Tier List: Study Spots
Exam season is approaching! Your paper is due in 3 days, your room feels stuffy, and you’re riddled with horrible FOMO (fear of missing out) as it gets warmer outside. April is the time for students to crawl out of their halls into the wild, scavenging all around London for best study spots with just the right atmosphere to focus on their assignments.
I picked some for you, rating them from worst to best in a fun tier list!
D-tier: London Transport
While this may be a viable option for a quick rep for a seminar you don’t quite recall being on your schedule, studying en-route is never the right choice. There is never enough space, it gets very noisy, you get travel-sick, and there is never a guarantee you will actually get a seat. A last-minute lifesaver, London transport is definitely a horrible study spot to submit your essay from. Although do give it a try to learn the valuable lesson of planning ahead.
C-tier: Student Union or at Home
Studying at home is a very popular lazy option for those in social hibernation for the exams – you don’t need to pack up, prepare for a study sesh, look for a partner and spend even more time travelling to your academic destination. However, it’s also the easiest place to procrastinate and find distractions, as your bed, fridge, telly, pets, friends, and family are right by your side. Plus, a change of setting can significantly reduce your exam-related anxiety and stress.
Another OK alternative could be your university’s student union. Goldsmiths SU building has a spacey social lounge and a café for you to slay your assignments. A big favourite of many, it unfortunately has yet to earn my preference, as I easily get distracted – it can get very noisy, all your uni friends are hanging around, and there is a big party space on the second floor. So many temptations and so few digits in my word count.
B-tier: Campus
Goldsmiths’ campus has a wide selection of social, individual, and creative spaces for you to study. We have wonderful practice studios, a massive Refectory with booths, and some hidden gems to go into hiding. You can even find a spare seminar room and have it all to yourself for a few hours! The atmosphere is very academic – just right to nail your exams. However, as the weather gets warmer, your DMs get fuller, and after two terms of work uni just feels a bit out-of-fashion, this space can seem mundane and stuffy.
A-tier: Coffee Shops
A good coffee shop can make an intense study session feel like a day out. Pleasant music, working atmosphere, unlimited energy boosts and a whole menu of treats to reward yourself for your progress - cafés are great for both individual and group study, as you can get as loud as you want or just isolate yourself with some headphones. New Cross has some brilliant coffee study spots, such as Mughead Coffee and Wakey Wakey (my two favourites!) to match your personal vibe and study goals for the day. Make sure not to blow all your student finance on overpriced lattes!
S-Tier: Libraries
Unpopular opinion? Library can seem like the most daunting place on Earth with students driving themselves to exhaustion in dead silence, lost among uncountable bookshelves. However, libraries are also filled with strong air of student solidarity and healthy peer pressure towards success! London has stunning libraries in almost every area, the most popular being Senate House and the British Library. As Goldsmiths is part of University of London, you can also switch around libraries in the group.