With finals fast approaching, Boston College students need to be alert and awake now more than ever. Luckily, BC has a multitude of options to get your daily caffeine fix while simultaneously draining your Eagle Bucks balance.
Along with providing a variety of holiday-themed beverages and snacks, these spots can be great for finally cracking open that chemistry textbook gathering dust on your shelf. Here is your guide to the best spots on campus to get a good drink and maybe be productive.
The Chocolate Bar
A Stokes staple, the Chocolate Bar is a solid option. As someone who has spent many hours there and watched the crowds come and go, it really is a great spot. The variety of cushy chairs and tables to work at gives you many options to decide how to do your work.
While the coffee isn’t my first choice, it does the job and is a great place to visit in a hurry. I personally think the best reason to go to the Chocolate Bar is to get a little post-exam treat to celebrate your accomplishments.
CoRo Cafe & Market
If I want consistently good coffee, I go to CoRo. I proudly used my six remaining Eagle Bucks here, along with the majority of my balance throughout the semester. I sometimes even go so far as to dip into my own pocket for this establishment.
The music here always fits the mood I’m feeling at the moment, and I have to commend the baristas for their excellent taste. The open format and the many tables make it a perfect study spot, and just when you think every table is taken, you turn the corner and find an empty spot waiting for you. Overall, CoRo cafe is an amazing place to study or just listen to music and drink a good coffee. I highly recommend it.
Tully Cafe
The people that know what Tully has to offer will never let you forget it. Along with a good coffee, Tully is a great option for non-dining hall food. I was pleasantly surprised to find a spread of fresh, Mediterranean-style options available.
Tully offers a mostly calm, quiet environment. Besides the occasional lunch or early morning rush, it is a good spot to study. I recommend grabbing a table in the hallway connected to the cafe because the seats in front can fill up quickly. The mix of indoor and outdoor seating offers a good opportunity to people-watch and provides a quiet, reliable study spot.
Legal Grounds
A hidden gem (shocker) on Newton, the lovely Legal Grounds employees create a calming, welcoming environment. The food options are impeccably organized and the holiday decorations are always tastefully placed. Because they are simultaneously fueling BC freshman and law students, they have to be good at what they do.
Legal Grounds make a great beverage at a shocking speed. I close my eyes to blink and open them to reveal my drink sitting at the counter. There is a nice sitting area in the cafe, but unfortunately no tables. I would instead direct you to the huge room of tables right outside of it, very convenient. I wouldn’t recommend going to the law library to study though, as the law students aren’t the biggest fans of sharing. While most won’t venture to Newton for this experience, I recommend making a trip if all of the other study spots on Main Campus aren’t doing it for you anymore.
Hillside Café
Hillside is a great spot to meet your friends after a long day of school work, but not necessarily the best spot to study. There is always a flurry of activity, which makes sense considering how good the food is.
If you are looking for the closest thing to a real Starbucks on campus, Hillside is worth a visit. The bar seating allows you to intently watch the baristas make your coffee and prepare your bagel. The couches and outdoor seating are great spots to take a break, regroup, and find some good social interaction.
The Market
The Market @ Corcoran is exactly what its name suggests a market. With no seating directly inside, it isn’t a realistic study spot. The market does offer a variety of snacks, as well as a good drink, so a trip there wouldn’t be a bad idea. Situated in such a convenient spot among the Lower Campus dorms, I can understand why it’s a popular and easy go-to spot for a caffeine fix.
