The 101 on Studying at Starbucks
Posted on 11 December 2006
Question: Why do students go to cafes like Starbucks, Borders, or Coffee Society to study?
We could easily study in the comfort of our homes or even the library instead of paying a few bucks for a drink at a cafe.
The atmosphere?
Mnm… not exactly.
My Answer: Students like to be confirmed that others are doing the same thing and that they’re not the only ones with their face in a book. It’s a reassurance thing. This is the same reason why bloggers continue to write blog entries. We, as bloggers, want to be assured that others are reading our material. We don’t want to be alone on this trek! (otherwise we would just jot our notes down in a journal or something less public, right?)
Commonality is key!
Tags: Starbucks
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December 11th, 2006 at 3:19 pm
I posted an entry on my blog a few weeks ago about why I go to the library to do anything “concentration” related. I totally agree with you! It’s all about the atmosphere! I used the gym as an example: a couple years worth of membership could probably buy you all the equipment you needed but you don’t get that sense of peer pressure and motivation from everyone else working out around you. (Loose analogy+interpretation)
On another note, I read this article once about how buying coffee at Starbucks is a terrible idea if you are a daily coffee drinker. Some law school students buy one cup of Starbucks coffee a day and if you factor in the cost of interest on their student loans, three years of Starbucks amounts to something like $4000 if repaid over 10 years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/17/AR2005061701226.html
Crazy. It’s better if you buy a coffee maker and some beans. El cheapo style!
December 11th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
Whoops, just realized you said it wasn’t the atmosphere. I mean the atmosphere that others CREATE when they are around you. My bad…it’s definitely not the decor or the cafe music.
December 11th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
Read your entry Kevin, we speak the same language! I’m trying to abstain from excessive Starbucks purchases, but unfortunately finals week is working against me.
:-/
Maybe it’ll be my new year’s resolution.. one Starbucks purchase per…. month?
no week.
December 11th, 2006 at 9:55 pm
Hi there,
Personally, I disagree and agree with you.
- disagree: seeing other students studying along with me isn’t always a comforting thing (competition, setting the curve). yes it makes me want to study more but not because i LIKE seeing others study, moreso because it makes me realize that i have to. actually julie likes to study at home because when she sees other studying at cafes it makes her depressed for precisely the same reason.
- agree: but other students studying along does make the atmosphere a lot more quiet and makes those who are studying feel less nerdy. so yes, atmosphere that others create = def conducive to studying.
Plus, i don’t think your analogy to blogging is totally analogous. it would work if you were comparing it to wanting to study so you could get good grades, or wanting to blog because others are blogging too. But I see your point: it’s a group effort.
i study at cafes because when i’m there, that’s my purpose. the purpose of being at home is a lot less clear so I am more distracted and less inclined to study.
yet at this very moment i am at a cafe and i’m not studying, because geekwhat=distraction. interesting distraction though!
December 11th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
It could just be for the caffeine jolt. Of course that would be a reason to *go* there, not *stay* there. I have no idea why someone would study in a Starbucks…that would drive me nuts. At least the library is somewhat quiet.
I wonder how much the average student spends on caffeinated products over the period of finals week?
December 13th, 2006 at 12:52 am
I go to starbucks cuz of the hot chicks. I only occasionally order the coffee. overpriced.
December 13th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
I’ve actually been studying lately at the Starbucks on Lawrence and El Camino. That location actually has a study room with desks and lights. It’s pretty sweet.