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The Clog's power ranking of locations for attending online lectures

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SEPTEMBER 09, 2020

Now that we’re all forced to find spots around our homes for studying and watching lectures, the idea of sitting in a library isn’t so bad. Nowadays, going to lecture means finding somewhere — anywhere — with reliable Wi-Fi and that’s relatively quiet. Whether you’re an only child living at home this semester, a student taking care of little siblings or someone living on campus in an apartment with other students, it’s probably pretty hard for you to find a place to study where you can actually focus. If you’ve been struggling to feel like a college student while locked up in your middle school bedroom, check out this ranking of spots to study and attend lectures in while classes are online.

1. House or apartment common space

It’s great to be able to sit in a common living space such as a living room or kitchen and peacefully watch your lectures alongside the rest of your household. Not only is the Wi-Fi probably best in a room toward the middle of your living space, but you’ll actually feel motivated when you see the other people you’re living with also working. To be fair, when your lecture times don’t align with those of your housemates, it’s not always great — ever try to watch a lecture while your roommate is taking a break to watch an episode of TV and is laughing every five seconds? Or if you have a dog or a particularly loud family, well, it may not be the perfect space to have your participation-heavy discussion section. But it can be motivating to be out in the open with family and housemates.

2. Your room

If you have a quiet room with a desk where you can watch and participate in class, that may be the best place for you to watch your lectures. You’ll definitely stay on track without pesky sibling or roommate distractions, but you might end up feeling like a gremlin trapped in your room, bent over your laptop for hours at a time. It’s important to remember to talk to people and socialize throughout the day, not just barricade yourself in your room. Before you know it, you’ll find that you hardly leave your room, books are covering your bed and somehow you have study snacks piled up next to your desk.

3. (Outdoor) cafe

An outdoor cafe is a great spot for studying, given the spot you’ve chosen has safe, socially distanced seating. You can order a fancy coffee, actually get dressed for once and feel artsy surrounded by other intellectuals drinking coffee and working. Regardless of how much work you actually get done, you’ll likely feel super productive because you actually walked outside today (great first step!). But then again, having strangers around might inspire you to actually work rather than just zone out or talk to your roommate. It can be a little distracting to work with a mask on, but we know you’ll power through.

4. Outside

It is so much fun to study or watch lectures outside. All you need is a shady spot, a blanket, some delicious picnic snacks and maybe some sunglasses. As dreamy as studying while picnicking sounds, there’s a decent chance you just don’t get any work done. That might be because the spot you chose has no Wi-Fi, the sun is too bright to read off your computer or the day is just too nice to get anything done.

5. Your bed

Ah, the comfiest spot to watch lectures, if not the most efficient. Watching lectures in your bed has almost no cons, unless you consider the fact that you almost definitely will fall asleep a con. But seriously, if you’re watching lectures in your bed, chances are you’re doing more snoozing than studying. Get out of there!

6. The bathroom

You know that moment when the lecture starts in two minutes but there are people in every room of your house, someone’s vacuuming and some dog will not stop barking? Well, let’s just say attending lectures in the bathroom is the last resort, but on those days when no other room is quiet enough, the bathroom may be the perfect lecture-watching spot.

Hopefully, you now have some new inspiration for where to watch your lectures, or at the very least, you feel better knowing you’re not the only one who’s watched a lecture while sitting on the bathroom floor. Good luck finding quiet study spots with good Wi-Fi where you can watch your lectures!

Contact Elysa Dombro at [email protected].
LAST UPDATED

SEPTEMBER 09, 2020


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