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The Student Voice of Ngee Ann Polytechnic

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Escaping from the crowds

By Joshua Tan Wei En ⋅ February 5, 2010 ⋅

It is a scenario that students are all too familiar with.

You need a quiet, comfortable place to study or do work in, and the first spot that pops into your head is either OurSpace@72 or the library. Happily, you trot off, only to realise when you arrive, that there is not an empty seat in sight.

As npTribune found out in the previous issue, 60 percent of students polled felt the “designated” study areas were too noisy. Many saw the need for an alternative location as OurSpace@72 tends to be filled with people playing computer games.

What do you do? A trip around school to uncover some of these “hidden jewels” was definitely in order.

BLOCK 6 (NEAR BLOCK 5 CO-OP STORE)
This location is not easily spotted from the beaten path between the Atrium and Canteen 2 that most students would be familiar with.

The collection of four tables is situated a distance away from the hustle and bustle of students shuffling along the main corridor, making it conducive for those who want to get down to work.

Better yet, each table has power points to ensure your laptop has enough battery throughout the duration of your stay. The area is kept cool and well ventilated with two overhead fans, a fitting substitute to the library.

For first-year Biomedical Engineering student Li Cai Qin, the choice to study
here is an obvious one. “I like to study here because it is convenient,” the 18-year-old says.

GREEN MALL (NEAR THE SCHOOL OF ICT AT BLOCK 51)
Here lies a treasure trove of generally unused benches, complete with shade to shield you from the weather and constant power supply.

In fact, this spot is so conducive that post-graduate Information Technology student Deepashini Palanisamy still goes there to study.

The 22-year-old, who is currently enrolled in Business Management at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), says, “There are not many people who walk past here so it’s quite quiet and peaceful. You can study properly over here. There are few distractions.”

Together with food available from nearby Canteen 3, benches at the Green Mall present a complete solution for those looking to spend long periods of time at any one place. You probably want to look out for rain though.

BLOCK 51 (OUTSIDE LECTURE THEATRES 51A, 51B AND 51C)
Over here, there is shelter from rain and shine. The biggest draw here would be its proximity to the popular Makan Place, and considering its location, it is the best alternative should OurSpace@72 fail to provide you a seat.

The problem with the spot, however, is that groups of students who attend lectures in the four theatres nearby will be moving in and out of the area from time to time.

Says first-year Marine & Offshore Technology student See Bai Yi, 23, “It’s quite a cooling place to study, [except that] during lunch time it’s quite busy.”

Take heart though, that it is probably one of the largest bench clusters in school, so finding a seat is hardly a problem.

BLOCK 72 (NEXT TO THE CARPARK)
Here is a group of three tables and although there are so few tables, the corridor acts as a wind channel, ensuring that the area remains breezy despite not having any fans.

So attractive is this location that National University of Singapore (NUS) staff member Mr Jie Yu, 27, rides in on his electric scooter from his home nearby to use it as a workspace.

The Chinese national, who was preparing for a presentation when approached by npTribune, says, “It’s quiet for me to rehearse my presentation.”

So the next time you run out of places to get some work done, look for your own unknown spots around school. You never know what you might discover.

The Student Voice of Ngee Ann Polytechnic

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