Study groups. For or against???

[tajteejo]

Wazzup Y'all. A couple of the guys in my school wanna start a study group, I was a bit hesitant to join. I'm kinda afraid that we'll end up messin' around or talkin or............anything but studying.

So, any advice on how to maintain such groups would be greatly appreciated( e.g. how many students per group, should we read then discuss or just have an open forum, how often should we meet.........)

I'm out>>>

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[78222]

It helps to bounce questions off each other.

 

[Nerdoscience]

You need the RIGHT study group. You need similar break-taking habits, and similar talking preferences. I had a really talkative study group. We would talk about all kinds of random stuff, and quiz each other a lot. This was fine for me, because that's how I study best. For some people, they would not get anything done in that environment.

 

[THP]

If you ever want to have any free time don't join a study group. They are horribly inefficient, probably the worst way to learn. The only time I ever studied with another person was the morning of the test for about 2-3 hrs (we usually had our exams after lunch).

 

[Law2Doc]

They are horribly inefficient, probably the worst way to learn.

Actually, for some people they are the best, most efficient way to learn. The one truth in medical school is that no one technique is better than all others and that no one technique will work well, or even at all, for everyone. A study group can be a fantastic tool if it has the right members, is organized the right way, and if everyone has the same drive and goals. And you have to be the kind of person who learns by preparing, explaining and listening. But the odds of picking out 3 or more people who meet all these criteria are pretty low, so many study groups are doomed to failure. As with everything in first year -- try it, see if it works for you, and if it doesn't lose it.

 

[Vox Animo]

Generally i learn stuff faster in a group. Helps because i'm always bouncing off the walls when i study alone. Problem the people i studied with past, we'd bull**** too much.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I'm guessing it totally depends on the person. I've never been one to get a lot of study groups, so I'm not looking for one. I think it might be nice to have a study buddy to keep you accountable, though.

Anyway, if you're like me and aren't a group learner, just don't feel bad about not joining a study group. It seems like we're so pushed to do the study group thing, and it really doesn't work for everyone.

 

[persevere]

I used to be leery of study groups in college.

Here's some scientific proof recommended by medical school deans that they work, get this book as it will take your grades to the next level:

http://www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/Success/default.htm

The book is based on a science that is used by top doctors, executives, and companies worldwide to customize and categorize how you process info.

I learned from it that I MUST use study groups more because of my hedgehog , ultra focused, and linear way of doing things.

And it also taught me to think more 3D , if you will.

In med school , study groups are priceless!

Because now, you are surrounded by serious, smart people.

So when you have 2-4 serious, smart people attacking the same confusing material, things get figured out faster.

In fact, some schools curricula are so dense, that those that use study groups pass and those that don't wind up failing, unless they have photographic memories.

Hope this helps.

 

[jennben4]

They are useful if organized appropriately. Everybody was talking about them at the beginning of last year and I thought about giving it a shot (I've never been a group learner). Aside from getting off task, the problem is that time spent in groups doesn't always match up with what I really needed to be working on. That ends up being a HUGE waste of time. I've always studied best on my own, always will. And knowing that teaching is a great way to learn... I'd "teach" my hamster. Lame (and a little crazy) I know, but talking through a concept or pathway and synthesizing it in plain English does the trick.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
Try to keep your group to four people or less. Anything more than four become difficult to manage. Everyone should have reviewed the lectures before heading for group or take a hour or so to review individually before you start your group study.

You should assign a lecture each person who reviews the important stuff for the goup and presents. Everyone should answer questions or go over an old exam together.

Take regular breaks and time your breaks (20 minutes and back to study) every three hours or so. No studying while you break for dinner or lunch.

Try to have a whiteboard or chalk board to diagram concepts etc.

njbmd🙂

 

[cfdavid]

I used to be leery of study groups in college.

Here's some scientific proof recommended by medical school deans that they work, get this book as it will take your grades to the next level:

http://www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/Success/default.htm

The book is based on a science that is used by top doctors, executives, and companies worldwide to customize and categorize how you process info.

I learned from it that I MUST use study groups more because of my hedgehog , ultra focused, and linear way of doing things.

And it also taught me to think more 3D , if you will.

In med school , study groups are priceless!

Because now, you are surrounded by serious, smart people.

So when you have 2-4 serious, smart people attacking the same confusing material, things get figured out faster.

In fact, some schools curricula are so dense, that those that use study groups pass and those that don't wind up failing, unless they have photographic memories.

Hope this helps.

I don't doubt that most students could get a lot out of group study sessions. However, like others have said, it's group dependent in terms of results. I've witnessed more than a few "study groups" that are plagued by people that just like to chat. Discipline is key.

 

[Nerdoscience]

My study group loved to talk, but still managed to get a lot of studying done. On a couple of occasions, I tried to study with friends who weren't used to that. Disaster... If I said something, the conversation would last for 20 minutes, and we would get no studying done the entire time. With my regular group, if I said something, we'd talk about it for a while, then have some silent study time, then start explaining things to each other, etc...

 

[tajteejo]

Thank you all for your quick and useful replies. There are still a couple of things i'd like to know, like: how long should each session last; how many days a week; are there any subjects in particular that we should focus on; should we meet even during exam periods...

Thanks in advance for everything, you've all been a real help


I'm out>>>

 

[RaaMD]

The best study groups for me were the ones where a lot is accomplished.

 

[funshine]

it's funny, the people I *want* to study with always prefer to study alone at home, and the people I would *never ever* want to study with (louder, more distracting, procrastinating type, etc.) are always in the library, studying in groups and talking.

personally, I'd prolly get more done in groups, but "group studying" to me = studying quietly next to each other, and maybe asking questions occasionally, but not really talking.

anyway, I'm still looking for compatible study buddies. Quiet group studiers seem to be rare...

 

[anamarylee]

I discovered early on that study groups were not for me. Spent half the time studying and half talking BS.

I think one of the best approaches would be to use study groups to review before exams after you've covered the material yourself. Then just start bouncing questions and concepts. If you came up with (or found) a great mnemonic for something, share it with everyone. If you came up with a diagram for something tricky (like a nerve plexus) teach it to the members. The concept is to feed off each other's strenghts.

You'll soon learn what works for you and what doesn't. The trick is to recognize it early on and make the needed changes ASAP.

 

[Samoa]

I had a study group. It started out as something fairly formal, where we'd each go over the material on our own, and then get together to go over the learning objectives as a group. But over time it evolved into more of a quiet studying-together group, where we'd read individually, and if one of us ran across something interesting or confusing, we'd quit reading for a few minutes and talk about it. By that point, the material wasn't difficult so much as voluminous, and we only studied as a group right before tests.

Sometimes we didn't study much at all, and just chatted about random crap.

So groups change over time, as the material changes. I guess the key is just to find people who are trying for same kind of grades as you.

 

[tajteejo]

Hey. Thanks alot for sharing your personal experiences. I guess i'll just give it a whirl and see what happens. I've been a loner all my life, so if this crap doesn't work, I can always go back to hittin' the books alone. I'll try anything once. Well, almost anything...

I'm out>>>