Drexel Study Guide: Seven Campus Spots for Every Working Style

There are 22 group collaboration rooms available at Drexel University's Hagerty Library, each bookable for up to three hours daily. This specific capacity is one of many data points in a new guide to study locations on and near campus, released by The Triangle. The guide maps seven distinct environments, ranging from absolute silence to high-traffic social hubs, all within a 15-minute walk of Lancaster Walk.

Hagerty Library at 3300 Market Street offers the widest variety of acoustic profiles. The basement and second floor contain designated silent areas for students who need quiet. For those who prefer ambient noise, general floors feature desks and couches. Phuong Vu Mai, a freshman business analytics major, identified the second-floor balcony overlooking the main floor as her preferred spot. She described the area as cozy and said it gives her the motivation to work harder when studying with friends.

If the 22 collaboration rooms are fully booked, students can use the Dragons’ Learning Den. This space is open 24 hours a day and includes a micro market that accepts Dining Dollars. Kelly Hall Student Commons at 203 N. 34th Street operates on a first-come, first-served basis for its six smaller collaboration rooms and two large conference rooms. The space is well lit by natural light during the day and modern fixtures at night. Access is restricted to Dragon Card users living in dorm halls, with weekday hours from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and weekend hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Korman Center at 3315 Market Street provides floor-to-ceiling windows on the first floor, offering views of the Korman Quad. Three glass-enclosed collaboration spaces on the second floor are noted for their lighting and relative quiet. Eshel Ahmad, a senior biological sciences major, pointed to the McGonigal Academic Resource Center on the first floor as a good option for solo work. She noted that while there are occasional tutors, there are usually empty tables. Ahmad said it is quiet, but it is not a big deal if students talk.

LeBow College of Business at 3220 Market Street is positioned as a social environment. The atrium and the LeBow Lounge on the first floor contain couches and tables near a Saxbys coffee shop. Vu Mai described this location as aesthetic and comfortable. The building is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays.

Drexel students can also access the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center at 3420 Walnut Street by showing a valid DragonCard to security at the entrance. The Moelis Lounge offers tables with a view of Walnut Street, while the Family Grand Reading Room provides absolute silence. Harshi Aikolanda, a biological sciences major, said the Reading Room is well lit but a bit cold, which he noted increases productivity. The sixth floor features the Ellen and Herbert Moelis Reading Terrace, which overlooks Blanche Levy Park and Penn College Hall.

Two buildings on Chestnut Street offer distinctive visual features. The City View Lounge on the sixth floor of MacAlister Hall provides a quiet environment with a scenic view of University City. It is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and until 10 p.m. on Sundays. The Constantine N. Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building at 3245 Chestnut Street features balconies on floors one through five that overlook a five-story-tall biowall. The second floor has windows that create a fishbowl-like effect, offering a nearly 180-degree view of the street below. A Philly Pretzel Factory is located on the first floor.