Saturday, January 26, 2008

Study Sessions

I think this sem is the most stressful one that I have had so far.
Well, that's what I always say about a present moment semester and the subsequent semester always tops it off. It just keeps on getting rougher. Surprisingly, I never came to a point that I became seriously burnt out. I'm still my cheerful and carefree self. Law school may have taken a pretty big chunk of my time which I prefer to allot to other interesting things but it didn't make me dull. I may be struggling quite hard with the demands of law school but I am still happily unworried. I guess its because of my positive outlook and strong character. I never give up. I take every nerve-racking day one at a time and just wait for those straining moments to pass even under gritted teeth. The secret there is not to take grades too seriously. I never do. Of course I make a conscious effort not to fail in any of my subjects but I never study just for the grades. Man, there's life besides law school.

For the past three weeks or so, I have been spending my late nights in a Dunkin Donuts branch along Aurora blvd, studying. Ive been a law student for a year and a half now but Ive never seen myself to be this diligent. I guess its because of CivPro. This subject is a five-unit course and the Professor is very exacting. This is why I was forced to fix and device an efficient study habit which I never really have. I can never study seriously at home because I am easily tempted to lie on my bed and sleep without even knowing it. And though I considered studying in coffee shops before, I never really got to it because of my tight budget. Given my meager allowance, I cant afford to spend more than a hundred pesos everytime I study out. Thanks to that Dunkin Donuts store, I now have an inexpensive place to hammer away into my readings. It's also very convenient for me since it's only a block away from my apartment. Several med and law students (no UPLaw) also frequent the place which makes the atmosphere very conducive to studying. The fact that there are no UP law students there makes it even better. For some reason, I am easily distracted whenever there's someone else I know from UPLaw in the coffee shop I'm in.

I was really thrown off when a friend started kidding me that Im so "cheap" I study at Dunkin Donuts. It didn't ever came into my mind that Dunkin Donuts is cheap, in the colloquial sense of the term. I even think the Caramel Cappuccino of Dunkin tastes better than Starbucks' cappucino. Its the size of a Grande cup in Starbucks but it only costs 60PhP. Plus, they brew and froth it fast. I dont go to Dunkin thinking Im cool or cheap or whatever. I go there to study. I love coffee shops and I often go to one. There are a few times that I study but most of the time I go there to hang out with friends and talk. I think coffee shops are more suited for that because its the experience they offer that makes your overpriced frappes or lattes worth it. In any case, what they said didnt made me reconsider my choice. I'm definitely going to study again in Dunkin Donuts. It's all about different strokes for different folks.

3 comments:

inday dioneh said...

Hi Nengi!

Agree ako nimo... Dunkin Donuts coffee is much better than Starbucks... so much for the hype. Starbucks is in not-so-good tasting coffee list. My top three are Seattle's Best (try their lattes!), New England's Best coffee, and syemps. the "Cheap" Dunkin Donuts. hehehe.

Paco said...

Actually, in the States, Dunkin' Donuts is Starbucks' fiercest and most direct competitor. Wla lang. Me and my drop-off trivia.

Anonymous said...

I don't study much in coffee shops because of my demanding family who wants me to be home the minute I step out of class, but when I did for the Agency and Credit exams, I got so broke! I thought I can afford Starbucks everyday, but no, I'm not that rich pala, hahaha!

Di and I have discovered that it's a lot cheaper to study in Choco Kiss in the afternoons. For 45.00, you get a refill pa for the brewed coffee. So sinusulit ko talaga!

I should follow you and be more careful with my spending. My credit card bills are haunting me!

And since I now have a UP ID, I can study na in the lib! Yey!