As the semester has ended and students head home for break, it is never too early to think about where to study and get homework done for your next round of classes. 

When picking a place to study, it can be hard to imagine where to start. The University of Arizona Main Library may be the first and most obvious choice. However, while it provides many resources, study rooms fill quickly and common areas become crowded. Here are a few other places to look to lock in.

Cafes and outdoor seating areas

Places to start looking for are cafes and nice seating areas. Around the UA, there are places like Snakes and Lattes, Panera and Scented Leaf along University Boulevard and Park Avenue.

Cafes can provide an aesthetic environment with lighting and decorations that encourage and inspire students to be productive while also fueling them. 

These locations also provide space for group work with an environment conducive to socialization; conversations are easy.

While not necessarily cafes, there are spots around campus like the small and almost hidden corner by the vending machines by the UA Campus Store where some students go to study.

“It’s shady here and the breeze comes in, so it’s much cooler in this area than a lot of other places on campus and usually the library is already full and if you don’t get a study room it gets a little complicated,” said Abril Garcia, a UA junior. 

As Garcia described, the environment that a student is surrounded by plays a large factor in where they choose to study.

Libraries

The UA has many different libraries and buildings that provide students with more study rooms and less commotion. 

A few of these include Bear Down Gymnasium, the Science-Engineering Library, the Health Sciences Innovation Building and the new Grand Challenges Research Building right by the Cherry Avenue Parking Garage.

These buildings provide resources that students tend to need, especially during finals: study rooms and quiet to focus. 

The Health Sciences Innovation Building is a newer building with amenities students enjoy.

“It’s a relatively new building and they also have a cafe in there and a lot of study rooms are always available so I don’t have to go looking for one,” Carrington Little, a UA sophomore, said. 

From the name, Bear Down Gym may not be the first place one starts looking for study locations; however, the location provides good corners and rooms to lock in.

“I go to the the Bear Down building in the tucked-away spots. I like the sense that I’m safe and I know that it gives me confidence to do good and also gives me motivation to keep going,” UA sophomore Zavion Stringer said. 

Department buildings and on-campus desk jobs

More niche locations students utilize are their department buildings and on-campus desk jobs. While these are not as common to come across, when given the opportunity to use these spaces, students take it as a chance to get homework done and additional studying in. 

“I really like coming to Panera or Scented [Leaf] but those places get kind of populated during the day. So, I really like going to my department building. We have research labs and study spaces available so I go there. I know there’s not a lot of majors that have those kinds of spaces available but then I also go to the Honors College that has good study spaces,” said Ashley Mentor, a Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences senior. 

Bonus study tips

Everyone has their techniques that they continue to return to when it’s time for them to lock in. If you are looking to add some new tools to your toolbox, here are a few techniques recommended by students across campus:

“I use the Pomodoro Technique, so I do 60-minute focus, five-minute break, and then I like listening to instrumental music, so Lo-Fi and right now Christmas jazz,” Mentor said.

“I like to do a time-lapse of myself studying so I can’t use my phone,” Lidtle said.

“I usually listen to Lana Del Rey and then just sit by myself for a few hours,” Connor Carney, a UA junior, said.

“I like to listen to EDM and stuff because it’s repetitive and it helps a lot to really focus,” said sophomore Sarah Holligan.

“I just go over my notes and go back through slideshows and talk myself through it and see what makes sense and what doesn’t and then talk to my roommates and ask if it makes sense. Sometimes I even call my mom and ask ‘Hey can I explain this to you,’” Stringer said.

Whether you listen to EDM or classical instrumental music, record yourself or turn to a specific method of studying, finding what works best for you is what is most important. If you haven’t found your groove yet, try out these tips to learn what does and doesn’t work for you and go from there.

For more information about the various types of services and academic resources available at the university, you can go to the public map to see what is available and where to find them.

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