study locations
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I tend to have problems finding a good place to study. Generally, when I’m running simulations, I’m forced to be in the Unix cluster, and it’s not too bad. I get a high powered machine that’s capable of playing CDs as well as IRC. Unfortunately, Netscape 4 is the most modern browser on the university’s Unix boxes. Also, Stanford actually allows food and drinks in the labs (they even have vending machines inside) and there’s Jamba Juice nearby. Zing! We were forced to sneak food inside the clusters back at Michigan, and it always felt wrong to munch on pizza while laying out a memory cell.
When I’m typing out papers, I’m generally home. It’s both a good and bad thing. Here, I’m easily distractred by the TV, phone, PS2, Internet, etc. But generally, I have a high tolerance, and I’ve developed the ability to write a paper while watching The Simpsons.
I prefer to read in my bed before I go to sleep, and that’s usually a bad idea since I usually fall asleep without getting all of my work done. I do a better job at a coffee house with a nice strong coffee in front of me, but I feel weird surrounded by a bunch of LS&Play majors while I’m reading Linear Dynamical Systems or Analog Circuits for Wireless Communications.
I used to like doing problem sets with a group of people. It’s usually faster and more accurate, though I’ve discovered that my test scores are a lot higher when I trudge through the sets by myself. I think it’s because I’m forced to learn more by myself along the way, and it sinks in better. I’m usually in the library or a coffee shop for problem sets. The problem is that I don’t like to stay in the same place for extended periods, so I move around. I’m not sure why I’m so listless… maybe it’s because I need that change of scenary. Maybe it’s because I just want to procrascinate. Maybe it’s because all the cute girls have left. Who knows…
