Staff Writer Alyse Rovner experiences something in Milstein that will forever impact the trajectory of her life. 

Yes, I did make a scene on the third floor of Milstein and no, I do not regret it.

The doors of the elevator opened up onto the third floor and my friend and I exited. I turned to my left and caught a glimpse of an empty study room out of the corner of my eye. I could see that the lights were off, and I knew this was my time to make a move. It would be extremely unlikely for me to see this highly prized commodity ever again and there was no other option.

I looked to the right of me only to see five other students with their eyes on the same prize. We locked eyes for only a moment, aware that we would both be racing towards this empty room. I made a run for it, keeping a grasp on my odds, that is was two of me versus five of them. I had to win. I was set on it. Whilst in motion, I furiously flung my backpack filled with several textbooks onto the ground for greater agility. Nothing would get in my way, not even this obvious disadvantage in numbers. My friend, the second person on my team, had even lost faith in me by now, staying back and checking her Instagram as there was no way I could win. Despite her skepticism, I persisted and in doing so disturbed several stressed students who were now glaring at me.

The team of five strategically used my disturbance as a distraction, successfully securing the room within only seconds. My heart dropped…How could I have made this mistake? Had I been less loud and kept my backpack on, would my fate have been different?

Frozen in motion, I began to replay this story over and over again, slowly coming to terms with these undesirable results.

I collected myself and walked back to my fallen belongings with an aura of shame and disappointment. I picked up the sprawled contents of my tote bag and quickly grabbed my backpack.

I wish that I could be telling a story of pride, honor, and wit. I wish I could give a happy ending, however, this story is not a happy one and too little are. This is a story of defeat and loss: how a stressed student became too distracted on her journey to a study room, leaving her to explore the floors of Milstein for a lonesome seat. 

pls make more study rooms via Bwarchives