With a brand new school year starting up, Cal Poly students are heading back to class and back to the books. Soon enough, the hectic pace of academia will have hold of Mustangs once again. But Cal Poly students aren’t alone in their studies; the university offers a variety of resources to help students keep up with classwork.
Study Hot Spots
Studying goes hand-in-hand with being a college student, and many students know not only how they study best, but also their favorite place to hit the books.
At Cal Poly, there is no shortage of study spots, from the calm silence of quiet study rooms scattered throughout campus to the cram-session-suited 24-Hour Study Room room in the library.
Silent study rooms are located both in the University Union (UU) and on the top two floors of the Robert E. Kennedy Library for students who want to be assured a quiet study space.
Liberal studies senior Katherine Nelson said the fourth and fifth floors work well for students who need a quiet space, but don’t need an entire room.
“It’s dead silent in there,” Nelson said. “The top floor of the library, I feel uncomfortable walking around until I find a spot because it’s so silent.”
Not all students need peace and quiet to focus, though, Nelson said. For that the library also has a 24-Hour Study Room, located on the first floor. After the library has closed in the evening, the 24-Hour Study Room opens to students at the swipe of a Poly Card.
The 24-Hour Study Room is especially useful in the summer, when the main library closes early, said wine and viticulture senior Marissa Monarrez. Monarrez said she has stayed in the 24-Hour Study Room as late as 2 a.m. on several occasions, cramming for exams.
“I like the convenience of having a room that’s there 24 hours no matter what you need it for,” Monarrez said.
The room is also a common meeting place for study groups, Monarrez said. Students working on class projects or reviewing for midterms gather in the 24-Hour Study Room, since it is not required that students stay quiet in this space.
“It’s so convenient,” Monarrez said. “Everyone knows where the 24-Hour Study Room is.”
Tech Support
Every once in a while, a student needs to do some crucial research and doesn’t have a computer on hand. Cal Poly is equipped for that, too.
The PolyConnect Lab is located on the first floor of the Robert E. Kennedy Library. Students can use the desktop computers provided there, or opt to check out a laptop for as long as three hours.
Music senior Lauren Castro said she rented a laptop from the PolyConnect Lab for the first time last year, when her own laptop died while she was doing research.
Castro said she was impressed by how quickly she was able to check out a computer and get right back to researching.
“I didn’t have to wait for one,” Castro said. “I just walked up and got it.”
Checking out a laptop is perfect for quick research, or while waiting for one of the desktops to become available, philosophy senior Jacob Brandt said. He said he will often take his laptop outside to study on the lawn in front of the library for a couple of hours.
“That’s enough time to get some work done and enough time for a computer to clear up,” Brandt said.
The PolyConnect Lab also rents out Kindles and AV equipment for as long as five days.
Writing Wizardry
Sometimes, students need more than just the right equipment and a quiet study space. That’s where the University Writing Lab, located on the first floor of the Erhart Agriculture building, comes into play.
The University Writing Lab is staffed by student volunteers and is open to walk-ins or appointments. Students are paired one-on-one with tutors to go over essay structure and argument.
The University Writing Lab’s services are best-suited for students looking for help with their thesis or arguments, and less for those looking for help editing for grammar or spelling errors, said biological sciences senior Kyla BradyLong.
“They call you in, ask about your argument, position and content of the paper, read it and go over it with you,” BradyLong said.