Studying is a big portion of high school students’ lives. As students go to college and move into dorms, they have less space in their room for themselves, as well as to study. Students need a quiet and comfortable place to focus on studying. Some prefer libraries for the peace and quiet or coffee shops for the drinks and social scene, but are students really getting their work done while out? 

Junior Kole Lerczak voices his opinions on studying outside of his home.

“It usually just changes my mood,” Lerczak said. “When I’m at home, I want to be lazy. I don’t want to be working at home, but when I’m out somewhere else, it gives it a purpose.” 

When someone studies outside of their house, it can help curb basic distractions like laying in their bed to kill time or grabbing miscellaneous items to procrastinate. There are other benefits to studying outside the house depending on where they go.

Coffee shops are popular for studying and hanging out. The delicious smell of coffee mixed with casual conversation may help calm students’ minds. The added bonus of being able to get a specialty drink or food can also help motivate someone to do work.

“I think studying outside the house almost motivates me more because you’re in a different environment,” junior Annie Peterson said. 

While also having friends around to work with or bounce ideas off of, it can create a sense of comfortability and help generate good work. Some of the lesser-known benefits of studying at coffee shops are improved creativity due to sound stimulation and increased alertness from the surge of caffeine.

Libraries are a less popular option, but they are just as great. They provide an academic environment that could help students focus while also having unique, valuable material that will help with students’ studies. Libraries are also naturally quiet, providing a place to think clearly and get work done without distractions. The silence and privacy fits some people’s needs a lot better.

Having a cup of coffee, sitting around in awe, inspired by the books in a library, and admiring indie art pieces, all while typing away on an assignment with an upcoming due date sounds ever-so-wonderful. For some, the ambience that study spaces provide might be just their cup of tea. Being outside of one’s bedroom definitely reduces the chances of getting distracted by the game console sitting so invitingly in the corner of the room, or a TV turned on by a family member. It is much harder to take a nap in public, and even if one does, it likely would be cut short by other users of the space. Realistically though, is a person actually as likely to study better at home than outside of it? 

Think about it, when was the last time anyone went to study somewhere alone? “Going to a coffee place” most certainly means going out with friends. If the assignment is a group project, then it is perfectly reasonable. If it is not, however, it can lead to being more invested in chit-chat than the actual work. 

“Though I love the atmosphere of libraries and coffee shops, I typically get too caught up with people I’m there with,” junior Kylie Chaffee said. 

Even if a student compromises time with friends for the sake of studying and goes to a public space alone, they still may feel awkward or distracted by others. 

Senior Chloe Marsh names it as one of the main reasons why she gives preference to studying at home.

“I’m more productive at home because there [are] less noises and people to get distracted by,” Marsh said.

Studying in public while others engage in conversations and give students what seems to be a scanning and judgemental look, might be rather uncomfortable.  

The home, however, is by definition the place of comfort. Only at home, students can change into their pajamas, get unlimited snacks, tuck away with a pet in their laps, wrap up in a blanket, and focus on work. It might sound a little introverted, but it is also what makes a student feel more productive. Furthermore, looking forward to going out could be a great motivator to work more diligently. Time with friends can be a perfect incentive to finish the assignment. Or, if the weather outside does not seem appropriate for driving or walking, a student can simply reward themselves with an episode of a favorite show. Long story short, It is much easier to set an inducement for accomplishing something while being at home.

Studying at a coffee shop or library might be worth giving a try, and could work for somebody. Nonetheless, many students feel more productive and can get more things done when doing homework or working on assignments at home.