George Mason University Top Questions

It all depends on the kind of student you are. I typically study the best in my room but other popular places to study are the upper floors of the Johnson Center, Fenwick Library, the study rooms in the dorms or the Starbucks on campus.

The dorm rooms may or may not be a good place to do work depending on where you live, your roommate, and how easily distracted you are, but for me, that is where the majority of my work gets done. The library is rarely every filled up (except during finals week) and a very ideal place to get work done, with several computers, study rooms, and teachers to help out. Otherwise, for those who can easily work while around others, the Johnson Center (the central hub of the campus) has plenty of desks, tables, and resources to study and do homework, either alone or with others, but it lacks the silence of the library.

Fenwick Library. This is the quietest place on campus, also known as the main library. It is less than 5 minutes walking distance away from Starbucks, and is the perfect spot to complete an assignment, cram, or do anything work-related, really.

There are several good study area's around campus available to students. The Johnson Center has a library on the second and third floor that is separated from the food court. There are little cubicles and study tables open for any students to use. There are also sections of the library that are open to the noise of the food court. This place is good to study if you like a little background noise opposed to it being too quiet. There are also study rooms in the Johnson center, typically they are pretty hard to get but if you do there is a white board available for your to work on. Fenwick library is also a good place to study if you would like quiet. Some of the dorms on campus also have study rooms available to students. The honors college has a study room open specifically for honors students to discuss classes and study. Southside is also a good place to study. (Southside is all you can eat) It is wonderful to get there in the morning with all of your books and laptop and find a corner table with an outlet and post up there all day studying and getting food as you get hungry. It can get noisy around big meal times but other then that it is nice.

The best places to get work done are the dorm study lounges, Fenwick library, Student Union I, The Hub, and Southside. The Johnson Center may seem ideal, though this area quickly populates from 11am to the early evening hours. The other places are more ideal, because they offer a quiet and less distracting environment.