Midterm Madness Has Begun for Ole Miss Students

As the midterm point in the spring semester approaches, the J.D. William’s Library fills with students, the Starbucks’ lines grow, scantron machines empty and students begin to stress. Over the next two weeks, Ole Miss students will prepare for midterm madness.

Junior Lilly Roberts said with midterms quickly approaching, she is already seeing campus environments change around her. 
“Well, I come to the library pretty much every day to study, and I can definitely notice that it is getting more crowded as the semester goes on,” Roberts said. 
To combat the rush of students during one of the busiest times of the semester besides finals, Stan Whitehorn, head of library facilities said the J.D. Williams Library has taken extra measures to relieve the crowds. The library moved bookshelves and stacks to provide more space for furniture and recently updated its commons areas. 
“We remodeled our facilities over Christmas break as well as Starbucks, and as a result, they gave us some of their gently used furniture,” Whitehorn said. “With that, we hope to pair the chairs with tables and add 30 to 40 extra seats for midterms.” 
In addition to those improvements, the library changed its hours to open an hour earlier on Sundays. The library also provides other resources for students.
 
“We have several reservable areas within the library,” Whitehorn said. “We have five group study rooms, Studio One, which is a video recording studio, and the editing room that goes along with Studio One. All of these available spaces can be reserved at any time through the libraries website with an Ole Miss login.” 
Utilizing the available rooms in the J.D. Williams Library is a great resource for students during midterms, but there are other study spaces on campus as well as around Oxford. Student Emily Booker said she likes to veer the crowds by studying off campus. 
“I prefer studying off campus because it is always less packed than places to study on campus,” Booker said. “You do not have long lines or long waits for coffee or food, and there is always a place to sit. As a senior, I love studying at Uptown Coffee on the Square because it is a comfortable, friendly environment and makes it easy to focus and get my work done.” 

If you’re looking for an alternative space during midterm madness, here are some recommendations: Cups, Graduate Oxford, Panera Bread, Starbucks (off campus location), Bottletree Bakery, Juva Juice or Beagle Bagel Cafe. 
But no matter where you study or how you prepare, midterm madness has hit and will continue over the next few weeks, so be sure to grab a coffee (or three) and hit the books. 

Savannah Woods is a head intern with HottyToddy.com. For all questions or concerns, email her at sswoods@go.olemiss.edu.