Hello lovely people !
If you have a keen eye or an even keener nose, you have most definitely spotted all the Christmas trees sprouting up around campus; and if you are an academic rep, you have almost definitely already seen Gingey, our stuffed gingerbread man. Gingey is currently perched on the desk of our lovely postgrad co-ordinator Taibah, but originally came from a box of stim toys donated by amazing student business StimSensory (not spon, I swear).
Now, Gingey was beyond keen to show you around all the study spaces on campus with a tree, and I couldn’t deny him that, so lets have a look around !
The SU and Student Centre
This is an SU blog, of course I am going to plug the SU. The tree here is giant and gorgeous, and the study spaces are casual. Both downstairs and upstairs in the student centre, there are tables and chairs you can pop your laptop on, though heading into the Plug and the Tub gives you the cheapest Starbucks in Bath (I think?), control over the music, and moodier lighting in booths and sofas. Amazing. Just don’t offer Gingey a gingerbread latte – what kind of monster are you ?
The STV
Not my usual spot (there is a reason I am Education and not Sport) – but the STV tree is decked out in team spirit tinsel, and the sport café is a spot you can rest in. If this isn’t your vibe, getting some kind of movement in during the exam season is a good idea – so check out one of the gyms ! Abbie is doing some ace work with different student groups to make sure it is accessible for all, so get your fill!
The Edge
Oh the Edge – with beautiful hand-decorated baubles and the perfect mix of cosy and clean study spaces. Plugs are sparse here (for now), but what is a better study break than seeing BUST decked out as musketeers ?
10 East / ‘Management’
Oh management, oh management, your double trees intrigue me. 10 East, colloquially known as management, has become a study spot staple to the point that you have to have a cuppa in hand in set hours to use the café section. A mix of stable chairs, booths, and bar height chairs, 10 East is a mid-century daydream, though with its high ceilings and, once again, shortage of plugs, I would suggest a short stay and lots of layers. Gingey felt lovely and cosy in the tree though, even if the needles kept poking in his buttons.
3 South / Biology and Biochemistry
A new find for me, Biology and Biochemistry have decked their trees out in red and silver in perfect formation. This space has some desks to the left of the tree, and comfy chairs with low tables and a vending machine to the right, meaning you can hole up or collaborate on group work just meters apart. Gingey appreciated how the baubles were a perfect match for his buttons, a good change from the pokes he got in 10 East!
10 West / Psychology
Much more familiar to me, and also Gingey, the Psychology tree was decked out in a beautiful array of handmade and varied baubles right under the shifting colours of those iconic pendant lights. Gingey found his friend Frosty hanging out here, and was recommended to check out the Graduate Commons on the top floor – a true treat for anyone with card access !
5 West / Pharmacy and Pharmacology
Tucked away and often sort of walked into for people with their heads buried in Pokemon Go on their way back from Fresh, 5 West has floors of green and blue sofas to collaborate on alongside a pink, red, and gold tree. Gingey adored matching here too, but was almost left behind, so feels a bit stilted about the whole experience. Sorry Gingey.
The Library !
Last but most definitely not least, the Library is an amazing, all encompassing, forever warm place with a bountiful, Gingey matching tree. The Library will be kept as a 24/7 warm place, even under the new Thermal Comfort policy, and boasts all kinds of study spaces. The sensory room on the third floor, the group work on level two, the quiet confines of level one and five, the Library is the place to be, and Gingey thinks so too !
Whether you are staying, studying, or heading home, I hope you have a blessed and loving Yuletide. I’ll be checking out some of the Winter at Bath activities before I head back to Lincolnshire and do things that are questionable here in the South (cheese with Christmas cake anyone?), and hope to see some of you there !
TTYL,
Amber x