Midterms: the halfway point of the quarter and the one time (other than finals) that professors have the authority to make your life hell. In a cruel twist of scheduling fate, midterms come right after Palmer Fest weekend — like a cherry on top of a giant procrastination sundae.
How are students expected to balance the fest and the test?!
I offer you a secret weapon for keeping your sanity after the post-fest, all-night-study-sesh: naps, my friends. Naps!
Ohio University’s dichotomous reputation of being the No. 1 party school and a top academic establishment leaves many students dealing with a lack of Z’s.
Let’s face it, parties go too late, classes are too early and most students have top priorities in both realms. Luckily, Athens is a nap-friendly town, allowing you to get the best of both worlds.
The constant go-go-go of OU students’ school and social lives could explain the Athens public-nap phenomenon. “Hey, is that kid who’s sleeping on a bench homeless?” “Nah, he is just recovering from last night’s liquor pitchers and this morning’s 8 a.m.”
Where are the best places on campus to nap?
My go-to, all-season favorite is on the fourth floor of Baker Center outside the Baker Ballroom. For those of you who call this your nap spot as well, you know why it’s number one. A miraculously quiet, sunny hallway stretches way back into the belly of Baker, beckoning drowsy students with window-side comfy couches (sprawling out on the carpet is perfectly acceptable too).
If you are lucky, you may even hear an echo-y piano lullaby from the floor below. Thank you, public piano-playing prodigies — your songs make for lovely dreams.
If the weather is pleasant, Scripps Amphitheater is also nap central. If you are like me, you have made the mistake of “studying” on the stepped grassy hill only to wake an hour later with a minor sunburn and grass clippings on your face. There is something magical about that grass that can lull even the most hyper-attentive J-School overachiever away to dreamland.
The most popular nap spot in Athens will forever be in the classroom. Whether you are hidden in the last row of a huge lecture hall or shamelessly snoozing in the front row of an intimate tutorial, naps happen. “We are watching a movie today?” May the nap gods rejoice!
In Spain it is called a siesta, in day care it was nappytime and today it is your Spring Quarter saving grace. So when you start yawning and your head starts bobbing, batten down the hatches and get ready, because you are about to nap hard.
If the professor asks why you were late, tell him or her you were just sharpening your motor skills and enhancing your alertness to get the most out of the lecture. I have no idea what your professor would say back, but it would be funny to try.
Good morning, sunshine! It is time to wipe up the drool on your face and face the day … you have a class in three minutes. Don’t you dare let midterms bring you down, and never forget to smile — you’re in Athens!
REM it up, Athens!
Anna Moore is a junior studying magazine journalism and a columnist for The Post. Do you have a favorite on-campus siesta site?
Email her at am846608@ohiou.edu.
