Study groups-pros and cons

[SRC]

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Hi, Im getting ready to study for the MCAT, and I was wondering your feeling towards studying with a study group or studying alone?
Has it been beneficial to study with a group, or do you find it better studying by yourself so you can focus on your own strengths and weaknesses?

 

[SN2ed]

Here's some of the pros and cons I can think of right now:

Pros
- Camaraderie
- Other members in group might be strong in areas you're weak
- Have a chance to teach others

Cons
- Less efficient
- Session could be a complete waste of your time
- Still need to study primarily by oneself
- Some of the group might not participate

 

[BerkReviewTeach]

Piggy-backing on SN2ed's response:

• Pros
  - Camaraderie
  - Other members in group might be strong in areas you're weak
  - Have a chance to teach others (you learn more as a teacher than as a student)
  - Larger pool of study resources
  - Exposure to new ways of looking at material
  - GUILT and ACCOUNTABILITY if you're not staying caught up
  - Chance to throroughly review practice exams (not offered in prep courses)

• Cons
  - Less efficient
  - Session could be a complete waste of your time (socialize more than study)
  - Still need to study primarily by oneself
  - Some of the group might not participate (free loaders suck)
  - Wrong information possibly shared
  - Overload with too many materials, methods, and strategies
  - Possibility to have others confuse you on something you only know semi-well

Overall, I'm a fan of study groups that meet once or twice a week to review questions, homework, and full length exams. If you have an agenda to follow at each meeting and can avoid the temptation to socialize, then they are a great avenue to increase your efficiency and exposure to various techniques. But, if you don't have the right balance of drive and good conceptual understanding in the group as well as a diverse range of expertise, they will only be a small part of your overall study experience and shouldn't be considered anything more than an tiny extra.