Study Buddies
We’ve all left conversations feeling smarter. Your friend knows something… you know something… you have a conversation about it and you both learned something else.
The same can work for studying.
Benefits to Group Studying
- Accountability. If you skip your own study session, who knows about it other than you? If you skip a group session, suddenly you have some irate study buddies
- What you don’t know, another buddy might and vice versa
- Teaching others is an effective way to study. You’re talking out loud, explaining how you know this information. It can make studying easier and more inviting
- You may find studying in groups easier than studying on your own. And you’re more likely to be engaged since you’re being active… listening and talking
- This can help with procrastination and ensuring that when you do study, you’re being productive
Pick Your Members Wisely
- You want to work with other dedicated students
- The point of study buddies is to learn with each other, not for you to teach your classmates
- Friends don’t always make the best group members as you share more experiences with them
- The fewer topics that can lead to distraction, the better
- Try to limit the group to about four people. The larger the group, the greater the possibility for distraction
Study Group Structure
- Design a schedule or structure for each session
- Perhaps each meeting is about a specific chapter or topic
- Or, you might task each member with a question or topic and it is their job to teach everyone else about it. Then you can go around the group, teaching each other your assigned topic
Sources
Cuseo, Joseph B, Aaron Thompson, Michele Campagna, Viki Sox Fecas. Thriving in College and Beyond: Research-Based Strategies for Academic Success and Personal Development. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2016.
Ellis, Dave. Becoming a Master Student. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.