There’s a lot of work required to get through college, and there’s only so much you can do on your own.
For example, if you are struggling in class, maybe it’s time to form a study group with other students who are also having trouble keeping up with the subject matter.
Forming study groups in university can help you learn more efficiently and boost your grades while saving you time and money.
The benefits of study groups
If you are struggling to keep up with all of your work, forming a study group can help.
Not only will this help you stay on top of the material, but it will also help you build relationships with those who share your struggles.
Studying together can create friendships that last past graduation day. You will be able to have someone there for support when times get tough.
You may even find yourself looking forward to going to class because of the camaraderie that develops in these groups.
The best part about joining a study group is that everyone is in the same boat as you, so everyone understands where you’re coming from and what you’re going through.
With their encouragement and support, anything seems possible.
Establish rules beforehand (such as not eating or drinking inside)
Decide how often you want to meet (once per week or once per month)
How to find people to join your group
There are many ways to find people to join your study group. You can ask around and see who is interested or you can post on social media or university websites.
You may also want to look for people who have the same class as you do. It would be best if there were at least three people in the group so that everyone could take turns leading the discussions.
If you don’t know anyone yet, try asking around campus, asking friends, posting on social media, or looking up groups near where you live.
Now it’s time to organize meetings! One person will lead each meeting (either one person every week or one person per day) while the other members of your group come together.
When organizing the order of speakers in these group settings, it’s important to alternate between men and women, as well as alternate from low voiced speakers to high voiced speakers.
The order should go like this: high-voiced speaker; low-voiced speaker; high-voiced speaker; low-voiced speaker. Make sure not to allow two consecutive speeches by the same voice type.
How to make your group effective
Having an effective study group can make all the difference when it comes to passing your classes.
This is especially true if you have a hard time paying attention, staying on task, or remembering what you learn.
The best way to create an effective study group is by choosing people who are good at what you need help with
(for example, if you are terrible at math but really good at English) and balancing out your strengths and weaknesses.
If you can’t find someone with exactly the same strengths and weaknesses as you, that’s okay too.
You just want to make sure that everyone will be able to help each other out when needed.
To start off the year, here are five things every study group should do:
Get together outside of class time: When was the last time any of us studied together?
It’s so important for everyone to meet up outside of class because chances are we’re all different than we were last year.
Dealing with difficult personalities
One of the most challenging parts of any study group is finding ways to deal with difficult personalities.
You may find yourself in a group where someone always tries to dominate the discussion, or one where people aren’t prepared for meetings.
What can you do when this happens? It is not always possible to change these behaviors.
If you are experiencing problems that are affecting your ability to learn, try talking it out with your professor and getting their input on how they would like you to handle these issues.
The rest of the members will likely want a say as well!
If there are consistent problems that just cannot be resolved by talking it out, consider breaking off from the group and joining another one instead. You could even start your own!
Knowing when to quit
It’s always difficult to know when to quit. There’s always that voice telling you to keep pushing, and that voice telling you it’s time.
One thing I’ve learned is that there is no shame in quitting at the right time.
If things are not going your way, or if you feel like you’re spinning your wheels, then stop.
If you need more convincing, here are some signs that it might be time to cut bait:
Your study group is full of non-students who just want someone to hang out with; You have less than 20% on an exam; Your grades start dropping precipitously; You spend more hours procrastinating than studying.
The first step to forming a successful study group is picking up the phone. Don’t be shy! Just call up one of your friends and ask them to join you for coffee after class sometime this week.
Conclusion
The conversation will probably start by talking about how hard school is and why we should all switch majors because math sucks, but don’t let it distract you from what’s important: figuring out which day works best for everyone.
