Are you a student who loves nothing more than curling up with a book, with a hot beverage in hand? Check out these schools across the U.S., perfect for students looking to study at a college with cosy surroundings.
Full disclosure: the author spent many a chilly evening at Brandeis’s locally legendary coffeehouse-in-a-castle, Cholmondeley’s, drinking oversized hot chocolates while waiting out New England snowstorms. However, because Brandeis has already appeared in two other Collegewise blog posts this semester, it was determined that the author should “branch out” and encourage readers to consider different campus nooks to hunker down and stay warm in this winter.
So, in the event that you’re not interested in heading to the college café that inspired The Central Perk on Friends and served as the launchpad for Josh Gondelman’s standup career, here are three great places to hit the books with a hot cocoa of your own now that finals week has arrived and winter is near.
Happy holidays to you and yours!
Princeton University
If you find yourself on the Jersey Turnpike on your way south this winter, look for the exit for Princeton and head straight to The Bent Spoon near Princeton’s famed Parmer Square. In sunnier times, you might want to order pints of their rich, house-made ice cream—which, to be fair, is a year-round dessert for legitimate ice cream professionals. For now, especially given those plummeting temperatures and deepening snows, grab yourself a large hot chocolate topped with fresh whipped cream and some homemade marshmallows to go.
Once you’re bundled up, head on over to the stained-glass-enclosed Chancellor Green Rotunda adjacent to East Pyne Hall. Find an overstuffed chair or study carrel and spend your hours ensconced in a wonderful book collection devoted to literature and the humanities. It may be chilly outside, but you’ll feel nothing but warmth inside the Rotunda’s stone walls. Most importantly, enjoy some quiet time before you begin your studies: you might have just discovered your favorite new winter ritual and study space on campus.
Colgate University
If you’re worried about the harrowing winters of upstate New York, take solace if you’re in Hamilton, home to Colgate University and the Tavern at the Colgate Inn. Colgate itself was built for winter, its beautiful stone buildings made to keep in the heat and keep out the cold. For on-campus study, plan on finding a large table under the welcoming windows in the Reading Room at the Case-Geyer Library. The views of the campus’s natural surroundings provide a welcome vision of an upstate winter, snow-covered trees and all.
Once you’re bundled up, head on over to the stained-glass-enclosed Chancellor Green Rotunda adjacent to East Pyne Hall. Find an overstuffed chair or study carrel and spend your hours ensconced in a wonderful book collection devoted to literature and the humanities. It may be chilly outside, but you’ll feel nothing but warmth inside the Rotunda’s stone walls. Most importantly, enjoy some quiet time before you begin your studies: you might have just discovered your favorite new winter ritual and study space on campus.
The University of Washington
Seattle may not be known for its snow, but winter at the University of Washington is nothing to sneeze at. If you’re looking for a place on campus that fosters the fantastic ambiance of a dining hall at Hogwarts, look no further than the Graduate Reading Room at the Suzzallo Library. Its vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows provide one of the most iconic views of the flagship campus, where you’ll find comfortable spaces to kick back, hopefully relax, and prep for finals this quarter.
Before you head to Suzzallo, make a stop at Café Solstice just off campus to pick up your hot beverage of choice (read: coffee. When in Seattle…) and a panini for the road. You’d be hard pressed to find a better way to spend a chilly day in the Pacific Northwest!
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