Hi everyone..... I'm starting my first pre-req in August (anatomy) and I'm thinking of buying a desk to put in our basement bedroom. (we just finished our basement so it's done and cozy)
I figure if nothing else I can put the kids to bed early :yelclap:(my husband will be traveling M-Th) and head downstairs to study in a quiet room without any distractions (tv, computer, etc)
I found a desk at IKEA that I liked and is very cheap.... $49.00... just a table sort of thing... but I really like the idea of having my "own space".... (we have an office but I wouldn't get any privacy there)... ok, I'm rambling now...
Anyway... do you have a sacred place or do you go to the library, or do you just study at the kitchen table?
With my 3 kids, I really need a hide-a-way...:sofahider Any ideas???
Most of the time, solo studying is done at my house, either out on my couch, or down in the basement on the coffee table...However, with a switch to nights this semester, I imagine some quick studying will be going on during breaks at work, and out by the nurses station, I'll be paying attention to different things going on.
When we're a group studying, we usually hit the B&N and try to claim a big corner table by the cafe..or I'll go alone and wind up listening to my ipod while sipping green tea....nice to get out of the house sometimes....
Outside of that, I have also been caught using the couches by the main entrance of the college to "study"/nap.....one professor caught me napping and couldn't believe I still got an A on the test....lol...
I have a big desk at home, but typically it ends up a landing spot for all my books, binders etc.
I can't get anything done at home (3 little kids around), I study at school, or at Starbucks. Thats not to say I NEVER do anything at home, so when I do it typically ends up being in the family room on the couch with the coffee table.
Big projects are done on the dining room table with the laptop, so i have plenty of space.
Matt and I turned one of the bedrooms into an office, he has his desk, i have mine, with a desktop computer. Sometimes i do homework there, sometimes on the dining room table (if he's not watching TV in the other room) if i'm cooking while working.
We have a living room (no TV) and a TV room. If i'm just reading, i'll do that in the living room.
Thanks everyone for your responses! I am planning on getting that desk at IKEA just to have a place at home I can escape to, but I think the local library sounds like my best bet. (If I can find a sitter)
I'm just glad to know I don't need something too fancy.... the prices on some of the stuff I saw!!! My computer isn't anything great either.... oh well, I guess I have some time to worry about that! Thanks again!!!
I bought the Mikael corner workstation from Ikea yesterday. I just finished setting up. So far, I think it will work well. I'm so excited to have some space of my own!!
I don't have any room in my apartment to set up a study space - 2 people, 2 cats, a ton of stuff all over the place, and 800 square feet. I don't start NS until May, still wrapping up prereqs right now, but I'm so envious of everyone who has an office/basement/attic/living room. We have two bedrooms - one for us, the other has the spare bed for guests and doubles as the computer room - and one large room in the middle that attaches to the kitchen. DH has the TV on 100% of the time that he's home. I've only lived here for a year, so I haven't scouted out all my options yet. The main library at school is annoying to study at. Despite signs saying "quiet floor" and "please turn off all cell phone ringers" people's phones go off about every 10 minutes and they proceed to have loud and not necessarily brief conversations. I can study in silence, or I can study at a coffee shop, but I can't study when I have one specific conversation to listen to (same thing with the TV on). I've tried Denny's, but the waitresses are either too chatty if it's slow or they rush me if it's busy. Starbuck's is OK, but I'll wind up spending $20 on coffee over a few hours. I wish they had free refills...so I wind up mixing it up. I study after class at the library, and switch floors if the phones get too bad. I hit cafes/restaurants after work or for breakfast before an exam. Then I study very slowly in front of the TV after dinner. Anyone have any better suggestions? Also, I live in Tampa.
I study on my couch! I have three kids 5, 3 and 10 months...I usually have to study with one or more on my lap and screaming...so I do not need silence to study!! LOL!! Then me and a couple girls from class go to Perkins on Wed nights...they have pie and that is our only requirement! Well it has worked so far and I only have one semester left so that is that!!!
