Students spend a lot of time on campus in classrooms. If a student has 15 credit hours, they spend about 13 hours in the classroom (I think. I’m very bad at math). This does not account for the amount of time spent on campus, not in the classroom.
That time drags on and on if you’re stuck in a building you hate. So which buildings are the best and which are the worst? Let’s rank them, shall we? Buildings will be ranked by my handy and fun system, essentially from best to worst.
7. The Bee’s Knees: Confluence Hall.
Of course, it’s the best of them. It’s full of nifty new gadgets and the tables don’t yet have gum plastered on the underside. We all wish we were cool enough to take classes in this building. It’s the shiny new toy on campus that only a few get to play with. Well, engineering students, I’m jealous of you yet again. That won’t stop me from studying in the hall and pretending like I belong… sigh.
6. Just dandy: Maverick Center.
The Mav center doesn’t get the credit it deserves. This is the building that you choose to be in…most of the time. I didn’t quite enjoy health and wellness, but I do enjoy pumping iron. This is the only building on campus that aids my stress. It’s also one of the best college gym facilities across the state, so you can’t beat that.
5. Cool, but just not cool enough: Escalante Hall.
I do love this building because it’s my stomping ground, my clubhouse, my sanctuary if you will. Look at those inspiring words on the walls and those birds; so much inspiration. The decks on the third floor make a great place to study. The only downside is those stairs. I take the stairwell so I don’t have to suffer publicly.
4. Mediocre at best: Moss Performing Arts Center.
It deserves a mention. I enjoy going to the plays and seeing the dancers in the tall glass windows on the top floor. I would never just stroll into Moss and study though, which makes this building mediocre at best.
3. Blah: The University Center.
When I was a freshman, I considered the UC to be a funky fresh place to be. I would get a grilled cheese and some fries, hunker down and get my homework done. I spent a lot more time at the Starbucks lounge and in the sitting area next to Rowdy’s, but now the UC is barely even a blip on the rader.
2. Hate hate hate: The Tomlinson Library.
I bet you thought I was going to say Houston, didn’t you? Don’t worry I’m getting there. The library was redone a few years ago, but I couldn’t really tell you what was done, apart from the food section on the first floor. This building just carries some rough memories, mostly having to do with group projects and finals week.
1. Wonky as hell (these two buildings belong in their own category): Houston Hall and Lowell Heiny Hall.
I can never find my way around either of these buildings. The numbers in Houston make no sense and it’s on the wrong side of campus. Houston is also the hub for prerequisites, which is the worst part of most majors.
Lowell Heiny is its own entity. Like Houston, it’s one of the older buildings on campus. It smells funny, and usually when you visit it’s not for a good reason. Most are visiting for either financial aid problems or class registration problems. And can we talk about the weird stairs and open spaces? I actually kind of jive with this, but overall it’s a little wonky.
Regardless of what your favorite building on campus is, we can all agree on one thing: this campus is actually pretty great, and if you need a reminder just take a look up when you’re walking to class at that beautiful view.
