Twelve hours. That’s how much time I spend on campus on an average day. When I became a PSU student last year, I was overwhelmed at the amount of time I’d be away from home each day. I needed to find places to stash my stuff, eat, study, and hang out.

This is how I did it.

My first challenge was finding a safe place to store my things. There are day-use lockers in the Rec Center that I use when I work out, but as anyone knows who has used those lockers, they are tiny and not well suited to the 15 pounds of stuff I cart with me every day. I had no idea where to go to rent a locker, so I decided that the Info Desk in Smith was a good place to start. They were unsure, but directed me to the box office. Strange as it sounds, this is indeed where you go to rent a locker. The rate is $20 a term or $45 for three terms.

Next on the list: where to eat. A meal plan is too expensive for me, and eating out every day also isn’t an option. I decided that I should bring my food, but where to keep it? Luckily for me, the geology department has provided their students with a lounge, complete with kitchenette, mini-computer lab, couches, tables, and chairs. This solved both my “where to eat” and my “where to hang out” challenges. I was making progress! Unfortunately, I quickly discovered that although the lounge was a great place to get to know my fellow geology majors, it was not the best place to study.

Climbing five flights of stairs is an excellent workout, especially with a backpack full of textbooks. The fifth floor of the Millar library is my favorite quiet place to study. It’s also a favorite place for a nap for many students, so I also bring earplugs to drown out the snoring. After a couple of hours of focused study, I often find myself staring out of the windows over the campus and feeling very at home.

How have you made our campus your home away from home?