Library culture
With exams looming, the med students are starting to take up residency in the Dungeon of Sorrow and Despair, otherwise known as the Health Sciences Library. At all hours of the morning, noon, and night, you are sure to see us. How can you spot us? - observation, my friends. Look for multiple empty cups of coffee on our desks, multiple rings under our eyes, unshaved scruff, unwashed hair, and if all else fails, follow the scent of anxiety tinged with self-doubt.
The psychology of library study could spawn a number of semi-legitimate pyscho-social books, but I will attempt to report my modest findings on my humble blog, at least as it pertains to the students at my school.
1) Territoriality .... although there are certainly no signs or placards on the cubicles or desks, woe to she/he who decides to sit at a desk that "belongs" to a student who has sat there all week/month/year. Although there have not been any Jerry Springer-esque brawls over seats as yet, I feel like it could go there (especially right before the pathology exam).
2) Distraction .... I think that people come to the library to be distracted as much as they do to study really intensely. Unless you find a REALLY out of the way room in the back of the library where no one can walk by, you are guaranteed to be interrupted while studying at least 3-4 times an hour. A library full of over-anxious med students with borderline ADD and who don't want to study is a recipe for disaster. Interruptions include: friend throws pen at you as they walk by, friend asks question about random wording in page 232 of path notes, friend makes fun of your noise-canceling headphones, friend decides to complain about current dysfunctional relationship, friend asks you to come get 15th cup of coffee with them, etc. etc. And of course, since you really don't want to study either, you embrace it - you are happy to take the offramp to procrastinationville with them. And, since it takes about ten minutes after an interruption to get back into the studying groove, this means that when you are in the library, you really only get about 20 minutes of studying per hour that you are there.
3) Noisy librarians ... honestly, I think every library of every school I have been to has a few of these. These are the librarians who, when showing a student where to find some certain book or journal that has eluded them, feel that unless they shout every detail about the location of said publication multiple times in multiple ways, there is no way the job could be done. They also love to chat loudly about their weekend plans ad nauseum at their desks right by the study areas. And by the way, in case you were wondering how it feels to learn that the science librarians have a more interesting, active and fulfilling social life than you do, I'll tell you - not too good.
4) Black cloud of doom ... that is what I call the feeling you get when walking into the library knowing that you will be spending the rest of the day there, as well as every day subsequently for the next week. It's not that you literally feel like offing yourself every time you walk in, more like being doused with a sad, soul-rending knowledge that now that you're here, you actually have to study. A lot.
... 7 more days ...
The psychology of library study could spawn a number of semi-legitimate pyscho-social books, but I will attempt to report my modest findings on my humble blog, at least as it pertains to the students at my school.
1) Territoriality .... although there are certainly no signs or placards on the cubicles or desks, woe to she/he who decides to sit at a desk that "belongs" to a student who has sat there all week/month/year. Although there have not been any Jerry Springer-esque brawls over seats as yet, I feel like it could go there (especially right before the pathology exam).
2) Distraction .... I think that people come to the library to be distracted as much as they do to study really intensely. Unless you find a REALLY out of the way room in the back of the library where no one can walk by, you are guaranteed to be interrupted while studying at least 3-4 times an hour. A library full of over-anxious med students with borderline ADD and who don't want to study is a recipe for disaster. Interruptions include: friend throws pen at you as they walk by, friend asks question about random wording in page 232 of path notes, friend makes fun of your noise-canceling headphones, friend decides to complain about current dysfunctional relationship, friend asks you to come get 15th cup of coffee with them, etc. etc. And of course, since you really don't want to study either, you embrace it - you are happy to take the offramp to procrastinationville with them. And, since it takes about ten minutes after an interruption to get back into the studying groove, this means that when you are in the library, you really only get about 20 minutes of studying per hour that you are there.
3) Noisy librarians ... honestly, I think every library of every school I have been to has a few of these. These are the librarians who, when showing a student where to find some certain book or journal that has eluded them, feel that unless they shout every detail about the location of said publication multiple times in multiple ways, there is no way the job could be done. They also love to chat loudly about their weekend plans ad nauseum at their desks right by the study areas. And by the way, in case you were wondering how it feels to learn that the science librarians have a more interesting, active and fulfilling social life than you do, I'll tell you - not too good.
4) Black cloud of doom ... that is what I call the feeling you get when walking into the library knowing that you will be spending the rest of the day there, as well as every day subsequently for the next week. It's not that you literally feel like offing yourself every time you walk in, more like being doused with a sad, soul-rending knowledge that now that you're here, you actually have to study. A lot.
... 7 more days ...
posted by Katie Grouse at 9:56 AM
2 Comments:
Your entry reminds me of the days I used to "study" at D level (the dungeon) at Hopkins. Hey, at least you are honest with yourself and can plan accordingly with your knowledge of 20 min of real studying/hour.
I'm in Seattle now. Call me if you need a distraction. Gambatte ne~
You're alllmost there!
I'm studying too and will be inspired by you once again.
Katie...are you still out there?
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