The most important study space in the upper school is the Durham Community Room. A majority of students use this as their primary study space.
Another good study area is the second floor of the Severinghaus Library. This is the area to get work done, because there is no noise allowed, which means that it is a quiet place for you to chill and get work done.
Ping Pong allows for more interactions and the ability to sprout new relationships that might result in deep lasting friendship.
Jonny Wang ’26
Other study spaces on campus are inferior to both the library and the Community Room.
For example, the Big Room is essentially just the Community Room but without as many people and most importantly, without the ping-pong table. Ping Pong allows for more interactions and the ability to sprout new relationships that might result in deep lasting friendship.
As a Third Former, I met many of the guys who are still my closest friends in the Community Room. Also, most of the friends I’ve made who are not in my grade I’ve met through playing ping pong. It is a great space at school—just not for studying.
The other two main study spaces are the pods and the first floor of the library. The pods are a nice place to study, but, because people walk around chatting, there can be distractions.
The first floor of the library has a niche. The tables provide a good space for group projects or assignments. Other than that, the Community Room is the better option if you want to chat with other people while you are working.
For studying for something important, the best study space is definitely the second floor of the library. You get a distraction-free space, so the only thing that you can focus on is the task that you have to do. If you want to chat with friends, then the Community Room should be your choice.
Most of the time, studying is your time to focus on your work and to get stuff done. The best study space therefore has to be the second floor of the library, as you are able to have the most focus without any distractions.
