How can I make the most of my graduate student carrell?

August 6, 2013 4:58 AM

I'm a second-year masters student in a professional degree program (MPH). I have been assigned to a carrell (img) and would like to make the most of it. It feels kind of gross so I'd like to give it a good cleaning, but after that, how can I make it a great study/work spot away from home?

Here's some more details about the space.

• The carrell is located in a suite for grad students in my department, so I'm in the same building as my research appointment and all my classes.
• The suite is shared with about 20 other students in my program. It can get pretty chatty in here during the school year.
• The room includes a mini-fridge, microwave, printers, and some office supplies like a 3-hole punch, staplers, etc.
• The carrell has a locking cabinet (shown open in the photo above) for semi-secure storage.
• Although I use a MacBook, the carrell also came with a Dell running WinXP.
• Last year, I had a home office setup and was able to do most of my work at home. This year, I'll have a small desk in my bedroom, but imagine I'll be doing more work on campus since working in my bedroom isn't always ideal!
• I'm taking three 3-credit courses and one 1-credit course. I also have a 20-hour-a-week research appointment. I'd LOVE to come up with a system where one of those things is something I just do while I'm on campus, rather than having to figure out What To Pack every morning depending on how my day is scheduled.

Ideas I've had so far for the space:

• Small plant that can survive without any natural light (?)
• Asking to have the Dell removed; although as a Mac user I'm thinking I may want to have access it for software like GIS or NVivo that I might need one day, although no courses have required this yet and it does have a large footprint on the desk
• Getting an electric kettle to have tea and other instant foods
• Pinning fabric, photos, posters to the walls (Although I'd like to avoid the 'dorm room' look(
• Storing a laptop charger here so I don't have to bring it back-and-forth with me from home
• SNACKS: dried fruits and nuts, instant oatmeal, instant cocoa, etc.
• The health and beauty aisle: moisturizer, ibuprofen, hair ties, feminine supplies, etc.
• Organization/planning tools (white board to write out daily goals? calendar with major deadlines (I use iCal for day-to-day scheduling)?
• Storage to prevent clutter - bins or boxes to put all those snacks and hair ties in so they're not jammed into the cabinet above me
• Wet wipes to clean surfaces as needed
• Something (??) to help with ergonomics of using a laptop - in my home office, I use an external keyboard and mouse on a keyboard tray to help with wrist pain.
• Really Big Headphones to make it obvious I'm not available for chit-chat

I'd like to keep to a reasonable budget (~$100?).

Questions: What would help you feel alert, focused, and serene in this space? What items would you add or remove from the list above? Are there specific products you'd recommend (for example, a small electric kettle that wouldn't be a laptop disaster waiting to happen - a type of plant that would thrive here)? How would you set up the space to help you be a productive student? What would you be your "must-haves" versus "nice-to-haves" if you were working within this budget?

(Note: I've looked through previous questions on what to keep in a desk for office workers - those were helpful, but I'm interested in perspectives for students. Thank you!)

posted by pants to Education (17 answers total)

Don't know if this is possible on your laptop, but even if you don't want to use the Dell itself you could use the monitor as a second display, right? Might want to keep it around for that.
posted by dismas at 5:16 AM on August 6, 2013

Best answer: I put up postcards near all of my desks, in part because they're actually related to my research, but also to break apart my vista of dismal cubicle walls. Cheap frames and mats for larger pictures or pieces of art will make it look more professional and less like a dorm room.

Extra charger for your phone, if possible. And if you can swing it, an extra external hard drive so that you always have multiple back ups of your work.

Emergency blazer or other work/presentation outfit in case you end up having lunch with a speaker or something.

I would go in with your office mates on a electric kettle so that it has a secure set up other than your desk and computer area-- you can also get a bigger one that way.

Can you get a dock for your laptop so that you can use the bigger monitor and the keyboard? Your school's IT staff may have other ergonomically-friendly suggestions.
posted by jetlagaddict at 5:40 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh and if you drink coffee, powdered espresso and sugar packets are the best pairing for your electric kettle. (I like it better than instant coffee.)
posted by jetlagaddict at 5:43 AM on August 6, 2013

1. Check with your department about what you're allowed to have--where I am, some of the things on your list are prohibited and in some buildings (depending on the departmental culture) would be confiscated.

2. Asking to have the Dell removed; although as a Mac user I'm thinking I may want to have access it for software like GIS or NVivo that I might need one day, although no courses have required this yet and it does have a large footprint on the desk

Can the Dell run GIS? Boot it up and take a look at the specs, if it doesn't have the power then just ask to have it removed. You will need as much space for paper as possible.

3. Really Big Headphones to make it obvious I'm not available for chit-chat

THIS.
posted by epanalepsis at 6:09 AM on August 6, 2013

Best answer: Seconding dismas, you may want to use the LCD display and mouse/keyboard as inputs to your MacBook. If you want to go this route, I can highly recommend the Griffin Elevator as a way to get your MacBook up off the table for better ergonomics and extra storage space.

