A couple of weeks ago Lauren C. posted about writing her honors thesis. In her post she mentioned the importance of finding “a place to be productive”. After having moved to Clark earlier this year to begin my first year of college I have become extremely aware of the impact your environment can have on you and how important it is to find places that make you feel at ease

Before coming to college I had mentally prepared myself for the academic challenges that I would face. What I hadn’t realized was that one of the biggest challenges I would face was becoming comfortable with a new, unfamiliar environment. For the first few weeks that I was on campus I spent a lot of time trying to discover my favorite study spots, learn the names of all of the buildings, and find my way around campus. I am happy to say that after a few month of wandering around I have managed to find a number of wonderful places that are good for all sorts of different things, and I thought I would share some of my personal favorites with you:

The craft studio:

I had heard about the craft studio from a couple of people, but It was only last week that I stumbled upon it while wandering around the lower level of the university center(speaking of which, the grind is pretty cool when they have events there). They have supplies for doing all kinds of arts and crafts, and they have a wall of beautiful unfinished ceramics that are being made by students in the pottery class. It is quite magical.

The thrift store:

The thrift store is cheap, sells a bit of everything, and is run by lovely Clark students that volunteer there. On Friday it was damp and rainy out, and I was lucky enough to find an oversized forest-green sweater to snuggle up in (and it was only five dollars)

Room 402 (in the library):

The Study rooms in the library are all great places to study with friends, and 402 is my personal favorite. The view of campus from the room is nice, and there are swivel chairs and padded benches to sit on.

And, last but not least, I have to mention Anderson House, where I work. The house itself is an extremely charming shade of yellow, and there are always things going on inside. I just got my job as a work study student earlier this year, and everyone has been extremely welcoming, and helpful.

If I have learned anything from my first few months at college it is that getting to know a new place can be a difficult but rewarding experience. And even though I have found my way around campus and learned about a lot of great places along the way, I still try to make a point of exploring when I can, of taking new routes to class and seeing what I can discover.