Seniors turn tiny carrels into personal study spaces

For most seniors, the prospect of moving in to their carrels is anything but inviting.

Yet a few have begun to explore these cubicles already, some with more creative approaches than others.

Blake Robinson '05 has been trying to improve the bleakness of his carrel by adding personal touches. He has begun to decorate and make it more comfortable.

"I've hung up some pictures, got some fabric from Wal-Mart for a wall covering, got a welcome mat and some cushions for the chairs," Robinson said.

Robinson plans to decorate his carrel with a Western theme. "The fabric that I got is red, and it looks like a bandana," he said.

The Western theme was "just a funny idea I got, and I thought I'd try to make it happen," Robinson explained.

He said he hopes the theme will make the carrel "more inviting and therefore, I'll be more willing to go there."

Robinson has already started working in his carrel. He used it to study for the LSATs in the beginning of the year and now uses it to read.

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"I won't work in it for more than an hour or two, but it's a great place to put books, and just a place to call my own in Firestone," he said.

As a religion major, Robinson has already had preliminary work on his thesis due, forcing him to make use of the carrel.

Theri Pickens '05, a comparative literature major, also has an accelerated thesis time table. She was on campus all summer and moved into her carrel in July.

Unlike Robinson, Pickens said she prefers to keep her study area sparse.

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"I haven't decorated or anything," she said. "Honestly, I work best in these monk-like habitats. If I decorated, it would end up being like my room, and I would not get much work done."

Pickens, unlike Robinson, uses her carrel less now that she has started writing her thesis. But she said she found it "really beneficial" in the research process.

"In an afternoon or morning in Firestone, you can relax and do your work; you can be productive," she said.

However, Pickens said one drawback is "you can definitely lose track of time. If I were to decorate, I'd put in a clock."

Pickens and Robinson's early use of the carrels is atypical, as distant thesis deadlines provide little incentive for most seniors to utilize them.

"I haven't seen too many people in and out of the carrel," Pickens said. "It's where you go once you're hardcore into research or if you've started writing. I doubt it's where you'd spend the preliminary parts of writing in."