by Lily J. Moe: The sweet smell of espresso, and a warm hum of happiness…
There is a coffee shop epidemic spreading across the United States, affecting college students everywhere. Where a library once held the title of premium study location, a coffee shop now stands in its place. No one is safe.
The coffee shop culture is something that every millennial has experienced from one time or another. Whether they’re the nerdy English Lit major who lives off vanilla lattes to get through Shakespeare class, or the Communications major who cannot get enough of the atmosphere that the local coffee shop provides, everyone has a reason to be at a coffee shop. There are many reasons to find a coffee shop hang out, whether it be for a study group, or for a favorite bagel. The college generation is infatuated with the chill, hipster vibe that coffee shops bring, so much so, that most college campuses create their own coffee shop for students to enjoy.
Wait, so what happened to the library?
Mitch Ditkoff provided 20 Reasons Why Creative People Go To Cafes To Work. Many of those reasons can be applied to the stressed college student with papers due the next day. Coffee shops don’t have the same cold, uniformed atmosphere that industrial libraries have. Instead of rows of desks with computers, and study rooms that feel like prison cells, coffee shops are just tables, chairs, some T-Swift playing in the background, and individuals who are comforted by a mocha in their hand. Coffee shops are a pat on the back, and let you breathe even when you’re stressed to the max.
Coffee shops are also far more versatile than the average study space. They are perfect for a Bible study group to meet, friends to catch up, study groups to strategize, and papers to be written. They aren’t rigidly quiet, yet they don’t overwhelm you with noise. They just hum a sweet comfort of people, all trying to get through the day.
And they have donuts.
Camping out at the campus coffee shop is a much better Sunday afternoon than spending hours on end at the library, or in your lonely bedroom. Even now, at 11:54 on Sunday morning, my campus coffee shop has a sleepy, happy feeling, accompanied by scattered students, minding their own business, but minding that business together. A little family of people each doing their own thing, but doing it together.
The coffee shop culture may be a phenomenon that will fade a decade from now. Or, the hipsters that have been crafted in the last few years will love it so much that it stays around. My bet is on the later. Coffee shops are here to stay, assisting college students and their creative juices.
