the areas around these two have a lot of foot traffic from the many theater majors and minors running around preparing for various shows.

Near the Black Box are wooden benches that look like three steps of a giant staircase. Sometimes some students use these benches to sit and study, read their lines, or even just sit while waiting for class.

It’s not the most comfortable place to study, but it is considered a quiet spot during the non-busy periods because of how isolated and quiet it can be during these times.

If you sit on the first two benches, the one above you can serve as a place to put your laptop or textbooks. The area in front of these benches is open and wide so if you need to stretch your legs, there is plenty of room to do so. Also, none of the people walking by would question why you are there since they are busy with their own duties. Although one or two might ask if you are waiting for someone if you aren’t obviously working on something or reading.

Sound Proof Rooms in Music Wing

In addition to having amazing play and musical productions, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has great musical performances too. The music department has its own wing in the Rita where a handful or two of soundproof booths are located. These allow the students to freely practice their music without hearing anything from the outside world as long as the door is shut.

But you don’t have to be a music major or minor to use these booths. The doors to the music wing are always unlocked and easily opened. Some of the booths have a piano or other instrument in them, and some are empty. In the empty booths, you can bring in a chair or desk, although the doorways make it a little hard to accomplish this. However, the payoff can be worth it once you shut the door. No sound gets into the room and you can study in complete silence, or put on your music and not worry about disrupting anyone around you.

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Sitting Area  in Wyllie

There are three buildings at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside where you can buy food or snacks: Wyllie, Molinaro, and the Student Center. Molinaro has Molinaro Joe’s where you can get a quick snack and drinks. The Student Center has Brickstone, which is the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s cafeteria. Wyllie has Wyllie Market located on the B1 floor just to the left of the staircase.

Wyllie Market is a convenience store with food and drinks only, along with some pain killers and vitamins at the register. It also has a sandwich shop inside of it which changes every few years depending on how popular it is with the students and faculty. This market has two levels of seating areas outside the store: one on the level it is on, and a sitting area on a level between B1 and L1.

This level is where the quiet spot is located. The area is wide open and has many comfortable sitting areas, although it can get noisy during lunch, dinner, and between classes. The noise between classes lasts longer than in the common area near the art rooms and it does echo because of how high the ceiling is and how open the entire area is. You can always use these times as a study break to rest your brain since they usually last anywhere between ten and thirty minutes.

There is a wall of just glass so if you get stuck on a homework assignment or your brain doesn’t want to take in any more information at that time, you can look out into the trees that line the perimeter of the campus. These trees usually help a lot of students to relax their mind and return to a state of calm in the middle of the storm that is college life.

Empty Classrooms

Every classroom at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside can be used as a study room as long as there isn’t a class in session in that specific room. If you close the door to that classroom, a lot of the noise from outside gets shut out. There are some classrooms where there is almost no foot traffic during the daytime except between classes. These are usually located deep into Molinaro Hall, where the hallways are branched off of the main one.

Some of these classrooms aren’t used daily, but it is always a good idea to check on the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s website to see if and when there is a class in that specific room.

A few of the classrooms have windows on the far wall as well. So if you don’t want to feel claustrophobic in the window-less rooms, you can go to these ones to feel like there is an open space. If you like the sound of rain tapping against windows, then these rooms are even better during storms. The train always seems to angle just right against them to give that comforting feeling that storms give when you aren’t directly in the rain.

What are some of your favorite quiet spots at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside? Tell us your favorites in the comments!

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