EUROPEAN EXPERIENCES: British Bracken

It's that time of year for many of my Ball State friends back at home to be studying for midterms before Thanksgiving break. I'm sure I can guess where most of you are studying at… Bracken. The place is always packed right around breaks and exam time. It seems that once it's time to "crack down" on studying, Bracken is flooded with students hitting the books.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm a die hard Bracken fan. I wasn't one to go there during those crazy busy times. I was one to go there ALL the time. When I came to England, of course I couldn't wait to check out the school library.

The Charles Seale-Hayne Library is quite different than Ball State's Bracken.

First of all, after you go through the revolving door to get in, you have to swipe your student ID card. This was very new for me as Bracken doesn't have anything like that. Anyone can get through that library, regardless of having student status.

Secondly, the library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Quite frankly, I don't know why anyone would want to be there at 4 a.m. to study, but in a way, it's a nice feature for those night owls. Its location in the heart of campus next to the Student Union also makes it feel safer late at night.

Read more at snnahrwold.blog.com.