Coworking Spaces for Students: Pros and Cons
Coworking spaces started to become popular more than 10 years ago. About 20 years ago there were only some computer clubs where you could come to play games, visit some forums, do research, and check email. Later, they transformed into comfortable clubs with tea, coffee, snacks, puffs on the floor, etc. Most of them don’t need to offer any computers — you come with your own. Coworking is a whole new system of learning, working, and communicating. Many small IT teams decided not to rent standard offices and started working in coworking, renting several tables or a separate room. It became a popular and economical solution for many teams, and, as everything new and popular touched the student lives. In this article, we want to talk about the pros and cons of coworking spaces for students. Should all campuses have them? Should students use public/commercial coworking spaces more? Do coworking spaces help to focus on studies or, conversely, do they come with too many harmful distractions? Let’s get to the bottom of this now.
Pros of Coworking Spaces for Students
Are you still hesitating whether to try that new coworking space around the corner? Here are some “pros” for that decision.
Change of scenery. It is always nice to let your brain work in a new environment, as it helps you to get fresh ideas, get inspired by other people, and have some fresh air even on your way. By the way, when was the last time you actually left your apartment?
New people. Yes, normally people don’t communicate much in coworking centers, because they come there to work. Still, there are coffee and water stands, and there is a kitchen or some sort of recreational area where you can meet new people, network, and make connections that may be helpful for your studies now and your work later.
Better WiFi. Well, sometimes your internet connection is just not enough. It is so annoying when your computer gets stuck when you cannot download what you need comfortably. Going to a coworking space is just another good way to get rid of such problems for good. You can even plan some specific work to be initially done in coworking. Also, here you can use extra services, such as printers, scanners, etc. We doubt modern students actually buy those things to use at home and, sometimes, they are really needed.
Cons of Coworking Spaces for Students
If everything looks and sounds so bright and shiny, why don’t all the students choose coworking for their studies?
Distractions. It all depends on your luck on a particular day. One day you come it is nice and quiet, another day you come, and all day have to listen to others’ calls, some noise, some groups discussing something, etc. Also, coworking spaces are not static. Even when there is no noise, someone is walking around, getting coffee, getting some assistance with wifi, etc. If you get distracted easily, it may be really a difficult environment for you to concentrate on your studies.
You have to follow the rules. There are dozens of people sharing the space with you, so you cannot do things you would do at home — make calls in the common space, turn on music, etc. It is really distracting and disrespectful to others. There are also rules for using other common spaces and additional COVID-19 restrictions.
You have to come prepared. Your notebook, charges, headphones, extra headphones, some notepads, pens, maybe your own cup, something to eat, if you are not big on vending machine snacks, some extra hoodie in case it gets cold, etc. It may feel very annoying at some point to pack the entire backpack just to go study somewhere that is not home. So, the choice is ultimately yours.
How to Increase Your Productivity in College
In the end, coworking spaces are just tools. They are not valuable on their own, they are valuable as territory and the number of functions that help students to read their goals. One such goal is obviously productivity — being able to deal with assignments fast enough, submit papers on time, and not get too tired on the way. As we said before, coworking is definitely on the top list of instruments for that. Can we name more?
Adequate studying plan. Too many students don’t have adequate study plans. When the semester begins they feel like this time, no matter what, they will be able to deal with all the tasks on time, they will study day and night, they won’t binge-watch Netflix and HBO, and will always prefer a good night with a textbook to a crazy night with friends. As you can imagine it never happens this way and the plan gets ruined. It is better to pursue and clear not a perfect plan, you know.
Delegating tasks. Another option to increase your productivity is to delegate some of your assignments to experts, addressing a reliable essay writing service, such as SmartWritingService. It is only up to you which strategy to employ — you can focus on the most interesting and important tasks and delegate some small distractions to professional writers. You can order the most valuable assignments to be done for you, so you can use the received papers as samples for your future work. In any case, sharing your writing load with professionals may be a top solution for your productivity.
Seeing goals clearly. You cannot move forward if you are not sure where forward is exactly. Crazy perfectionism is just another form of procrastination. You need to be able to compromise, and plan according to your major goal. Many students want to achieve all goals at the same time, and it hardly helps their case.
We do hope that these productivity tips, along with tips on how to use coworking space for students more efficiently will help you to achieve your educational goals this year.
