I’m calling it: The Robbo is dead and the Marj is the new best thing

For those of you who are freshers, congratulations! You have just survived your first exam period. Bask in this glory for as long as you can, because the nightmare has just started.

When your due dates are fast approaching, you probably venture into the Robbo. Even if it is just to walk around a few times in the hope of finding an empty table (before accepting that all of them are occupied). You might even join the painfully long cafe queue. If, however, you have had enough of these experiences, but you still need to revise…the Marj has got your back.

It's dead in the Marj

The Marj has only been open for two years, so it's not as popular as it's bigger brother, The Robbo. You don’t need to wake up early and rush to secure yourself a spot in the Marj, you can just have a nice leisurely breakfast and stroll in.

The location

The Marj is closer to both Osborne AND Sandyford Road than the Robbo. This means that when you're panicking in the middle of exam season, your lovely, cosy bed is only a few steps away.

Collaborative study area

If The Robbo is a club, the Marj is the SU. The SU is alright, but it's mainly the place for society pres…these same people go to the Marj to do group work. Group study enriches your social life, but it can also turn out annoying and stressful if you're not blessed with like-minded team members. In The Robbo, you only have small area where you can yell at each other, but in the Marj, you have two floors PLUS lots of lovely study rooms.

Gender neutral toilets

To be fair, we actually should give Newcastle Uni some credit for respecting gender diversity and caring about student mental well-being by creating some gender neutral toilets.

The lounge

You've just done all that work and worked really, really hard. You deserve a comfy treat for being productive, a nice half-an-hour escape from this torture. So instead of stumbling over people who are sprawled all over the floor in The Robbo, head to The Marj, where you can get a nice spot for lunch. There are three big, lovely and warm sofas reserved just for you.

Uni charges you £9,250 in tuition fees per year, so don’t overload yourself in The Robbo. Let’s make that money worthwhile and make The Marj a bittersweet memory of your last years of studenthood, not just the stop for a wee on the way home.