After spending 12+ hours in the good ol’ Reg, it’s enough to make you never want to return again. Instead of the going back to the Reg or Harper, or resigning yourself to the crowded student cafes, try out something new. Below are a few of my favorite “secret” study spots—places people overlook or forget even exist.
Smart Museum
Providing a chic open space and delicious coffee and food from Medici, Foodism, and more, the Smart Museum is a great spot to hunker down in. The café area is quiet yet inspiring with its high ceiling, white floor and walls, and modern art fixtures—a far cry from the suffocating gloom of the Reg—and the galleries offer a unique study break. Come here to get your creative thinking going or to cram for a physics midterm.
Seminary Co-op
Not many people think of the Co-op as an ideal study spot, but its new location at 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. offers spacious room (Gasp! We know it’s shocking, but don’t worry, the artfully constructed bookshelves still give a maze-like feel) as well as tables and chairs for studying. Students won’t feel cramped with the glass windows and sleek furnishings. Enjoy this quiet space while having an expansive book selection and resources at your fingertips.
Logan Center
If you’re willing to make the trek past Midway, there’s no better spot. Plop down in the comfy booths in the glass-walled café and fuel up with its gourmet selections (such as butternut squash soup and artisan wraps), or wander the building, finding one of its many nooks that come equipped with couches and tables. The breathtaking view on the higher levels and relative quiet will ease the pain of studying.
Booth
Whether you sit in the central study space filled with hard-at-work business students, the café with its comfy booths (as you can tell, I really like booths), or one of the many couched spots throughout the building, this expansive space will offer you an intense yet open environment for serious work. At the very least, watching the high-strung business students will make you feel guilty for not doing work.
Alumni House
Most people don’t know that the Alumni House at 5555 S Woodlawn Ave. is open to students and visitors all day. Study in the cozy Klowden Family Library, which feels like a place out of a fancy manor house with its leather couches, fireplace, and University books and memorabilia, or commandeer one of the many quiet spaces on the second floor. The staff is friendly and will welcome you with open arms.
OMSA
The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, or OMSA, is another one of those best-kept secrets. The house-like building at 5710 S. Woodlawn Ave. welcomes all students at almost all hours of the day (open to 11 pm most days) and has many open study spots and collaborative spaces, so long as they have not been booked by student organizations. There’s often some sort of study break or open event or meeting going on, as well, meaning free food and conversation. Stop by for free hot chocolate on Wednesdays.