It's about 2 p.m. on Monday and Dan Perkins is spending his very first day of college at MSU in the Main Library.

The third floor looks like a ghost town - empty tables, desolate workstations, maybe a tumbleweed or two - but the pre-dental freshman has quietly scrutinized his CHEM 141 workbook there for nearly half an hour.

He flashes a sheepish grin.

"I might as well get started off right," he says.

Two floors below, the library looks fairly normal. Students have trouble finding a vacant computer, tables are cluttered with textbooks, and a line is beginning to form at the Cyber Cafe.

Glancing around, it becomes apparent that more students than MSU's reputation might suggest take their assignments seriously - even only a few hours after the school year begins.

And with good reason. A student's study habits can be the difference between a spot on the dean's list and being shackled in academic probation here at MSU.

Some choose to do their work at night, holing up into the wee hours in coffeehouses and study lounges. For others, study time begins with the shriek of an alarm at the crack of dawn.

But no matter when students find time to hit the books, they should be efficient. Experts advocate a number of general strategies to ensure productive study time.

Fred Barton, coordinator of the Learning Resources Center in 202 Bessey Hall, said students should study their most difficult subjects first.

"A lot of times they will put the hardest subject last and that makes the time they spend on that subject less efficient," Barton said. "We recommend that students study the most challenging subjects at a time when they are most alert."

Barton also suggested students take breaks during long sessions and cautioned against cramming for tests.

"The brain needs time to process information and when you cram it all in there at once you are relying on short term memory," he said. "In classes where analysis or comparison is involved, you have to understand how material relates to itself and so cramming might not work."

With the arsenal of study equipment peddled by local stores seeming to grow each year - spectrums of new highlighters, ever-improving notebooks and assortments of space-aged pens abound - students have more ways than ever to attack their course work.

That might be a good thing.

According to Jennifer Karan, national director of Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions ACT and SAT programs, preparation and organization is the key to successful studying.

"To get in front of a test, you have to make sure you have all the tools necessary to study," she said. "Make sure you have information in relevant groups so you can access it easily."

Karan added that students should use multiple techniques when they study. She suggested they try strategies such as rewriting notes and reading material aloud.

To determine what methods of study will be most beneficial, the Learning Resources Center offers a free learning styles diagnostic test. The test, administered via computer and scored instantly, asks roughly 70 questions and compares the results to those of college students throughout the country. The results indicate whether someone is a visual, auditory, or tactile learner.

Barton explained that visual learners respond to tools such as charts and graphs, while auditory learners receive information better by listening and talking. Tactile learners benefit from being able to touch and manipulate subject matter. The bulk of the population, about 77 percent, is comprised of visual learners.

But for Neil Henne, the location where studying is accomplished is nearly as important as how.

"I like to peruse the campus for places to study," the urban and regional planning junior said. "Depending on what you study, a different variety is important."

On Monday, Henne chose the library's first floor to study for an urban planning class. He explained he chose the spot because; "It's good to have a social setting" while studying social sciences.

For math subjects, Henne noted that he prefers a "nice, quiet" setting, while the outdoors are an ideal place for him to study English.

No matter what type of setting you prefer, there are no limits to the on and off-campus places where students can log some quality study time.

The library is generally considered the Mecca for the university's most adamant pupils. At almost any hour of the day, the building is a torrent of frazzled students toting backpacks, highlighters and coffee cups.

The Union also offers some choice quiet space - particularly for women, who enjoy exclusive access to a women's lounge on the first floor as well as the Women's Resource Center on the third.

"It's usually less distracting here," said Sophia Lauricella, who was doing a bit of leisure reading on one of the lounge's many couches on Monday.

The business administration and political science junior added that she finds the women's lounge much more peaceful than the library.

"It's mostly a social event there," she said. "You see friends and don't get a lot done."

For dorm-dwellers, the most convenient and productive place to hit the books may be just outside the door in the residence hall study lounges. These range from immaculate - with overstuffed sofas and pristine tables and chairs - to fairly rustic (think 19th century schoolhouse).

And of course, there are the coffee houses that dot Grand River Avenue. Although they are not generally the most serene spots for a night of drudging through calculus problems, the city's cafes provide a social studying atmosphere.

But what if all of this isn't enough? What if you've bought all the latest high-tech study gear, stayed organized and found the perfect place to study for hours on end and you're still headed for expulsion?

Don't panic.

Nearly as endless as campus' study spots are the places where students can turn to for help with their studies.

Take the Learning Resources Center, for instance. It offers tutoring for roughly 70 courses at locations throughout campus. The center also sponsors informative seminars aimed at helping students achieve academic success.

If it's help on that 10-page term paper you're looking for, swing by 300 Bessey Hall. There lies the MSU Writing Center, which provides walk-in service for students seeking help with all aspects of their writing.

Individual colleges also offer help rooms which cover subjects ranging from accounting and physics, to writing and Romance languages. These fluctuate in time and place from semester to semester.

In addition to on-campus services, private tutors are never in short supply around MSU. They often will place classified ads in local newspapers - including this one - and sites such as www.allmsu.com feature a tutor search tailored to specific courses. Although these services are typically not free, they are usually more personal than going to a large help room.

In the end, studying is and always will be a necessary evil at MSU.

Studying is "critical," said geography Associate Professor Alan Arbogast, despite the exceptional few who can get by without it.

"There are people that can succeed in any given class and not have to work hard," he said. "For the majority of students out there, work is absolutely necessary to succeed."