For the majority of my first semester at Nova, I only studied in the library, specifically in the room with Holy Grounds.

It is always so crowded during the day and it takes some serious luck to get a table. I spent hours doing my work at one of the chairs with all of my stuff in my lap, stalking the tables until someone got up. It was definitely not the most efficient system.

However, over the course of the semester, I found some much better places to study on campus. Here are my top 5.

5. Holy Grounds

If you don’t mind some noise, Holy Grounds is a great place to get some work done. With locations in Connelly, Driscoll, the Law School, Bartley, and CEER, it is probably not too far from your dorm. And if you’re like me, you need that double espresso shot for studying fuel.

4. CEER

If the Holy Grounds in CEER gets too crowded but you still need that double shot of espresso, grab your coffee then head downstairs. There’s about 8 tables, computers, and printers and it is super quiet. You should also check out the second floor. There is one lonely table all the way at the end of the hall encased by floor to ceiling windows. You will get it if you’re lucky.

3. Driscoll

At night, the second floor of Driscoll is really quiet. For freshmen, it’s not a far walk from south campus. Grab a table in Holy Grounds or get a group of friends together and head to an empty classroom. It’s a great spot to study.

2. Reading nooks in SAC

Everyone thinks that SAC is full of professors’ offices, which is true. But if you go upstairs, there’s a bunch of reading nooks between the offices. There are no tables, but it’s a definitely a cozy place to snuggle up with a book.

1. The basement of Tolentine

There is no doubt that most of the basement is super creepy. In fact, the first time I ventured down to the basement I was by myself and I almost turned around to head back upstairs. However, they just built a brand new computer lab down there. If you want to avoid the creepiness of the basement, you can enter the doors in the back of Tolentine, closest to White Hall. Go downstairs and the computer lab is right there. Not many people know about it, but it's quickly become my favorite study spot.