I’m Joelle, a 5th year medical student, and am originally from Malaysia. I’m currently on my psychiatry placement at St. John’s Hospital. I hope you are all looking forward to the coming year: it’s going to be an exciting one.
Most medical students are no stranger to long hours spent pouring over textbooks and notes, and that isn’t something that changes from your first all the way to your final year. However, there’s only so many places in your flat you can sit before it gets suffocating. Thus, in no particular order, here are the 10 best study spots in Edinburgh, tried and tested by an Edinburgh medical student.
1.Black Medicine Coffee – Nicolson Street
Black Medicine, despite its apothecary-like name, sells some of the best coffee in the area. This café sits in central Edinburgh and is the best place if you’re looking for a cosy study session with a delicious drink and a sweet treat. Unsurprisingly, Black Medicine is quite popular amongst medical students so don’t be surprised if you bump into someone you know there!
2.Potterrow – Bristo Square
If you prefer a bit more of a bustling study space, Potterrow is for you. You can order affordable snacks and drinks to keep you going, and there are often deals throughout the week. While it’s one of the main social areas on campus, it’s also very common to find people studying there, especially in groups.
3.Main library – George Square
This list wouldn’t be complete without the main library. With six floors, the library boasts a variety of study spaces—from individual silent study space to pods for groups and even rooms you can book out. The desks are spacious, and charger space abundant. Its location also means you can easily find a place to get a drink or snack whenever you’re in need of a break. However, beware that during exam season, good seats are scarce, and you might have to get creative with the other spots on this list.
4.Chancellor’s Building library
Located in Chancellor’s Building, it is a bit away from central. However, as a library dedicated to medical students, there are always seats available and an abundance of computers. This will also be the place to be if you’re more of a physical textbook person, as most of our necessary reference material is kept here.
5.Waterstones café – Princes Street
The cafe on the third floor of Waterstones has a lovely view of the castle, decent coffee, and plenty of tables to spend a couple hours studying. Going with a friend always makes for a cute study/coffee session.
6.Health and Wellbeing Centre, Wellbeing Lounge – Bristo Square
This one is a gem hidden in plain sight. On the first floor of the Health and Wellbeing centre is the Wellbeing Lounge, which provides a quiet and relaxing space to both study and take some time out.
7.40 George Square
The lesser known and less traversed sister to the library, 40 George Square has lots of comfortable seating and is great for both group and individual study. A café in the basement will give you your caffeine fix and individual desks on the upper floors mean you don’t have to fight for one in the library.
8.Law Library – Old College
This is probably the most aesthetic spot on this list and one that will really make you feel like a university student. As an Edinburgh student, you must study here at least once — the desks are spacious and comfortable and the library itself is gorgeous. The silence and ambiance also make it very easy to concentrate. However, being a university favourite also means that during busy times it’s very difficult to find a seat.
9.The Meadows
On days where the sun is out and the weather is nice (often around exam season!), sitting on the grass of the meadows is a really refreshing way to study, especially when you want a change of pace. Beware of getting your laptop wet though, Edinburgh weather can be fickle.
10.Anatomical Museum – Old Medical School (pictured)
Not enough people know that, as medical students, we have the privilege to study in the Anatomical Museum in the Old Medical School. It’s a lovely quiet study space (if you don’t mind the slight morbidness of it all) and when you want to stretch your legs, you can have a gander at our university’s extensive specimen collection. There is a mandatory break at lunch time, but you will find central Edinburgh is rife with food options.
