By Reema El Atawi
The sound of a coffee machine hisses in the background. Conversations overlap. Chairs scrape lightly against the floor. In the middle of it all, a tall student with a tan complexion sits with headphones on, typing quickly and completely focused. His dark moustache and wavy hair give him a calm but grounded look, someone who blends into the noise rather than fights it. This is Basil Hassan, a student who finds focus not by escaping distractions, but by working through them.
Across the city, another student sits at a clean desk in a quiet bedroom. No noise. No movement. Just daylight, a notebook and full concentration. She is short with fair skin and light brown curly hair, her soft appearance matching the calm environment around her. This is Layan Ghanayem, a student whose focus comes from control, structure and stillness.
So where do students study best?
The answer is not as simple as it seems. As more students move between studying at home and in public spaces like cafés, a bigger question is starting to form: does the environment shape academic success more than we think?
For some students, like Ghanayem, studying at home is not just a preference, it is essential. “Home is the only place I can actually think,” she says. For Ghanayem, studying is closely connected to feeling calm and in control. “If there’s too much noise or movement, I can’t focus at all.”
Ghanayem explains that her personality plays a big role. “I’m naturally a very anxious person. I get stressed really easily. When I’m outside, I’m constantly alert…like I genuinely notice everything around me.” At home, however, that pressure disappears. “I can relax mentally, which actually helps me focus better.”
Her experience reflects a wider pattern. UNESCO’s 2019 Global Education Monitoring Report on education facilities and learning environments stresses that students learn better when their study conditions are stable, supportive and free from unnecessary distractions. This helps explain why quiet, structured spaces can work especially well for students who feel overwhelmed easily. Ghanayem also values structure. She plans her tasks, studies at her desk and takes breaks when needed. “I like having an organized setup and I always come back to it,” she says. Her results support her method. “I’ve been on the dean’s list, so I think it works for me.”
But not all students thrive in silence.
For Hassan, quiet spaces are actually the problem. “If it’s too quiet, I can’t function,” he says. Instead of avoiding noise, he depends on it. “I need background noise; it actually helps me focus more.”
Hassan studies mostly in cafés, where the energy of other people motivates him. “When there’s noise, like people talking or music, it kind of balances things out. It basically keeps me in the zone.” This idea is supported by research as well. In a 2012 Journal of Consumer Research study by Ravi Mehta, Rui Zhu and Amar Cheema, moderate levels of ambient noise were found to improve performance on creative tasks, which helps explain why some students work better in busy café settings rather than in complete silence.
For Hassan, the environment also affects his discipline. “My room is where I sleep and play on my PlayStation, so my brain just associates it with relaxing,” he explains. “If I’m in a café, I feel like I have to be productive.”
Unlike Ghanayem, Hassan often studies with friends. Even without talking much, their presence helps. “Just having them there makes me more motivated,” he says. Although he admits there can be distractions, he still finds it beneficial. “I’d still say I get way more done than I would at home.”
Like Ghanayem, Hassan has also achieved strong academic results. “I’ve been on the dean’s list, so the café life is working for me.”
These two experiences emphasize a growing trend. Cafés are increasingly becoming informal study spaces for university students. However, this trend also raises concerns. Not all students can afford to spend hours in cafés, which means access to certain study environments may depend on financial ability. On the other hand, studying at home may not be ideal for students who live in crowded or noisy households.
Educational experts often stress that there is no single “best” studying environment. The OECD’s 2024 overview of learning environments in Austria notes that the setting and conditions in which learning takes place can influence student engagement and educational success. In other words, performance often improves when study conditions match a student’s habits, needs and comfort level.
Psychologists also point out that the brain builds associations with spaces. As early as 1969, environmental psychologist Robert Sommer argued in “Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design” that people connect certain spaces with certain behaviours over time. A room used for relaxing may reduce productivity, while a café associated with work can increase focus. This explains why Hassan struggles at home, while Ghanayem thrives there.
At the same time, both environments have their downsides. Studying alone at home can sometimes lead to isolation, while cafés can become distracting or expensive over time. The key is balance and self-awareness.
In the end, the question is not where students should study, but where they can study best. For Ghanayem, it is the quiet of her room. For Hassan, it is the buzz of a café. Two different spaces. Two different minds. Yet both lead to the same goal.
Maybe the real answer is simple: the best study environment is the one that understands you.
