All posts in reading period

The Age-Old Question: Rock or SciLi?

By: / April 21, 2014 / No Comments /
The SciLi: In all its Brutalist glory

The SciLi: In all its Brutalist glory

With finals season steadily creeping up on us—much to the chagrin of my Main Green hang-out time and Faunce Step gatherings—it is once again time to consider the age old question: Rock or SciLi? Now at this point in the year, I would truly hope that each and every Brown student knows which two buildings I speak of: the one that is sky-high and painful to the eyes, and the other, stout and equally painful to the eyes. Yes, those buildings. While each library has its traditional stereotypes, I thought it would be appropriate to update the framework and introduce a newly-minted metric for your finals period study plans.

The Rock:

With its inviting concrete floors, endless rows of stacks, well-stocked food cart and perpetually dysfunctional (albeit ergonomic!) desk chairs, the Rock is the spot for the student who enjoys a more low-key vibe, but likes to get shit work done. From the prison-cell, isolation chambers  study rooms on the Second floor to the Penthouse with its sprawling and surprisingly impressive views of the Manhattan-esque, Providence skyline (we all have the right to dream), the Rock is for the studious, the bold, the hipsters, the prepsters and is occasionally the home of a nightclub (luckily not one associated with Coliseum or Ultra). The carrels of the Rock promote focused study, but be aware of the overly-confident thesis writers who won’t think twice about stating that it is his/her spot (and obviously something about the level of stress he/she/phe is experiencing). Though you may have the occasional run-in with a grad student (yes, we have graduate students at Brown), they will consider you an inferior species and merely walk past you without acknowledgment or consideration. If likened to a group of musical artists, the Rock would be Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver and Fleetwood Mac all rolled into one: it is classic, but it does have an edge of reflection (ßBon Iver) and collegiate vitality. If likened to a former WWE fighter, it would be the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, without a doubt (disclaimer: I have never watched a WWE fight, only the “Scorpion King.”)

 

Disclaimer: Not at Brown

Not at Brown

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Where to study at Brown according to your mood

By: and / December 11, 2013 / 1 Comment /

Chronic indecisiveness affects about 99% of the Brown student population, and this is best exemplified by the ordeal that is trying to find just the right study spot to work away during griev… uh, reading period. To help make the struggle bus ride a tad less bumpy, we have created a guide to help match your current mood with the most apt study spot. Hopefully, you’ll be able to maximize your productivity, and spend one hour on Buzzfeed instead of four.


Sextion: Mixing studies with pleasure

By: and / May 6, 2013 / 2 Comments /

Sextion

For many of us, reading period and finals are a stressful time of papers, exams, all-nighters, and little else. And though, as we posted about last semester, it is important to give yourself a little self care, you can’t afford to blow off steam like you may have earlier in the semester. Getting drunk and going out seems nearly impossible when you’re pulling consecutive all-nighters trying to get your shit done. You can’t afford the day-long hangover, nor can you stomach a diet of Powerade and Pepto-Bismol.

If bodily destruction isn’t in the cards right now, you need an alternative. Instead of hurting your liver, why don’t you give a gift to your body this time around? Why not do it while simultaneously enhancing your studies? We know that sexual activities have all sorts of stress reducing and health beneficial properties (that don’t include destroying any internal organs), and you can do them while still being productive.

So here are Caitlin’s ‘creative’ methods for studying and being sexy:

Strip paper: We’ve all heard of strip poker, strip monopoly, strip crazy eights (okay, maybe some of us haven’t heard of that one)—now it’s time to welcome strip paper! All you need is any form of a written assignment to work on, and the concept is simple: for every paragraph you write, you remove an article of clothing.  For all you kids out there with ten-page papers: things are about to get sexy. Continue Reading


Stay animated: 7 ways to survive reading period

By: / April 29, 2013 / 1 Comment /

readingperiodTo chill or not to chill? A reading period mantra. During times like these (with little-to-no class…or, if you’re unlucky, a lot of class), it’s easy to get distracted. Suddenly everything in New England may look super fun and enticingly adventurous—that’s totally normal. Although I won’t encourage you to drop the books and find a car and zip to the destination of your dreams….who am I kidding? That’s exactly what I’m going to do.

If you find that you’re coming to resemble the above animation, consider putting brakes on the studying and indulging in some you time. Consider doing one of the following:

1. Go to the RISD Farm in Barrington, RI (it’s actually a beach). It’s beautiful, a stone’s throw away, and it’s private! Only Brown or RISD students allowed, so bring your ID. Try biking there for a good workout. Continue Reading


Keep reading BlogDailyHerald. Period.

By: / April 26, 2013 / No Comments /

Students 1950s 2

Alas, the classes for the semester are winding down, and it’s time for us to get on our study grind. As we head into reading period and our parent publication winds down production, BlogDailyHerald will be here day in and day out with miscellany, musings, catharses, dogs, information about the Naked Donut Run, and updates about our Neopets account.

Like our Facebook page to break effectively and efficiently: We’ll be making the transition from time-wasters to study breaks. Same objective (now more than ever, obviously), but more in quantity.  We’ll keep throwing the fun content at you all reading period long.

Happy studying (and breaking)!


Respect your noodle.

Your brain on finals

By: / December 8, 2012 / No Comments /

Feeling overwhelmed by work? Need a pick-me-up? Don’t drink one of those disgusting 5- Hour Energy drinks, binge-eat Twinkies, or cry out in sorrow. Instead, calmly read this interview with Fiery Cushman — one Brown’s fantastic professors of Psychology — and learn about what you can do/are doing for your noggin in the coming weeks.Sarah Weiss: Does what I eat have an affect on my brain’s ability to study?

Professor Fiery Cushman: Actually it does.  The brain consumes a large proportion of the body’s energy, and several studies indicate that our investment in careful, effortful thought depends in part on the amount of available sugar in our blood.  When your blood is full of energy you work harder and longer on difficult problems, and are also better at exerting willpower and control over your behavior.But this doesn’t mean that your studying should be fueled by a steady stream of soda and twinkies.  That will buy you a short-term jump in blood sugar, but a long-term crash.  A smarter strategy is to fuel yourself for studying the way you would for a hike: using snacks like trail mix that provide a steady stream of fuel over a long period of time.

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