Opinion: An Expert Ranking of Campus Couches by Napability

A young adult wearing jeans and a sweatshirt lays down on a purple, patterned couch. Behind them is a plum-colored wall hosting a map of Michigan. — The author, Ann Arbor junior Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal, naps on a couch in one of the library’s study rooms. This is just one of many couches Kincaid-Beal has napped on in their time at Albion (Photo illustration courtesy of Khalila Simon).

As someone who’s afraid of everyone and everything all the time, you might assume I wouldn’t be comfortable with completely conking out in public places. You’d be wrong.

The only thing stronger than my anxiety is my sleepiness.

I get eight hours of sleep a night, and I drink a normal amount of caffeine – I truly don’t know what’s wrong with me. Whatever it is, I know this: I am so sleepy all the time. If I don’t nap, I spend my afternoon and evening exhausted and unfocused.

Enter my saving grace: campus couches. Albion has a host of glorious couches that are perfect for the in-between-classes-nap.

These were especially important to me when I was a first-year, and didn’t want to walk all the way back to Wesley in the middle of the day for a nap.

I made a vow to myself that year: I would nap on every couch on this campus. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to complete this goal, but I do believe I’ve napped on somewhere between 10 and 15 couches so far.

So I lay on a couch before you today, with years of campus couch surfing experience, ready to share my secrets: the best places to nap at Albion College.

The Criteria

What makes a good napping couch can be broken down into three categories: comfort, privacy and quiet.

I’ve been known to nap in the occasional chair, but chairs tend to earn themselves negative comfort points, so I won’t be recommending any here.

To me, a comfortable couch is not only soft and cushy but is long enough for my legs to stretch out.

Privacy and quiet seem like pretty self-explanatory categories. While I’m fine with napping in public, it does make it easier to relax if there aren’t people sitting all around or walking past me every five seconds.

Without further ado, I present to you six of the best napping couches on campus, ranked from excellent to pretty good.

Number One: Couch in Study Room Two of the Library

I discovered this couch fairly recently, and I think it might become my go-to spot. It’s in a study room, so it’s pretty much the most privacy you can have within an academic building. You can book it for an hour, and it’s basically like a mini short-term hotel room.

This one’s also a full-length couch, which is an exciting find among all the smaller, two-cushion couches on campus. There’s full room to spread out, and it’s pretty cushy. Plus, it’s right next to a window, and some afternoons the sun shines right on it, so you can sleep in the sun like a little cat. That’s a big bonus for me, personally.

Number Two: Couch Between Bookshelves on Second Floor of Mudd

A brown couch and a wooden table sit in a library. In the background is another wooden table and chairs, and all around are bookshelves full of books. — A couch, a table and several bookshelves on the second floor of the Mudd library (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).

If you get to the second floor of Mudd and somebody’s already in study room two, never fear! There is another prime napping couch mere feet away. In between some bookshelves, there’s a second full-length couch. It’s not in its own room, but the bookshelves still give it a good amount of privacy. Plus, that floor is considered a quiet study area, so you don’t have to worry about anyone being loud around you.

I think this couch is a bit less comfortable than the one in the study room, but it’ll do in a pinch.

Number Three: Couches in Olin Greenhouse

Two lime green couches sit parallel to each other, with a wooden table in between them. In the background is a wall made up of bricks and windows. — Two couches in Olin’s greenhouse (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).

Moving away from the library, another one of my favorite sleeping spots is the Olin greenhouse. It has multiple full-length couches, and they’re all green, which is fun! It’s especially nice when it’s warmer out and there’s some sun shining in through the glass.

There tend to be at least a few people hanging out in the greenhouse, but in my experience, it’s still a pretty quiet place.

Number Four: KC Living Room Couch

A dark brown couch with three cushions sits on a wood floor. On the wall behind it is a large plastic plaque with lots of writing on it. — A brown couch on the first floor of the KC, in the living room (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).

This couch scores high in comfort, but pretty low in terms of privacy and quiet. It’s in an open space, and pretty close to the front door.

I’m trying to shout out couches in a bunch of different buildings, so that there’s an accessible option for everyone, and this couch is the best napping spot in the KC. You might think the fourth floor would have some good couches, but you would be wrong. It’s almost all chairs up there, sadly.

Number Five: Couch on the Second Floor of Vulgamore

A dark green couch with two matching pillows sits in front of a glass wall with wood paneling. Sunlight shines in from a window behind it. — A green couch at the end of the hall of the second floor of Vulgamore (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).

This couch, unfortunately, is a two-cushioner, but it makes up for it with pillows! Those, paired with the puffy cushions, make this a very comfortable couch despite its size. As an English major, I spend a lot of time in Vulgamore, so this couch is a very useful option for me. The only problem is that it’s right next to a staircase, and the footsteps and sound of the door opening are a little bothersome.

Here’s a hack, though: if you nap within a common class period, for example, 1-2:05 p.m., there will be less traffic through the area.

Number Six: Couch on the Third Floor of Robinson

A light purple patterned couch sits on a gray carpet. There is a white and brown pillow on the couch, and behind it is a beige wall with wood paneling. — A couch on the third floor of Robinson, at the end of the hall (Photo by Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal).

If you spend more time in Robinson than Vulgamore I would recommend this little couch, which is also cozy and has a pillow. Also, it’s purple, which is an uncommon color for a couch to be, and I love it.

It’s in a little nook at the end of the hallway, which gives it some privacy, but I imagine you would still hear noise from the classrooms and offices down the hall.

Honorary Mentions: Worst Places to Nap

Having given you a lot of solid napping options, there are a few other places I’d like to tell you about, as a warning.

Now, I’m not proud to say this, but I’ve slept in booths in Baldwin before. As I said at the beginning, I am a sleepy guy, and sometimes meal time becomes nap time, by accident. Booths are just like little couches with a table in the middle, but unfortunately, they’re in the worst possible location noise and privacy-wise.

If you get sleepy after eating, I urge you to stay strong and walk the 300 feet to the perfectly acceptable couch in Vulgamore.

I’d also recommend you stay away from any sort of cushioned bench, many of which adorn the hallways of Robinson and Olin. You might think, “those are couch adjacent, that’s good enough,” but it’s not! Sleeping on a short, hard bench in the middle of a hallway sucks; you will not feel rejuvenated afterward, you will only feel sadness.

Wrapping Up (in a Blanket)

I would love for my impact on this campus to be “they told us where all the good nap spots are.” If you remember nothing else about me, let this article be my legacy.

If you too are a very sleepy person who needs a lot of naps, you are not alone! While there is no shame in falling asleep in class (which I have also done) there is no shame in a little nappy nap.

If I try to go for one of my napping spots, and you’re already there, I promise not to be mad. I will just assume that you read this, and feel pride in my contribution to Albion College’s community.

Then, I will go nap somewhere else – one of the top-secret spots that isn’t even on this list.