The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition - Thursday, September , 1989 - Page 4 Sr,-- !Studying38 r4 An epic saga unfurls - " - fy rThey may look like they're studying, but who really can get any work +done outdoors? No, you need to go to the library to truly study. by Tarneh Shafii Daily Staff Writer It's 4:30 pm on Monday. I just spent two days biting my fingernails down to stubs stressing over my exam, quiz, and two papers due to- morrow - it's time to get to work. My roommate is blaring Bachman Turner Overture's "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" again so it looks like I'm off to the library, but which one? A lot of thought goes into the decision about which library to visit each night. It depends on if I'm studying for an exam or writing a paper, what class it's for, what mood I'm in and most importantly who I want to see. This afternoon I feel really moti- vated. I've got to ace this Cale exam to pass, so no socializing for me - I'm off to the Taubman Medical Library. Choosing a library is not too stressful, it's the decision-making that comes once you walk through the door that is crucial. Every choice can affect the suc- cess of your studying: which floor to go to, which side of the room to sit on, which table to sit at, and which chair to sit in - that's a biggy. Do I want a chair with a view or don't I? And what kind of view - the window, the stacks, or the guy in the stripped oxford? Since I'm really serious about my math 1 opt for the window view - not too boring like staring at books and not too distracting like, well, you know. Besides, the Med library is known for its view of Ann Arbor. I work on problems until the si- lence is deafening and my stomach is grumbling. It's 6:30 pm, off to the Undergraduate Library, where I can rattle my cellophane wrappers and pop my pop cans in peace. Luckily, I stuck my hibachi, a fresh trout, and candle sticks in my back- pack before I left. After dinner I'm ready to plunge into my poly sci paper so I head for the reading room of the Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library. I stake a claim on a chair and start for the labyrinthine Stacks with a bag of rice leftover from dinner. I always leave a trail behind when I enter the Stacks. You just can't be too careful. Actually, I've heard Elvis was r cently spotted in there. He's a trans- fer from Kalamazoo County Col- lege. By the time I emerge from the bowels of the Grad it's 10:30 pm. Time for a quick snooze before close. The carols are luring me like the Sirens drew Ulysses' men to the rocks. Each floor is color coded - my best sleeping is done on the red one. I pick a carol with lots of graffiti. I like to read before bed. I close the blind and use my books as a pillow. Somewhere in the distance some- one drops their change. Suddenly: "May I have your at- tention. It's now 11:15 the north and south circulation desks will be clos- ing in 15 minutes. T he library will be closing at 12 midnight. Building lights will be turned off five minutes before closing. Safewalk, a night- time safety walking service is available in the lobby of the under- graduate library until 2:00 am. The library will reopen at 8 am tomor- row. Shucks! I was stranded on a de- serted tropical island and I just ran into the guy in the stripped oxford. Bleary-eyed I grope my way out of the library. BLEEP! BLEEP! BLEEP! My worst nightmare come true - I forgot to check out my books and set off the security device. All heads snap towards me. The librarian looks at me accusingly. I shrink until I'm about two inches off the floor. If I had a tail it would be between my legs. Outside, the smell of coffee wafts through the air. I still have to write an English paper and study for a geography quiz. I follow my nose to The Mug in the Union. I skim the spatial rela- tionships between Liechtenstein and Quatar. The lighting is terrible, but the coffee is great. I have my English paper to worry about so I set off for the reading room of the classic Law Quad. Settling down between a Med and a Law student, I crack open the books. By 2 am, my eyes barely open, I'm ready to call it quits. I realize though that I still have to type up my papers. Off to the computing center - but which one ...? U JESSICA GREENE/Dolly I give up! I'll just beg my TA for an extension tomorrow. Now to dream up a good excuse. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. a That paper needs to be typed, this is college. All-nighters are the norm, rather than the exception at the computing centers. Of all the decisions you must make as you prepare to proper chair is perhaps the most crucial. Daily File Photo When the Grad closes it's on to the Law Quad. The University's most exalted library, this has become the new place to see and be seen. Daily File Photo A rare scene at the UGLi, billions of empty seats. Security is known to be relaxed here, so bring those B-BQ's inside when the weather turns. DAVID LUBLINER/Doily The Graduate Library (left) is home to those infamous insomnia cure- all's the Grad carrels. Come early to get one with a nice view. Don't venture into the stacks without a two-way radio. Elvis was recently spotted in Burh South, sub level 3A. JESSICA GREENE/Doily The most often ignored sign around the University, next to perhaps the fnes in the bars that say "Patrons must be 21 to drink alcohol." 4u 764-0553 News 763-0379 Arts V _ 764-0562 News and Opinion 747-3334 News 763-0376 Sports 763-2459 News 747-3336 Sports ' - t Recreational Sports ( WelcomesStudents -Get Excited - Get Energized - Get Exercised- e Intramural Sports - Sports Clubs - Outdoor Recreation Center - and much, much more! 0 Daily File Photo A new world awaits those who choose to seek it by studying abroad by Tarneh Shafii Daily Staff Writer Imagine skipping off to Switz- erland for a long ski weekend after class. Or living and taking classes in an Italian villa. Or studying for finals stretched out on the deck of a cruise ship, sipping papaya juice. Each year many students ex- change football games, nights at Rick's, and weekends at the Grad for an adventure abroad. Twenty overseas programs are of- fered through the Office of Inter- national Programs. While most of these are in Western Europe, the list of countries has expanded to include Japan, the Soviet Union, Armenia and soon many others. "There is not a country in the world that does not have a (study abroad) program," said John Heise, director of the International Center. Three to four thousand univer- sity sponsored programs in North America are available, said Kathy Davis, administrative associate for the Office of International Programs. And credits through other schools are usually transferable to the Uni- versity. Recent graduate, Christy Wheeler earned twelve credits by spending a semester at sea, sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh. Wheeler spent four months trav- eling around the world on a cruise ship with about 400 other students. Their ports of call ranged from Yugoslavia to Egypt to Japan. About half the time was spent at sea and the other on land. "When the ship was docked there were no classes," and we were free to go where we wanted, said Wheeler. She remembers, while hitch hik- ing with a friend to a monastery in Japan, a family picked them up and 'adopted' them for four days. They were fed, given clothing, and were even allowed to participate in a Buddhist ceremony held for a de- ceased parent. By going abroad you are able "to understand your culture a little better by looking at another" and realize that "the whole world is not like this country," said Wheeler. LSA senior Lisa Marion who also participated in the semester at sea program, said that the experience taught her a lot about the world and everyday life. "I probably learned more in that semester... than in one semester at Michigan," she said. "You learn a lot outside of class," said LSA senior Liz Borock who spent a semester in Florence, Italy through a Florida State program. Borock was in class four days a week and spent the other days traveling around Europe. "You learn about the culture from an insider's point of view rather than a tourist's," said Borock. One advantage of going abroad I The Start of School Can Bring All Sorts of Pressurese. . " Leaving home 76-GUIDE 76-GUIDE isananonymous, confidential, peer counseling telephone line on campus, open throughout the academic year (September through April). 76-GUIDE also presents workshops centering around various issues 1 .