30 Superb Study Spots in Berkeley

Though some still find Main Stacks to be an adequate study venue, many others (OK, let’s be honest, most) prefer to study away from the dreary sterility of Cal’s most infamous library. Never fear, there are pleasanter options. There are, after all, over 100 various campus buildings and the entire city of Berkeley. Here are a few of the great many alternatives to choose from:

1. Doe Library Reading Rooms – Though the second floor Heyns Reading Room and North Reading Room are well-known, the Rosberg Reading Room, though much smaller, is another option within Doe for a more intimate setting.
2. Free Speech Movement Café – Located at an almost perfect center of campus, FSM is a study spot goldmine. It follows the same hours as Moffitt Library, has indoor/outdoor seating and continuous access to food. Unfortunately, you have to battle a few thousand other students to get seats during midterm/finals season.
3. Grinnell Natural Area/Eucalyptus Grove – This is the large forested area with all the redwoods just west of VLSB. And though there’s the occasionally shady business taking place, there’s no reason not to plop down on a tree stump and get some work done Thoreau-style.
4. Memorial Glade – Though your first instinct might be to play Quidditch or take a nap on the Glade, it’s a beautiful space to study, in shade or sunshine, especially for reading, and provides easy access to all kinds of supplementary study resources (food from Northside, libraries and computer labs right next door).
5. Dwinelle’s Ishi Court – Despite all the Dwinelle Hall foot traffic, relatively few people know about the outdoor court located in the middle of the north side Dwinelle (in amongst all the language offices). It is outdoors, but offers plenty of benches, shade and quiet.
6. The Units’ Lounges and APRs – Though occasionally smelly, the units’ study facilities offer bright lights and the ability to eat and talk as much as you want, which is particularly useful for late night studying.
7. The Campanile Esplanade – Though studying in the Campanile might be a bit impractical, doing school work on the grass surrounding it certainly isn’t! It’s fairly quiet, though people walk through frequently, and you should watch out for wet grass!
8. Common Grounds – This café is truly tiny (it’s built in level F of Dwinelle Hall) and it closes at 3pm. However, it does open at 8am – perfect for getting in some study time before classes!
9. Garbarini Lounge – Located outside Sibley Auditorium in Bechtel Engineering Center, it has couches and outlets, but you’ll need cardkey access to get in at night.
10. People’s Café – This most wondrous of cafes (located on Shattuck near University) is open until 2 am. Off-campus studying + coffee = beautiful.
11. Student Learning Center – This is a standard, though often overlooked study option. It is designed for all night studying, and is open 24 hours/day, 6 days per week. Unfortunately, it’s almost always packed during midterms/finals and it perpetually looks like a tornado stormed through.
12. First Floor Moffitt – Though its basement location is reminiscent of Main Stacks, the study space of first floor Moffitt is much more suited for group study (it’s usually noisier) and handily features a computer lab for all that last minute printing. Also, I’m sure I’ve seen food pass hands there a time or two.
13. Sacks Coffee – An off-campus favorite (at College and Derby), Sacks is known for its great music, cheap food, and fantastic atmosphere. It’s also open until 10 pm on weekdays. South-siders rejoice!
14. C.V. Starr East Asian Library – The East Asian Library is easy to spot on the North side of Memorial Glade. This library has a clean, modern interior and tables and individual cubicles in which to study. Though the study area isn’t particularly big, it does feature an enormous, wall-sized window that not only lets in lots of natural light, but also gives you an excellent focal point for mid-study daydreaming.
15. Au Coquelet Café and Restaurant – Just a hop, skip and jump down University, this café may be a bit more like a restaurant than an enormous study space, but on the plus side, it’s open 6am-1:30 or 2 am every single day!
16. Cory Hall’s Hackerspace – The new Texas Instruments Electronics Design Lab, Berkeley’s own Hackerspace, is open to all students for all the times they need to do work. You may need to find yourself an EECS buddy to get you in during the evening, when cardkey access is required.
17. Wickson Natural Area – Located on Northside and paralleling Strawberry Creek, much of this area is probably better for squirrel habitation than studying, but there are some grassy spots interspersed, and of course room for a creek side stroll.
18. Campus Building Class Rooms – If you can snag one, campus classrooms are excellent spots for evening and night studying. Dwinelle is pretty strict about room reservations, but Wheeler, VLSB, LeConte and a good many others have unsupervised classrooms, some of which you can stay in all night long.
19. Margen Public Health Library – For all you west-siders the Public Health Library in University Hall is incredibly conveniently located. There’s no need to hike all the way up to Moffitt when you only have to go as far as Oxford and University Ave!
20. Haas Undergraduate Lounge – Not sure if everyone is supposed to know about this one, but it’s located in the Bank of America Forum, room F371 at Haas. Though you have to be a Haas student to get computer access, this study space does offer other wonderful amenities, like a microwave and refrigerator.
21. Kresge Engineering Library – Located at 110 Bechtel Engineering Center, this library is open to everyone, allows conversation, and has some fantastic study rooms to boot.
22. McCone Hall Top Floor/Balcony – Take the elevator all the way to the top of the top where you can get a pretty great view and a pretty quiet study space either indoors or out.
23. Law Library – Held in Boalt Hall, the law library is designed primarily for law students, but allows other students in too! They’re open from 8am-12am Monday-Thursday, but stop letting in undergrads after 5pm, so get there early.
24. Berkeley Public Library – Yes, it is another library, but this one is off campus (Kittredge and Shattuck). It’s a great place to break up your on-campus library study schedule. Plus it has a Children’s Room. Anyone up for a study break with Dr. Seuss?
25. Soda Hall East-West Study Lounges – Though you’ll still need someone with cardkey access after 6pm, the lounges come equipped with whiteboards, tables and chairs. This is extra useful for all those group projects you need all-nighters to finish.
26. Stanley Hall Foyer – This brightly light entrance area is excellent for day time studying. There are a few tables located near the main staircase on every level, and all provide easy access to food energy at Yali’s.
27. Café Milano – Milano, on Bancroft across from Sproul Hall, is a student favorite. With two floors of seating, reasonably priced drinks/food, movie soundtracks as the dominant background noise, and constant intellectual chatter, it’s a study spot straight from the movies.
28. Haas Courtyard – Recently redesigned, the courtyard offers plenty of outdoor tables and seating for studiers.
29. Howison Philosophy Library – On the third floor of Moses Hall, Howison Library will transport you back in time with its medieval ambiance and peaceful atmosphere. You can just feel decades of smartness and big thoughts oozing up through the floors. (Day study only)
30. The bench on the east side of Haviland Hall – Yes, it’s a bit obscure, but this bench is my favorite place to do reading. It’s set back into a stone wall, offering privacy to its inhabitants and the tranquility of a natural setting. It’s cool and quiet, and the squirrels will keep you company any day of the year.

 

These aren’t the only study spots on campus (or off). The best advice I can give you is to boldly go where no student has gone before. Explore buildings, and try new cafés and restaurants. Walk straight into buildings like you own the place and stay there until you get kicked out. If that perfect study spot helps you to do well in your classes, then it’s worth it.