In need of a warm and cozy study spot? Or has your cup of hot King Arthur Flour got you craving a cooler space? We’ve got you covered. Here’s a ranking of the study rooms on campus from hottest to coldest:
10. Greenhouse
If you can brave the cold long enough to walk to the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center, the Greenhouse is like a bubble of summer. The greenhouse is temperature-controlled, humid, and full of plants and sunlight. It’s the perfect break from chilly Hanover days, and you can study while you get your dose of summer. Its limited hours and seating are serious downsides, but the blast of summer might make it worth it.
9. Tower Room
The Tower Room’s big leather chairs, dark wood and old books make it look as cozy as it feels. The Tower Room has audibly overactive radiators, which steam up the windows so you can look out over the snowy winter outside without feeling the cold that comes with it. It’s actually so warm (and dark) that it may hinder your studying and lull you into a cozy afternoon nap.
8. King Arthur Flour
KAF is as far as possible from all doors, keeping it decently insulated from the chilly outside world. Their thermostat is a consistent 68 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the perfect place to enjoy a coffee, hot or iced, while you study. All in all, if you don’t mind the noise, KAF is kept at a lovely, medium-level temperature.
7. Berry
All four floors of Berry are about the same temperature, so I’m grouping them into one ranking. Honestly, KAF and Berry are probably the same temperature. I only rank Berry higher because KAF has warm drinks. Berry’s temperature just isn’t one of its defining features, and you can successfully spend a few hours writing a paper without adding or subtracting layers.
6. Rauner Special Collections Library
Rauner is slightly chilly, but it’s definitely not from outside air. It’s really more of a year round chilly and probably has something to do with preserving the artifacts. If you wear a sweater, which you should definitely be doing anyway because it’s February and we live in New Hampshire, it’s still a good place to study for the few fleeting hours each day it’s open.
5. Sanborn House
Sanborn is hard to rank because different areas of Sanborn are different temperatures. The second floor is cool without being cold, and the first floor isn’t bad if you’re far from the door. However, Sanborn’s direct door to the tundra outside doesn’t automatically shut, so not only are students exposed to periodic gusts of New Hampshire winter, but occasional Sanborn amateurs don’t close the door behind them, lowering the entire library’s temperature by five degrees. Notably, the low temperatures on either floor are slightly alleviated by hot afternoon tea.
4. Periodical Room
This one really surprises me because it really has no reason to be cold. There are no doors or open windows that would make the room cold, but it is. The situation is slightly alleviated if you can study in a big comfy chair, but the desks are downright chilly. In all honesty, it’s still one of my favorite study spaces, but it does require layers and hot tea.
3. Novack Cafe
Novack is located by a lot of frequently used doors, leaving a lasting chill. However, none of the tables are close enough to the doors that it feels like direct exposure, so the cold is really more of a disappated constant. If you’re a person who likes to study in Novack despite the florescent lighting and moderate noise level, just layer up and you’ll be fine.
2. Baker Lobby
Blobby is chilly, probably from the doors on every side and snow everyone drags in, but also not as chilly as it could be. Also, the busier the time of day, the colder Blobby is. Honestly, if you want to be facetimey and study here, winter probably won’t stop you.
1. Stacks
At least the Stacks don’t lie to you. Seeing as they are as separated as possible from the outside world, they have no reason or right to be cold, but their steely decor foreshadows the tundra-like environment inside for passersby. The Stacks are the ideal place to study if you have a fever, want to flex your Canada Goose while you study, or really just have the granite of New Hampshire in your muscles and brain.
