Common room

A common room or student lounge is a type of shared lounge, most often found in halls of residence or dormitories, at universities, colleges,^[1] and sometimes military bases, hospitals, rest homes, hostels, and minimum-security prisons.^[2] They are often found in secondary schools and sixth form colleges, where they are designed to give students a space for relaxation and study.^[3]

Regular features include couches, televisions, coffee tables, and other generic lounge furniture for socializing.^[2] Depending on its location and purpose of use, a common room may be known by another name. For instance, in mental hospitals, where access is usually restricted to the daytime hours, this type of room is often called a "day room".^[2] In Singapore, the term usually refers to a bedroom without attached bathroom in an HDB apartment unit.^[4]

A 2003 study on the success of female physics majors found that the existence of a well-maintained student lounge was a marker of high success rates.^[5] Several studies conducted regarding gossip patterns have chosen the student lounge as an excellent choice for an unregulated environment.^[6][7][8] It has been noted that distance-learning courses should strive to provide a similar environment for casual conversation.^[9][10] The University of Texas held a contest to design its student lounges.^[11] The design of some student lounges have even won awards for the architects for their creations.^[12]