Study Spots

This page is an evaluation of various places to study in Davis. Some are places of business, and others are just good spots to study uninterrupted. See also WiFi Hot Spots, Night Time (list of open-late places), Cafes, and Restaurants.

Studying outside

• Arboretum Terrace - Probably one of the nicest outside places to study downtown. This is not the real Arboretum, it's located on the side of Borders.
  

• Arboretum - The real thing.
  

• ARC - Outdoor tables in front of the Cafe are seldom used, and when there are not events going on in the inside courtyard, it is surprisingly quiet. All locations have MOObilenet.
  

• Amtrak Station - The train station has lots of very pleasant and comfortable benches. It is almost always empty so the only disturbance will come from the occasional extremely loud train passing by.
  

• Shields Library - The inner courtyard is a great study area.

The ARC Cafe patio is shaded and quiet in the afternoons. ARC courtyard

Indoors

• The Laundry Lounge - Here you have a couch and a few chairs. There are tables and chairs outside and they have FREE WiFi. Sit and study in a clean quiet environment, while you get your laundry done. Or have them do it for you.
  

• ARC - The Cyberlounge and Student Lounge are popular study spots with MOObileNet and campus DHCP ethernet ports.
  

• SLB - second and third floor indoor study lounges have lots of windows. There are also several small meeting rooms around the building that are often unlocked and not in use.
  

• Food Science Library - located in Cruess Hall
  

• Dorms LRC - even though you are supposed to have an access card, you can wait for someone to come out to get it! If you bring your laptop and an ethernet cable along, you'll have internet too!
  

• Shields Library - It can be loud during the day, but at night it's usually nice and quiet. Also on the plus side is the wireless internet available there, so you can surf the web with your laptop when taking breaks during long study sessions. Academic masochists may also enjoy using one of Shields' study cages.
  

• 24 Hour Reading Room - This place is technically part of Shields Library, but its open 24 hours. Its usually ultra quiet and not super conducive to group study, though it does include two rooms set aside for group work. The room is only accessible to students and requires a reg card to get in. All the tables include table-top outlets for whatever you need to plug in (very nice). Best part is that its always open.
  

• Griffin Lounge - Busy, but quiet.
  

• Davis Public Library - They have study rooms for 2 people or large groups(4+). Otherwise, plenty of tables and chairs for your use, but they aren't open very late on weekends.
  

• Your Desks - Study at home where you have the luxuries of all-night alcohol, TV, internet, food, and endless procrastination.

Coffee shops tend to be more tolerant of studiers than restaurants. The basic rule of thumb is to buy something once in a while, so you don't actually cost them customers while you merely hog space.

• Borders - There are plenty of seats and tables at the cafe to study or do homework in and you do not even have to purchase a drink. They also have cups and a container of drinking water at the counter. Great place to study in the summer if you do not want to pay for air conditioning at home. Convenient distance from campus as well.
  

• Chamonix - Open late, and friendly to studiers who actually buy some things.
  

• Delta of Venus - Though there's always the danger of spotting a familiar face around Delta, afternoons are often pretty sparse and quiet, especially after the brunch rush on the weekends. While not in possession of many electrical outlets, the whole atmosphere is more open and more conducive to studying if you prefer studying in less cramped conditions.
  

• Mishka's - They are the best of both worlds. They are tolerant and helpful to studiers, while at the same time freeing up some tables for casual coffee drinkers. See Mishka's entry for a picture of their famous "The Rule."
  

• ARC Starbucks - This place is made for studying. It's huge and has tons of seating and tables. It's also clean and new.

While studying in a restaurant may not always be a good thing to do, some do promote study-friendly atmosphere.

• Orange Hut -
  

• One time I forgot when they opened and got there an hour early. The guy let me in anyway and cleared a table for me so I could study there. These guys are truly AWESOME. - MarieHuynh
  

• Crepeville - Decent, although don't abuse this. Word is that the management is increasingly frustrated with studiers who do nothing but order coffee and get free refills during peak times. If we want to preserve this place as a place to study, actually having dinner would be a good idea. And they have salads so huge, it takes about 2 hours to eat, anyway.
  

• Woodstock's Pizza— they don't have their own wi-fi, but there are a bunch of networks in the area.

• IHOP - Not recommended. It's much easier to get away with merely reading, than doing homework. After about 5 coffee refills they get a little annoyed.
  

• Frankenbunny: I can't recall how many times I've been blown off just because I had my books out. Once, I couldn't even get a soda refill during my meal.

• Getting together with a group of kids to just straight up study can totally increase your motivation. Study parties can be an amazing venue for learning about people- NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE STUDYING. Anyone think of "Breakfast Club" when they read that?

Comments:

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2006-03-03 06:27:58   The ARC is an excellent place to study on the weekends when the library is too far or too boring. Simply enter and sit in the couches at the front of the complex. It's extremely relaxing when there are relatively few people.

2006-08-02 16:40:17   I actually go to Borders every week to study, and I have never been kicked out; I've stayed there for about 3-4 hours maximum, and they are really nice about it. I think it was the workers at the time who were idiots (for all those with previous experience). And to the guy who got mad about the chess people: the lady shouldnt have kicked you out, especially if there were empty seats, but don't hate on chess players! Let alone the coaches probably paid borders. That lady was stupid, I hope she isn't there anymore. —MelanieDelacruz

2007-09-01 15:37:06   Delta of Venus is the place to study. No doubt. —JoshuaLee

2007-12-30 22:31:14   Is Borders not friendly to studiers? Really? When I was studying for the LSAT (granted, this was a while back), I would show up at Borders in the morning and order a triple white mocha and study there until the evening. This was my daily routine for three solid weeks. I would only leave for lunch and none of the staff ever said anything to me. And even now when I go get my coffee, I see people studying. Perhaps it is time to move Borders from the "Ugly" list? —CurlyGirl26

2008-03-16 02:18:00   One thing I learned from my many Psychology classes that really helped me out is that people do better on tests if they have a period of sleep between studying and the test. Sleep helps to solidify memories and make them permanent. It also makes you more rested to take the test. Those who pulled an all-nighter, did worse on tests because they did not have the period of sleep in between. You need to have a minimum amount of sleep to solidify those memories. Sleep is a wise investment of your time. —Jedron

2008-08-07 21:33:20   I like to sit in on other classes in large lecture halls while I do work or study, that way if I get distracted, I'm still learning something! —SunjeetBaadkar

2009-12-08 23:13:07   To add to the bit about Crepeville, I've gotten some pretty gross coffee after asking for a refill while I'm studying, even after I've ordered food. That was enough to get me out. —Patrick.M