Finding Peace and Quiet at 4Cs
by Virginia Johnston
Hidden away in the corner in the upstairs of the Tilden Arts Center, Sarah Ryan relaxes between classes with her eyes glued to her laptop. Her earbuds are in and her backpack is by her side, but she is the only one taking advantage of this serene space which is available to any Cape Cod Community College (4Cs) student.
“No one really comes up here,” Ryan said, “It’s super quiet.”
Photo by Cassie LeBel
Compared to the library or Grossman Commons, the room above the Arts Center lobby is uncrowded and peaceful. Expansive windows and a huge skylight bring in natural light. The round table in the center of the room makes it easy for students to share ideas with each other.
This is Ryan’s sixth semester on campus, but she has never had a class in the building. She and her friend found this perfect hideaway during their first year. To get to this location, just find the stairs by the bathrooms on the first floor of the Tilden Arts Center and go up to the second floor. A large round table, some private desks, and soft cushion chairs are waiting to greet any student looking for a place to unwind.
As students start to get back into the swing of things for the spring semester, a quiet place to gather their thoughts is a must. Whether one is looking for a new and suitable place to study or just a spot to catch up on Grey’s Anatomy like Ryan, there are a few hidden gems around campus.
In her College Experience course (COL101), Professor Kristen Traywick promotes the idea of “evaluating your learning experience.” Her students are asked to consider the positive and negative effects of their surroundings on their concentration and figure out what they may need to change.
According to Traywick, getting students to stay on campus and utilize study areas is important to their success.
Traywick is constantly going back and forth between two departments in the upstairs of the North Building which is how she came across a peaceful hallway between staff offices- one of many spaces that students could be utilizing. Private desks line the hall and four cushion chairs meet in the corner. Plants rest along the windows and feed on the natural sunlight that streams across the tile.
To find this hall, enter the North Building through the automatic doors and walk through the North/MMWilkens Connector. Go up the set of stairs to the right and then to the left a short hallway with paintings on the wall will lead to the chairs. The views through the windows show the lecture halls and the foliage by Lots 3 and 4.
For those with classes in the Lorusso Technology Building, there is a downstairs area on the ground floor that often gets overlooked. Annabelle Pereira had a class on the first floor in the fall semester, but she ventured lower to find a spot to study. Now in her second semester on campus, she catches up on her French 2 homework with books and her laptop sprawled across one of the tables.
When she’s not using her laptop, she likes the computer lab that is located right at the top of the stairs. She says that not many people know about it, just like the tables where she studies.
“They have better bathrooms,” Pereira said.
She giggled about it but insisted that it’s true. She likes the Tech Building because it’s newer, cleaner, and quieter than other places she’s tried. Even though the library has quiet places to study, Pereira likes that there are usually no other people around.
This room with a few round tables and lots of sunlight can be found by entering from the path coming from Lots 10 and 11. If on the first floor of the building, the stairs are across from the classrooms and around the corner to the right. Going down the stairs leads to this open study area.
It can be difficult to find a quiet area to study, so one must exploit the spaces found on campus. A couple of students were generous enough to share their secret spots but exploring what is available on one’s own is a great way to find a satisfactory place that is right for everyone.
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