Throughout your collegiate career, you’ll probably sit at dozens of desks in dozens of classrooms. And as any Penn State student will learn very quickly as they go to their first batch of classes and club meetings, there’s quite a spectrum when it comes to desks. Just like Goldilocks found out, some are too small, while others are too hard. But a special few are juuuust right.

We sat down and compiled some of the most amazing and the most dismal desks on Penn State’s campus.

All Around Best Desk: BBH 002

The best desk at Penn State is a sleeper pick, as it’s not a very common lecture hall, and not many students will have class here. But, both the desks and chairs in this room are simply incredible.

The main benefit of these desks is the amount of room both in front of you to work, and behind you to allow other students to walk down the row. Plus, outlets at each seat makes taking a class in this room a luxury experience. The desks in some of Borland’s bigger rooms are very similar to these, so an honorable mention is due there.

Best Fold-Out Desks: Thomas 100

Many students dread taking classes in this 700+-seat lecture hall, but the classroom does an excellent job at handling this capacity. For having fold-out desks, Thomas gets the job done.

The folding desks here provide ample room for people to cut in front of you if you have the desk up, while also giving you a great work space. There is also plenty of space between the chairs, so you don’t have to bug your neighbor while folding your desk up or down.

The Lebron James Award For Being Straight Out Of High School: Sackett/Hammond

These desks are pretty much dead average in terms of ranking, and will hauntingly remind you of a high school classroom. From the gum on the desks to the baskets underneath some of the chairs, it truly feels like tenth grade again in these rooms. The desks are fine for taking notes or reading a textbook, but probably not both at once as they’re definitely on the smaller side.

The Ohio State Award For Being Hated By Every Penn State Student: Forum

This one is a no brainer. Taking a class in Forum is not a good time. The fold-out desks are somehow tiny while taking up an absurd amount of space at the same time, making getting in and out of any row in Forum an ordeal. The desks are old, dirty, and have almost no functional value. Osmond 117/119 is also a strong candidate for this award, but these vertigo inducing classrooms actually hold some merit for lab-based activities.

Most Functional: Un-Renovated East Halls

One of the few redeeming qualities about the older buildings in East Halls is the incredible desks. These hunks of wood really do it all, folks. The unique U-shape allows 180 degree access to desk space as well as a handful of cabinets and organization sections. This setup actually makes the limited amount of space in your dorm room feel much more open, functional, and tailored to your personal needs.

The Sean Clifford Award For Being A Dual Threat: Willard 262

Many students dread taking classes in Willard due to some of the cramped, general purpose classrooms. However, some of the older and bigger classrooms possess a hidden gem: dual-threat desks. These rooms not only feature comfortable, but fold out desks that come out on both the right and left side. This creates a super useful medium between convenience and function.

Worst Overall Desk: Willard 267

These desks are very bad. It’s actually kind of funny how small and absolutely useless these desks are. We wouldn’t be surprised if these tiny pieces of wood are untouched from Willard’s original construction in 1949, despised by Penn State students for over 70 years. Taking a class in this room should definitely be a worse case scenario type of situation.

There are a lot of desks at Penn State, some are good, others not so much. If we missed any special desk awards, or if you have strong feelings about any desks on campus, let us know.

Carnegie 113: The Jim Harbaugh’s Big Ten Title Award for Not Existing

Good luck balancing your notebook on your lap and taking a test while leaning on wooden board.