There are local hot spots available for a quiet, intense, or all-day study session.

Panera Bread Restaurant

There are three Panera Bread Restaurants within a 5-mile radius of school. There is an average amount of seating, offering both indoor and outdoor seating at each location. Opening at 5:30 a.m. on most weekdays, it is possible to stay all day with access to free Wi-Fi and the option of pricey food from a full bakery and restaurant. However, the latest the restaurant stays open is 9 p.m.

112 West Shore Boulevard Mon-Sat 6 a.m.- 9:30 p.m. | Sun 7 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

709 South Howard Avenue Mon-Sat 6 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. | Sun 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. 

Starbucks Coffee Shop

A limitless supply of caffeine is what is offered when studying in a coffee shop. However, seating is ‘first come, first served’ due to the small size of most Starbucks. The menu offers a limited selection of food but the plentiful coffee is reasonably priced. Wi-Fi is free and shops remain open late until 11PM. Locations are dispersed throughout the South Tampa area, including shops on Westshore Boulevard and Bay to Bay Boulevard.

Westshore & Kennedy 118 South Westshore Blvd Sun-Thurs, Sat 5 a.m. – 11 p.m. | Fri 5:15 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.

3409 Bay to Bay Blvd Sun-Sat 5AM-10PM

Local Library

Slow Wi-Fi, occasional lack of air conditioning, and noisy children are what is to be expected when visiting a local library. Bringing food inside the building is unacceptable and the library’s alternative is stale food located in the vending machine. Though, there are multiple tables, couches, and computer stations to study at. Around finals week, there are more people situated in the library, somehow able to study because of the studious library atmosphere.

Jan Platt Regional Library 3910 Manhattan Ave. Sun 12:30 – 5 p.m.|Mon-Wed 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. | Thurs 12 – 8 p.m. | Fri-Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Barnes & Noble Bookstore

Barnes & Noble has developed into an effective center for the academic community as it is one of the largest bookstore chains in the United States. The standard Barnes & Noble offers quiet spots ideal for studying throughout the store, free Wi-Fi, and hosts a Barnes & Noble Café placed next to a larger section of tables and chairs. The Café serves Starbucks brand coffee and a variety of high calorie food. At the end of the school year, the bookstore sees an influx of tutors and tutees; thus, getting a place study can become difficult.

Dale Mabry 213 N Dale Mabry Sun 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. | Mon-Thu 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. | Fri-Sat 9 a.m. – 11 p.m.

Home 

For the student with no car, no money, and no way to escape the limitless procrastination opportunities that come with working from a bedroom, studying at home can be a struggle. Though, staying home typically provides a stressing teenager with a supply of food and a good Wi-Fi connection, family life can interfere with maintaining a strong focus. With the use of headphones, smartphone applications such as Coffitivity can provide a mix of the “calm and commotion” matching sounds heard in a coffee house. Spotify and 8tracks hosts a collection of popular playlists to study to. It’s up to the stay-at-home student to create the effective workspace.

For more studying techniques check out the Pep O’ Plant on Pinterest.