It's the third day of classes and your dorm room is already a mess. You've got half-unpacked bags across the floor, the laundry's piling up and is that already a small pile of empty beer cans in the corner (tisk-tisk... drinking age is 21 guys!) Suddenly, you've got a paper due at the end of the week and you can barely make room on your desk for the computer, let alone space to organize you notes and your thoughts.

In case you hadn't already realized, you're going to have to make yourself a study space. Fortunately, on a college campus, finding a good study space is nearly as easy as finding a party (and probably a lot more useful on Sunday morning). Here are some tips on finding, and using, the prefect study space.

Your Dorm Room While your dorm room can be full of distractions such as televisions, sound systems, or roommates, it has the benefit of always being available and relatively private. If you want to use your dorm room as your study space, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, never do work on your bed. It's too easy to drift off during the day, or be unable to fall asleep at night because you associate the space with school work. Make sure you have a desk or floor space where you can spread out and use for studying only. Second, make sure you can keep the area quiet if you need to. If you roommate's band practices right next to your desk, you might want to think about finding another area. Check out the PBteen study space design tips for some ideas on how to transform your dorm into the perfect place for homework.

The Library A classic when it comes to homework, this space has the added benefit of being an entirely different location, free of most of the distractions that might be found in your room. You also have the added bonus of being near the resources that you might need to access during your studies. Watch out, though, during peak hours and days (right before finals, for instance), the numbers of people in the library might make it difficult to find study space, or easy to get distracted by chatting with friends.

The Student Center Many schools have open student centers that are available as study spaces or for group meetings. While it may be nice to get out of your dorm room, the high rate of traffic through the student center might make it difficult to focus on your work. This space should also be avoided if there is loud music playing in the area.

Classrooms Fortunately for you, classrooms aren't used twenty four hours a day and that means they're available for your own private study space in the evenings. Although some colleges lock up academic buildings, unlocked classrooms make a great place to study as you already associate the area with doing work. Just make sure to have all of your resources, a snack and some water with you so you don't have to run back across campus for anything you've forgotten.

Other study spaces There are numerous other places on campuses you can use for studying. If the weather's nice, look for some outdoor areas where you can read comfortably. Many schools have private study rooms available either in the libraries or student centers. Even your dorm room lounges might be good, distraction-free places to get some work done.

Make sure you find your favorite study place early in the year and keep using the same location. When it comes time for finals, you'll be glad you have such a great routine for your studies.