Finals Week + Study Cafe Hopping

After our fun in Busan, it was time to lock in for finals week, just around the corner. On top of a final exam for each of my courses, I also had to prepare a team case analysis report for Organizational Behavior—a project that ended up being the most stressful during my semester in Korea. With OB focusing on how people interact in groups, I knew there would be a heavy emphasis on the peer evaluation report. My midterm exam score wasn't looking too good for this class, so I really needed to bring my A-game. This group was on the larger side, with seven people, which made coordinating schedules and distributing tasks a bit more challenging. However, everyone was kind and very meticulous in their work. I was a bit behind on work due to being occupied with the Busan trip; I should have managed my time better and prioritized certain tasks over others. So I spent a lot of time inserting myself into finishing and refining the report, hoping to contribute as much as possible to make up for the delay in completed work. Fortunately, we ended up scoring well on the report. :-D

Holly's Coffee

Jazmin and I visited Holly's Coffee in Sinchon to get some work done. When we arrived, there weren’t too many people, but students started trickling in shortly after. There are a lot of universities in the Sinchon area (Ehwa, Yonsei, Sogang), so eventually got pretty busy. We ordered a couple of drinks and grabbed something to munch on while we worked. Also, there are plenty of outlets in the cafe. While I can’t speak for all branches, this Sinchon location had outlets in every booth and several near the regular tables too.

Overall, this was a great place to get some work done. Cafes sometimes play distracting music, so I’d recommend bringing earbuds to help drown out the sound if needed.

Check Grow (채그로)

Check Grow is a multi-storey book and study cafe located in Mapo. Each floor has a distinct layout and vibe: some are designed for quiet studying or reading, while others are more geared toward lounging and conversations. The cafe also had an outdoor terrace, but it was way too humid for that, so we stayed indoors. We picked the floor with the best air conditioning and the most open seats, as these varied from floor to floor.

The drinks were a bit more pricey here, but it was worth it considering how long we were allowed to stay in the cafe. We had a good view of the Han River, which was nice to look at whenever we needed a break from studying. My roommates and I stayed until closing and even caught the sunset before we left.

Maxim Plant

Maxim Plant, another multi-storey cafe located in Itaewon, was relatively close to our apartment. My friend and I ordered drinks and sandwiches, then headed to the second floor, where we chose seats overlooking the main floor. The cafe also features a special floor dedicated to coffee enthusiasts, where customers can mix and experiment with different coffee blends to suit their personal preferences.

The grapefruit ade I ordered was probably one of the freshest I’ve had in Korea. It had a generous amount of pulp, which is unusual but made it even more enjoyable for me. The simple BLT sandwich I ordered was also incredibly tasty. I had already finished my finals by the time I came here, so I just worked on the itinerary for our Jeju trip, which was somewhat fun. Also, the bathroom was SO NICE—extremely clean and spacious, with one of the stalls even offering a nice view.