Welcome back to the Lifestyle Lowdown, where our hardworking team of editors offer our wise words on how to make the most of life in Oxford.
Given that the university recommends we spend 40 hours a week studying, we think that it had better be in a location that really suits you. Some prefer serenity, some stimulation, some to lock themselves in their rooms. But we’ve tried to think slightly more outside the box with our suggestions, in case we can name somewhere you haven’t yet tried in all those hours of study!
Japanese and Chinese Libraries
As a lazy girl who doesn’t always want to face the walk into the city centre, my favourite places to study are two lesser-known libraries in North Oxford.
The Japanese Library, situated within the Nissan Japanese Institute in St Antony’s College, is a small and serene space, with room for only 45 people. I’m a huge fan of the unique but understated design: the main room has a wooden, pyramid shaped ceiling and the windows are abundant, wrapping almost continuously around the room. Being a small space, the library can fill up, but I’ve never been unable to find a seat — probably because people can’t be bothered to make the journey there.
Second, and my personal favourite, is the Chinese Library. It’s situated within the Dickson Poon building in St Hugh’s (a severely underrated college, by the way). Like the Japanese Library, it’s sleek, elegant and modern. It feels more like walking into a hotel or museum lobby than a library, with traditional Chinese clothing displayed on the walls and a spiral staircase leading down to the library itself. The library wraps around a clean and calming Chinese courtyard garden, and offers bigger study tables by the windows as well as cosy study cubbies where you can tuck yourself away for a dingier, essay-crisis vibe.
Izzy (she/her), Senior Editor for Lifestyle and a Classics and French student at Somerville. I’m most often spotted running somewhere late carrying a bubble tea, or curled up sheltering from the Hilary term cold and darkness with the Animal Crossing soundtrack.
Museums: Natural History and The Ashmolean
Perhaps you have never considered this a viable ‘study spot’, but a museum can be a lovely and unsurprisingly inspirational place to study. Here in Oxford, we are lucky enough to have numerous museums within a 5-10 minute walk from the city centre. A personal favourite of mine is the Natural History/Pitt Rivers Museum bordering the science departments. Unless you’re unlucky enough to run into a school group (sorry in advance!) it is a relatively peaceful area with a cafe upstairs overlooking dinosaur bones and dreamily-lit vaulted arched ceilings. Nonetheless, I would recommend bringing a pair of headphones – just in case. The cafe itself offers a delightful chai latte and herbal teas (amongst other things), with a multitude of free tables and chairs. My favourite part: taking a quick study break of walking around to admire the breadth of the collection and the sheer size of the dinosaur skeletons.
If you want an arguably even more aesthetic, but less practical, study spot, the Ashmolean is a great choice! Although the underground cafe is somewhat suffocating at times (I’m being harsh), there are many seated corners around the exhibits themselves to pick from. Having the view of an Ancient Greek statue while writing your essay might inspire or motivate you – it certainly captivated me. Granted, your work might not be as productive as caging yourself away from the real-world in the stifling, but loved, Glink (Gladstone Link); however, for some lighter work I’d highly recommend trying a museum like this.
Sophia (she/her), Junior Editor for Lifestyle and a Biochemistry student at Corpus. You can find me in the queue to buy cheese from the Covered Market for our Cheese Soc (6pm Saturday at Corpus, be there or be square xx) or in an unflattering lab coat with goggles.
Pusey House Library
Looking for a niche study spot which will leave an Oxford student questioning if they even go here? Pusey House library is the library for you. A beautifully maintained old library with a great atmosphere is nestled a bit outside the city center on St Giles’ street, located within St Cross College to be specific. Walking by the church with its distinct church smell does wonders for an exceptionally tired student mind (assuming you do not have a bad relationship with Catholicism), and makes the library distinct from any other. Up a small stone spiral staircase, and through a weighty old wooden door, the reading room opens into a walkway with quaint desks and scripture-filled bookshelves branching to the sides; it really does not get more Oxford than this. I will have to be honest and admit the chairs do take a bit of getting used to, but the very slight discomfort is more than worth it, especially with the warm radiators, perfect to sit next to on a cold Hillary day. Word on the street is they also offer lunch on the house (well on the church), but I cannot speak on that as I am normally too locked in to take a break. Shockingly, the WiFi isn’t even bad for what you might expect from a building made before electricity, definitely more reliable than the Schwarzman, from experience. The opening hours are a bit restrictive; however, my recommendation is to use this as the first library of the day, then take a break for lunch and relocate elsewhere in the city center. I hope that from this, at least one person discovers this truly hidden gem of a library.
David (he/they), Junior Editor for Lifestyles and Chemist at LMH. Likely eating a Korean corndog while avoiding going back to the library. Huge enjoyer of just seeing where the day takes me.
Gulp Fiction
For those who like to study in cafés, I strongly recommend checking out Gulp Fiction in the Covered Market. It’s not huge, so you might struggle to find a space to work, but it’s a very calm and cozy area to get some reading done, whether for leisure or for your degree. There’s a communal area downstairs where you can chat with your friends or study in groups, but the upstairs area feels like a cozy living room, with a couple of sofas and quiet, relaxing, jazzy music keeping you company. One slight issue with the upstairs is that it’s so comfortable you might get a little too sleepy to work productively — I’ve heard some people have even fallen asleep up there (never me though)! The café serves the typical selection of coffees, as well as a selection of snacks or alcoholic drinks if you want a treat after your work.It might not be the ideal place for a coffee date with someone, but the atmosphere is perfect for a study session. While I hope it doesn’t get too popular, it would be a disservice to gatekeep this lovely place; so go ahead, treat yourself to a coffee, and try not to get tempted by their wide selection of books that you could get lost in!
Lex (she/her). Avid philosopher and begrudging psychologist at St. Hilda’s. I’ve been with Lifestyle for a year now. You may find me wandering aimlessly around the city with takoyaki from Gloucester Green or working at my college bar. Or, more likely, I’m crashing out over my degree in my room.