Where Drexel Students Find Room to Study

Finding the right environment is a daily friction point for students at Drexel University. The campus offers a range of study spaces within a 15-minute walk of Lancaster Walk, but each location has distinct rules, hours, and atmospheres that dictate where a student can sit.

Hagerty Library at 3300 Market Street provides a spectrum of noise levels. General areas from the basement to the second floor feature desks and couches with ambient background noise. Phuong Vu Mai, a freshman business analytics major, favors the second-floor balcony overlooking the main floor. She describes the space as cozy and says it gives her the motivation to work harder with friends.

For those who require silence, the library offers quiet zones in the basement and on the second floor. Group work is supported by 22 collaboration rooms that can be booked online for up to three hours per day. If those rooms are full, the Dragons’ Learning Den serves as a 24/7 alternative. The Den includes a micro market that accepts Dining Dollars.

Kelly Hall Student Commons at 203 N. 34th Street is open to Dragon Card users living in dorm halls. The space contains two large conference rooms and six smaller collaboration rooms available on a first-come, first-served basis. The area is well lit by natural light during the day and modern fixtures at night. Vending machines and a printer are available for students who work long sessions. The noise level in the open space is moderate.

The Korman Center at 3315 Market Street offers both social and quiet options. The first floor features couches and tables with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Korman Quad. Three glass-enclosed collaboration spaces on the second floor provide a quieter environment with similar views. The McGonigal Academic Resource Center on the first floor offers open tables for individuals or groups. Eshel Ahmad, a senior biological sciences major, notes that while tutors are occasionally present, many tables are usually empty.

LeBow College of Business at 3220 Market Street caters to students who prefer a social working environment. The atrium and the LeBow Lounge on the first floor provide ample couches and tables. The space sees regular foot traffic from students heading to class or the Saxbys coffee shop. Vu Mai describes the lounge as aesthetic and notes the comfort of the chairs.

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center at 3420 Walnut Street is accessible to Drexel students with a valid DragonCard. The Moelis Lounge on the first floor offers tables with a view of Walnut Street and a relatively quiet atmosphere. The Family Grand Reading Room provides absolute silence and is well lit by natural light. Harshi Aikolanda, a biological sciences major, states that the room is a bit cold, which he finds increases productivity. The David B. Weigle Information Commons on the same floor offers booth-like study areas with monitors for group or personal work.

The third floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich contains the Stacks, a completely silent environment with individual seating surrounded by wooden shelves. The sixth floor features the Ellen and Herbert Moelis Reading Terrace, which offers couches and tables with a view of Blanche Levy Park and Penn College Hall.

The City View Lounge on the sixth floor of MacAlister Hall at 3250 Chestnut Street provides a quiet space with a view of University City. A micro market is available on the first floor of the adjacent Creese Student Center. The Constantine N. Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building at 3245 Chestnut Street offers balconies on floors one through five with views of a five-story-tall biowall. The second floor features a fishbowl-like window arrangement that provides a nearly 180-degree view of Chestnut Street. A Philly Pretzel Factory is located on the first floor.