It’s 3 a.m. The subdued, yellow overhead lights flicker, and the silence lingers… except for the clicking of my computer’s keyboard and some good-old bossa nova playing deep in the background. If you tune in throughout the night, you can also hear the elevator beeping as it goes up and down.
Where am I? I’m in the hallway on the fourth floor of Kilachand Hall — sitting on the floor.
Something weird happens after you’ve lived in the same dorm for two years: You run out of spaces. For me, the problem starts with the time of day when my work gets done. I like studying at night. My daytime schedule somehow always fills up. If I’m not in class, I’m running errands, and if not running errands, I’m meeting friends. That leaves me with no choice but to study at night.
Every night, I wonder where I should study, and it matters because if I’m not comfortable where I’m working, I won’t get anything done.
The obstacles only multiply when you’re studying at night. Places like cafés where I would usually study are closed, and I can only stay at the George Sherman Union for so long before they kick me out — that’s happened a few times this semester. I’m bored with the Kilachand ninth floor, and even the Mugar Memorial Library kills all my motivation.
Couldn’t I study in my room? Sure, if only I weren’t utilizing my desk for storage, and my bed wasn’t pulling me straight to sleep. When I realized I had nowhere to go at the start of this semester, I had to seek creative solutions.
It hit me when I was calling my mother as I sat on the floor of the hallway: Why don’t I just study here? I finished all my work for that night sitting in the hallway, and as ridiculous as it sounds, it worked.
I often sit right in the middle at the far end of the hallway, where I can see almost the entire floor. The space comes in handy, especially when I’m overwhelmed. You’d be surprised by what you can do with that much room when you’re restless. Think: light jogs up and down the hallway or even a quick dance break.
“If I don’t see you during the day, I’ll run into you in the hallway anyway.”
It’s a bonus if your friends live on the same floor, because then the hallway becomes a hangout spot. “If I don’t see you during the day, I’ll run into you in the hallway anyway,” is what my best friend, who lives right across from my room, has told me all semester.
The hallway floor makes me feel grounded, too (no pun intended). I’ll admit to having a messy setup for studying, with my Crocs on one side, takeout from hours ago on the other, and my backpack, water bottle, and notebooks scattered across the floor. But that freedom inspires me, and the unconventionality feeds my creativity. Frankly, it’s not as uncomfortable as it sounds.
Then there’s the stairwell, which oddly, always smells like coffee. It is another personal favorite because it’s quiet and reliable. However, the setup can be tricky since the stairs aren’t wide enough to fully fit me or my books, but that’s the fun of it. It’s especially great for practicing presentations, and if someone walks in, great — you now have an audience. The only awkward moment is when someone has to step over you, but that’s a part of the experience.
After hours of studying in the hallway and stairwell of Kilachand Hall and engaging in many conversations with friends about it, I realized that there isn’t a “right” way to study. Many of us think we’re destined to study at a desk, in a designated workspace, but when I realized that I wasn’t bound to these norms, studying became much more entertaining than dread-inducing.
If you ever feel stuck with where to study, like I was at the start of this semester, an unconventional spot may be your solution — it’s worth a shot.
Duru Yuceturk is a curious storyteller interested in the intersection of creativity, strategy, and visual impact. She is pursuing a career in advertising and exploring different areas of the field to build a well-rounded skill set.
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