Piggybacking off Group Study

[help79]

There was a thread on effective group studying but I wanted to ask something more specifically. Almost every med school interview I have gone on, emphasized how every student just LOVES to collaborate. Sharing notes, studying together, study group this, study group dinner that...

I can see the benefit of studying in groups, but more often than not, I get sidetracked. Do you think students who prefer independent study get ostrasized/alienated by fellow classmates? Are we just labelled "gunners?" Some med students seemed to look at individual studyers with a look of disgust. What are your thoughts?

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[braluk]

hmm..in my SMP, I don't see too many collaborations. But thats probably because I study in quiet areas. If students are collaborating, I doubt they'll look down at someone else and assume they have their own means of studying or their own group. You also have to remember that alot of the MS1s tend to be nontrads who have their own families to tend to, and thus, won't participate in more "social" things as, say a recent college grad. In med school, Ive found that there are many different type of cliques. The same happens in college, but this time, its with the same smaller group of people you'll see for the next four years taking classes with another. The cliqs can mesh and mingle, or rarely care about other students. I dont think stuents who are collaborating/hanging out with each other will really notice students who dont study in groups because they probably arent studying in the same areas with independent studiers in the first place. (group study will not take place in a quiet library, where most independent studiers will probably be found, for example). What labels you as a gunner in med school seems to be the one who speaks up often in class to answer questions, found at the professors office often, and probably sits in the front row all the time to get exposure to the professor lol. Being quiet won't label you as a gunner.

 

[zimmie256]

There was a thread on effective group studying but I wanted to ask something more specifically. Almost every med school interview I have gone on, emphasized how every student just LOVES to collaborate. Sharing notes, studying together, study group this, study group dinner that...

I can see the benefit of studying in groups, but more often than not, I get sidetracked. Do you think students who prefer independent study get ostrasized/alienated by fellow classmates? Are we just labelled "gunners?" Some med students seemed to look at individual studyers with a look of disgust. What are your thoughts?

You're right, schools really do seem to emphasize the group study stuff on interview days though... I wonder what % of students regularly studies in groups... For me it's always been easier to just sit by myself and grind it out, but also have people who can help me if I get stuck (and vice versa of course).

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

There was a thread on effective group studying but I wanted to ask something more specifically. Almost every med school interview I have gone on, emphasized how every student just LOVES to collaborate. Sharing notes, studying together, study group this, study group dinner that...

I can see the benefit of studying in groups, but more often than not, I get sidetracked. Do you think students who prefer independent study get ostrasized/alienated by fellow classmates? Are we just labelled "gunners?" Some med students seemed to look at individual studyers with a look of disgust. What are your thoughts?

Beware those catch phrases. In my experience, all the students always seem to emphasize how great the school is and how everyone shares notes. Now, actually when I ask them if they ever use those notes, most of the time I get a 'no.' That sort of neutralizes the whole 'sharing notes' effect. Also, students never seem to mention when they themselves send out notes they made (unless they were doing as part of the note taking service), so it just seems like a few people are the ones making the effort. I could be wrong though.

I doubt people will care much on how you study. Everyone has a different style. Perhaps the ones that do care are gunners/closet-gunners themselves.

 

[45408]

Nobody's going to care. A lot of times, you just have to study on your own. A list of 200 terms can't really be "group studied."

 

[TMP-SMX]

Depends on the material and subject matter. If you have so much material to go over and not a lot of time, it makes sense to split it up in groups where certain people study a certain topic more closely. That way everyone knows something extensively and can teach their part to the group.

 

[SeventhSon]

There was a thread on effective group studying but I wanted to ask something more specifically. Almost every med school interview I have gone on, emphasized how every student just LOVES to collaborate. Sharing notes, studying together, study group this, study group dinner that...

med schools try to make a good impression on students too, and promoting the image of a cohesive, unified student body can be offered by commenting on this.. cuz face it, as a med student there is only so much else you can do with your time other than study 🙂

I can see the benefit of studying in groups, but more often than not, I get sidetracked. Do you think students who prefer independent study get ostrasized/alienated by fellow classmates? Are we just labelled "gunners?" Some med students seemed to look at individual studyers with a look of disgust. What are your thoughts?

not really... the pattern that emerges is that everyone has to do independent study first, and the primary value of group study comes from getting different people's unique perspectives on a concept. If you are intelligent enough to get into medical school, you will also tend to be tolerant of different peoples' preferences for study strategies.

