Eighth Floor of Sheila Johnson Design Center, 2 West 13th Street
It may seem counter-intuitive, but the couched corners outside the eighth floor elevators of the SJDC is a great place to study: the corridor is so busy, people will walk right by you.
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If you're lucky enough to snag a seat in this coveted study spot, stay there. Often crowded, this table/seat situation is the perfect amount of space to for laptops, printing materials, sketchbooks and other (non-messy) art projects. And if you need inspiration, the Art, Media, and Technology lab (complete with the incredible risograph printer) is right behind you.
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Cozy up on the two circular couches situated behind the security desk at SJDC and be amazed by your sudden invisibility in an otherwise bustling space. The only one who will be watching you is the statue (Fred Wilson's "Untitled," which redresses the power of race relations through contemplating notions of traditional public monument).
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Conveniently located above the 8th floor Printing Lab, this simple table-chair-outlet scenario is optimal for paper writing, designing, and doing pretty much anything in silence and seclusion. Those of you with a Vitamin D deficiency will benefit from the sunlight pouring through the surrounding windows.
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All-nighter wearing you out? The couches on the 9th floor of Arnhold Hall are perfect spots to rest your eyes before getting back to work on the floor below. Bonus: they're in the back and out of sight, so you're sure to get in a few REM cycles!
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If you need to finish up a reading right before class, take a seat on the curved wood benches in between 11th and 12th Street. If you keep your head down, you'll stay hidden in this high-traffic pathway.
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In the afternoon, this not-so-secret space is usually bustling with before-class reading, eating, and #NerdyLang conversation. But once the cafe part closes, it turns into prime quiet study space. The space, which overlooks the Lang courtyard, offering a calming view in times of frantic studying.
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You won't find any design programs on these computers, but if you need to read, write, and research in silence, you might want to visit this subterranean work space. There are no windows to distract you from your work, and the black-and-white printer does its job.
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Need to catch up on some reading—or some sleep—before class? Post up at one of the List Center’s reading alcoves, nestled just off the elevators on most floors of the building. if you're looking to hide/take in the view of 16th Street, sit in the chair closest to the window.
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This open workspace outside the Vera List Center Library is perfect for checking email and meeting with groups. Break for coffee or snacks anytime at nearby O Cafe, and keep your phone Insta-ready in the late-afternoon hours, when plentiful sunlight illuminates the room.
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The library has myriad study spaces: five bookable collaboration rooms, some with audiovisual equipment, phone booths for making private phone calls, after-hour study group and break rooms, and an array of seating, from lounge chairs to long tables to carrels for private studying. A an oversized blue chair (or is it a bed?!) is a perfect spot for casual reading.
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A hidden gem of 6 East 16th Street, D-707 is a cozy, window-less room perfect for locking yourself away with that 12-page paper. This is also the BEST place to print right before class at 16th Street without worrying about those pesky elevators.
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This big open space is bustling with creativity to inspire your own design thinking. Complete with tables, modular seating, and giant white boards on wheels, this is the best place to hunker down with your future start-up partners and finish that app!
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Keep this one on the DL—room 1131 is a well-kept secret (until now!) due to its remote location, lack of light, and total availability. There's also a very reliable printer within the room to print out long papers/readings. Enter this dungeon of productivity at your own risk.
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Frequent our beautiful library? Try walking all the way around the right corner and to the back. It's further from the bathroom, but much more tucked away.
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It's debatable whether or not this area is quieter than the floor below, but it's certainly beautiful. Find yourself an individually-lit spot at the long tables and get to whatever business you have. Bonus: with our famous Green Roof in full view from the windows, we'd consider this one of the most Instagrammable spots on campus.
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Need we say more? Enclosed desk spaces, tables, and comfy chairs overlooking 5th Avenue.
New School Hideouts: Your Guide to the Most Secluded Study Spaces On Campus
Big city. Small campus.
They’re probably two of the reasons you came to The New School. But in a busy city, and an even busier school, it’s can be tough to find a secluded, distraction-free space to write your paper on “Feminism, Porn and Dostoyevsky,” or work on your app monitoring corruption worldwide.
Don’t fret, overworked New Schoolers—we’ve got you covered. Presenting your guide to the best on-campus hideouts—spaces where you’ll be free, either individually or with a group, to embrace the bottomless vortex of papers and projects that require your undivided attention.