College: the land of constant peer-to-peer interaction and housing that resembles a more posh version of the closely packed cells in a Game of Thrones dungeon. Not exactly the most comfortable place for many introverts. We tire easily of the small talk required of running into classroom acquaintances several times a day, and the habit of eating with other people at every meal gets old in a hurry. Since college is such a social place, it’s important for us to find places where we can let our true introvert-selves emerge. For me, those places are coffee shops. Here’s why:

You can be surrounded by people but not have to talk.

Even though I love to be by myself, sometimes I still get lonely. In a coffee shop, you can have a quick conversation with a barista to get your fill of human interaction for the day, and then grab a table by yourself. This gives you the space to retreat into yourself, but also the company to not feel alone. If you’re feeling friendly (rare for me), you can strike up a quick conversation with the person at the table next to you about something they’re reading. If you’re feeling grumpy and irritable (me constantly), you can take full advantage of your resting bitch face and give off strong don’t-bother-me vibes. The point is, in a coffee shop, you can choose whether you want to chat it up or build an invisible barrier between you and the rest of the cafe-goers.

I demonstrate the resting bitch face.

You won’t know everyone.

Sometimes it’s exhausting to study at the library because you constantly run into your friends — and even though we love our friends, introverts often need to find an environment where we can have extended periods spent without thinking we’ll have to have a conversation every other minute. In a coffee shop, you might see some friends or acquaintances (especially if it’s close to campus), but they’ll come in smaller doses. Chances are, most people at the coffee shop will be strangers and there won’t be any expectation to converse.

You’ll be more motivated than if you stay in your room.

If you’re anything like me, your first inclination when you start feeling that introvert-tingle is to head back to your dorm room, lock the door, and use the necessity of “alone time” as an excuse to watch three too many episodes of Gossip Girl. Dorm rooms are distracting — you know you should do your homework, but you could also do your laundry, clean your desk, make your bed… or listen to the devil on your shoulder and fire up Netflix. Not conducive to productivity. When you go to the coffee shop, though, you’ve already established that you’re going there to get work done — so, damn it, you’re doing to get work done. Coffee shops are places where you can be productive but still avoid the library. Win-win.

If you’re a college introvert, I highly suggest heading to a coffee shop to do some homework. It’s a great place to let the introvert-dragon out… or perhaps more appropriately, let the introvert-dragon stay in.