 

[DrZeke]

There was a thread on effective group studying but I wanted to ask something more specifically. Almost every med school interview I have gone on, emphasized how every student just LOVES to collaborate. Sharing notes, studying together, study group this, study group dinner that...

I can see the benefit of studying in groups, but more often than not, I get sidetracked. Do you think students who prefer independent study get ostrasized/alienated by fellow classmates? Are we just labelled "gunners?" Some med students seemed to look at individual studyers with a look of disgust. What are your thoughts?

I'm going to agree with everyone so far and say that most of that is BS. So, what...you give someone your study crap...they still have to learn it on their own. It's crap.

 

[MedvacMoney]

I hope we split up the work in group study....(ie. 5 chapters each) then pass out the notes you took........I am gonna write my notes with mistakes so they miss problems on the test and i get them right....ahahha😎

 

[akademiks1989]

Honestly, I am not too trustworthy of other people to teach me material I am not acquainted with. This is my first year of college, and I have already met psycho pre-meds who are just vicious who I befriended early on in the semester. But now, I feel like I will only keep my relaxed pre-med friends throughout my undergraduate years.

Overall, I study with at the most 2 other people, but I prefer myself and only one of my friends that I know will minimally get sidetracked, and then it is hunky dory from there.

 

[Hurricane95]

I've never really been one to study in groups. I don't like it...never really did it in undergrad and so far it's the same in med school. I only did groups whenever I had a group or team project to work on in engineering. But then again, working on a project is different than studying material for an exam. I find especially that the larger the group, the more easily everyone is distracted and starts to talk crap...about what movie they saw last weekend, who slept with who after last friday's party, etc. You get the drill. Before you know it the "study session" becomes one big, loud chaotic mess. A few hours later, it's done, and I go home and have to study an extra three hours to relearn what "we covered" together.

Call me anal and stuck-up, but I'm also not a big fan of using other's people's notes. I find that most people don't take good notes. I put a LOT of effort into writing my notes very well. So well, I really only need the textbook to reference things or look at figures when I study for a test. Any person off the street could take my notes, read them several times and do decently well on my exam. That's just my learning style - I learn by writing and mapping things out, thats how I make it stick. Almost every time in the past I traded notes with classmates I got shafted, because in return I would get notes that were barely legible, and big-time incomplete. So I gave that up altogether. And besides I can't learn by splitting the work and then having someone teach me their part...I wont absorb it.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem in helping others out if they come to me for help or questions, I love to help and will gladly do it. But I'm not going to be the one saying to ten others, "hey lets all study together." I like to study somewhere quiet. Home can be distracting because of the TV, music, family, etc. Usually the library in a quiet area has been the best in the past. I listen to music if Im not doing reading (for example, doing math or physics), but if there's reading involved, no music.


On an unrelated note...ANATOMY IS OVER!!! woohoo, 3 weeks of Christmas vacation here I come!!! 😀

 

[MedvacMoney]

I've never really been one to study in groups. I don't like it...never really did it in undergrad and so far it's the same in med school. I only did groups whenever I had a group or team project to work on in engineering. But then again, working on a project is different than studying material for an exam. I find especially that the larger the group, the more easily everyone is distracted and starts to talk crap...about what movie they saw last weekend, who slept with who after last friday's party, etc. You get the drill. Before you know it the "study session" becomes one big, loud chaotic mess. A few hours later, it's done, and I go home and have to study an extra three hours to relearn what "we covered" together.

Call me anal and stuck-up, but I'm also not a big fan of using other's people's notes. I find that most people don't take good notes. I put a LOT of effort into writing my notes very well. So well, I really only need the textbook to reference things or look at figures when I study for a test. Any person off the street could take my notes, read them several times and do decently well on my exam. That's just my learning style - I learn by writing and mapping things out, thats how I make it stick. Almost every time in the past I traded notes with classmates I got shafted, because in return I would get notes that were barely legible, and big-time incomplete. So I gave that up altogether. And besides I can't learn by splitting the work and then having someone teach me their part...I wont absorb it.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem in helping others out if they come to me for help or questions, I love to help and will gladly do it. But I'm not going to be the one saying to ten others, "hey lets all study together." I like to study somewhere quiet. Home can be distracting because of the TV, music, family, etc. Usually the library in a quiet area has been the best in the past. I listen to music if Im not doing reading (for example, doing math or physics), but if there's reading involved, no music.


