Our very own Website Editor Emily Adams offers her thoughts on Club Templeman. The only place to be seen on campus this term.

The building of crippling stress, all-nighters and caffeine fuelled students. Day 4 of my late night study sessions and I’m still amazed at how many students have chosen to spend their night surrounded by incredibly dull textbooks and seminar notes. No no, we haven’t all just had an epiphany and realised that the library is THE place to be. It’s exam season and we’ve all suddenly realised we forgot to balance our binge watching of every American sitcom possible with our studying during the last year.

In amongst my four hours of relentless procrastination and minimal work, I have experienced it all. That’s not true, it’s still a library, it’s not thrilling… but here’s my account of the night-time hub of activity, the Templeman library.

It’s 1am and I have now witnessed some interesting sights. Two students kicked out for having smuggled in a Chinese takeaway. Crafty, but no match for the alert Library staff. Oh, the staff, Templeman’s very own vigilantes; forever on the prowl and ready to scold hungry students thinking about the food secreted in their coat pockets, ready and waiting to be devoured. Unfortunately for all you hungry students, get ready to endure their scolding refrain: ‘Keep it in the social area or get out’.

My favourite workers have to be the ones in the foyer, ‘working’ hard on YouTube and Facebook and making no attempt to conceal their inability to do library related stuff. What are they supposed to do?! Check each book is nestled neatly into its own home and that the staplers are refilled at all times?

But back to the students, working hard, writing away, panic revising the whole syllabus in one night and then taking an accidental hour long break clicking on everything and anything remotely interesting on Wikipedia.

By 2am, the social area is a sorry state of affairs, students crashed out on their keyboards, probably unaware that their nose is pressed firmly against the delete button. One girl, clearly a veteran to this harsh library environment, has come prepared, bringing a blanket to keep her warm as she studi… no, sleeps in the corner. Wait, why doesn’t everyone just go home?!

And then of course, there’s me. My first two hours consisted of carefully setting up my study (it had to be just right), updating myself on every social media site I can possibly fit on my phone, lining up all the books I will try my damnedest to avoid and then religiously guessing every flavour of each sweet in a packet of jelly beans. Productive, I know.

Working this late all the time, really isn’t me, but I must admit, I’m quite enjoying it. It’s quieter than a weekday (does no one have anywhere else to go, like seminars or lectures maybe?) and it’s the ideal place to people watch and let your imagination run wild. Yes, I have written this in the time I was supposed to be writing an essay, but that’s not the point. I kind of admire the students who do this all the time, and still manage to make it to the end of the year.

Keep going, oh brave students. The end is in sight and those 3 glorious months of summer (getting a job and working every hour just to survive next year) is approaching fast. Chin up. You can do this!