Spots to recharge, refresh during prep

September 7, 2018

Written by Joshua Yang

So you’ve finally gotten your coveted prep period from playing sports or just to manage your workload. Regardless of the reason you have one, most—if not all—of your friends and teachers will advise you to use your prep wisely instead of binge-watching Netflix. Still, it’s your prep and therefore, your choice. Here’s a list of places to go and things to do during your prep period.

Library/Academic Center

While the library is perhaps not the most exciting of locations, it’s nevertheless a respectable and appropriate environment for any responsible student. The library and adjoining academic center (AC) serve as a quiet study habitat with computer access. Drop in to finish homework, receive peer tutoring or simply to convey the professional appearance of a hardworking student while going through your Instagram feed. As a bonus, you can take a break from the songs on your overplayed Spotify playlist for the most popular works of Chopin and Beethoven that play quietly from the AC’s speakers.

Walgreens

The closest location on this list besides the library, Walgreens lacks the quality of Starbucks or Teaspoon, and hardly qualifies as a place to study. However, it is ideal for grabbing a couple cheap snacks. Need a drink in a cooler that’s filled with different flavors of Arizona Tea? Walgreens has you covered. In the mood for a flavor of Skittles you’ve never heard of before? They’ve got that too. At any rate, Walgreens works best as a quick pit stop, not a place to spend the entirety of your prep.

Starbucks

Starbucks is admittedly located quite far away from the campus, but after pulling an all-nighter, a shot of caffeine could be in order. Alternatively, stay for the secret menu drinks ranging from the not-so-secret s’mores frappuccino to the sugar-high inducing butterbeer frappuccino. Starbucks offers a work environment with Wi-Fi but the noise, lack of tables and the commute time from school might severely decrease your productivity.

Teaspoon

The best for last: Teaspoon. Is it located within walking distance? Not really. Are the drinks over- priced? Definitely. Is it a quiet, suitable working environment? Nope. Not even close. But none of that matters: it’s Teaspoon, home to the bubble tea we high schoolers place such a high value on. With the numerous toppings and tea varieties that range from oolong to herbal, the shop serves as a welcome break during the day. Some people may passionately argue that the entire point of a prep is to get work done, but Teaspoon deftly sums it up with their slogan: “Enjoy life, one Teaspoon at a time.”