Study Groups: Befriend the Class Know-It-All

Study groups can help you get through tough courses

By Carlin Carr

If the geeky guys in the front row of your eight o'clock calculus class annoy you with their incessant note taking, you may just want to make them your new best friends. That's right, many college students find that forming study groups outside their regular group of friends has proven to be a huge success.

Study groups give you an opportunity to bounce questions off each other, share ideas, compare notes, and review for tests. Since many college classes are lecture-style, making sure you take down the essential information is key to acing the next exam.��

To get started, ask a few of your classmates to meet at a designated time and place, and set the agenda ahead of time. Keeping the group small will make it easier to avoid distracting conversations like the Saturday football game or the menu for Sunday brunch. Also, it is usually helpful to appoint a group leader to keep everyone focused and to ensure that all key topics are covered.

There are usually rooms on campus that can be used for group work, but be sure to reserve the space beforehand. Bring some snacks to munch on�that always brings a group closer! Meetings usually last an hour to an hour and a half; you don't want to be there all night. Once you have reviewed most of the items, it is best to go back to the library and study on your own.�

Remember that study groups are a way to work through difficult subject areas, and they should not become a group homework session. You should never hand in the same work as the rest of your group, unless your professor has specifically asked for a collaborative effort. All members of the group should contribute equally, and everyone should come having already prepared a few questions for review. If you follow these bits of advice, group studying can be fun and rewarding.

So if you are en route to dean's list and only your macroeconomics class is standing in the way, be sure to get a few Alan Greenspan prot�g�s together, pop some popcorn, and get your nose in the books.�

Carlin Carr is a writer for Trinity College and New England Watershed magazine. She experienced life as an international student in Ireland, where she pursued her master's degree, and as a teacher in Parma, Italy. She received her bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College.

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