With finals coming into full affect, studying seems to be the only activity that is taking place on campus. The Boot is basically vacant and the frats are dry. The entire student body is solely focused on their exams and papers due in the coming week. For me, one of the most important components of studying is the location. I tend to work best in an environment free of distractions, but can still have some background noise. All semester I have been trying out different locations for my studies, seeing what works best for me. I came to a conclusive top five locations for studying on and around Tulane's campus.

1. Howie T

"Howie T" is the street name for the library on Tulane's Campus, Howard Tilton Memorial Library. There are six floors and a basement, and they are all set up completely different. Each floor has its "regulars" who can study and do their work best in the environment and atmosphere of that floor. I have recently discovered that floor five is my favorite floor in Howie T, with large, open tables and wooden cubicles.

2. Grad B-School

The Graduate Business School is located in the Goldring II building. With its prime location in between the LBC and Sharp Hall, it makes for the perfect place to get working. There are comfortable chairs, classrooms, and meeting rooms that you can occupy to do your work. I find it one of the places that I am most productive in my studying because of the lack of distractions there.

3. LBC

The LBC houses tons of desks, chairs, and tables that make for the perfect place to get work done with a friend or study in some quiet. Because of the various areas of the LBC that have different desk setups, there is room to move between a quiet environment and a talking environment. Group work is able to be done there since there are no silence barriers, while still being able to focus and avoid distractions.

4. Common Rooms

With all the other buildings around campus designated to doing work and studying, residence hall common rooms often get overlooked. Most of the time I leave my dorm to go do work in Howie T, the Grad B-School, or the LBC, but if I am not in the mood to leave, I look for a common room to set up shop.

5. Starbucks/PJs

With a Starbucks on Loyola's campus and two PJs on Tulane's campus, there are plenty of coffee shop options for people to get work done at. With their widely known reputation for being the perfect place to sit down and work while having a cup of coffee, Starbucks and PJs make for the easiest and most accessible places to grab a seat, a coffee, and get busy.

Good luck to everyone with your upcoming final exams and papers, and remember that it is all going to be worth it in the end!