When I started university, there were a lot of changes in my life which forced me to be more independent - like cooking, cleaning, dishes, finance... Oh, and studying. My course requires a lot of pre-class reading and the teachers assume you will have read everything before the class, so you need to keep up. This can be intimidating, but if you take the right approach, you’ll find that it's actually kind of nice to go and study and get things done. I get distracted too easily to work at home, so if you’re anything like me - keep reading to hear about the best study spots in Groningen.

University buildings

The most obvious place to study would, of course, be the university buildings. The University of Groningen has approximately 33, so there is enough room to study. My personal (and the majority of Groningen) favorite is the university library, more commonly known as the UB (universiteitsbibliotheek in Dutch). The UB has become a social hotspot in recent years, as it’s in the middle of the city center and has the most study room of all the university buildings. It’s a part of the Dutch student culture to go to the library all day and meet up with friends for coffee or lunch breaks. However, if you aren’t all about that mainstream life, I have a few other tips. The Harmony building library is pretty big as well and extremely quiet, nestled away far into the building, so hard to find for people who don’t study Arts or Law. I like to sneak into the medical library, which is a true gem when it comes to secret study spots - you have to navigate yourself through the university hospital to get there (I must add - medical students don’t really appreciate students from other faculties sitting in their library so expect a side-eye). Just looking for any available spot? Check out the available workstations on the Library pages.

Coffee Bars

If you prefer to study more casually instead of constantly being surrounded by stressed-out students cramming for exams, studying at a café might be an option. While I for one like to be surrounded by people as equally stressed as myself, I’ve studied in cafés before, predominantly for group projects. My personal favorite is bar/restaurant the Uurwerker, right next to the Harmony building. There is a designated study area away from all the busy-ness, but also comfortable couches for group projects or relaxed studying. They’re open all day so you can stay there from your morning coffee to your afternoon beer. Other options are CoffeeCompany, where there is also a quiet study zone, but there you either spend all your money on coffee all day, or you can be that cheap guy who buys the cheapest thing on the menu and sits there for 8 hours. Rumor has it that Lust in Oude Kijk in ‘t Jatstraat also has a very chill study environment.

Outdoors

I’ve caught myself complaining in exam weeks about how great the weather is and how I have to study inside, without realizing that it is, in fact, possible to sit outside. While this has proven to not be the most effective way, it’s nice when you have to read study material. The most common ‘outside’ area in Groningen is the Noorderplantsoen, but it can get pretty busy here once the sun comes out. Stadspark, on the other hand, is a lot quieter. However, by far the best place to study is the Behavioral & Social Science garden. It’s situated between the BSS buildings so there is barely any wind, and there are benches to sit on and huge trees to sit under. A great spot for an outdoor study session.

Unusual alternatives

This will probably sound weird - but Ikea is a great place to study. If you have an Ikea Family card, you can get coffee for free and sit in the cafeteria drinking free coffee and Scandinavian water all day. While there is rush hour around 9-10 for the cheap breakfast, the rest of the day is pretty calm. Plus, when you’re done with a long study day, you can treat yourself to buying something useless at Ikea, or eat some Swedish meatballs. 10/10 would recommend Ikea study sessions. Another not so obvious study spot is the Student Hotel. While mostly all the amenities are reserved for residents, during exam periods the hotel opens its doors to all the students desperately in need of a study spot. They’re even open 24/7, for the die-hards who want to continue after the UB closes at 12.

So next time when you are dreading standing in line for the library, think about this blog and all the many alternatives that there are in Groningen! Let us know in the comments below what your favorite study spot is.