Why I Never Go Back To North Campus
In the past year, North Campus, which houses 100% of Cornell’s first-year students, has undergone significant changes that may make it seem a bit different to those who have lived there in the past. These adjustments to North Campus include: the addition of Toni Morrison Dining Hall, the renovation of the North Star Dining Room in Appel Commons, and, most notably, the construction of several new dorms, one of which is Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) Hall. As an incoming freshman, RBG Hall seemed to be the place in which everyone wanted to live, and I was lucky enough to be placed there. Equipped with a delicious café, dozens of open study rooms, full kitchens, pod-style bathrooms, and – what students seem to enjoy the most – air conditioning, RBG Hall has everything a student could possibly want and need to make it through their freshman year comfortably.
Given all of these wonderful amenities, one might expect that I would be at RBG whenever I’m not in class. Notably, many of my fellow RBG residents spend a lot of their free time hanging out and studying in the dorm. Surprisingly, though, I rarely venture back to North Campus during the day; more often than not, I do not return to my dorm until late at night. This is not because I dislike my dorm room or North Campus as a whole; in fact, the moment I can finally unwind with my roommate and relax in my bed is definitely one of the highlights of my day. Instead, the reason for my lack of North Campus presence is a matter of its convenience, or, rather, its lack thereof.
As an Arts and Sciences student, most of my classes are located on Central Campus. Although Central is only a short walk back to North, I find it pointless to make the journey back to my dorm only to turn around and head back to Central, since the break between each of my classes is fairly short. Instead, I prefer to stay on Central, eat lunch, and work in Uris Library before going to my next class. Although I definitely prefer the food on North to the food that is served on Central, I think it’s more important to optimize my study time; ultimately, I have found that the best way to do so is by studying on Central rather than going to and from North several times a day.
Like me, a lot of freshmen probably stay close to where their classes are located on campus during the day. However, I consider myself an outlier because after I have completed a day’s worth of classes, I still rarely go back to North Campus, even if the rest of my day consists of only studying. This is because I believe that I am not as productive in my dorm as I am when I do work in the library. Although RBG, as well as several other locations on North Campus, have comfortable study spaces, the constant shuffling of people in and out of these rooms and the noise of conversations is not optimal for my own productivity. Trust me, if I could get work done in the RBG study rooms in the same way that I am able to get work done in the library, I would go back to North as soon as my classes are done for the day. But the reality is that I need a completely silent study space, and the libraries on Central provide this. While one could argue that I could do my work in the comfort and silence of my own room, I prefer to separate school and sleep as much as I can. Frankly, if I were to work in my room, I would easily give in to the temptation of jumping in bed and putting off my work completely! Therefore, I normally do not head back to North until I have completed my work at a library on Central, which means that most days, the only thing bringing me back to RBG is my need for sleep.
Though not going back to North Campus until quite late almost every day might seem strange to some, especially considering how fortunate I am to live in one of the nicest, newest dorms on North campus, staying on Central has become part of my daily routine. My days consist of heading from North to my classes on Central, taking breaks for lunch and a bit of studying, finishing the rest of my classes, and spending the rest of my day – aside from attending club meetings and office hours – studying at the library before it’s time to head back to my dorm and wind down for the evening. Not going back to North is normal for me, and I would not want it any other way!
