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The Daily Tar Heel

Column: The top five study spots for your exams

Hannah Jones

Hannah Jones

Editor's Note: Hannah Jones writes comedic columns for The Daily Tar Heel. This column is satiric in nature; please do not break into any apartments, climb to the top of the Carolina Inn's roof or otherwise trespass on anyone else's property.

There’s quite possibly nothing worse than heading to your favorite coffee shop and finding not a single available table, much less a free outlet, while some communication studies major is camped out at a four-top with a single open notebook and three tabs of BuzzFeed quizzes. At a school as big as UNC, it’s crucial to have back-up study spots where you know there will always be room for you and the peace and quiet for you to get some studying done. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of the top five off-the-beaten-path study spots at UNC for your perusal during your summer finals.

1. Any Brewer Lane apartment with an unlocked door.

The Brewer Lane Block Study is a finals week tradition that most freshmen don’t know about, but it goes like this: every finals week, the folks at Brewer Lane open their doors to the general population for studying, socializing and emergency showers. Just remember, any locked door means they aren’t accepting visitors, so only enter the apartments whose handles turn on the first try.

2. Harris Teeter’s reserved student lounge

Along with a host of layout changes at the local 24-hour Harris Teeter, one of the best and most student-friendly additions are the curtained-off study sections now available throughout the store. Behind each white partition is a public study lounge, complete with free samples and more power strips than you can imagine! Just walk up to the crane operator near each lounge and flash your student ID. He’ll know how to let you in.

3. The roof of the Carolina Inn

The Carolina Inn is an establishment with deep roots in the Carolina community, but most people don’t know that every night between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., it opens up its stately roof to students looking for a calm place to study — with a view! Admittance to this study spot will cost you $25 for a semester-long unlimited student pass, but the fee gets you a beautiful view of the campus at night and even the Chapel Hill police service checking up on you every hour to make sure you’re enjoying your stay.

4. What used to be DKE

While most people think this beautiful white mansion on South Columbia Street is still affiliated with the fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon, it was actually closed down at the end of last semester and converted into a public coffee shop by day, bar by night. The kitschy feel is accentuated by their choice to keep all of the authentic fraternity paraphernalia in the house, making this a cheap — and totally unique — place to study. For more privacy, enter any of the personal study lounges on the second floor. The twin bed-inspired desks are an off-kilter choice, but they make a great place to nap during a quick study break.

5. Chancellor Folt’s personal office

While Chancellor Carol Folt has had to deal with a rough patch in UNC’s illustrious history, there’s no doubt that she is a chancellor of the people. This is no more evident than in her decision to open up her personal office for UNC students to study! While her office is not the most comfortable, it has a great work-friendly atmosphere, and remember, under the freedom of information act, all personal files are open for students’ perusal! Happy studying!

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