Last Saturday was the Red River Shootout, the annual college football game in Dallas between Texas and its hated rival, Oklahoma. I’m not going to write about that, because it didn’t go so well for the Longhorns (but it was still a blast, and you should definitely attend if you come here).

Instead, I’m going to write about what I was doing for the week leading up to the Red River Shootout: studying for finals. Specifically, I’m going to write about the pros and cons of various places to study. Here they are, in my order of preference. (Location is in the business school unless otherwise specified.)

Reliant Productivity Center

(I promise the rest of my photos are better than this)

Location: Fourth floor

Pros: It’s quiet, it has carrels with electrical outlets, only business school students (including undergrads) have access, it has nice large windows (so at least you can see the sun when you’re studying 12 hours a day)

Cons: It’s warm, it can be hard to find a spot (Literally every carrel was occupied when I took the photo above.)

The Home Office

Location: First floor of my house

Pros: Solitude, space, access to kitchen and television (key when, say, the Texas Rangers are playing ALDS games during your study sessions)

Cons: No classmates around to answer questions, stir-craziness from staying in the house all day, access to television (I mean, I‘m not going to get much studying done when I can watch the Rangers clinch a spot in the ALCS.)

The Atrium

Location: Third floor

Pros: Spacious, plenty of classmates around to answer questions

Cons: Often cold (the only room in the business school that is consistently over-air conditioned), popular space for eating (sometimes resulting in, um, interesting smells), loud, frequently reserved for events

Carpenter Center

Location: Third floor

Pros: Access limited to MBA students (no undergrads), a popular hangout (you’re likely to see friends there), houses a number of study rooms you can take if they’re not reserved

Cons: I inevitably get distracted by friends here and end up not being as productive as I’d like to be (note: This is probably a personality thing. A lot of people are energized by mingling with their peers, which probably contributes to Carpenter’s popularity).

The Plaza outside the Business School

Location: Outside the south entrance to McCombs

Pros: Fresh air, there’s a big, inspiring statue of something there

Cons: Wind blows your pages around, lots of people walking by can be distracting, noise

Full disclosure: I haven’t studied in the plaza because I would get distracted too easily, but a decent amount of people do study there, so I figured I’d include it on the list. The list is far from comprehensive, and the pros and cons are subject largely to my biases. But if you come to McCombs, you’re going to need to study somewhere, so be sure to check out these and other spots and ask some current students where they like to study and why.