Everyone knows the feeling of stepping into their campus library in the midst of finals season. Not an open table in sight, not a quiet space to be found. As if finals weren’t stress-inducing enough, finding the perfect place to study for the grueling tests on campus can truly be the nightmare before Christmas.
While it may have taken me three solid years and plenty of aimless wandering, I can confidently say that I’ve been able to pin down some of the best (and highly underrated) spots to study at the University of Texas here in Austin. While some people fancy hunkering down in one location to grind out their flashcards, others prefer a more mobile approach to studying. Enter: the campus crawl. Call it a cousin of the bar crawl, the campus crawl consists of changing up study spots every hour to a different location with the goal of staying active and focused. From cozy lounge chairs to breezy outdoor tables, these spots are some of the best to add to your campus crawl lineup this finals season.
1. Littlefield Patio & Cafe
Any successful study day starts with good food and even better coffee. In my opinion, Littlefield Cafe has the best coffee on campus and always has a variety of hot food, premade salads, bowls, sandwiches, and even ice cream! In addition to the brain fueling food options, everyone who dines in Littlefield Cafe is usually studying or working, making it a much quieter environment than other study spots on campus. Bonus if the weather is nice and you can enjoy the outdoor patio, which has tables and comfortable outdoor patio furniture.
2. ASE Building – McKnight Student Center
If you (like me) find yourself on the far north end of UT’s campus a bit too often, the walk to the Aerospace and Engineering Building is surprisingly worth the hike for a quiet and comfortable study space. There is an outdoor patio with plenty of tables, and the McKnight Student Center just steps inside. The only thing intimidating about this space may be complex math equations on whiteboards and engineering students discussing things way above the average pay grade at surrounding tables. The most notable highlight of this study spot is its distance away from Dean Keaton Street, which runs through north campus and can be far too noisy for anyone to focus.
3. CMA – Walter Cronkite Patio
Even if you’re not a student in the Moody College of Communications, the Walter Cronkite Patio at the CMA building is every outdoor studier’s dream. With moveable outdoor lawn chairs and side tables on an artificial grass lawn, this is a great place to bust open your Quizlet and work in a more laid-back atmosphere. It can sometimes get noisy in this area, but a pair of soundproof headphones will do the trick.
4. Texas Union – third Floor
As a journalism major, I don’t often find myself on the south end of UT’s campus, with the exception of my business Spanish classes. However, during my freshman year, I wandered through some of the most famous buildings to scope out the studying scene. During my quest, I discovered the third floor of the Texas Union, which features shared study cubbies, comfortable couch chairs, and multiple rooms to study in away from the bustle of the downstairs restaurants. The Union is always a great option if you find yourself in the middle of campus, or don’t feel like trekking too far off of Guadalupe Street.
5. WCP
If your classes do happen to land you near Speedway, the WCP is usually a decent option to hunker down for an extended period of time. There are multiple floors with comfortable seating and spacious indoor and outdoor tables. This location also has a microwave on the first floor for all the studiers who bring their lunch to campus (Chick-fil-a everyday is not financially responsible). I’ve found the outdoor patio and the third floor tables to be less crowded and a bit quieter during the busier months.