As finals season dawns upon us, here are some of my favorite study spots throughout campus that are perfect for little busywork, hardcore all-nighters, and everything in between!
- Pavement Coffee Shop
-
Pavement Coffee Shop is my favorite spot around campus because of its great work environment and, of course, delicious coffee. A mere five minute walk off-campus, the coffee shop is always bustling with college students working hard with laptops, textbooks, and group meetings scattered around the cafe. I work best in a lively environment, so this cafe is perfect for writing papers, taking textbook notes, and just doing homework. To further set the mood, calm indie music is played over the speakers, so as to not distract people from their work. My favorite spot in the cafe is the seating by the window as it provides good natural lighting, and being able to see outside makes me not feel like I am trapped for hours as I type away on my laptop. As an avid coffee lover, I especially like that I can grab a snack and a latte as I get my work done.
- Speare Hall Basement
-
On-campus I tend to study the most in the Speare basement common room. With a lot of seating, rooms, and outlets, Speare basement is the perfect place to meet up with friends and have a long night of homework. Since my friends and I live in Stetson West and Speare Halls, it is an easy meeting space where we can meet up at late hours without feeling uncomfortable about walking back to our dorms. What’s more, is that whilst not being a mandatory quiet space, we often have snacks and music breaks when the work begins to stress us out.
- Curry Student Center Balcony
-
One place that most people forget about is the balcony in Curry Student Center. Accessible via the second floor, the balcony has an array of colorful beach-esque lounge chairs as well as tables that are perfect to get work done on. On windy days, completing an assignment can be a bit of a hassle but on a nice day, the fresh breeze provides a relaxing work environment. I enjoy going on the balcony after picking up a drink from Starbucks to read over my study guides before my Communications’ tests and get some reading done for my News class.
- Snell Library CoLabs
-
As almost everyone knows, the go-to study spot on campus is Snell Library. Though they get crowded quickly, if you book a CoLab in advance, they are a great place to get some group work done or just have collaborative homework sessions. Since each of the rooms come equipped with whiteboards, it is helpful to work out problems or to visualize a to-do list. The TV screens are also useful in practicing group presentations or watching review videos to help study.
- Dorm Room
-
Though many people get distracted in their dorm rooms, I find that some days I work most efficiently in my room. If I have a difficult test coming up, I enjoy studying in my room with the windows open and lo-fi music playing on my speakers, creating a calm and comforting study environment—whereas studying in the library might make me more stressed because the environment is quite tense. I also enjoy that I easily can take breaks and plan out mini-goals in order to motivate myself.