UCLA study spaces copious; can determine GPA success

By David Drucker

Daily Bruin Contributor

With admission hurdles cleared, it’s time to get ready for
the major obstacle that stands between students and their degrees:
studying, and lots of it.

UCLA students, in an effort to lessen the blow of this
collegiate right of passage, leave no corner of campus unturned in
their quest for a higher-learning hangout.

The trick, students tend to agree, is to determine the
atmosphere that fits their individual studying persona and to avoid
those places that will tempt them to turn “study hour”
into “social hour.”

Ardy Kassakhian, a fifth-year political science student, said he
found studying with others initially tended to encourage
procrastination no matter where the group decided to study.

“My first two years at UCLA, studying with friends meant
sleeping in the library or goofing around,” Kassakhian said.
“That would basically last until we got hungry and left to go
eat or play some pool.”

When students eventually think seriously about their grades,
they realize that UCLA offers a variety of indoor and outdoor
settings that can enrich their social experience without hampering
the health of their GPA.

Like many students, fourth-year psychology student Myoshi Hirano
said she finds Kerckhoff Coffeehouse allows her to put in hours for
studying without feeling anti-social.

“I enjoy studying in Kerckhoff and the other coffee houses
on campus,” she said. “There’s enough going on so
that I don’t feel like I’m missing out on life even
though I’m buried in my books.”

Hirano said that she enjoys stopping by any of UCLA’s
coffee houses, including Northern Lights on the north-end of
campus, and Jimmy’s on the northeast end near the Law School,
as a way to jump-start one of her all-nighter study sessions.

“Even if I decide to go home and study, the coffee houses
are convenient places to pick-up good coffee,” she said.

Hirano added that various restaurants, like Cafe Roma at the
Anderson School and The Bomb Shelter near the Medical School, are
great places to grab a bite to eat in-between classes.

“All the food I need is right there, so I’m less
likely to get distracted from studying when I get hungry,”
Hirano said.

Those who find four walls and a roof too stifling can take
advantage of the university’s wealth of natural surroundings.
Loaded with trees, manicured green lawns and spread throughout the
campus, these settings allow students to “tan and scan”
while simultaneously absorbing Shakespeare, Aristotle, or
atmospheric science.

“There’s something about the squirrels in the
sculpture garden that creates a serene environment perfect for
concentrating on your studies,” psychology graduate student
Artin Rebakale said.

Rebakale explained that he found out about the Franklin D.
Murphy Sculpture Garden early in his college career because of his
desire to take advantage of Southern California’s usually
mild and sunny climate.

“How can you go to school in L.A. and spend most of your
time indoors?” Rebakale asked.

The majority of UCLA students, however, prefer the more
traditional atmosphere of a library to study. With 17 such
buildings sprinkled about the campus, students can find plenty of
study space in an environment designed specifically for that
purpose.

“The place on campus that I prefer to study most is the
Young Research Library,” Kassakhian said. “Any desk you
pick is relatively secluded from everyone else.”

Perhaps signaling a trend that finds serious students
gravitating to those parts of campus meant for graduate students,
Rebakale said that the Law School is a good place to spend nights
studying when sleeping is not an option.

“If it’s necessary, nothing beats an all nighter in
the law lounge,” Rebakale said.

Ironically, the College Library, UCLA’s oldest library,
housed in one of the school’s original four buildings, has
the reputation of being one of the worst places to study because of
the socializing that occurs there.

“If I was going to the library to get some phone numbers,
then I would go to Powell,” Kassakhian said.

Hirano also said that she prefers to avoid the College
Library.

“Even in “˜Night Powell’ ““ that part of
the library that remains open nightly until 2 a.m. ““
there’s so much whispering going on,” Hirano said.
“Its easier to deal with loud music than it is with
that.”

In addition to these on-campus sites, Westwood Village also
offers a number of comfortable study spots.

“I like studying at Denny’s,” Kassakhian said.
“The coffee is sub par, but I’m pretty much left alone
around the clock as long as I buy a side of onion rings.”

Denny’s Diner restaurant manager Roxanna Alamiri confirmed
Kassakhian’s experience.

“I definitely don’t mind that they study
here,” Alamiri said. “If you come in and don’t
order, then that’s a problem.

“But as long as you order something, even just a side
dish, then you’re welcome to stay as long as you like,”
she continued.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, with two locations in the
Westwood, could also accommodate students.

“It used to bother us,” manager Jim Nath said.
“But at this time, we don’t have a policy on time
limit.

“Students are welcome to stay here as long as they
like,” Nath added.

Regardless of the location, there are still some students who
want to study with a friend or two. Those that do said that this
strategy is risky if not employed properly.

“My word of advice to any incoming freshman is not to
study with friends unless your friends know more than you do and
are serious about studying,” Kassakhian said.