Many of you are leaving school this month, probably screaming like mad people and vowing never to darken the doors of academia again. Others are preparing to enter college for the first time in the fall, and it's to that latter group I come bearing gifts. Specifically, the gift of a place to study.

Maybe you've got a quiet place at home, free from distractions, and if so then this song ain't about you. This one goes out to people with children, roommates of the rambunctious nature, and parents who just don't understand. If you want a great place for concentration I suggest...

10. Japanese Gardens Gazebo 6000 Fannin St. It's a toss up because if there are more than a couple of other people there you're probably not going to get much done, but if you're the sort of person who thinks best outdoors then the gazebo at the Japanese Gardens in Hermann Park is both shaded and lovely. It's an especially great place to listen to a lecture with headphones or read a book for English class. More in-depth work is probably better done elsewhere, though.

9. House of Pies 6412 Westheimer I know several people who owe their degrees to the filling food and the endless coffee at House of Pies. The long tables are great for group study sessions, and there's nothing like celebrating academic victory or commiserating academic defeat over a Bayou Goo. Be warned, though, crowding is always a problem.

8. Starbucks (Shepherd at West Gray) For a lot of us the local Starbucks is a great go-to place to study because you can't mess up coffee and free wi fi, but there are two Starbucks in Houston I want to point out specifically. The first is at the End of the Universe, as Lewis Black puts it. There's a Starbucks on both the southeast and northeast corners of Shepherd and West Gray, as well as another Starbucks located inside the Barnes and Noble. That's three different Starbucks within a literal stone's throw of each other. Surely one of them will be quiet and uncrowded.

7. Starbucks 2521 Post Oak Blvd This Starbucks is not the best place in town. The service is slow, it's often crowded, and the wi-fi isn't very good. It however has one thing that no other Starbucks has going for it; It's open 24 hours a day. If you're a night owl who needs to get out of the house to work this is one of your better options.

6. Agora 1712 Westheimer Rd Despite its size Agora can be cramped because of the crowding, and the parking situation isn't ideal. Plus, it's one of the more expensive cafes I've listed here. You know what Agora does have than no one else does? You can go out on the patio to smoke. I don't indulge myself, but for the nicotine-addicted student Agora is your most welcoming venue.

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