First-year Bwogger, Elizabeth Burton, thinks Milstein is literally the best place on this campus. Since she spends so much time there, she has noticed that every person seems to fall in at least one of 7 categories. Here are her observations: 

By currently enrolled undergraduate students, we really mean currently enrolled Barnard students.

• Loud Columbia men: This is likely a tall, white man who literally had not ventured to this side of the street until this year. He can probably be heard screaming on the phone with his girlfriend or loudly telling his frat bros that “Barnard isn’t all that bad.” Please go back to Butler.
• The Peet’s line: This line feels like a sentient being. It’s always ridiculously long, and every single person in it is on their phone. Is it really worth it?
• The friends catching up in the purple chairs: Okay, this really isn’t that bad, it’s just super uncomfortable. Those chairs look like they should be a place to quickly pull up the readings you forget to print when you don’t have time to go upstairs. Then, one person always quietly sits down with you, and then their friend that they literally haven’t seen in forever walks by. They have a conversation over, across, and between you about things you really shouldn’t be hearing.

• The one, singular individual in a group study room: I truly wish I understood the sense of entitlement that makes you feel like it’s okay to take an entire group study room to sit there and scroll through Instagram. There are so many spaces intentionally designed for individual studying. Use them! Leave! Go get a desk! Go sit in a green chair! Stay in your room! Go to Butler!
• The people that show up at 5:47 on a Friday and are mad that they have to leave: Barnard assumes that we either all go out every weekend or that we all go out at like, 7. I’m not really sure. Regardless, Milstein closes at 6pm on weekends.
• People looking out the window on Milstein 2: This is my entire identity at this point. I really go up the stairs and act like I’m finally going to do my Critical Approaches readings. Instead, I sit in those green chairs and people watch for two hours. I really try, but I get distracted every time I see someone I vaguely recognize.
• The people actually studying: I feel like I don’t even see this often enough to accurately describe it. But, if this is you, you are a champion. I love and admire you.

Photo via me