Students Really Cram at Deli Near Campus

Lauren Charles was functioning -- just barely -- on two hours of sleep. She had taken a Spanish final that morning and still had to study for the next day’s exam in molecular cell biology.

So she did what seemed like her only option at that moment: She ordered a 32-ounce Diet Coke.

This week thousands of UCLA students studied for winter finals, which end today, by hunkering down in libraries or locking themselves in their dorms. But Charles and dozens of others flocked to a cool alternative study hall, one with pastrami: Jerry’s Famous Deli in Westwood.

Charles was among the 40 or so students who gathered on the second floor of the restaurant Monday night, her fifth in a row. Last weekend, the sophomore spent 14 1/2 hours there -- each day.

A few tables away, senior Daniel Vaswani labored on his honors thesis, while Laura Branch, also a senior, studied for her music history exam. Strewn across their table were empty coffee cups, sugar packets and creamer containers.

For years, students have been going to the restaurant on Weyburn Avenue, where management allows students to study on the second floor without requiring them to order any food.

Open daily from 7 a.m. to midnight, the area, which seats 85, has become popular through word of mouth.

Many of the Jerry’s devotees say the libraries are too quiet, too stressful, too stuffy. And crowded: If you don’t go early in the day, you might not find a seat. Dorms and apartments have their own distractions.

“It’s hard to study in my apartment,” Branch said. “I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep or watch TV.”

Charles finished her finals Tuesday, but Branch didn’t expect to get any rest until today.

By midweek, the stress and lack of sleep seemed to have taken a toll: Branch showed up at Jerry’s on Monday in jeans and a neat green sweater. On Tuesday, it was warm-up pants and a tank top. She was wearing the same outfit Wednesday.

“My uniform is sweat pants,” said junior Carrie Hamerslag, who came to Jerry’s on Tuesday in the ones she had slept in the night before. “I don’t have much time for laundry.”

During test-taking time, it seems that students don’t have much time for anything besides schoolwork.

Juniors Cynthia Kim and Jennifer Wong, who normally cook dinner at their apartment, say they stock up on microwaveable food for finals week. Vaswani, the one working on his thesis, said he often skips shaving. Indeed, he had a bit of stubble.

On Thursday afternoon, Branch headed for Jerry’s for the last time -- at least until June, when finals return.

Such Jerry’s regulars say the noise -- the chatter of customers on the first floor and the clanking of dishes in the kitchen -- helps keep them awake.

They also like being able to stretch their legs, walk around and talk to their study buddies without worrying about a shushing librarian.

And they like the food. Even though they don’t have to purchase anything, most of them do.

They say they prefer Jerry’s over some other popular off-campus study places because there’s free Internet access and less foot traffic.

The big tables help, especially when space is needed for a laptop, books, a binder, note cards, highlighters, pens and a phone.

And, this being L.A., there’s the occasional brush with someone famous. Last week, Lien Trinh and Michelle Jhun said they saw rapper Master P -- also of recent “Dancing With the Stars” fame -- at the takeout counter.

Some study on the first floor, which is open until 2 a.m. but where they must order something from the menu. Popular items -- at least among students -- include sweet potato fries, matzo ball soup and chicken tenders.

Seniors Jessica Baukol and Julia Jones, who were studying for a Greek history exam Wednesday night, said what they like most about Jerry’s is being able to talk to each other, which they can’t do in the library.

“We study the best when we are conversing,” Jones said. “This is an interactive studying environment.”

Throughout the night, they read aloud from their study guides, talking about 413 BC Athens and Spartan King Agis over french fries, chocolate fudge cake and coffee.

Being able to ask each other questions and go over problems also drew Sabrena Wolf and Michael Khoi Nguyen, both fifth-year seniors, to Jerry’s the night before their exam in game theory.

“How do you solve this? The cube root of four? What am I doing?” Wolf asked aloud. No one answered and she scribbled away. A few minutes later, she asked Nguyen: “Did you check your answer? Is it right?”

“It’s right. I know it’s right,” he said. “Do you want to take a break after chapter four?”

What the students do on breaks runs the gamut.

Vaswani watches episodes of the HBO show “Entourage” on his laptop. (He also plays them in the background while he writes.)

Some make phone calls or send text messages. Others check e-mail and surf the Internet -- especially social networking websites like Facebook.com and MySpace.com.

At 12:01 Thursday, a restaurant staff member announced over the loudspeaker, “Attention all students, the second floor is now closed.”

For a few minutes, no one moved. Then, four students grudgingly packed up and left. Ten minutes later, about a dozen people were still studying away.

At 12:12 came another announcement: “Once again, the second floor is closed.”

Finally, the room cleared, the last two students walking down the stairs at 12:17.

“Jenna, where should we go?” asked junior Kacy Kunkel.

“I don’t know, I have to memorize 15 pages,” replied Jenna Murphy, a junior.

After a pit stop, the two headed to Denny’s, a few blocks away and open 24 hours.

Over pancakes and coffee, they continued to study, planning to soldier on until their 8 a.m. finals.

Murphy said she might go home to shower before her exam.

“A shower would be nice,” Kunkel agreed. “We’ll see how we feel at 6 a.m.”