Exam season is a time when you need some peace and quiet outside of home. While cafes are a great place to cram, not all of them are welcoming of students hogging seats for hours nursing a cup of ice latte. Especially so when Covid-19 restrictions mean that there are less seats overall available for patrons.
There’s no need to rant about being chased out of your usual Starbucks or Coffee Bean outlets. Here are some alternative places with free Wifi and charging ports – free and paid – that welcome students looking for a spot to study.
Disclaimer: Prices are accurate at the time of publication.
Co-working spaces
Despite being catered to entrepreneurs, they’re not all that expensive, especially when you consider that these spaces offer free beverages and snacks, and you’ll have a private desk where you can study all day in a quiet environment. Most of them offer free trials and day passes.
The Hive
With 4 locations, The Hive has hot desk day passes as well as 10-day or 30-day memberships (some packages include the use of meeting room). The 30-day membership allows 24 hour access.
Work From Hotel (WFH) deals
Some hotels are offering work-from-hotel packages – some with dining packages, while others are offering their rooms for a day booking.
Furama Riverfront
Park yourself at Furama Riverfront for their WFH package, with 3 options: a Twilight pass (8am-8pm), a Day pass, and even a monthly pass. It includes a generous dining credit, redeemable across all their F&B outlets.
Study-friendly cafes
While there are plenty of cafes around, many have been implementing time limits or discouraging students who come to study due to Covid-19 restrictions which means less seats available for other patrons.
The Book Cafe (Mohd Sultan)
The Book Cafe is an institution, having been both a library and cafe along Mohd Sultan for over 20 years. The quiet store boasts comfy couch seats and shelves of books and magazines for your perusal – it’s also been a place where people tend to hang out for hours. The store’s menu consists of all-day breakfast and a decent drinks list.
Free spaces to study
There are plenty of free spaces to study at Community Centres and Libraries across Singapore.
Our Tampines Hub
Our Tampines Hub has picnic-style study tables placed across all 6 floors (B1 to L5) around the central atrium. While it’s literally just tables in the hallway, you have access to all the shops and cafes in the mall and the surrounding area. The place is open 24/7 so you can come for a study or discussion session anytime.
Changi Airport
Changi Airport boasts numerous comfy seating areas, it’s also got free Wi-Fi and multiple food options. You may also be able to snag one of those seats surrounding Jewel’s Rain Vortex and have a cooling waterfall as your backdrop. The Changi Lounge is also available, with 3-hour packages starting from $28++ (Lite).
Smart Void Deck (Jurong East)
Despite being free and open 24/7, void decks are hardly used as study spaces. However, Block 224 Jurong East Street 21 has a ‘smart void deck’ with a unique lighting concept to tempt you. The light colour changes according to the furniture layout – move the chairs and tables around to resembles a study room, and it’ll trigger a bluish light scheme to help you concentrate.
