Each time you mention this ‘unsuccessful’ study building’s name in front of students, this results in glum faces, deep sighs, eye-rolling and sometimes even angry words. But we still have to study in spite of all this. EM presents five tips on how to brave the Polak Building and find yourself somewhere to study in our How to survive the Polak Building survival manual.
Survival tip 1: buy a cockerel
The early bird catches the worm, and this goes for students too if they want to get a good place to study in the Polak Building. And what could be better than a cockerel to get students out of bed in the mornings? Seriously though, all you have to do is set your alarm clock at an earlier time and your study area is guaranteed! Or you can ask a friend to wake you if you prefer.
Survival tip 2: "All by yourséélff"
This time Céline Dion is the one who can save your life! It often happens that there’s not enough room for you and your friends to sit next to each other to study, but there’s space for you to sit there on your own. This might be less fun, but you can concentrate a whole lot better. And if you’d like to chat with someone, just ask them for a telephone charger. It works wonders!
Survival tip 3: ‘Strong and independent’
You can get the better of the Polak Building simply by taking your own laptop along. What do you mean, all the computers are taken and there’s no room for you to study? Come on, you know better than that! Connect your laptop up to the mains and go for it. If you’re going there on your own anyway, you’re sure to find a power point for one single laptop.
Survival tip 4: ‘Bubble-licious’
No, I’m not talking about chewing gum. One of our teachers at school used to tell us ‘Go in your bubble’, which meant that we could listen to music while we were working. And he was right. You feel totally zen and shut off from the outside world if you listen to your own music and let the noise around you fade away. So take your earphones along and add the first, second and third floors to “your Polak”. You don’t have to keep going to the 5th floor to study any more. The noise won’t bother you now.
Survival tip 5: ‘Think outside the box’
If the Polak Building gets the better of you in spite of all these tips, always remember that where there’s a will there’s a way. Think creative! Go and sit on the windowsills or in one of the comfy armchairs they’ve put there too. If you’re really determined to do some studying, even the Polak Building won’t put you off!
