Five Top Study Spots in NTU

With the semester coming to an end and exams drawing closer, Ashley Tay susses out five top study places in school for your next revision session or project meeting.

By Ashley Tay
Photos: Loh Junwei

Benches along South Spine towards Canteen B (basement three)

Newly furnished in 2012, each of these benches are equipped with multiple power sockets so you will never have to worry about not having enough juice to power your laptop and gadgets.

Although the place is not air-conditioned, it is an open-air area that is well ventilated with fans above. It is also located near Canteen B and a number of vending machines so a quick bite is never more than a few steps away.

The best part is that the area is not particularly crowded during the semester, making it an ideal spot for animated group discussions.

Learning Pod @ South Spine

(Opening Hours: Weekdays: 8.30am — 12.00am, Saturday: 8.30am — 4.00pm)

Located near the Nanyang Auditorium at SS1-01-03, the Learning Pod @ South Spine ticks all the right boxes for students looking for a serious place to study.

Previously known as the South Spine Computer Room, the newly-renovated and air-conditioned area offers 40 Personal Computers (PC), which can be booked in one-hour slots if you choose not to lug your laptop along for study sessions.

There are four closed-door rooms for group discussions, each equipped with an LCD screen and writing glass boards. Bookings can be made for the PCs or discussion rooms through the Online Facilities Booking System or at the booking station available at the Learning Pod service counter.

The Learning Pod also offers a number of study tables that come with power sockets on the floor, while special power socket adapters can be borrowed from the counter for tables without floor sockets.

Outside the OCBC Branch

Avoiding the lunch and dinner crowds while still enjoying the proximity of popular NTU amenities like Cheers, McDonald’s, Subway and Starbucks, the study area adjacent to the OCBC Branch and Student Services Centre is a hot pick for its prime location. Despite not being air-conditioned like the nearby Global Lounge and Student Activities Center, it also means that there are usually more available seats.

Power sockets are also available along the walls, although there are fewer power sockets than the previous two locations mentioned.

Cafe Hotshot in the NIE Library

(Opening Hours: Weekdays: 8.30am — 8.00pm, Sat: 8.30am — 5.00pm)

A hidden gem located inside the NIE Library, Cafe Hotshot serves great cups of coffee to get your brain juices flowing and lots of teatime snacks if you get hungry.

Although it’s a long walk from the Lee Wee Nam Library bus stop, you will not be disappointed once you are settled in the cafe. The place is fully air-conditioned and there are ample seats and power sockets available for use.

The only caveat of studying inside the NIE campus would be the inability to access the NTU wireless network. But if you’re looking solely just to hit the books without the distraction of the Internet, this is one place worth considering.

Business Library

(Opening Hours: Weekdays: 8.30am — 9.30pm, Saturday: 8.30am — 5.00pm)

The Business Library is the lesser-known counterpart to its bigger brother, the ever-crowded Lee Wee Nam Library.

Located in the North Spine, the Business Library spans four floors, with its main entrance at basement two. With ample seats available on basement one and basement four, there is plenty of space to accommodate students looking for a place to study or discuss projects.

What makes it perfect for large group meetings are the Board Room or the Disucssion Pods in the library. There are also 14 private study rooms which offer a conducive and distraction-free environment if you need even more isolation from the public study areas in the library. These rooms will need to be booked before use as well. Bookings can be made at the link here.

First published: 30 Mar
Updated: 24 Aug