Carrier Library, my personal favorite place to go to study, hangout, and grab a coffee on campus. Where I have weathered the storms of midterms, and watched the sunrises during finals week. Each floor has a culture as unique as that of JMU itself, here is your guide to the three main levels.

1st Floor:

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This is the most eclectic group of individuals in the bunch. You’ve got your coffee cracked out over-achievers, the people who are either napping or chatting over in the chairs near the window, the quiet area where breathing results in death stares, and a desk and computer area that is always a little too loud with conversation. The entire first floor holds an undertone of coffee, which is both fabulous, and a little nauseating should you spend too much time working in the area.

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The quiet room has a weird detached feeling in that it doesn’t match the vibes or the look of the rest of the floor, with a long stretched table, columns, and a semi-fancy staircase – it doesn’t really match, and people LOVE it. But be careful, because you raise your voice past the pitch of an angels whisper, you may or may not get the death glare or your throat cut. Whichever comes first.

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Starbucks in Carrier is everyone’s favorite place. With lines out the door pretty much every hour of every day of the week, each time you walk through the door your money (or dining dollars) and your patience seems to quickly disappear. The convenience of an in-house coffee shop can’t be beat, and when you need to pull final’s week all-nighters, having the Starbucks open 24 hours is like having a friend willing to brave the sleepless nights with you – while toting a triple shot venti vanilla latte. #godbless

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The desk area right outside the Starbucks is the space studying goes to die. Or at least in my case. Unless you need to use a computer or print something out, the only way to get anything done is to move to another space. The chatter is non-stop and the constant hissing and distant shouting of orders from the close by Starbucks, can make paying attention to anything for more than 5-seconds merely impossible.

2nd Floor:

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Who do you know here and social hour, are the first two phrases that immediately come to mind. This sea of tables and group projects is the perfect place to go if you need to be extra loud. The floor attracts a lot of groups who need to discuss or practice presentations, as well as the typical “lets hangout at the library” type of crowd who grabs a meal from dukes and just gabs about their days. There is a quiet study space but with windows surrounding the exterior of the structure and looking out among the rest of the craziness that is floor two, it seems like it would be difficult to take full advantage of the silence. Other than this massive conjoined space there is some creepy study areas in the back that kind of smell like rotten eggs but they have a strange rustic charm that you are forced to love when no other desks are available.

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Second floor of carrier has a free-ness to it that the other floors don’t. There’s no pressure and everyone seems engulfed in their own conversation. It’s not really a place to go if you need to crunch some numbers or cram for a midterm – but if there’s a group project you need to work on, or you just want to hangout, it’s the place to be.

3rd Floor:

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The place where the hardcore students come to spend their days. So quiet you can hear a pin drop, and if background noise is the death sentence to you ability to focus, this is the place to be. It’s definitely one of the MOST uncomfortable places to eat on campus considering every new chew echoes across the room and attracts dozens of hate-filled gazes from those around you. The study rooms are big and there’s always at least one available, and they have this weird stack like cubby system to maximize the overall student retention in the space.

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I literally had once left music playing through my headphones walked away to use the bathroom and had come back to my computer having been SHUT OFF. True story. The occupants of this level take their silence VERY seriously, so students beware.