Social study places on campus

Living in a student house surrounded by friends all the time, it can be hard motivating yourself to get up off the sofa to do some work - especially if you can hear your mates still chatting in the living room. I’ve started getting into the habit of going elsewhere to do my work, which helps me avoid distractions and means I can get a lot more work done in the time. It’s especially helpful to be able to go with a friend or two (as long as you agree to actually get work done!) so it’s less tedious and, most importantly, you have someone to tell you off if you end up on Instagram.

There are lots of places on campus where you can study in a relaxed environment. Here are a few of the social study places on campus that I’ve been using over my three years at Leeds Beckett…

Library study rooms

City and Headingley campus

The libraries on both campuses each have private group study rooms that can be booked. These are great for when you really need to get your head down and get some work done, especially if you are doing a group project as it gives you a place where you’re able to talk while also being in a more study-focused environment. All of the rooms also have a computer and large monitor (which you can also connect your own laptop to), making this an ideal place to prepare presentations! As a film producing student, I have got great use of these rooms for preparing pitches.

Campus cafes

City and Headingley campus

Cafes are a great place to study, socially or alone. On city campus, you have Cafe Gaia, Intermission, Rose Bowl’s food court, and Cafe 1846, and at Headingley there’s Tikki Cafe and Carnegie Cafe. With access to plug sockets, comfier chairs than the library and potentially a sofa if you’re lucky, they are a great place to have regular snack breaks whilst spending a whole afternoon typing away. The relaxed atmosphere makes this better for more chilled study sessions. I find that it can be so comfy you’ll stay for hours longer than you would sat at your desk at home. This is also great if your friends are working on separate things - it’s so easy to just sit together in silence and work on your own thing, with the occasional break for a chat and a slice of cake. 

LSA social space

City campus 

The new Leeds School of Arts building has a great social space on its ground floor, which I regularly use to sit and get a little work done, or have a chat, between seminars. It’s got a great variety of seating options, from large tables which seat around eight, to smaller tables in booths with a little more privacy, to egg chairs where you have almost total privacy and will not be getting disturbed. Again, with easy access to plug sockets, and Cafe 1846 just downstairs for easy access to coffee, this area is great for either spending an afternoon working or for just reading a chapter before you head home after a lecture. Also, thanks to its open plan layout and location in the entrance to the LSA building, if you have any friends whose courses are based in that building you’re almost bound to bump into them. 

The Hive

City and Headingley campus 

Like the cafes on campus, The Hive is a nice area to sit and work in a relaxed environment. They also serve great (and cheap!) hot food, so it's ideal for a lunchtime, evening or post-lecture study session. As well as having all the same benefits as the cafes, The Hive has a few larger tables where you can meet in bigger groups for projects. This is a great place to have a first meeting before starting a group project, as the casual environment makes it a welcoming place for people to share ideas and get to know each other. My first term at uni involved being in four different groups of about 15, and due to the size of the course people often knew no one in their groups, and we all found The Hive was the best place to meet each other for the first time.

The acre

Headingley campus

When it’s hot, the Acre is the perfect location for an afternoon of studying. Located at the entrance to the Headingley campus is this gorgeous green space (with a tree if, like me, you need to stay in the shade) which means you can kill two birds with one stone and get your daily dose of fresh air while you do your work. Bring a picnic blanket (or camping chair if you feel like it) and some snacks, and it’s easy to spend hours at a time getting work done. As an added bonus, you will be close enough to Beckett Park that you’re guaranteed to get to stroke a few dogs.

We’re lucky to have some great spaces on campus which make studying a little more comfortable and a little less lonely - so really, you have no excuse to leave that essay until the last minute!