Tired of walking around the Main Stacks for 2 hours looking for a place to sit when you could be spending this time actually studying? Finally find a cozy carrell only to be plagued by an annoyingly loud study group and some douchebag blasting mainstream EDM on their Beats by Dr. Dre? Ugh. Let’s face it, Main Stacks is where society thinks you should study. Below is a list of some of the most underground, obscure study sites around the Berkeley campus that you can utilize to maintain your integrity.

1. Dwinelle Hall

Sure, Dwinelle may be the most mainstream building when it comes to class locations, but like all things it has its seedy underbelly. Admit it, we have all gotten lost in the labyrinth that is Dwinelle Hall at some point in our college career. This place is teeming with secret hallways, weird turns, and trap doors, for all we know. But this also means many secret places to study. Check out the basements for any empty classrooms where you can cram in those last few math theorems. Too dark and creepy for your taste? Dwinelle is also home to many language departments, ranging from German and French to Japanese. Many of these have their own small libraries with comfy couches where you can get your study on. Hit these up if you’re feeling exotic.

2. Morrison Library

Located directly underneath the terribly overrated Doe North Reading Room, this small library is filled with big red armchairs where you can finish your last minute reading while looking like a pipe-smoking intellectual. Just enter the Doe Library on the Memorial Glade side and turn right. The Morrison Library is undoubtedly the best silent reading spot you can score in the whole of the Berkeley campus. Ever wonder what it was like to sit down on Blue’s Clues’ Thinking Chair and be instantly enlightened? Now you know.

Hours: Monday- Friday 9-5

3. Howison Philosophy Library

If you have spectacles, enjoy pondering the deeper questions in life, and sport an ironic beard, the Howison Philosophy Library is for you. Located on the third floor of Moses Hall, it’s hard to lose focus when all the Greats such as Plato, Locke, Descartes and even Confucius are all looking down on you, unimpressed by your study habits.

Hours: Monday-Friday 9-6

4. McCone Hall

If the weather’s not too brutal or you have a pretty thick winter coat, you can head up to the top floor of McCone Hall and settle down in one of the couches of the study site with the best view on campus.Where else can you cram for finals with a scenic view of the Bay? Not in Main Stacks, that’s for sure.

5. The Education Psychology Library

If you’re tired of the dense crowd of the main campus and are up for the hike, this secret study gem, located in Tolman Hall in the northwest section of campus, offers a vast and generally empty study space for all your finals week needs. The loft area with the carrells is easily the quietest study spot in the Berkeley Campus. This place lacks a good amount of outlets, though, so come prepared.

Hours: Monday-Thursday 9-9, Friday 9-5, Saturday 1-5

6. The UC Berkeley Ethnic Studies Library

Another “hipster” library, the Ethnic Studies Library is home to all things Asian American, Chicano/Latino, and Native American related. You have to check your bags at the door, but if you look around there are a number of secluded rooms with tables where you can get to work far from the malign influences of Main Stacks and mainstream society. It is also very quiet so you can get all your work done with no distractions.

Hours: Monday-Friday 9-5

7. Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library

The strange looking building in the middle of campus is home to the Music Library, equipped with a few tables where you can chill out, listen to some indie rock, and study for your upcoming final. And don’t worry if you’re not entirely proficient in the world of music, you don’t have to be Johann Sebastian to kick Bach in the Music Library.

Hours: Monday-Thursday 9-8, Friday 9-5, Saturday 1-5

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