I love my bed. It’s a pure haven for relaxation and winding down after a long day. It’s amazing, really. I wish I could be in it for an entire day, but we all know as college students that doing so would probably mean hours and hours of staying up later than we already are to catch up on the heavy course work. Also, going back to my dorm to nap seems like a waste of time. I mean, I have to walk for approximately 15 minutes to get back to my dorm. By the time I’m there, my hour of nap time is reduced to 45, and further reduced to 30 minutes after counting the time it takes for me to walk back to the campus for another class.
Being the resourceful student that I am, I have explored the UC Berkeley campus in search for viable napping locations. Here are a few:
1. Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library
My go-to nap/study spot, probably because it’s not as busy as Doe Library, so there are more chances you’ll get a closed-off desk that you can lay your head on and nap. Those desks are great if you don’t want anyone to look at your nap face. 60% of the time, you’ll find me here either napping or eating (shhhh) or studying.
2. Academic Center
I am referring to your housing’s personal Academic Center -- a perfectly spacious, air-conditioned room with computers available for students’ use. Nap in one of the couches or do what I do: take a computer desk, lay a book as a pillow, and disguise a I-fell-asleep-while-reading situation -- no one’s going to judge because they totally understand!
3. Music Rooms
Private music rooms. They usually have these either in the basement of your dorms or in the music building. Great private spot.
4. Memorial Glade
Bring a padded backpack or a hoodie/jacket as something to put on top of the grass, and literally just nap under a tree. No one’s judging you because there are 40+ more people doing the exact same thing during mid-day.
5. Doe’s Couches
When you’re in the middle of campus and you’re feeling tired, where do you go? Those four couches at Doe Library facing out the window when you enter from the Campanile side of the building. No one’s going to see your nap face because the side cushions are covering your face, and it’s honestly SO comfortable. Just cross your fingers and hope those four couches aren’t occupied when you’re there.
6. VLSB Library
It’s buried deep inside the huge VLSB building. If you’re tired after your ESPM class, just find the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (also located inside VLSB) and you’ll soon find yourself in the library. Find a closed-off desk to nap on. Not the most comfortable, but definitely convenient.
7. Those Picnic Tables in between Campbell Hall and LeConte Hall.
This is the area you pass by unknowingly on your way to your PHYS 7A or CHEM 1A lectures at Pimentel. There’s an open area for people to study there, and for the most part, the area isn’t very occupied.
8. Invest in a Hammock like this nap expert.
Have you ever had those days when you’re really wiped out and you just want to take a nap right then and there at the spot? Maybe it’s time to invest a hammock like this guy, that way you can literally nap anywhere because UC Berkeley’s campus is full of trees. Heck, there’s a woody area near behind VLSB’s Annex that you can literally tie your hammock and take a nap in, if you really want alone time.
9. Nap Pods. I repeat: NAP PODS.
Cal knows that its students love to nap, so much so that they have invested in building rooms specifically for napping -- REST zones, as they call it. YES, THIS IS A THING. Many of them have special pods reserved for people who truly want to nap privately. The pods close you off from the outside environment and if you want, it also provides lighting that induces sleep, as well as sleepy, relaxing music. Oh, and the pods also have timers built in them. Honestly, it’s perfection. You can find these at Eschlemann Hall, Wurster Hall, Tang Center, and many more buildings.