On an unrelated note...ANATOMY IS OVER!!! woohoo, 3 weeks of Christmas vacation here I come!!! 😀

Cant you ever do something for someone else? DO you always have to get something to help someone? Damn i am sure glad i will never be your patient (if you manage to make it that far)...your patients will come into the ER with a gunshot wound and bleeding everywhere....youll say "sorry i cant help you because youll only say thank you when i am saving you so sorry i dont want to get shaftd"..👎 😎

 

[akademiks1989]

Cant you ever do something for someone else? DO you always have to get something to help someone? Damn i am sure glad i will never be your patient (if you manage to make it that far)...your patients will come into the ER with a gunshot wound and bleeding everywhere....youll say "sorry i cant help you because youll only say thank you when i am saving you so sorry i dont want to get shaftd"..👎 😎

Don't be such a douche. Not sharing your notes because other students want to leech off of you is perfectly valid.

 

[szhao]

There was a thread on effective group studying but I wanted to ask something more specifically. Almost every med school interview I have gone on, emphasized how every student just LOVES to collaborate. Sharing notes, studying together, study group this, study group dinner that...

I can see the benefit of studying in groups, but more often than not, I get sidetracked. Do you think students who prefer independent study get ostrasized/alienated by fellow classmates? Are we just labelled "gunners?" Some med students seemed to look at individual studyers with a look of disgust. What are your thoughts?

i label people on how willing they are to help me, when i ask them. if u study by yourself, do well, don't help anyone, haha yea you appear pretty bad. if you study by yourself, do well, and HELP other, fine your still cool.

 

[MedvacMoney]

Don't be such a douche. Not sharing your notes because other students want to leech off of you is perfectly valid.

No its not, it is selfish.....it is the same thing as saying " i could helpe you get a beter grade, but you know what.. because my notes are better than yours (because i am an anal douchebag) i will let you fail"....yeah whose the douche?😎

 

[Hurricane95]

You obviously did not read my last paragraph...I will GLADLY help others who ask me for help. I love to help out. I've done it many times before (for nothing in return but the satisfaction of knowing I helped out) and will always continue to do it. As a matter of fact, a few years ago I started with some friends of mine a student-run organization to do free tutoring and mentoring to students who come in for academic help. 4 hours saturday morning, almost every week. I wouldn't consider that too selfish.

I just refuse to give my notes to the guy who has not been to class all semester, sleeps through lecture when he DOES go and then comes to me the day before the exam: "yo dude, hook me up with your notes". Screw you, get your @$$ out of bed and come to class like I do. Or trade my thick packet of outlines to the guy who wants to trade his two coffee-stained pages I can't read. You won't get too much empathy from me if you are out clubbing and going to the beach while I am in the library hours and hours working and then expect me to bail you out. Being nice and generous is different from being an idiot.

 

[akademiks1989]

No its not, it is selfish.....it is the same thing as saying " i could helpe you get a beter grade, but you know what.. because my notes are better than yours (because i am an anal douchebag) i will let you fail"....yeah whose the douche?😎

You still are. When people don't hold up their end of the deal, why help them? Sure, help them if you want to, but if you don't want to, then you have to understand. I've been in study groups with people who did not understand the most basic concepts, which had an adverse effect on me, because we never got to the more difficult material.

 

[MedvacMoney]

You obviously did not read my last paragraph...I will GLADLY help others who ask me for help. I love to help out. I've done it many times before (for nothing in return but the satisfaction of knowing I helped out) and will always continue to do it. As a matter of fact, a few years ago I started with some friends of mine a student-run organization to do free tutoring and mentoring to students who come in for academic help. 4 hours saturday morning, almost every week. I wouldn't consider that too selfish.

I just refuse to give my notes to the guy who has not been to class all semester, sleeps through lecture when he DOES go and then comes to me the day before the exam: "yo dude, hook me up with your notes". Screw you, get your @$$ out of bed and come to class like I do. Or trade my thick packet of outlines to the guy who wants to trade his two coffee-stained pages I can't read. You won't get too much empathy from me if you are out clubbing and going to the beach while I am in the library hours and hours working and then expect me to bail you out. Being nice and generous is different from being an idiot.

You still are. When people don't hold up their end of the deal, why help them? Sure, help them if you want to, but if you don't want to, then you have to understand. I've been in study groups with people who did not understand the most basic concepts, which had an adverse effect on me, because we never got to the more difficult material.

To both of you....you need to learn to chillax.....just give the guy the notes for free....be nice....

BTW-If the guy would give you $50 in exchange for your notes (instead of his crapy ones) i am sure you would say ok. Which = you only helping out if you get something in return.

FYI- no deed can ever be altruistic, every deed contains an egoistic feature..
-me😴