Where to study? This is a question that plagues college students across the world. The idea of studying in or by bed is dangerous while studying where socializing occurs is also dangerous. For students at The Master’s University, this can be even more challenging than for students at other universities.
The choice between dorm lounges, lower caf., Trophy, a dorm room and the library are limited even with its new opening. So, when a change of scenery is needed, where is there to go?
One of the first things that comes to mind for off-campus studying is Starbucks, and rightly so. Free wi-fi, coffee and pastries make it an optimal location; however, in Santa Clarita, it is important to pick the right location.
Although a new location close to TMU, the Starbucks on Newhall Ave. is less study-friendly than others in the valley. While it is a beautiful building with many places to sit, people often find that the background noise that can sometimes help with focus is too loud even when it is empty. For whatever reason, the building was not designed with noise reduction.
Instead, the Starbucks in the Granary Square Shopping Center is only 10 minutes away from campus and is far quieter than the Newhall Ave. location. Originally a few doors down, the new location is larger than before, including indoor and outdoor seating ranging from open tables to tucked away couches. Their current hours are 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day.
Need something even quieter? An often-forgotten place to study, Barnes&Noble provides the coffee and pastries that Starbucks has while also providing the quiet that a place like the Powell library would. Their café seating may be limited, but the location on Valencia Blvd. is rarely busy and has free Wi-Fi for all customers within their hours of 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mon-Sat. and 11:00 a.m.to 9:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Lastly, as wonderful as it would be to believe that all studying finishes by 9:00 p.m., every college student knows that sometimes the studying starts at 9:00 p.m. and doesn’t finish until long after. So, with Santa Clarita being a valley with no 24-hour Starbucks locations, finding a place to stay awake long enough to finish that project due at 8 a.m. can be a challenge.
For those late-night study sessions, the Denny’s in Stevenson Ranch provides everything needed and throws in pancakes as well. Along with the coffee, food, free Wi-Fi, outlets and 24-hour service, Denny’s has comfortable booths that will help with that finals week backache.
Happy studying!
The TMU Mane 