It's funny you ask this because I actually have an office just for me, but I've not used it once to study because unfortunately it's upstairs and who wants to carry 100lbs of books upstairs to study? SO..I often find myself at the dining room table or on my bed with everything spread out all over the place. I think it's important to have a quiet place to go free from distractions though. Just don't study in the living room because then you'll be tempted to grab the remote and before you know it you've watched 3 television shows and it's time to go to bed. LOL
I study at the Cafe in Borders. I just can't study at a library where it's quiet. Also, I MUST have my coffee when I study. So, I'll go to Borders and order a large Vanilla Latte and hit the books.
This time around, since I'm in nursing school, I'm gonna try to study at home at my kitchen table with my laptop. I have a home office, but from some reason, I dont think I can be locked up in that room for too long.
When my 3 kids are awake: Hide & study in the bathroom floor. When my kids are asleep: Living room floor. The library is too quiet and makes me sleepy. I also go to Barnes and Noble or Hastings when I'm lucky enough to find a sitter. Hmmm....read my notes while doing the elliptical @ the gym or listen to recorded lectures while driving (and doing chores) also helps. :)
Specializes in General adult inpatient psychiatry.
Heh, when I go to Barnes and Noble, I sit in the comfy chairs with both my personal materials and an NCLEX book off the shelf. People read books all the time there and it's like a library almost. I usually study at home and then spend a good chunk of the night before an exam in a bookstore, seeing if there's any other information out there on what I'm studying. I study at my desk, on the computer mainly. When I write things out it's pretty disorganized so typing definitely helps. I got a desk from IKEA but I've got my printer and books and everything on it so there's very limited open book and writing space.
My family is wonderful about giving me my study time and leaving me alone but I still can't study well at home. I can still see the dirty dishses, the dirty floor and the laundry piling up. I have to go somewhere, anywhere. I go to waffle king once a week where I have constant coffee and pop refills without even looking up. Like someone else said, the girls there are going to need something special when I graduate. ...LOL. I also found a picnic area at a local state park. No one is there but hikers and maybe a few bears. I'll go anywhere as long as it isn't home LOL. Even if the family is quiet I'm still aware of them playing, or rumaging for food and I'm constantly "there's leftovers in there to eat", which totally gets me out of the zone.
for years, for me, when i lived alone in apartments is was the floor of the living room. i would lie down prone with my books all around me, prop myself up on my elbows and read or write. i used to lie prone on my bed and put books on the floor; i would hang my head over the side of the bed and read that way. it all probably contributed to my current back problems in some way.
for now, i pretty much have the same kind of set up at the computer. i have three tables that form a u-shape around me. computer on one, writing area and books piled on another. i can never seem to get my books organized, so they usually just sit in piles. instead of a chair, i have a very comfortable bench i had made years ago. i can also put my feet up which i'm supposed to be doing anyway since i have circulation problems in my one leg. i also have a mess of plastic storage containers under these tables that have more books and office supplies. of course the cats all love this because they can sit on top of the table or in between boxes on the floor.
i've decided i want your study area it sounds perfect! i can't stand computer desks that only have room for the computer. i generally need computer room, writing room and book room. now i'm wondering how i could fit all that room in my dorm room
since i have that need to spread out, i have traddionally gone to a place with huge tables (library, science resource center at school, etc). i'm starting at a new school this fall though (i move there in just 8 days!!) so i'll need to scope out some new study spots.
My computer isn't anything great either.... oh well, I guess I have some time to worry about that! Thanks again!!!
it sounds perfect! i can't stand computer desks that only have room for the computer. i generally need computer room, writing room and book room. now i'm wondering how i could fit all that room in my dorm room 
locolorenzo22, BSN, RN
2,396 Posts
Most of the time, solo studying is done at my house, either out on my couch, or down in the basement on the coffee table...However, with a switch to nights this semester, I imagine some quick studying will be going on during breaks at work, and out by the nurses station, I'll be paying attention to different things going on.
When we're a group studying, we usually hit the B&N and try to claim a big corner table by the cafe..or I'll go alone and wind up listening to my ipod while sipping green tea....nice to get out of the house sometimes....
Outside of that, I have also been caught using the couches by the main entrance of the college to "study"/nap.....one professor caught me napping and couldn't believe I still got an A on the test....lol...