Places to Go When Your Desk Is Not Cutting It | GUTS Tip

Sometimes the desk just doesn’t cut it and you may feel unfocused and unmotivated to do work at the same workspace every day. Especially in the COVID-19 pandemic, the most reasonable option for studying is to do so at home, but that can get boring and stale quickly. Here are some options of where to study in Madison, WI when your desk at home is not working out for you.

Have you tried our recommendations on Creating a Study Space yet? Try these tips out first!

Student Activity Center (SAC). The SAC at 333 E Campus Mall is open everyday from 11am-6pm. The high ceilings and modern décor, along with the nice views through the glass pane exterior walls, can provide a refreshing atmosphere to study. The SAC has desk areas and the Sunroom which both require a reservation ahead of time. Learn more here.

Wisconsin Libraries. The Steenbock, Business, Memorial, and College Libraries are all open to students for studying. Each space has unique offerings and atmospheres. Explore and study at all four! A special offering at these locations is 1-person study rooms which provide privacy and quiet. Appointments are required and you can learn more here.

Pyle Center and Wendt Commons. These locations do not require reservations and have private study rooms, as well as multi-user open study spaces. The latter does require check-in though but for the study rooms, they do not. The hours for each location and more information is here.

Upper House.hidden gem on campus is Upper House. This location has pretty cool vibes that are unlike a lot of other buildings on campus, and hanging chairs (unique!). Open Study Sessions require an appointment and the location is open from 10am-4pm, Monday through Friday. Learn more here.

Wisconsin Unions. The most synonymous places for studying on campus are the Memorial Union and Union South. Reservations are not required and you can even get a meal and eat there! Although these buildings are large and have a lot of space, everyone knows about it and it can be difficult to find seats (not as bad as pre-pandemic, but still). Learn more here.

Written by Cole Navin


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*This is an opinion post. While the topics described here are mostly based on research, please keep in mind not to assume all of the information described above is factual.