These Sennheiser headphones should exude the I'm working vibe and sound pretty good, too, while keeping noise in.
posted by jeffch at 6:18 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

The first two things I'd do is get a plant and a small desklamp to offset the overhead fluorescent light.
posted by lilnublet at 7:13 AM on August 6, 2013

Best answer: Seconding the external hard drive. You should be able to get a 2TB desktop external drive for under $100. Then you start up a new habit: every day when you sit down at your desk you plug in the drive and you let Time Machine work its magic. Then if your home burns down just days before your thesis is due (hey, it happened to me), you don't have to worry about rescuing your work because there's a copy on campus.
posted by ootandaboot at 7:17 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

that dell looks like (at best) an Optiplex GX280MT in which case it was probably purchased in 2004. even for a windows fan it wouldn't be useful at this point.
posted by noloveforned at 7:52 AM on August 6, 2013

A monthly and weekly calendar marking out departmental deadlines, progress deadlines (like if you're going to file for graduation, you have to file by x, which means your advisor has to approve your final draft by y, which means you have to have your draft to them by z, which means you have to be done by q), and life events that might impact your timeline (oh wait, you have to be done earlier than q because you're going to conference Badonkadonk and won't be able to work while there). This calendar should also include any teaching deadlines (like if you have athletes in your class and you need to submit quarterlies for them, when that is) and possibly also your planned in class activity. I normally printed out this using Google Calendar.

A weekly calendar marking out your advisor's classtimes and meeting availability, with your teaching times and office hours on top of it, so you have a sense of when you can ask them to meet if something comes up.

A sheet with important numbers on it -- like if you have to call IT to get technology into your classroom, or whatever.

A bus schedule for your preferred route.

Plants are nice but attract bugs.
posted by spunweb at 9:11 AM on August 6, 2013

Best answer: You can get hanging things that go over the top edge of your cubicle. These can be useful for corralling some of the paper you'll accumulate, they even have a jacket hook, corner shelves and pencil cups, all in the service of keeping your minimal real estate clear.

I linked you to a Staples.com search, but Office Max and all the other office supply stores will have variations on these themes.

So put your (small) plant on a cubicle corner shelf and never worry again about the water you add to it pouring out onto something important.

With your emergency blazer include a shirt and emergency shoes if they are appropriate to your department (in some disciplines, nothing says unprofessional like your ripped up Chuck Taylors. But somehow jeans with a more grown up shoe and a blazer is...not too horrifying)

For true comfort, yes to snacky foods that won't attract vermin or neighbors.

Seconding softer lighting. Maybe add something with a light scent to the bottom of your trash can and try to make a policy to not throw away food trash in your cube.

Also, consider getting a mouse that makes your life easier, whatever that means for you in terms of computer stuff.
posted by bilabial at 9:12 AM on August 6, 2013

Oh, and ear plugs/noise blocking head phones. Chatty office mates are nice, but you're in it to win it (graduate), not to make friends.
posted by spunweb at 10:29 AM on August 6, 2013

I hate those carrells and can never seem to focus in them, no matter how nice I make them. Maybe find another place near campus that's cheap/free, and get a favor in exchange for letting somone else use yours?
posted by carolinaherrera at 11:03 AM on August 6, 2013

get a favor in exchange for letting somone else use yours?

Be very very careful about this. It may be explicitly against the rules. Even if it's not, the social implications of an interloper from another program may be bad for you, professional development wise.

Also be aware that "cheap," like a coffee shop, really adds up over time, and free doesn't provide a locking drawer/semi known cohort.
posted by bilabial at 11:37 AM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Appreciate all the suggestions so far! Just to clarify on this point - access to the room is by key card only, and carrells are assigned to students in my (small) cohort. It's important to me to have a space in the building to serve as 'home base' - although I'm not TAing, my research lab doesn't have a great workspace for me so I'm usually just up there to meet with my supervisor and otherwise would be down at my carrell if not working from home.
posted by pants at 11:44 AM on August 6, 2013

Response by poster: Add'l tech specs: The PC is a Dell Dimension 2400, and yes, it was probably purchased in 2004 (and hasn't been cleaned since then, from what I can tell). The keyboard has a PS/2 connector so would need an adapter to work with the MacBook. Monitor is VGA, same there. Mouse is USB, I like the idea of using with my laptop; I'll add a public health themed mousepad to the shopping list!
posted by pants at 2:13 PM on August 6, 2013

I used my POS dell to host / mirror subversion repos and a mini apache server for sharing documents / files with collaborators. I could ssh (and later nx) into it for access to ForRealsOnlyOnCampus resources. I put up art from the little ones in the family. The dying plants of office-mates over the years were more demoralizing than anything. You don't have a ton of space for storing papers, so I took to tearing off the front page of articles I wanted to remember with my notes on that page and storing them thematically. Over the years a number of people seemed to like yoga-ball as seat.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 3:13 PM on August 6, 2013

pet sea monkeys
posted by Jacqueline at 1:22 AM on August 7, 2013