Adrianna ChongHere’s what students had to say:
Stephanie Hrazdil, arts II
“The Humanities Centre. I find it cozy and quiet because it has many places where you can go to study in private. There are couches on the third floor where you can rest and sit around chatting with friends. The plants on the third floor make you forget about the cold weather outside and create a relaxing environment. It’s also right next to HUB, so if you’re hungry, you can easily walk there to buy food.”
Chantael Southron, psychology II
“I feel most at home among the water feature and nature of the arts quad. They make me feel calm and at ease.”
Hanna Garvey, physiology II
“Nothing makes me feel more at home and comfortable on campus than crashing beside the SUB fire on a cold day. Snuggled up on a comfy chair, thawing my feet and sipping a coffee? That’s homey.”
Chantelle Freitas, psychology II
“The Tory/Business atrium, specifically at 4 p.m. when it starts to quiet down. It’s a nice balance between wanting to study in a café setting with Second Cup in the background, but still being able to people-watch when studying becomes unbearable. The sounds of the café are the perfect soundtrack for the thinning crowd of slow-moving students, combining to make a very soothing study space.”
Atharv Vhora, computing science III
“There is no place on campus that makes me feel at home. I take pride in my adaptability as an international student, but to me, the concept of home is something close and personal. Home is a place that is humid, rainy, flavoured by petrichor and nostalgia, and full of family. No place on campus could possibly come close to that for me until the day my perception of home changes.”
Maclean Forbes, crop science IV
“The pedway between Cameron Library and CAB. The bright floor-to-ceiling windows on either side make it feel like I’m outside while still being cozy and warm (watching a snowstorm here is magical). The plush couches with prevalent stains add a level of familiarity unmatched anywhere else on campus, while the coffee aromas and soft sounds of early 2000s music from Starbucks complete the feeling.”
Sydney Hampshire, rehabilitation science (MSc) I
“My lab: the Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory! It feels like home because we can all relax in a safe space to study and work on our research, and we are all good friends with each other. I look forward to my time in the lab every day; I probably spend more time there than at my apartment.”
Prachi Shah, physiology IV
“Quad is my favourite place on campus. Just being in the centre of it all gives me a sense of community and belonging!”
Rosalind Fleischer-Brown, psychology IV
“After spending the summer in CCIS doing stats, I let out a sigh of relief when my class was in the Humanities Centre. The brick walls, wooden benches, and dim lighting evoke a warm, cozy feeling, and colourful lights in the ceiling brighten up the space, adding a certain playfulness to the area. Walking past the offices of the English department always makes me feel at home.”
Christine McManus, psychology III
“Everything about Rutherford North makes it a good place to go when I get too overwhelmed: it’s quiet, it has lots of comfy seating, and it’s (usually) bed bug free. It strikes a good balance between the stifling silence of Rutherford South and the sheer chaos that is Cameron. The U of A is a big and noisy place, and sometimes I just need to disappear into a maze of books for a while.”
Robert Lee, English III
“I feel most at home in front of a whiteboard. The one right in front of Rutherford Library where everyone writes their answers to a weekly question. A lot of the answers are silly but some are quite nice and when read as a whole, it reminds me of the wonderful community I’m in.”
Annie Wildemann, English and women’s and gender studies III
“My favourite place to hang out on campus is Dewey’s. It’s the perfect place to gab, play pool (even if you’re bad at it like me), and eat nachos. Plus, they do free coffee refills!”
