When students are not supporting fellow Cougars at an athletic game, enjoying an event put on by Communiversity or just hanging out with friends on Cougar Walk, they are (hopefully) participating in a crucial element of college: studying.
Luckily, Azusa Pacific offers a multitude of places to complete this task both on campus and off. Here are a few options of where to study — abroad and right here at APU.
Abroad
Each semester students choose from several different study-abroad programs offered around the world. These provide opportunities for students to fulfill general education and major requirements while providing a new place of study and growth.
“Students should apply for study abroad because it gives you opportunities you can’t normally get while on campus,” said sophomore international business major Krisnel Miraflor.
Miraflor recently turned in his paperwork to study in South Africa during the upcoming spring semester. While there, he intends to fulfill some general-education requirements while stepping out of his comfort zone.
“Personally, I love experiencing new cultures and going into new environments where I know I’ll be uncomfortable because I know that in that, I will find out who I really am,” Miraflor said.
General-education classes provided in South Africa include Introduction to Art and Life and Teachings of Jesus. The South Africa program also provides a psychology and nursing track for students in those majors. Ecuador is another general-education track, one of APU’s newer programs.
LA Term and High Sierra Semester are both options for students who wish to study abroad without actually leaving the country. Senior philosophy major Payson Marsh attended High Sierra in spring 2012.
“The main reason why I wanted to come to APU in the first place was because of High Sierra,” Marsh said. “Hiking and going outdoors is one of my favorite things to do, and this program gave me the opportunity to do that while still going to school.”
The High Sierra campus is located at a camp on Bass Lake near Yosemite National Park. Classes taught at High Sierra include Luke/Acts and various humanities courses.
“The students at High Sierra form a close-knit community,” Marsh said. “We’re all focused on the same material and live in the same community. I loved how both … combined really well.”
Both international and national study-abroad semesters have the same time span as a semester at APU. Trips leave roughly around the start of the semester and return right before the semester ends.
On-Campus
If studying abroad is not an option, students still have many places to go on campus to study and get work done.
“On a day with good weather, the Wynn Amphitheater is where I go,” said sophomore global studies major Hannah Roth. “I love the openness of it. I love how I’m able to look up from what I’m reading time to time and just admire my surroundings.”
Aside from the Wynn Amphitheater, there are plenty of other options that students can go to study outdoors, such as the Trinity tables or the prayer wall located on West Campus.
Students enjoy studying in the sun at the Wynn Amphitheater Photo credit: Camille Frigillana
If the weather does not permit some studying in the sun, there are also places indoors that can meet studying needs.
“I personally just love going to the libraries, especially the ones on West,” said sophomore communications major Elise Bennett. “It’s quiet and there’s always an open seat for you to take.”
APU has three libraries available to students, two located on West Campus, Darling and Stamps and there is one located on East Campus. Marshburn Library, on East Campus, provides seven private study rooms that students can book in time intervals for group study sessions. It is open until 3 a.m. from Mondays to Thursdays for students who wish to get in a last-minute cram session. Darling and Stamps Library are both open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m.
Students get work done at Marshburn Library Photo credit: Camille Frigillana
Of course, there are some students who just prefer their own living areas in studying. Freshman applied exercise science major Kassy Gomez chooses to stay in her Engstrom suite when she reads up and works.
“I just like having my own space and being able to use my floor to lay out everything I need to do,” Gomez said. “I’m comfortable because I’m in my own room with my own privacy.”
Whether students choose to study abroad or stay on campus, there are plenty of places APU provides for students who just want to get out and hit the books.