With the new school year just around the bend, it’s time to start considering what you might need to do to get those amazing grades we are all desperately hoping to achieve. In all seriousness though, whether you are an incoming freshman or a few months from graduating, finding the right place to study is essential to making the most of your academic time at DU.
One thing to note is that finding the right place to study is hard. You have to decide what kind of atmosphere suits your needs. Some like places that let them really spread out my work and focus, places that aren’t too loud or too busy but are less stuffy than a library. Others like complete and total silence, while their friends may love loud places. This guide will give you a rundown of all the best places to study, you should take a look around campus and see what works best for you.
The Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science is home to several awesome study spots. It is located on the southern end of campus which makes it a great place to study if you have a class near by and don’t want to sit in the library.
On the bottom floor is WOW Cafe. This is a great place to study if you want some good food (and free soda refills), a little background noise and a wide open area for studying.
On the same floor, just to the right of WOW, is a huge room full of comfy chairs, dry erase boards, conference tables, TV monitors and more power outlets than you could possibly know what to do with. This is a great place for working on group projects. There is a little background noise but it is nice and open, and most importantly, it is usually full of computer science, engineering and math geniuses who can lend a helping hand with your more difficult STEM based classes.
Another great on campus building for studying is the Driscoll Student Center. Since it is located in a more central area on campus, it is a perfect place to go in between classes.
Jazzman’s is a great little coffee shop located on the second floor of Driscoll North. Jazzman’s is quiet except for the soft jazz playing in the background. It has an array of seating options, like couches, a computer bar, small cafe tables and one large conference style table, which gives students several different types of atmospheres. Even though Jazzman’s closes at 5 p.m., it is a great (even quieter) place to study after hours.
Driscoll is also home to the, under utilized, Driscoll Underground. Located just past the Subway on the bottom floor of Driscoll North, Driscoll Underground is a spacious and quiet rec area. The nice part about this space is that there are rarely more than a couple other students there at one time. Driscoll Underground is accessible all day and is away from most of the Driscoll foot traffic which definitely helps to cut down on unwanted distractions.
One extremely popular off campus study spot is Kaladi Coffee Roasters on Evans. This little coffee house is always busy, but they offer delectable coffee and an inviting, relaxed atmosphere. If you like to study with friends, this is definitely the place to be.
Despite all these other great options, can never forget how productive studying in Anderson Academic Commons (AAC), our library, can be. Not only is AAC located in the middle of campus, but there is a wide array of studying environments readily available. Depending on your learning style, Anderson has three different floors, all with different noise levels. The bottom floor is so quiet that you need not worry about distractions. The main floor has a coffee shop for students who want to relax while they work, math and language centers for assisted learning, giant booths that are good for private learning (in a social climate) and a media center, computer lab and a tech center to help make sure you have all the resources you need. Finally the top floor is much quieter than the main floor but not nearly as silent as the first floor which gives students a happy medium between the two. Up here there are also some great private study rooms which are perfect for either group studying or if you just really like to spread out and hunker down for a day of private study.
And finally, it is important to remember that not everyone likes to study in a coffee shop or a library. Sometimes the best place to study is in your own room where you can relax and stay up until 4 a.m. if need be. For some people the familiarity of their own dorm or apartment makes them feel like they have full control over their environment. You can determine how loud it is and who you study with. You can study whenever you get the time and without the worry of getting kicked out because the building is closing. Studying in your own room is studying 100% on your own terms. Just remember to study and not watch Netflix.
