Quiet Places To Study Away From Home

By Gianna Nichols

Studying is an essential tool to use while in college, as it can help lead you toward your future goals and the passing of your classes. The motivation to study though, is not so easy to come by. When you finally finish class or get back from work, the last thing you want to do is study. This makes it incredibly difficult to get your work done especially if you are at home. The procrastination sets in and you start cleaning, doing laundry, talking to friends, truly anything but your work. I have always found it helpful setting aside time to go out and study, whether it’s because doing my work at home is nearly impossible or it’s hard to concentrate with the distractions around me. By doing so, I have found many different locations that are great for studying.

Going out with the purpose of studying always makes me feel more determined to get my work done and forces me to focus on the task with no distractions around me. When I first started studying away from home, my first thought was going to the library. There are several public libraries within Niagara County, nearly one in each town, that offer a quiet place to get your work done. It takes only a few seconds to look up their hours, and all you need to do is walk in and pick a seat. It’s that easy! Alongside these public libraries, as college students we also have access to our college library as well which can be very beneficial, especially to those that have free time in between classes. A fellow college student that prefers to study away from home as well said “I can be more productive in an outside environment rather than being distracted at home.”

For those of you who can’t stand to sit in silence, there are several small cafe’s, bake shops, or other restaurants that you can easily study in as well. Your local Starbucks is a nice place to study and get a treat, but unfortunately you must purchase something in order to sit in the store. On the other hand, places such as Panera are less strict on this issue, fairly quiet with small background chatter, and an array of seating options. This is one of my favorite places to study midday, with lunch and a fairly quiet area. Although, there are many times that I don’t feel like spending money and simply want to study without complete silence. Our local Barnes and Nobles is the perfect place. You can browse some books, order at the cafe, and study for as long as you need, yet you don’t have to purchase anything to sit in there. This spot is usually fairly quiet as well, but can get a little loud depending on how many people are in the store. Most, if not all of these places offer free wifi, allowing students to access their work without a hotspot or other means of internet. If you ever feel as though you are suffocating in schoolwork and can’t focus at home, don’t be afraid to try out some of these alternatives.

Address List:

• Lewiston Public Library – 305 S 8th St, Lewiston, NY 14092
• Youngstown Free Library – 240 Lockport St, Youngstown, NY 14174
• Niagara Falls Public Library – 1425 Main St, Niagara Falls, NY 14305
• Sanborn-Pekin Free Library – 5884 West St, Sanborn, NY 14132
• Panera Bread
  • 1508 Military Rd, Niagara Falls, NY 14304
  • 5744 S Transit Rd, Lockport, NY 14094
  • 1593 Niagara Falls Blvd Suite 100, Amherst, NY 14226
• Barnes and Noble
  • Boulevard Consumer Sq, 1565 Niagara Falls Blvd Suite 300, Amherst, NY 14228
  • 4401 Transit Rd Suite 800, Buffalo, NY 14221