Singer Hall, named in honor of pioneering molecular biologist and biochemist Maxine Frank Singer (‘52), is Swarthmore’s newest academic building. It is home to the Biology, Engineering, and Psychology departments, and it is my favorite building on campus. Singer has lots of cool features, like the huge wall of glass which was specially designed to minimize bird strikes, and science-related art pieces throughout. But the main reason that I love Singer is its offering of diverse study spaces and how the atmosphere of those spaces evolves throughout the day. You could spend all day in the building (as I sometimes do on Saturdays) but vary your working environment every couple hours by packing up and walking a few steps down the hall to a different study space! The large atrium buzzes with activity, smaller independent study rooms work well for individual or group study sessions, and departmental lounges on each floor provide even more comfy seating options. Singer also has whiteboard walls galore that provide an ever-changing history of the activity, intellectual or otherwise, that last engaged students in that space. 

Evidence of our Organic Chemistry study session

Finally, there’s an abundance of natural light. A large portion of the building’s exterior is made of glass, and the sunshine coming into the building through the walls and ceiling never fails to brighten my day! Even though the midday period of maximum sunlight is great, the rise and set of the sun also add character to my time in Singer. (OK, I’ve never been there for the actual sunrise, but sometimes I do enjoy the morning sun slanting in from the east pretty early.) I’ve even taken pictures when the lighting in my study location was particularly inspiring, which I’ll use to take you on a tour of my favorite Singer study spots….

The Third Floor Biology Lounge

Welcome to the 3rd floor Biology Department Lounge! It features a whiteboard wall where my study group and I write out all the chemistry we know before each exam, two standard tables, and a cozier seating area with soft spinning chairs. From the lounge, I can see down into the atrium below, so it’s great for people watching. The chatter that rises up from the busy space below is a nice reminder that I am part of a whole community of students spending their Saturday engaged in academics. The sun cuts across the building and casts a golden glow over the lounge each evening, signaling the end of a productive day and the beginning of a (hopefully) productive evening. 

View from 3rd floor lounge as sun sets

I like to spend early mornings or late nights in The Atrium. In the morning, the rays of sunlight filtering through cast pretty patterns around the atrium.

Atrium in the morning

At night, I love how still and quiet it is after the wave of afternoon energy that fills the building. I try not to stay too late though, especially on a Saturday night. This semester my friends and I have made it a priority to have Saturday night movie nights after we finish our work day in Singer!

Singer Atrium at night

I discovered the 4th floor lounge beside the greenhouse by accident when I was hunting through the building at 8pm to find a spot to study during finals week at the end of my first semester. It’s a very small ‘lounge’ on the 4th floor beside the greenhouse. It only has two little round tables, but what makes it special is the warm yellow glow that comes in from the greenhouse after sunset. On a foggy night, the glow lights up the sky on the outside of the building.

Greenhouse on the roof glowing at night 

In the daytime, this spot offers a wide view over campus, and on a clear day, you can see all the way to nearby Philadelphia. 

View across campus from near greenhouse

I’ve seen some of the most beautiful sunsets of my life sitting beside the window wall on the Northwest side of Singer. The angle is perfect and the colors reflect off the glass walls of the classroom next door— if there is a pretty sunset that evening, I think that this spot is the best place to see it! 

Another beautiful Singer sunset

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of some special study spaces in Swarthmore’s Singer Hall.