Ferris’ transition to online learning has not only changed the way students learn, but the way students study and do homework. Though the amount of traffic has decreased, students are still using the University Center and FLITE to complete work and get out of the house.
Welding engineering technology senior Austin Coggins said it depends on the day whether he comes to campus or not.
“If I’ve been in my room doing my online classes, then I’d like to get out and study outside of my home.”
Business administration freshman Elizabeth Ostoin and pre-pharmacy junior Sydney Vachon enjoy coming to the UC together to study and hangout. They both agree that studying at home is too distracting.
“I like studying in the UC better, I have a hard time focusing where I sleep. I just want to be doing other things,” Vachon said.
A consistent downside to studying on campus is the issue of wearing a mask.
“Sometimes when I am trying to talk or [Sydney] is tutoring me, I feel like I just need to pull it off a little bit, just because it is hard to understand sometimes,” Ostoin said.
Regardless, both Ostoin and Vachon said getting out and doing work with each other is a lot easier.
According to a University of Michigan study, students that change their studying locations before tests score 21% higher than students who did not, according to Easy Bay Tutoring Study article in Different Places To Get Better Test Scores. Mixing up your study environment allows your brain to collect more memory cues which are later used to recall information. The more of these memory cues your brain can collect, the higher chances you will have to recall information for a test, leading to a better score.
“I would say the room reservations have been something that has stayed somewhat constant. There are less rooms now, so it may seem like less people are using them, but this semester specifically there has been an increase in reservations,” FLITE library service desk worker Christine Carlen said.
However, Carlen says there has been a significant drop in traffic throughout the library.
The Ferris COVID-19 policies on campus remain the same. If you are on campus or planning to come to campus complete the COVID-19 Symptom Checker, if you are sick, stay home and wear a face mask inside all university buildings or when social distancing is not possible. The FLITE and UC hours are listed on the Ferris State website.