Imagine you have a final paper due in a class where you’re already behind. It’s a long paper, and you’re running low on time due to work and other class commitments. You have one day to knock out the entire thing, so you head to the University Library to get it done.

By the time you get there all the computers in the computer lab are filled with people checking their Facebook accounts. You head up to the upper floors and all the study tables are taken over by a group of guys eating a large quantity of Quiznos or a group of girls gossiping about who said what to whom.

Believe it or not, this happens a lot more then you might think. But those wanting to get a little work done don’t just give up — they head off campus.

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There are many locations in the Kent area that are available for students to go to help them finish their homework, study or take a breather from the course load.

Some students decide to head to the city’s public library to get their work done in a quiet environment. The two-floor Kent Free Library is great alternative to the crowded 12 floors of the University Library.

Open six days a week, the building contains a wide selection of books, magazines, newspaper and videos in addition to areas designated for quiet work.

“I personally think it’s nicer than the campus library,” said Valerie Rastetter, senior advertising major.

“I can focus better because there aren’t as many people.”

During her trips to the Kent Free Library, Rastetter and her friends usually go to Starbucks beforehand for a drink to bring with them. Many do the same, but some never leave the cozy surroundings that the coffee shop offers.

Starbucks’ second floor has multiple tables that visitors occupy with their books and computers to try and get work done. But since it’s close to campus, the building may fill up fast. Just a couple minutes away, though, is another coffee house, Scribbles Coffee Company. An independent and family owned business, Scribbles is open almost all day, six days a week. Its back area is filled to the brim with books and couches to help those wanting some peace and quiet with their coffee.

But for some, their apartment is more than enough for study time.

“I like to study in my apartment so I don’t have to waste time and gas to go somewhere,” said Patrick Mortier, sophomore justice studies major.

But for some who don’t have the advantage of quiet study time at home, due to possible loud roommates or possible television distractions, they have a choice of many different areas they can go to help get there work done.

As long as you’re willing to do the work, Kent makes sure you have the room and the quiet if you want it. If not, there’s always the University Library.

Contact Max Hayden at [email protected].