Ali Jackson | The best place to find a friend at 2 a.m.

I'll admit it. In two years at Penn, I can count the number of times I've stepped foot in Van Pelt on one hand.

The first time, I spent a full hour wandering through the stacks searching for a book only to give up and use Wikipedia. And the other ones don't count anyway since they were for mandatory study hours. I've never been one to leave my room to study, probably because only at my desk can I write a paper while figuring out whom to vote for on American Idol.

However, during the past week I've spent a considerable amount of time walking around Van Pelt studying people studying and I've discovered it's quite the social hot spot for those in the know.

Take Wharton sophomore Matt Abreu. After abhorring the library all last year, he now spends Sunday through Wednesday nights in the Rosengarten basement, usually arriving around 11 p.m and staying until 3 a.m.

"I'm with the same people every night," he said. "It's like an unspoken thing that everyone's going to be there. Sometimes it's a surprise when someone isn't, you get kind of disappointed." He enjoys the community down in the basement and the fact that you can count on seeing your friends whenever you go there.

The culture in Rosengarten is different from elsewhere in the library, making it the perfect place for these social studiers to congregate. "You can get away with talking down there," Abreu said. "Upstairs, there's a different etiquette and being loud is frowned upon."

But not everyone is aware of these implicit rules. "The people who aren't normally there are horribly disappointed with how loud it gets," Abreu said. "There's social tension between the regulars and the people who are actually trying to get work done."

While ardent studiers may hate the loud Rosengarten inhabitants, having that community can be invaluable going into finals. "I get my work done, but it's nice to have all those people around me," Abreu commented. "I'm willing to sacrifice efficiency if I'm being entertained."

College sophomore Sarina Da Costa Gomez, whom Abreu calls the "social queen" of Rosengarten, agreed. "I like having life around me when I study," she said. "In the basement you're not cooped up without any social interaction whatsoever."

She has also noticed the dirty looks from people actually trying to study, but shrugs it off, saying, "The new people always shush us and get really cranky. Then after a while they realize they can't win."

This community in Rosengarten is part pre-established and part constructed. Both Abreu and Da Costa Gomez have met plenty of people, including each other, sitting at the basement desks.

"I'd say of the people I hang out with in the library, I met half of them there," Da Costa Gomez said. "I pretty much recognize everyone down there, even if I've never met them. I can tell you most people's study schedules and where they like to sit."

The basement's regulars help each other get through tough times of studying. As Da Costa Gomez puts it, "You make friends, and it makes studying easier. No one can expect five people to sit at a round table and not talk."

But Rosengarten isn't the only area of the library with a unique culture. I developed a keen eye for communities while walking through Van Pelt.

The fifth floor was stuffed full of international students, skinny jeans and hair gelled in place. Not surprisingly, none of them would talk to me. One of them actually said, "I'll tell you everything you want to know, just don't put my name in the newspaper." I'm not sure what he thought I was asking about, but it made me think maybe I missed the bigger story here.

Wharton sophomore Pedro Laco, who works the current-periodicals desk, said that his section is always full of grad students. "They're usually in their own world," he said. "They do their work and don't talk to each other."

No doubt they would be horrified to see the chaos that goes on just a few floors below them. But for those students who call Rosengarten their home, the library isn't just about getting your work done: it's about having support while you do it. Knowing that a great group of people is going to be spending their night in the library right along with you is reassuring, and it helps these kids get through the never-ending work of college.

It almost makes me want to join them. Almost.

Ali Jackson is a Wharton and College sophomore from Cardiff, Calif. Her e-mail address is jackson@dailypennsylvanian.com. A Little Person-Ali-ty appears on Mondays.

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