With exams less than a week away, most students already started studying. However, distractions are abundant: your phone, your friends, or just the everyday hustle and bustle of life. The environment you’re in can affect your concentration, and thus affects how much studying you do. Here are some recommendations of where to go when you really need to focus.

Studying in the comfort of your own home is ideal. There, you can be as comfortable as you please, and control most environmental factors such as noise level and temperature. It’s also free and doesn’t require you to go anywhere. But be careful, if you’re too comfortable, you run the risk of falling asleep.

“Usually I study at my dining room table,” Will Janning (11) said. “If I study in my bedroom I’ll fall asleep.”

Another possible place is a local coffee shop, such as Starbucks or Tastefully Roasted (for the artisanal coffee lovers, there’s Ghostlight Coffee or Press Coffeehouse in Dayton). If falling asleep is a problem you have, there’s plenty of caffeine to fix that issue. Most coffee shops also offer free wifi; however, there are drawbacks. Often coffee shops are noisy, and crowded. Plus, depending on what you order, the food can be expensive.

“I study at Starbucks because I don’t like to study at home,” Sammi Auditore (11) said. “Plus, there’s good food here that I don’t have at home.”

Libraries are also good study spots. They’re free and open to the public. Plus, noise will never be an issue as most libraries have a no talking policy. Many new libraries, such as the recently renovated Dayton Metro Public Library have an abundance of resources, such as computers and printers available for public use. Of course, there are plenty of books available on a wide range of academic subjects as well.

Some people need an academic environment to study in. In the school, there are many different places to study, such as the LMC, or the new blue chairs in the senior hallway. If you need a quiet spot, many teachers have their rooms open at lunch for students to study in.

“I like to study in the library,” Caroline Perry (10) said. “It’s clean and I don’t feel clustered.”

All things considered, where you study is a matter of personal preference. Know yourself and your study habits when choosing the perfect spot.

By: Mira Sidhu

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