Change location: Stepping out of your comfort home to study in cafes.
It is halfway through the semester, which means exams and assignments are close to due dates. Students also put their best effort into their college assignments, sometimes working graveyard shifts just to study. The thing is, recently I’ve noticed that studying at home doesn’t give me the “buzz” to get some work done, whereas studying in a comfortable cafe or library can sometimes make me study harder than at home.
According to a study made by the researchers Joan Meyers‐Levy and Rui (Juliet) Zhu, they said that open, high-ceilinged rooms may also stimulate creativity, in that case libraries or cafes with large open rooms could be an example of why students get motivated to study.
In order to find out if this study is accurate and also to know if many students feel this way, I talked to several students and asked about their preferred method for studying: do they study in cafes, at college, or at home? After doing some research, I found that students prefer studying in cafes and libraries because they get a higher buzz in those environments, and some said that it helps them to stay productive.
PINOY AMBIANCE
A number of Filipino students spoke to the College View about their preferred studying environment, explaining that these environments have their pros and cons. Taking it into consideration, budget, time and energy could be a factor when it comes to choosing where to study.
Ramsel Bernice Infanta (20), a computer science student at University of Northern Philippines, prefers to study in cafes because of the “nice ambiance” and “no distractions”.
She shared that studying in cafes allows her to focus extremely well, which makes her “study faster and more efficiently.” She even recommends that other students should study in cafes, however, disadvantages can also come across considering the expenses on transportation fares and food. Although Ramsel prefers to study in cafes, the “budget crisis” has her inclined to study more at home.
Speaking about budget, another student from the same university talked to the College View about his preferred studying environment.
The 21-year-old social studies student said that “cafes can be loud sometimes, but I picked a cafe that is quiet”, revealing that most of the customers there are either studying or working. Like cafes, studying at home could also be challenging for him, as his attention can drift to playing online games.
“That is why I prefer studying outside even if I have to cost money for it,” he added.
According to an article published by the New York Times in 2013, a hum of a coffee shop can boost creativity. This proves the point, why some students are saying that studying in cafes feels more comfortable than studying at home.
COFFEE SHOPS
Hammad Haque (20), also said the same thing about studying in the library or in a cafe describing it as “somewhere that is quiet and not distracting”. Studying at home can be “too comfortable” and procrastination could be a big problem. After studying in cafes, Hammad found that it worked for him and even improved his grades.
“My grades improve because of the fact that I am making sure to get my work or study done before going home,” said Hammad.
Cafés are also a great place to study while sipping your oat milk latte or pumpkin spice latte while typing up an 800-word assignment due tomorrow.
“I feel like I don’t get any work done at home, but if I go into a cafe or the library I have to commit to doing work, it’s also nice to treat yourself with coffee or hot chocolate,” said one student.
My small study revealed that I’m not the only student who thinks studying at home doesn’t give the same buzz as before, working outside the house stimulates our creativity and helps us avoid sleeping or procrastinating. However, it is important to keep in mind that there are a variety of considerations to take into account, such as making sure that we are actually making use of our time studying, plus spending too much money on coffee can also be a concern. Regardless of what, how or where we study, it is our responsibility to study efficiently and find what works for us.
Hannah Giron Daygo
Photo by Alex Samuels on Unsplash