By Andrea Peña
Reporter

As the fall quarter comes to a close, students at California State University, Bakersfield are preparing for finals and clamoring to find the perfect study spot.

Preparing for final exams is serious business; it is not something that should be taken lightly.

This year, the Student Union is holding a week long study session called Study Strong. It begins on November 20, the week before finals. The Student Union offers a different itinerary for each day of studying. The Student Union and ASI are offering the students free snacks, tutors and possibly free school supplies, such as scantrons, to help promote studying. Inside the student union, different study rooms will be available that can offer something similar to a classroom setting; this study spot is perfect if you want to have a group study session.

“We have CSUB Study Strong finals week. We really start a whole week of activities that encourages students and helps them study. On Friday [of study strong week], we have a snack shack. We take a cart and fill it up with snacks, all kinds. We have the healthy snacks, we have the I-love-sugar-and-I-need-to-wake-up-snacks, and we go around campus and we deliver,” said Hilda Nieblas a Student Union employee at CSUB.

If you need a quieter place to study or you are easily distracted, the library is also a great and convenient place to study.  You can utilize the various carrels around the first floor, or you can use one of the group study rooms on the third floor.

Complaints have been made over the years that the library does not have conductive study hours for students that are night owls. This year, the library has decided to extend it hours for final examination preparation. The week before finals, Nov. 17- 20, and the week of finals, Nov. 24-25, the library’s hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

“I cannot just go anywhere on campus to study, I need to go to a quiet place. I love to go to the fourth floor of the library,” said Carlos Benjarano, a 19-year-old engineering major at CSUB.
If you are the type of student that needs a quiet peaceful place that has someone there to help them, I would recommend the tutoring centers. They offer assistance in multiple subjects. To find the right tutoring center, you may go to CSUB’s website.

“I like to study on campus in the academic advising center […] it is always quiet in there and you can print for free. It’s the perfect place. When I do study off campus, I like Barnes & Nobles, they have Starbucks, and it’s not too loud in there,” said Savannah Andrews, a 21-year-old psychology major at CSUB.

If you are a student that needs a quiet place but cannot stand to be stuck in a drab and lifeless room for hours, I recommend any park near you. It provides a change of scenery, and the fresh air will do you some good during this stressful time. Remember to pack a few snacks so you will not have to leave to get food when hunger hits you. Find a table or even a tree to lean against and you may have just found the perfect place to study.

Starbucks also has everything a student needs: a cozy atmosphere with air conditioning to keep you awake, free WIFI and of course, the necessity that every student lives on during this nerve-racking time, coffee.

However, if you find Starbucks to be too crowded and commercial, Dagny’s could be the perfect alternative. They offer a comfortable setting with large tables and even sofas and reading chairs. They have similar qualities to Starbucks but with more of a homey feel to it.

When trying to find the perfect study spot make sure it is comfortable, because you may be there for hours, and make sure it is conducive to your learning styles.