With exams right around the corner, students are starting to begin intense studying. One very popular spot for this is a coffee shop, but which ones in the area are an ideal environment for learning? These coffee shops are the best to attend to your specific studying needs!

Best all around: Northshore/Cultivate 

Pros: Plenty of Tables, multiple locations, quiet, great Coffee

Cons: Expensive, only in Jackson 

As some of the newer coffee shops in the Jackson Metro area, Northshore has grown in popularity among students. With one location in the District at Eastover, and its counterpart, Cultivate, in the Belhaven Town Center, both shops are fairly centrally located if you live in Jackson. Unfortunately, if you do not live in Jackson city limits, they may be slightly out of your way. However, I would still highly recommend both of these places because the environment is ideal if you need to lock in. And of course, the coffee here is some of the best I’ve had. 

Best Coffee: Cups 

Pros: Great coffee, Multiple locations

Cons: Not many tables, hard to get to, noisy 

For those just there for the coffee, Cups is a great place to hit up. There are locations in Fondren, Lakeland, and Dogwood. They have what I would say is the best coffee in the whole Jackson Metro Area. On the downside, there are very few tables at each location, lots of noise, and the shops, while conveniently located, are difficult to get to and park at. Still, their coffee is so good it makes up for all these things.

Best for Collaboration: The Bean 

Pros: Good coffee, great environment to talk in 

Cons: one location, bad parking, noisy 

If you’re looking for a place to study with friends, The Bean is the place to go. With quality coffee and a seasonal menu, you are sure to enjoy whatever you get there. The Bean also has couches and quiet rooms, which would be perfect for talking with friends and studying together. On the flip side, it may not be a great place to study alone because of the noise. The only location is in Fondren, where parking is scarce. Other than that, I would recommend trying out the Bean.

Best with multiple locations: Starbucks 

Pros: Jackson and every suburb has one, consistent coffee

Cons: extremely commercialized, not many tables

Everyone knows Starbucks– it’s classic and popular. Because Starbucks is a nationwide chain, it has essentially the same menu at every location, and there are lots of them. Basically every city in the area has a Starbucks, though some are better than others. While Starbucks has decent coffee, it is so commercialized that the quality is poorer than most local coffee shops. Starbucks doesn’t have many tables in each location, but it is so conveniently located to most people that it tends to be more popular for studying.