Locking in beyond the library: Barnard students’ off-campus study spot recommendations

Barnard students share their favorite places to study near campus and around New York City.

Photo by Gabriela Valentin/The Barnard Bulletin

By Jade Dixon

June 17, 2026

When finals preparation began last spring, I asked Barnard students where they go to study in New York City. Whether inside or outside, students take their work with them to find inspiration or a sense of calm in new or popular spaces in the city during exam season.

MOKAFÉ

MOKAFÉ is a coffee shop that prioritizes relaxation and connection among customers. The cafe has four locations in New York, and Leslie Herreros (BC ’28) prefers to study in the one located between Manhattan Avenue and Eagle Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

“When you’re concentrated in a library, and there are so many people around you all focused on the same thing, sometimes pressure will bounce off of each other,” says Herreros. 

The coffee shop focuses on sustainably sourcing its coffee beans from small farmers and incorporates the fika practice into its shops. Fika, a tradition originating in Sweden, is a calming break meant to slow down the day and bring people together over coffee.

“It is definitely very relaxing. They usually have Middle Eastern music playing in the background,” Herreros added. 

MOKAFÉ offers a large selection of beverages, pastries, and desserts, ranging from different sweet teas to strong coffees. If you’re looking for a coffee shop to focus on your schoolwork or catch up with a friend, MOKAFÉ is a great space that blends community and the fika practice, allowing customers to use the space as they see fit.

Riverside Park

Mireya Montano (BC ’29) says her favorite place to study during finals is Riverside Park. The park spans from 72nd Street to 158th Street to the west of Barnard and Columbia. According to NYC Parks, Riverside Park is one of the eight officially designated scenic landmarks in the New York City area. Its most renowned feature being the great waterfront view of the Hudson River.

If you walk through the park on a warm day, you will see both students and Morningside Heights residents enjoying the view and sitting in the sun. There are plenty of benches in the park positioned beneath the trees, where you can peacefully sit and finish your work in the shade. The park is the perfect study spot to declutter your thoughts when you feel overwhelmed inside a library, yet want to stay productive. Montano likes to bring a blanket, snacks, and her printed readings from class to the park.

“Outside, I feel like I can just do stuff and listen to the noises around me instead of having my headphones on all the time,” Montano told The Bulletin.

Montano says she sometimes finds it difficult to begin studying on her own in a library, so she finds comfort in going to Riverside Park, where its slow-paced environment and running into friends can be a nice break from work.

“When you start with a blank slate, it is very hard to create your own space to focus. Being outside and catching a vibe from what is going on around you — and going from there [gets me] into the groove of studying faster,” she says.

Georgie’s Cafe & Bar

182 Broome Street, 2nd floor, New York, New York 10002

One of Jhamilet Aymara’s (BC ’28) go-to study cafes in the city is Georgie’s Cafe & Bar, located on the second floor of a rock climbing gym in the Lower East Side. Georgie’s is a Hong Kong-inspired cafe that serves coffees, teas, and Bo Lo Yao, a popular Hong Kong-style pineapple pork bun. The cafe has natural lighting, plenty of seating, and is filled with greenery. If you are interested in visiting Georgie’s when you’re not doing schoolwork, the cafe hosts events — the most recent being a comedy show, trivia night, and a latte art competition.

Aymara says she actually prefers going to a busy cafe, because for her, the quietness of a library can sometimes become too loud.

At Georgie’s, Aymara listens to Hyperpop or Reggaeton music, which becomes vibrant background noise while studying: “One part of my brain is distracted, and the other is focusing on this assignment, which [helps] me.”

The Hungarian Pastry Shop

1030 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, New York 10025

Like many Barnard students and residents of Morningside Heights, Isabelle Jones (BC ’28) enjoys going to The Hungarian Pastry Shop, which sits on the corner of 111th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The cafe, originally opened in 1961 by Hungarian immigrants, has long been a popular spot near campus, offering a selection of cakes, cookies, and Danish pastries for students who enjoy indulging in something sweet while they study. When it is hot out, Jones gets a cheese biscuit and an iced latte to give her energy to work.

Many authors have written their novels at The Hungarian Pastry Shop, and the cafe has displayed over 50 books on one of its walls for students and aspiring writers to read.

“This is the place where people write and get things done. I feel like I’m following in the tradition of the space to go and be an English major and do my readings,” Jones said.

If you have time in between classes or on the weekends, try studying in one of the places students recommended — or even discover your own. While a library is the traditional ‘study’ environment that students tend to gravitate toward, sitting outside in the park or trying different cafes may help make preparations for final exams feel less daunting and more approachable. Outside of the recommendations by fellow students, New York has numerous places, loud or quiet, where you can go to clear your mind, order something delicious, and begin any challenging work. While ‘locking in’ is important, taking care of yourself is essential to your academic performance. Breaking out of routine by taking your work with you to different areas around the city may be the mental refreshment that you need.