On Sunday, December 10, many students at Western University will write their first finals, creating a studious environment throughout and just outside of campus, as students scope for the best places to study.
Popular spots on campus include Weldon Library and Taylor Library, but they are normally full. Lucky for students, there are many other places to study on and off campus that are not as populated. Such places include cafés, like Coffee Culture, and the Central Branch of the London Public Library.
Located at the intersection of Dundas and Wellington, Coffee Culture provides a very calm ambience where individuals can comfortably complete their work. The coffee shop provides free wifi for their customers, so students can bring in their laptops. Additionally, there are individual tables and open booths, so people can choose to work in an open area or a closed off one.
“What I love most about working at a café like Coffee Culture is the white noise. White noise is just a lot of background buzz, which at a consistent volume blurs together and distracts me from other thoughts going on in my mind, limiting my tendency to procrastinate. Studying feels less stressful because of the open environment,” said Shubhangi Shah, a second year medical sciences student.
Studying in the more casual environment of Coffee Culture may be better for the students who get anxious from the seriousness of places like Weldon Library.
Another off-campus location to get some studying done is London Public Library. The library is very quiet and less crowded than campus libraries as fewer students are willing to travel off campus. With the distance also comes the advantage of not running into friends or other distractions, encouraging productivity.
“As I remember, the London library had a really good environment—it seemed disconnected from Western. During finals, campus can get very overwhelming for me, so this was a nice break. Overall, I really liked the vibes,” said Sree Gandhi, also a second year medical sciences student.
An interesting feature of the library is that unless you have a London library card, you cannot access the wifi. Therefore, if a student has all their notes written out or already saved on their laptop, they can engage in an intense study session with less distractions.
For students interested in obtaining a library card, the process is very simple: provide two pieces of ID and a Western One card. The library also provides computer and printer services.
Despite the many study spots off campus, there are plenty of spots on campus for students who prefer to study at Western. A second year nursing student, Ravneet Randhawa, said, “I like staying near the area where Weldon is located, usually at UCC, because of bussing and food convenience, but I don’t like the library itself.”
The University Community Centre (UCC) has many booths, tables and cubicles available on the third floor. This spot provides distance from the businesses of the UCC while maintaining white noise at a consistent level, blurring out other distractions. However, as the UCC is a popular choice for many students, it is wise to get to the cubicles early.
“There are only a handful of cubicles, which can be good and bad—good because it is less intimidating than the library, but bad because if I get there later, they are usually all taken”, says Randhawa.
The beauty and professionalism of the Ivey Building makes it another great choice for on-campus studying. Although study rooms can only be accessed and booked by Ivey students, there are many tables in the halls and in the library that any student can use. The openness of the area and the big windows create a motivating and positive environment to get some work done. Also, because it is located further from the centre of campus, it is least likely to be full.
Overall, whether it be an interactive environment like a coffee shop or a completely silent environment like the Ivey Building, Western students have plenty of options where they can study.
So, choose your location wisely and let us know in the comments below of any other places you think are great for studying!
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