Exam season is right around the corner, deadlines are looming, and the walk of shame has suddenly become that oddly embarrassing walk around the library trying to find just one free desk to work at. Spending more time here than anywhere else means you will start to notice that no stressed student is unique. Everyone fits into at least one of the following categories. But which one are you?
The Procrastinator
Never one to willingly go to the library, the procrastinator is using it as a last resort to force themselves to be productive. Their talent for work avoidance is impressive and they will do everything in their power to keep putting off a task that might not actually take that long. Talking, listening to music, doing the easiest of tasks, wandering, Tiktok scrolling, nipping to the loo; if there was a degree in procrastination, they would graduate with a first.
The All-Night Crammer
When the procrastinator really does procrastinate, this is the result. Let’s face it, we have all been this person at some point during our degrees. If not, your time will come. It’s almost a rite of passage to somehow leave all your work to the last minute and pull the world’s longest library shift to miraculously meet a deadline. Armed with a few energy drinks, sugary snacks, and a healthy dose of panic to get them through the early hours, this stressed student is probably the easiest to spot. They aren’t leaving until that essay is submitted, no matter how long it takes. So best leave them to it.
The Silent Studier
Future librarians in the making, these serious candidates have superhuman powers of concentration. No need for the pomodoro technique here. Aiming high and probably studying something mind-blowing like astrophysics, this concentration queen wouldn’t want to lose focus if the library set on fire. If do not disturb was a person, they would look like this, and they definitely shoot irritated passive aggressive looks at…
The Chatterbox
So, you mean to say the library isn’t a social hub for compelling conversation? The words ‘silent study’ don’t exist in the vocabulary of the chatterbox. Whether they are reading aloud, asking for help, humming along to music, taking a phone call, or gossiping with a friend, everyone around them wishes they would just stop talking. Group study spaces or the comfort of home have not seemed to occur to this social butterfly as a work option. Either way, they need some kind of noise to get the job done. If this sounds all too familiar, read the room and take this as a sign to change your ways.
The Regular
The most seasoned pro of the whole building, this gold standard library user is here all year, not just when exam season rolls around. Definitely not a fresher, they know what time of day is best to arrive in their comfies and find a good seat. Most likely they actually know how to find a book and take it out on loan. They even have the time to watch the odd Netflix show for a quick break without spiralling into procrastination. Routined and timetabled to have an actual work-life balance, they seem to have their life together. They probably don’t, because no one does, but they have me convinced.
The Secret Eater
As much as I hate to admit it, no-eating rules in the library do make a lot of sense near computers or old books. Yet, a gal’s got to eat, right? I refuse to believe that anyone turns up for a study session without at least one secret snack at the bottom of their bag, or a cheeky meal deal bought on the way in to keep them going. As long as you don’t pick a smelly food – I’m looking at you, tuna sandwich lovers – it’s easy to sneakily eat without causing disruption, and completely necessary. That said, it’s difficult not to laugh when you spot your friend failing to hide the fact they are chomping on a wrap instead of finishing some reading.
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