Students have strange spots for study sessions

If several textbooks are cracked open and computer labs in the DePaul library are packed, it can only mean one thing: Midterms! Next to finals, midterms are the time of year that every student dreads. Yet, with noise levels in dorm rooms and crowded libraries, some students are going to extreme lengths to find the perfect study location. This could mean studying in the bathroom. Weird right? Don't knock it until you try it.

Follett Higher Education Group released a report stating the strangest places students have studied are on the way to class, in the restroom and at a party. Students at DePaul shared some of the weirdest places they have studied.

"Weirdest place for me has got to be on the first floor near the reference articles," said junior Natalia Hernandez. "I studied lying on the floor amidst all of those books, I loved it."

"I'm not gonna lie, I've studied on the toilet," said Loyola Ph.D candidate Schevita Persaud.

Thanks to today's WiFi and mobile culture, students have the ability to study just about anywhere, from the local Starbucks to the nearby McDonalds.

Follett has also added accessibility for students to study with their new and free mobile application, CafeScribe; a digital textbook platform, available in both the Apple Store and Android Market. With college students leading very busy lives, apps like CafeScribe come in handy. And they can help students save money too: The CafeScribe platform provides students with 40 to 60 percent savings compared to buying a new textbook.

Sophomore Cristy Sanchez has personally taken advantage of a mobile app similar to CafeScribe to help her study.

"When I was fulfilling my Italian minor, I did make use of translator apps and other apps that would give me an Italian word of the day to keep me on my toes with the language," Sanchez said.

Sanchez reaffirms the convenience of studying outside of one's dorm and getting the same benefits one would get in the library. "For me, traveling to the library with all my books and study materials can be a hassle. I'm lucky enough to live right across the street from a Starbucks and a couple blocks away from three other coffee shops that each give me the same quiet, focused atmosphere I would get at the library," Sanchez said.

"My favorite place to study is at my apartment in my sun room, because it is well-lit and comfortable," said sophomore Franscesa Gattuso. "It has become trendy to travel to a Starbucks of coffee shop with your books. Or even study outside at a public park or perhaps just sit down at a bench and write or read. I think the definition of a study spot has drastically widened."

Some students even go to the extent of studying in the shower. "One of the strangest things I've heard of is studying in the shower. I know my sister use to do it for Spanish vocab," said senior Sean McDonough.

An even bigger issue tied to the weirdest places students have studied is the timing of studying. More than 61 percent of students said they begin studying just a few days before a big test. Roughly 20 percent wait until the night before, while only about 13 percent said they get going with studying a few weeks before the test date, according to Higher Education Morning's website.

So as you start looking for places to study during midterms, think twice about the bathroom. You might find that there is some serenity for studying that overshadows the ambiance.