A comprehensive lesson in completing the Hugh Owen

Have you even been to level E?

8 years ago

It’s mid-term, you are drowning in essays, presentations, and dissertations but your housemates keep you from concentrating and you are sick of working in PJM lounge with the same people. Don’t you worry, we investigated Hugh Owen Library for you to find out what your future favourite study spot might be hiding.

The library, a place of the mysterious unknown

Level D – The ground floor

This is the best floor to be on if you don’t mind it being noisy, and if you like being interrupted by friends and colleagues every five minutes. Only sit down here if you can handle the chatter, the fighting over plugs, and the constant sound of the security sirens going off because someone hasn’t checked out their books properly.

Nerves of steel

Of course you could be one of those unlucky bastards that studies International Politics, which means that the core readings are always on loan and you have no choice but to sit down in the short loan collection all day to do your readings.

Level E

The common Level E visitor studies Geography or Biology because that’s where his books are at, Level F is too depressing for this free spirit, because it’s dead silent up there. Other than that most people here are sitting in big groups, munching away on their crisps and taking selifes with the squad every hour to keep their Instagram profiles up to date. If that floats your boat, Level E is your best shot.

Honestly though, Level E is severely underestimated, and doesn’t deserve the bad reputation made up by arrogant third years and postgrads. This is the only floor with vending machines serving coffee and snacks 24/7. You never have to fight over plugs, and nobody gives you a death stare when you use the noisy printer. Don’t underestimate this knowledge.

Those machines are your best friend

The computer room

We’ve all been there. Your laptop breaks, and your essay is due in two days. The computer room is where you want to be heading. Besides, studying in Hugh Owen means it’s going to get chilly sooner or later. Not in the computer room. You can spend all day in here, snug as a bug, working towards that first.

You spilt your vodka coke over your laptop again, didn’t you?

Level F

Level F is the most diverse and simultaneously the most intimidating part of the library. This is where you can find all those nerds who read Marx and Macbeth in their free time. And those, of course, who have waited too long to start their assignment because Fallout 4 is out, and now need all the silence they can get to desperately put some thoughts on paper.

Facebook-free zone

A well keen student can find proper leather chairs to sit down and treat himself to some Foucault while enjoying the amazing views over Aber. If you generally like spending your time indoors, rather than going out enjoying the beach and mountains around you, this is where you should go in your free time.

To all those who don’t belong to this category, you probably struggle getting your head down for longer than five minutes at the best of times. The aquariums are your place to be. You feel like a monkey in a zoo, but it is definitely worth grabbing one of those. It is silent, you have a big desk, and people genuinely think you are studying. No disturbances, I promise. If you can pull off 3,500 words in 48 hours, it’s in here.

Like a fish out of water

Finally, hard work makes you tired. If you fancy a little nap and some me-time, go find yourself a bean bag. I wouldn’t think about what people might have been up to on those, though. It could destroy your mood.