How do you do a study group?

mom_coach_nurse, LPN · Aug 12, 2012

Can I ask another stupid question? Do you guys quiz each other, share notes, or just study quietly, but in a group? In my interview, my school's nursing director strongly suggested finding someone who had a strength different than mine and we help each other.

loriangel14, RN · Aug 12, 2012

I was in a study group when I was in school and it was great.We would get together about once a week at someone's house. Yes there would be tea and food and some gossip but we did still get a lot done. We would crack open our books and review the chapters out loud, discuss what parts we had questions about. If there was something that you under stood better than the others then you would duscuss it and help them with the parts they didn't get. Our books had questions at the end of the chapters that you had to answer so we would do them to make sure that we got what we were suposed to out of it.I found talking out loud about stuff helped us remember things better.Sometimes another persons way of looking at something would help you understand it better.

skulskcc01 · Aug 12, 2012

Hello there! So my first day of my first semester is on Wednesday! OMG 3 days away!! My question is, what do you do to make a study group most efficent? The 3rd semester students put together a video to help out 1st semester students and what they all said is study in a good study group. One girl even said she didn't think she would study well in a group, and figured she would study better on her own and barely made it by her 1st semester and then her 2nd semester she joined a group and her grades improved drastically. So for y'all that study well in groups, please send me your techniques or any hints on how you do well with this method! Thanks!!

I may be one of the select few, but a study group does not work for me. Anytime I have attempted to study with a study group it always turned into a gab session. Also, I recall a time when I was doing nclex study questions with a group and another student was reading the questions out loud, it was horrible everyone asking to have the questions/answers repeated. It felt like we took over ten minutes a question due to this. I start my third semester in the fall and so far I have done very well without a study group. Maybe I just have not found the right bunch to study with yet.

HM-8404, BSN, RN · Aug 13, 2012

I discovered in my Physics class and some of my science classes a study group cannot be formed right away. You need to be in class long enough to see who is as serious as you are. One thing you DO NOT want is someone that is looking for a study group to drag them along. I suggest keeping the group to no more than 3 because when it gets much more than that it turns into a gabfest where tv shows, instructors, or other students, become the topic of conversation.

KLBatchelor · Aug 14, 2012

Thank you all for your replies! :specs: I'm definetly going to give it a shot, but I'm still uncertain if its for me. Can't believe this is my last non-school night!!

kmlnielsen · Aug 14, 2012

I found my study partners because they were the people who arrived extra early to class like I did. It showed we had similar schedules/habits. This is what I caution you on:

1. beware of the person who wants you just to preach/teach them all the info and they absorb it. There are a lot of those out there and yes it's beneficial for you to do that, but it's a time sucker and if that person is not contributing they don't need to be in a group.

2. The person who thinks they are right all the time and they aren't! Go with person number 1 over this person. :uhoh3: You want people willing to look up info or not waste time arguing about what is right/wrong and KNOW what is right.

I don't like study groups like most people have said, but I do like to have friends in class I can rely on for info when I need it and I like to help others as well. I have participated in study groups, but it's not my preference because I can't do them until I have prepped myself and normally I run out of time.

nynursey_ · Aug 14, 2012

If you're going to try your hand at a study group, my first suggestion is that you make it a very small collection of individuals (I say limit yourself to three to four people). Larger study groups tend to (as many others pointed out) turn into social hour and very little coverage of the material gets accomplished. Once you've selected who to include in your group, I suggest you find a time that works collectively for you all, and limit that time to one to two hours so that, should socializing occur, you realize that you have a limited window together and you can pull yourselves back in to the subject at hand. It helps if you can meet twice to three times a week, or maybe once on a week day and once on a weekend day, so that you're consistent with the material. Once you've got your group and a set time, jot down what you as an individual need help on. This is where I find study groups to benefit most: everyone has a weak area and everyone has a strong area, and often times, these areas overlap. In other words: what one person may be weak in, you may be strong in, and vice versa. This is the beauty of study groups: you help one another in the rough spots and share your secrets for success. Added bonus: you have emotional support and someone to high five when you all pass!

Best of luck in finding your right fit for a study group!

samrusrn · Aug 15, 2012

I never had a lot of luck with study groups, I always found them distracting. I had a couple during my time at my university, and we spent most of the time goofing around. I always tried to avoid them and I want to continue doing this. The people in our program told us that it was better to study in groups, but unless I have to for an assignment, I don't see myself doing it.

quirkyvanilla · Aug 15, 2012

Thanks so much for starting this discussion on study groups. I have also heard that joining a study group could help, so I have been curious about how to make a study group successful, especially since I don't want to waste my time by being in a group that socializes more than studies.

terran · Aug 15, 2012

I always got together with 2 or 3 other people. We would split up the chapters equally and that person would be responsible for creating an outline including all the objectives. Each person would print out enough copies for each person in the group. Then when we got together that person would "lecture" over their chapter. Then we would answer any questions that we had and go over NCLEX questions.

For this to work though you really need to be with those who are serious about understanding the reasoning behind everything. If we weren't all 100% into the study group it wouldn't have been as helpful. Everyone also was expected to read all the chapters on their own, they just didn't have do an outline for every chapter. All-in-all I found helpful for keeping up with all the reading.

GracyMae · Aug 16, 2012

I've always been a lone studier (and I always made As). But when I got into nursing school this summer, I thought I might try something different ... since nursing school classes are very different than ANYthing I took in my core (the way the questions are asked and the way you have to study). So, I met a bunch of people at a library one saturday for a study session ... 3 hours later, we had discussed everything EXCEPT the class materials. I was very disappointed, but that is exactly why I never joined them before! I might never go to another study group session again. :no:

GracyMae · Aug 16, 2012

I never had a lot of luck with study groups, I always found them distracting. I had a couple during my time at my university, and we spent most of the time goofing around. I always tried to avoid them and I want to continue doing this. The people in our program told us that it was better to study in groups, but unless I have to for an assignment, I don't see myself doing it.

I feel the same way