The best secret places to study on campus

With a student body of over 14,000, it’s often tricky to find a study spot on campus, particularly the day before deadlines. We all know we won’t get any work done in the first floor social space of the library, and that the ground-floor library booths are only to be used in emergencies, and it can often feel like there’s nowhere to sit.

Eat Central recently enforced a customers-only policy, meaning you can’t sit there unless you pay. Falmer Bar has posted leaflets everywhere encouraging punters to sit upstairs in Falmer House’s freezing common room.  Precious butt-space on campus is hard to come by, but there are still a few secret havens left where you can study in peace.

Library basement

Keep your coat on it’s freezing down here

Even seasoned finalists often don’t know how to get to the basement. The stairs are hidden away next to the Careers centre, and the actual basement consists of barely-used quiet study desks and lots of journals. If you choose the basement, make sure you pack a jacket as it can get very chilly very quickly. If you want to avoid everyone except quiet postgrads, and would like a lot of plugs and desk space, the basement is the place to be.

Library private study rooms

If you have a study buddy or squad, you can book private rooms in the library for anywhere between one and six hours. You get your own space to be social, and can even smuggle food in, but sadly you can’t book if you’re a lone wolf. If you’ve got a group presentation to be doing, there’s nowhere better.

English social space

Tucked away on the first floor of Arts B is an oasis of calm, with tables, sofas, a water filter, and eight computers which you will actually be able to get a seat at. If you don’t study English, wrap a Jane Austen cover around your textbook and crack on. Although it’s called a social space, there are rarely people being chatty, but pack headphones just in case you run into two lecturers loudly debating the politics of Foucault.

Silverstone top floor study space

This study space is the sort of thing that belongs in a prospectus. There’s both hot and cold water, vending machines, and both squishy and sturdy chairs. The room is super-modern, too, a far cry from the vintage library booths. If you’re happy to be in the background of a hapless Media Studies student movie, there’s nowhere better.

IDS bar

If you want to avoid absolutely everyone, this is the place to be. Most people assume there are only two bars on campus, Falmer and East Slope, but they’re wrong. If you study here, absolutely no-one will be able to find you, so the temptation to text a mate to come and find you disappears completely. Unless you study International Development, in which case, ignore this.

Accommodation study spaces

Most first years use their accommodation for three things only: sleeping, pre-drinking, and watching Netflix. They’re missing out on the fact that most halls, including Northfield and Park Village, have designated social or study spaces. No-one ever uses them because they’re too busy sleeping, pre-drinking, or watching Netflix.

Jubilee second and third floors

Jubilee is one of the newest buildings on campus, but many people have only explored the ground floor with its overly-packed cafe. Floors two and three boast long, quiet corridors with study spaces at each end, as well as futuristic “pod” type seats. If you’re not on a typical “Jubilee” degree, you may feel like an impostor, but the pods make it all worth it.

Anywhere on the weekend

There are actually free comps here sometimes

If you’ve only ever had library days during the week, you’re missing out big time. At the weekend, even the most popular study areas become desolate wastelands. There are more tumbleweeds than students. An added bonus of taking a weekend study day on campus is that Co-Op has minimal queues and a lot of reduced fare.