My tips to revise on campus and the study space you don’t know exists

21st May 2022

At Warwick it is the height of exam season which means that study spaces are filling up quickly. I want to share my favourite place to study on campus and my tips to hopefully see you study on campus some time soon!

Should I study on campus?

I really enjoy studying on campus whether I have an exam that day or not. I find that, however hard it is to wake up in the morning, walking into campus gives me a purpose and routine which can be hard to find in exam season. I try to view exam season as a 9-5 job, I arrive onto campus at around 9 and stay for about 8 hours including an hour lunch.

I find separating my day into a “work-life” and “home-life” really helps me turn-off and recharge in the evenings – I’m not reminded of work when I look at my desk.

Here are some tips I’d suggest if you want to make the most of your day on Campus:

Know what you’re eating the night before – I think refuelling with food during exam season is so important to keep motivated or keep tiredness at bay. If you want to work on campus I would really recommend either preparing your lunch the day before or adding a trip to buy lunch into your day itinerary. I found that when I prepared lunch on the day, the time I left home kept falling further behind schedule to the point that I didn’t know if it was worth going altogether. Now I grab my lunch and go to campus super quick in the mornings.

Pack your bag the night before (or don’t unpack at all!) – As I work on campus everyday I rarely need to unpack my bag full of revision when I get home because my work is done for the day. There’s nothing worse than getting onto campus just to realise you left something really important at home. I find that leaving my bad untouched prevents me from both doing more work or leaving behind equipment on my desk which I’ll need for the next day.

It’s only revision but make an effort – I found that, particularly after the last few years of COVID, making an effort with how I looked after myself really made all the difference in my outlook during exam season. Even though I often rush out the door I still make my bed, give myself ample time to get dressed and eat breakfast. I find that doing the little things which make days feel more normal (and almost special) made revision a lot easier. If I feel nice in myself, my revision and motivation also reflects this. Just because you want to revise doesn’t mean you should sacrifice the small things you do to make yourself feel better.

University House Learning Grid

My favourite study location on campus is University House. Whilst housing the majority of University administration and Vice Chancellor Stuart Croft’s office, this building is also the perfect place to study on campus. In University House you will find one of the three University owned learning grids. This Learning Grid houses over 10,000 textbooks, desktop PCs and ample study spaces. The learning grid here contains a variety of seating, from collaborative tables with whiteboards to single desks. One of the most important things for me when I study is power sockets and the learning grid has ample extension chords and sockets in the floors to keep all your electronics charged as you work.

This study space is for silent study and a member of the library team is at the desk all opening hours if you need any help. As the Learning Grid is part of a much larger building there is also a coffee shop, and seating in the atrium if you’d like to eat hot food, talk to friends or attend a video call.

If you would like to find out more about the Learning grid, including opening times, see this link: Study spaces – University of Warwick Library