study group or nah?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2016

Pros: Socialization, exposure to different perspectives for learning the material

Cons: Many (Since you mentioned you are a loner)

I've attended four different nursing programs (LVN, ASN, BSN, online MSN) and never had any need for a study group.

KThurmond · Jan 16, 2016

I think people form study groups for new ideas, perspectives, and the fact they always have somebody to study with

joseyjo · Jan 16, 2016

I also prefer private studying and never attended a study group during pre-reqs. However, nursing school is a different type of learning than pre-reqs and I found study groups helpful for some of the material. I would try out a couple of the different groups, and see if any of them are a good fit. You may find them useful, or you can always go back to lone studying only :)

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2016

Study groups sound like the worst thing ever to me. Never participated in one, never desired to participate in one. I hated mandatory group projects so would never voluntarily do any group like thing related to studying.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2016

I'm coming up on my 3rd semester in RN school... only a small % of study groups worked out well in terms of time management and what was accomplished. From what I've found out, a good study group will be small, FOCUSED, and stay on target for the goals. That way it is not a time sink.

direw0lf, BSN · Jan 16, 2016

I like studying alone but there are some times when it's really helpful to be in a group. One time I used a study group that really helped because the other people were able to pinpoint for me why I wasn't getting A's on a weekly assignment, and it worked the very next assignment I got a 100. So the really good side about study groups are to help each other see and correct faults imo. Not just the material but how we're going about learning it and thinking about it. However if you do fine without one, keep doing what works!

springchick1, ADN, RN · Jan 16, 2016

I studied with two other girls and that was it. We didn't let anyone else in our group. We were close enough that if one person got off topic, we could easily get things under control. Everyone also did their fair share of the work.

I liked study groups because you could get a different perspective in things. We would take study questions and each answer it and give our rational for our answers (if they differed from each other). I don't think I would have made it through nursing school on my own.

JoJo_Mommy, BSN · Jan 17, 2016

I participated in a study group with the rest of the people in my clinical group and after the first meeting quickly decided I didn't want to be in a study group for a reason. Studying tends to rarely get done and people seem to go off on a tangent talking about personal life and things that don't concern me. I've always preferred to study alone because the information that I seem to find important is different from other students. I feel like a lot more can be accomplished alone, but I've always been a loner also. Good luck on your decision.

cecile9155, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2016

My program encouraged study groups and insisted they were necessary to pass. I made it through my program successfully without ever joining a study group. It depends on how you best study.

yellobanana4 · Jan 17, 2016

I also just started nursing school and was thinking about the same thing! I've had many people tell me that study groups are what got them through nursing school but my experience with A&P study groups was that a lot of time was wasted and I would just be more stressed out because I would have to look over everything again when I got home.

The advantage I see is that if you are talking about the material with other people, you are forced to vocalize the concepts and explain them out loud. I find it's really easy for me to read material by myself and think "oh yeah, I understand that" but never have to explain it to anyone until the test. Unless you get really lucky, I think a lot of time is wasted in study groups. I do think it is really helpful to study independently but have one person to call or meet with and go over questions and harder topics.

Nonyvole, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2016

My study groups got me through because we didn't study all that much. It was a chance for some much-needed gossip and social time.

However, when we studied, we studied. Quizzed each other, worked on papers/care plans/whatever together, and were resources in general for each other. I still keep in touch with my study group, and it's been *bleep* years since I've graduated.