4-5C Study spots that aren’t the library

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This might not be completely relatable, but I highly dislike the library. That’s actually a partial lie. I like the first floor of the library. But the rest of the library – I do not like the rest of the library. That’s because it’s always way too quiet. If I sit in the library and sniffle just one sniffle, I feel like I am disrupting everybody’s focus. Personally, if I am doing work outside of office hours, I need to either be somewhere with lots of stuff going on or at least somewhere that isn’t disturbed by 0.00001 dB of noise.

Now that I have a car, I often go off campus to find these non-library study spots. But, many people on campus don’t have cars, so I thought it would be helpful for me to share some nearby study spots. I’ve brainstormed 5 of my favorite 5C study spots, organized by distance from my dorm.

[Note: There are some on-campus spots that are fan favorites: the cafe, the Writing Center, Platt Living Room, the department lounges, etc. These spots do deserve some honorable mentions, though I really want to showcase the spots that are not at Mudd]

  1. The Grove House – Pitzer Campus: The Grove House is a student-run cafe at Pitzer. It is probably one of the prettiest places on campus, in my opinion. It serves breakfast and lunch throughout the week, but I have actually never gotten a meal there (whoops). I mostly use the space when the cafe part is closed, because there is some great outdoor seating. Fun fact about the Grove House is that it was bought by Pitzer in 1976 for $1 and it was transferred here in 2 pieces. I learned that one day as I passed by a Pitzer tour. Another fun fact about the Grove House is that there are really great concerts there on the weekend.
    Front of the Grove House at Pitzer; the grove house is an old craftsman style house with a large front porch and seating for eating and doing work

    Front of the Grove House at Pitzer

    Benches sit under a canopy of tree branches; Perfect shade for doing work

    Outdoor seating at the Grove House

    Small tables sit next to a wall of foliage next to the Grove House

    More outdoor seating at the Grove House

  2. The Pit Stop (Pitzer Cafe) – Pitzer Campus: This spot has been one of my favorite spots since freshman year. It has coffee, food, comfy seating, tables, natural lighting, and LOTS of people in and out. I would say that this is one of the more crowded places on the list, but that’s one of the reasons why it’s so great. If you are more of a fan of quieter places, there is a nice outdoor seating area just around the west side of the building. There is also a kumquat tree there! Overall, this spot never lets me down.
    Students working at tables in the shade outside of the Pit Stop Cafe at Pitzer

    Front of the Pit Stop Cafe at Pitzer

    Several tables in the shade next to a building at Pitzer

    Quiet outdoor seating near the Pit Stop

    Another picture of the quiet outdoor seating at Pitzer; Lots of plants are next to a bench by the tables

    The seating here has great plants to look at

  3.  The Motley (obviously) – Scripps Campus: Surprise, surprise, the Motley is on this list. I don’t think that any list of study spots would be complete without it. Straight from its website, the Motley describes itself as “an intersectional, political, and feminist coffeehouse run by the students of Scripps College.” It has coffee, tea, other drinks, snacks, buttons, and stickers for sale. Most of the time, the space is used as a normal study area. There are always a lot of people there, so you sometimes have to do work on the ground of the stage or outside until a spot opens up. Other times, there are speakers, workshops, music performances, and more! Last tip: if you go here, make sure to bring your own mug!
    Students fill the work area at the Motley; every table has a student

    Lots of students are always inside of the Motley at Scripps; Source: scrippscollege.edu

    Students at Scripps College in Claremont wait for their drink orders at The Motley coffee house.

    The Motley has several tasty drinks; you should try them all! Source: dailybulletin.com

  4. Roberts Pavillion – Claremont McKenna Campus: To be honest, this is kind of a weird study spot. I never would have considered doing work here, but my friend who does water polo for CMS warmed me up to the idea (she does work there before her practice). It has plenty of natural lighting, medium traffic, and always enough seating. I also like that it almost forces me to get some physical activity because I am already at the gym.

Roberts is always bright and light; Source: archdaily.com