Finding a place to cram for finals is difficult when tons of others are doing the same. Here are some suggestions for where to get your study on.

Barnes & Noble

If on-campus study locations are too crowded for you or just not your style, head over to Barnes & Noble in the Town Square Mall, right off Vestal Parkway.

The quiet, relaxing atmosphere of the bookstore is ideal for getting some reading done for your classes, or studying for upcoming finals. Get settled into one of the bookstore’s comfortable armchairs or sit at a secluded table to set up your laptop and connect to the complementary Wi-Fi.

It’s a six-minute drive from Binghamton University to Barnes & Noble. But if you don’t have a car, check the OCCT schedule and hop on one of the buses that takes you to the Town Square Mall.

Barnes & Noble is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays, so you can get a full day of work done if you need to, or just spend a few hours between classes.

— Monica Drum

Your room

If you need to stay distraction-free, there is no other place to study than your own room.

Get your roommates out of the room, house or apartment. If they plan on staying home, make sure they are hitting the books just as hard as you are.

Your room is what you make of it — no people to interact with, no noises to disrupt your concentration. It’s just your books, your computer and you. If you get hungry, you can supply yourself with a variety of snacks and foods; if you have to use the bathroom, you don’t have to worry about if your stuff will still be there when you return.

And the best part is that you can just roll over and take a proper nap in your own bed when you need a mental break before your head explodes. And don’t ever worry about getting kicked out, because this establishment is open 24/7.

— Vincent Parisi Jr.

The library

When preparing for final exams, many students dread going to the one place that’s actually meant for studying: the library.

It can be intimidating at first glance because it reminds students that they have an important exam. However, if you know the right room to sit in, the Glenn G. Bartle Library isn’t all that bad.

The most important thing to remember is to stay away from the “white room.” That’s the big, stark room on the second floor, which many students tend to gravitate toward. With so many peers in one place, you’re bound to run into someone you know, and it can turn into a social hour instead of a study session. Also, such a large concentration of students might cause you anxiety and distract you from what needs to get done.

You’re better off wandering into the Fine Arts section or a little nook on the third or fourth floor where it’s less populated. Those hidden-gem areas will allow you to concentrate, and decrease your chances of running into distracting friends.

— Marissa Piazzola

Panera Bread

Studying in the Glenn G. Bartle Library sometimes gets so quiet and eerie that it’s hard to get any work done. Rather than suffering under the hospital-like lighting, try studying in Panera. It offers a comforting aura that allows you to get work done smoothly.

Although music plays in Panera, it’s not loud and intrusive. The small booths in the back of the restaurant with electrical outlets create your own study section that’s separated from the rest of the restaurant. Once you get started, you hardly notice the low music playing in the background.

While Starbucks can offer you a variety of coffee drinks, they can’t offer you the menu Panera features. Instead of getting too hungry and having to leave the library or coffee shop, you can just take a break and get a meal at Panera. By staying in one place to eat and do work, you don’t lose that extra time of going back and forth to the library, not to mention the benefit of taking an enjoyable break.

Even though there are lunch and dinner rushes at Panera, people constantly come and go, so finding a place to do work is never a problem. Also, free Internet access makes studying easier, compared to coffee shops that make customers pay for the Internet.

At first glance, Panera could seem the opposite of a study niche. However, if you take advantage of its utilities accordingly, it could be the key to an outstanding grade.

— Tessa Millman