Leave the library
September 14, 2026 12:39 PM
Walk into the library mid-September, and you may see dust on the tables and tumbleweed rolling across the floor. Come mid-October, you won’t be able to find a seat in the place.
If you are like me, you get distracted easily and the girl watching the Grey’s Anatomy marathon on her laptop at the table beside you doesn’t help.
It is every student’s personal goal to find as many new and unused study spots as they can at this school, and by fourth year, everyone usually has a favourite spot.
For the sake of everyone’s success, here is a list of study places around the school. Starting with the standard desk-and-chair study spot, the Physical Sciences Building, the Annex, the Oland Center lounge and the fourth floor of the SUB all have proper desks to sit at.
If you don’t need to sit at a desk then your options are nearly endless. On a sunny day, don’t lock yourself up in the dungeon; your residence room. Study on the patio of the Golden X Inn, on the bleachers overlooking the football field, or in the new Coady Institute courtyard.
Let’s be honest; most days in Antigonish, the weather does not permit one to study outside. The more appealing indoor options include residence lounges, the third floor SUB lounge, the couches outside the health center, and the seating in the music building.
Certain departments are lucky enough to have their own lounges. Nursing, Anthropology and Sociology, Human Kinetics, Physics, and Psychology all have a lounge specifically for the students in those programs, and that is just a small portion of the list.
If you are interested in determining whether or not your program has a lounge, talk to your society president or a relevant faculty member.
There are several cafes on campus that you can choose from, and some of them even have study areas.
Some people like to break their study days up with a trip to the gym, which is another great place to study. Bring some notes to read while you are on the bike or stair stepper.
We are lucky enough to have some beautiful new buildings to study at this year. The Coady Institute library is open from 9 am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. During exam time, our wonderful school staff opens some of the Coady Institute classrooms so that we have even more study space.
The Gerald Schwartz School of Business also boasts a new building full of lounges and conference rooms to work on group projects, or study solo.
If you don’t mind a climate change when you study, the pool deck or the arena seating might be the place for you. The cool air may even keep you awake longer.
Lastly, studying in a classroom is a great option. If you think about it, you can study and familiarize yourself in the environment that you will eventually be writing exams in.
As much as some students might disagree, StFX does have its fair share of study spots. Each student just needs to find a place that suits their ability to focus, and what they are studying. If you can find this coveted spot,
