By Daniel Kerwin

As finals keep steadily approaching, long hours of studying will make regular power naps a key survival strategy over the next few weeks. With the weather becoming increasingly colder, you won’t always find yourself willing to walk all the way back to your room or to your house for your naps. I have found myself asleep in many random places on campus. Based on my experience I have created the following guide to help you find a nearby place to catch some shuteye no matter where you are on campus:
Library – The library is my go-to location for a quick nap and provides a lot of different napping options. Despite many times finding myself face down in my textbooks at a study desk, the most comfortable position I’ve found is sitting in one of the armchairs with my legs up on one of the circular tables (see photo for demonstration). The higher up you go in the library, the less likely you are to be disturbed. If you want to try reclining fully, you can always take a risk and lie down in the stacks in one of the aisles – if you do this I’d recommend using your jacket as a blanket and backpack as a pillow.

Old Main fourth floor – The lounge on the fourth floor of Old Main is seldom used, and has an array of comfortable couches and chairs. By the time you make your way up all the stairs to the fourth floor, you should be ready to pass out, so select a piece of furniture and go ahead and crash! On the rare occasion you find the room being used, you can try lying down on the wooden benches either in the northern stairwell or on the third floor of the south-east stairwell. Echoing footsteps may be a distraction, but by using your backpack and jacket, you will end up surprisingly comfortable.

The Link – The main advantage of the link is that you can take a nap there no matter how late you are studying. The main disadvantage is that you can end up taking a nap that lasts all night and not getting any work done. The best way to nap in the link is to assume the same position that I recommend for the library (see photo), it won’t lead to great sleep but it has gotten me through the night. You should be advised that around 5 a.m. you are likely to be woken by the sound of cleaners coming through the link. That’d probably be a good time to get going on finishing off your paper for your morning class.

Olin Rice bottom floor – Science majors know of a great many secret napping spots in this great hall, but I won’t give any of their secrets away. However, on the bottom floor outside of the math department there is a cozy little setup of couches and chairs, a departure from the standard setup of round tables and desk chairs dotted throughout the building. I’ll leave the rest up to your own exploration.

Humanities Resource Center – The HRC in the Humanities building is a particularly comfortable place to go for a nap. In the south-east corner of the room is a nice couch setup that usually isn’t very heavily used. I’d recommend grabbing a textbook or reading assignment, getting comfortable and not getting too upset if you end up losing consciousness.

Fine arts building – The benches in the walkways around the gallery in the fine arts building are pretty much asking to be napped on. They are nicely padded and allow you to spread out to your full length. The problem is that you have to be prepared to hear the incessant echoing of footsteps depending on the time of day. If you’re a light sleeper, this location may not be for you.

Second floor of the campus center – The campus center is easily accessible, but is almost always filled with people. The heavy traffic is not ideal, but you can almost always come up in the clutch and find a place to nap. The places I’ve been most successful are the armchairs on the second floor overlooking Café Mac. Again, see photo for recommended napping position.

Leonard Center second floor – This is one of the best kept secrets on campus. You almost never find people in the atrium on the second floor of the Leonard Center, and on the west end by the big window is a nice lounge setup around the old athletic center’s center court. You wonder why cats always pass out when lying in a sunray? Sit in a chair up here in the afternoon and find out.

(If you have any other napping spots to suggest on campus, post a comment below.)