Study Tip Saturday: In a Group or Alone?

Happy Saturday! Unfortunately, if you know the struggle of working through grad school, you know that Saturdays usually turn into study days. To keep you pushing through the weekend study sessions, stay tuned for Study Tip Saturdays.

Today, let’s talk about studying in groups (or as I like to call it misery) vs. studying individually (aka the gold standard). Obviously my opinion is specific to me, but let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each to figure it out.

Now I would like to clarify. Up until my last college basketball game last year, I’d been on a team pretty much consistently since I was probably 8 years old. I know how to be a teammate, and in my own (albeit biased) opinion I’m a great one. There is just something about group school work that doesn’t really allow for a transfer of that awesome teamliness for me.

So if we are being forced to study, let’s take a look at our options.

Group Studying

Pros: 

• Potential for fun distractions
• Bounce ideas off one another
• Clarification of things you don’t understand
• Sharing of resources (i.e. notes, books, snacks, coffee…)

Cons: 

• Potential for fun distractions
• Worrying what others think
• Groupthink (ya know..when someone thinks they’re right..but they’re wrong..and you find yourself accidentally thinking they’re right too)
• Finding a pace that works for all of you
• You’re only as strong as your weakest link (which can be terrifying)

Individual Studying

Pros:

• Work at your own pace
• Study where you feel comfortable
• Focus on what you need to work on
• Schedule distractions as you need them (late night jam sesh anyone?!)
• Study when it fits with your schedule (which can be strange for us working, schooling folks)

Cons:

• Potential for loneliness
• You’re responsible for all the resources (and coffee can get expensive)
• No one will correct you if you’re wrong

I’m clearly exerting my own bias on these pro/con lists, but let’s be real for a minute. Studying as a grad student can be tough without work and life to think about. It can be harder when you’re trying to balance it with the rest of the stuff that’s happening. 

Just remember that studying is meant to help you be successful in your classes. If you study better alone, don’t feel like you need to get roped into a group session. If you study better in a group, don’t be afraid to ask a few people (your classmates, preferably) to join you.

The bottom line is this…figure out your best study habits and be intentional about studying that way. You (and by you, I also mean me) don’t need the added stress of studying in an uncomfortable situation. 

What are some pros and cons of the way you study?