Wellesley College grabbed top honors this week, ranking number one in “Napping Quality” in the 2017 U.S. News Best College rankings released on Tuesday, Sept. 13. Cornell University and University of California, Los Angeles, tied for second place, while Amherst College took the third place spot.
The authors of the annual rankings collected data from more than one thousand colleges and universities nationwide and ranked them, accounting for a number of factors such as number of couches on campus, comfort of chairs and temperature of academic buildings.
A number of students have had experiences napping in public spaces around campus. Samantha Silverstein ’18, a Biochemistry major who often naps before her afternoon labs, describes the orange cubicles in the far corner of the Science Library as the optimal napping location.
“I sometimes bring an extra sweatshirt in my backpack to use as a pillow,” said Silverstein. “The frigid temperatures of the Science Center just puts me right to sleep, which is great since I usually stay up all night doing problem sets.”
Jennifer Bolton ’17 also shared her favorite spots on Wellesley’s campus. “When it’s warm outside, I bring a towel and sprawl out on Sev Green. But when the geese migrate back and poop everywhere, I nap in the Cow Chair Room in Lulu. There are some really quality spots near the fireplace,” Bolton added.
Wellesley’s administration is very proud of this year’s ranking. Ferdinand Rogers, Dean of Campus Life, describes a campus-wide initiative last year that helped bolster the College’s prestigious napping program. “We really wanted students to feel comfortable around campus especially when their Philosophy course readings were putting them to sleep. That’s why we spent a large portion of our budget on purchasing soft lounge chairs and dispersing them around our academic libraries,” Rogers said. “In addition, we hope to further improve our napping program by offering a ‘Bedding Reserve Program,’ where students studying in the library may borrow pillows or blankets to bolster their experience.”
Wellesley College also ranked tenth in the nation for “Most Interesting Food Offerings in the Dining Halls” and tied for eighth place with Swarthmore College for “Students with a Melatonin Addiction.”
