I spent nearly 24 hours in Richter, and managed to tell the tale

Sometimes even an ocean of caffeine wont get your paper done

As an academic institution, The University of Miami values the quality of the education it provides. To mirror this dedication to scholarly success, UMiami tries to create an academic environment wherever it can. Take a look at the library. With a combined assortment of over 3.5 million volumes and nearly 700,000 electronic books, the Richter Library collection is one of the most impressive in the world.

Within the confines of this 160,000 sq. ft. building, masochistic students pore over books and notes in the hopes of passing their courses. For some students like myself, the library has become a second home. After an entire semester of procrastinating, sometimes the only solution is a stimulant based study-binge. When I’m locked away with my textbooks in the stacks, I like to take a look at what is going on around me. I recently spent the entire day in the library, and saw some very dark stuff.

It was 8 a.m., and I finally forced myself out of my apartment. I had a nine page paper due that afternoon, and I haven’t even started it. Great, it’s going to be another one of those days. In my still-half-asleep state, I managed to swipe myself into Club Richter and acquire a prime spot in the front left corner. I was posted on the couches, where a pile of red bull container carcasses still resided from someone’s study session the night before.

The library in the morning is a very strange sight. Scanning the room, I was able to identify at least a handful of students just blatantly passed out on the desks; but I get it, sometimes a nap is all you need. Who am I to judge their study habits? After all, I’m the one funneling caffeine and desperately trying to meet the minimum word count before my assignment is due. As I continued about my day, I became aware of the steady flow of students. They would come and go, leaving me to contemplate both my sanity and my desire to continue on in my quest to finish the nine page paper.

Four pages into my paper and I’m fading fast. I’m not sure I can bullshit my way through five more pages of this nonsense. I decide to take a much needed study break. While on line for my double-pump hazelnut iced coffee, I couldn’t help but feel the library calling me yet again. I felt compelled to return to my seat and finish my essay, or succumb to the same fate many students encounter: the due date. I returned to my corner spot in the hopes of salvaging my GPA, making my parents proud, and getting out of the library as soon as possible.

As I sat down and began to type, I immediately became distracted. An entire fraternity pledge class sat down right next to me. Honestly, that might be the hardest demographic to get work done around. I couldn’t help but listen in on their stories of pledging and life as freshmen at U.M.

No, I never finished my essay, so I guess I’m taking the L on that one – but I realized one thing. The library is a very, very strange place. To this day, I try to minimize my time spent in Richter. Even though it’s a quality learning environment with endless resources, sometimes it just makes sense to do your work elsewhere.

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