Two years in a row, I’ve found myself on a deserted campus a few weeks before the semester starts. Last year, it was for pre-internship classes that started on January 2. This year, once I got nice and smug about the idea that as a 5th-year, I was off the hook for starting classes early, I found out that to catch the first class for the on-campus CPA exam review, I had to be here on January 2…again.

After my initial grumblings about cutting my stay at home a little short, I made it back to campus and realized that being here before school starts is actually not that bad, as long as you know where to look for the silver linings. Funny thing is, since school started back up I have noticed these perks are applicable to early mornings too.

Top 5 Perks to Being on Campus Early
5. Fewer Distractions – It’s always a bummer to be back in Austin when nobody else is here, but the flip side is that there are significantly fewer distractions. Hopefully that serves me well this year and lets me get a head start on this CPA exam prep!

4. Solidarity – Since lots of MPAs are here and pretty much nobody else is, it’s a great chance to get to know other people in the program when you all have more free time. Whether it’s working on a group project or grabbing something to eat, you can revel in the solidarity that comes from getting an early start to the semester.

3. Peace and Quiet – Okay, so admittedly, I typically enjoy walking around and seeing a million things going around on campus, but a calm, quiet walk through campus is pretty nice once in a while, especially when I’m not quite ready for the chaos that this semester is sure to bring.

2. Open study spots – Whether you like to study at the business school, the library, or at a coffee shop, everywhere is less crowded before the flood of students hits the campus. It makes those golden study spots (like an empty table at my favorite coffee shop) a breeze to find.

And probably the single greatest thing about being on campus early…

1. Parking – No matter what time I need to drive to campus, I can always find a pay-to-park spot or permit parking pretty close to where I need to be (a welcome relief, since the buses aren’t running yet). Just be careful that it doesn’t make you even more frustrated when you can’t find parking spots in a few weeks.

So if you find yourself forced into coming to campus early, make the most of it! Scope out some good study spots, take a quiet walk through campus, and use the chance to be productive!