UBC is full of great places to study, and you can find lists of those places no problem with a quick Google search. Even more valuable is an analysis of the worst places to study on campus, so that you don’t end up sitting in misery for a few hours because the spot you committed to was too loud or in the middle of a major walkway. Do yourself a favour and avoid these places when studying for your midterms.
The Pit on a Wednesday night
Pit Night is hectic. Don’t try to do your studying here unless you thrive in the most noisy atmosphere imaginable while people bump into you. Someone will probably end up spilling a Long Island ice tea all over your laptop. Just don’t do it.
Jim Everett Memorial Park
Pigeons may ruin your study material. If you drop even a crumb of your lunch, a swarm of birds will all try to get it first. The winds that blow through the park may scatter your notes across the sad, damp grass.
Martha Piper Fountain
Right in the middle of campus on Main Mall — one of the busiest walking and cycling areas on campus — lies the Martha Piper Fountain. This fountain, while it’s a very lovely landmark on campus, is a pretty awful place to study. Would you like your laptop to be at risk of falling in a fragile fountain? Probably not. You may also run the risk of becoming engulfed in a bubbly hell if someone pours soap in it again.
Any of the Buchanans that aren’t D
Buchanan A and B lack good seating, Buchanan C and E are just offices and Buchanan tower is a haunting, brutalist prison of offices where you might get stuck in an elevator. The only good Buchanan is D, because of that sweet, sweet lounge.
The patch of grass behind the UBC sign on University boulevard
This patch of grass looks mildly inviting, but don’t be fooled. The brutal barrier that goes down the middle is limiting and the buses may splash puddle water all over you. Also, there is currently a wasp nest in one of the trees, adding an element of danger. Do yourself a favour and stay the hell away from this deceiving patch of grass.