17 year old wants to revise at a paid study library till 10 pm

ochre_tiffin_221322 Sept 2026

There's a study library near us, one of those quiet halls with desks and wifi where students pay by the month. My daughter's mocks start in two weeks and she wants to go every evening from 6 to 10 with two classmates, because she says she can't focus at home with her brother around. The place seems fine. My concerns are the trip back at 10, and whether four hours with friends at the next desk is really four hours of studying. Her brother, who is 7, is admittedly loud in the evenings. Do any of your teenagers use these? Did it help, and how did you handle the late return?

6 comments

coral_sparrow_992422 Sept 2026
My elder one went to one near us for most of class 11. He studied, mostly, though the tea breaks got longer every week 🙂 We sorted the late part by one of us picking him up at 9.30, no making his own way back. That condition was non-negotiable and he accepted it.
violet_pool_838822 Sept 2026
Could you try a quiet corner at home for these two weeks first? If her brother is the main problem, a closed door and an earlier dinner for him might solve it without the late evenings.
cedar_pebble_18622 Sept 2026
I would go and see the place myself first, who is sitting there, who is managing it. Mine is 11 only, still this I would do before saying yes.
- ochre_tiffin_221322 Sept 2026
  I did go and look before agreeing to anything. It's well run, a woman at the desk who knows the regulars, mostly college students. That part reassured me. It's really the late return I'm stuck on.
teal_sandal_272422 Sept 2026
Students who use these well tend to go with a plan, a set of papers to finish, and they don't sit next to their friends. Ask her what she will do in each session. If she can tell you, it's likely to be useful. I would cut it to 6 to 9 on school nights regardless.
orchid_chai_479522 Sept 2026
We get the friend's-house version of this at 13, with far less studying than promised. At 17 and in a mock year I'd trust her, and arrange the pickup myself.
moss_fern_368122 Sept 2026
If she has worked out for herself that home isn't working, that's half the battle. Let her try it for the mock fortnight with a 9.30 pickup and review after 🙂