Coffee houses a place to feed the mind
by Kaoru Fujii, Outpost Staff
Everyone has a favorite place to study. Some people remember studying at the Union or a noisy dorm lounge. But students also find off-campus study opportunities. Few Americans can imagine studying at a McDonalds, but in Japan, college and high school students regularly go to McDonalds to study.
Studying at a restaurant or cafe or fast-food place is somewhere between studying at home and the library. It is an alternative way to get motivated for studying. Some people find it a good way to stay awake. Others find that drink and food reduce stress and tension while studying. For others, it gets them away from an obnoxious roommate without the tomb-like atmosphere of the library.
Students have been flocking to places like Denny's and other all-night haunts for years. But recently, co-eds have turned to more up-scale coffee houses where they can participate in the java craze while cramming.
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Walden's Coffee Co. provides a relaxed atmosphere for studying. Photo by Kaoru Fujii. |
Walden's Coffee Co. in Northwest Reno is one of the places that has a good study atmosphere. Trina Steljes, a student at UNR's medical school, studies at Walden's five or six times a week during exam time. She usually stays four to five hours. "I like the background noise as long as I really don't listen to details," Steljes said.
Head waiter Christian Malone welcomes students. He sees them mostly on Saturdays and Sundays and some on weekday afternoons.
"Most students stay here at least two hours; some stay almost all day," Malone said. "It is great. If I were a student, I would do the same."
Walden's is a new place that just opened in the summer of 1996. It is located on West McCarran Blvd. and is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. The atmosphere is classy, yet friendly and warm. The best thing is the natural light everywhere. "Walden's is a pleasant place to study," Stelijes said.
Few places offer students longer hours to study. Barnes & Noble Cafe and Carrows Restaurant are two choices with late-night hours.
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If you hate going to the library, Barnes and Noble Cafe has a similar environment plus sandwiches, soup and other munchies. Photo by Kaoru Fujii. |
The Barnes & Noble Cafe puts students in a more serious mode to study. The coffee shop inside the bookstore gives a similar atmosphere as the UNR library. During exam time, many students study in this cafe, especially on weekend nights because the cafe is open until 11 p.m.
"Unlike other coffee shops, this place has a good study atmosphere because everybody is reading or studying," saidToshi Yamada, a journalism student from UNR.
The small tables are more intended for a short stay, but some tables with a bench provide a more comfortable way to spend an extended study session. Getting a big table (there's only one in the cafe) by the window depends on luck. "The chairs are not so comfortable, but it is a good place to study," Yamada said.
Carrows Restaurant works well for a night person. The 24-hour restaurant is the place to go after the library is closed. Sophie Ralston, a senior student in anthropology, said Carrows is not too quiet but not too noisy. She sometimes sees other students studying next to her table.
"I tried to study at Carrows once, but it didn't work for me because I ended up talking with my friends," Ralston laughed.
Carrows may not be intended as a place to study. But it is a good place for students who like to smoke while studying. Also Carrows is a place where people can stay longer with only a drink order.
"Studying at coffee shops may not be quiet places to study, but I can find a private space to concentrate on my study in a crowd," Steljes said.
copyright 11/15/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost