As long as homework, quizzes and tests have existed, so have study groups to help students keep up. However, many CHS students realize while these groups are necessary, their choices of places to study are limited.
Some students, such as senior Shaan Patel, study at the Coppell public library to avoid distractions.
“I usually go to the library and get one of their meeting rooms,” Patel said. “Starbucks is too noisy for me. I don’t like the social atmosphere and talking about things other than what I’m studying. [The library] has a much more school-like, quiet atmosphere.”
He’s not alone. After polling 50 CHS students, 48 percent were found to choose studying at the local public library over a store.
Junior Arden Radford finds the busy places distracting.
“I’d rather go to the library and rent a study room than go to Starbucks or Cherry On Top,” she said. “Sometimes I go [to Starbucks or Cherry On Top] after I do my work, as a reward. That way I don’t get distracted by the noise and the food while I study.”
The William T. Cozby Public Library is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Even with frozen yogurt places recently opening in Coppell, according to the poll few people found the frozen yogurt stores conducive to studying. No one polled said that they would go to either Tappy’s or Cherry On Top to study.
“My friends and I had a 178 question review for [AP U.S. History] for our semester final and we went to both Starbucks and Tappy’s,” Burns said. “I felt like I could concentrate better and get a lot more done at Starbucks, even though they were both fun places. Starbucks just had a better atmosphere with less people coming in and out. I guess I’m just used to the good drinks and comfy chairs and big tables with space to work at.”
Frozen yogurt stores rarely play host to studiers, according to Tappy’s Yogurt employee Colin Shaffer.
“Three-thirty [p.m.] is the rush for us,” Shaffer said. “People usually come when school gets out and it’s usually young kids. There are teenagers here, but it’s usually not for studying, but just hanging out.”
Proximity is important to most students who do not want to drive out of their way to study. Cram-sessions can last late into the night and inexperienced drivers can be uncomfortable driving long distances in the dark.
“I like Tappy’s, but Starbucks is closer and I would rather study there,” junior Connor Wilkinson said. “When it’s crowded at Starbucks and impossible to get work done with so much noise, I go to Tappy’s.”
Across the board, students at CHS seem to favor studying at Starbucks and the public library over Tappy’s and Cherry On Top. Atmosphere is the culprit. While the yogurt places cater to fun and relaxation, students seem to think they are not suitable for the most intense studiers.
