I am in a study group with 2 friends I have known and taken classes with for over a year. The 3 of us are all A/B students, come prepared, text each other during the week if we are confused about something, etc. We've become a tight knit group because we know we help instead of hindering.
There is a student who is currently failing A&P 2 who wants to join our study group. All 3 of us are leery about it. She comes to class late, she asks us to send her recordings, she looks at my notes everyday. If she put forth the effort herself we wouldn't mind trying to help her, but we feel like she just wants to ride our backs and we're not cool with that.
Our school has a science resource center she can go to, we have free one on one tutors, and the library has models she can check out for 2 hours at a time to study. There are ways for her to help herself before we help her.
I've worked my butt off to get where I am. I should be hearing if I am accepted to my program in 3 weeks. I am not going to get dragged down by someone who can't do the work themselves.
Agree with the prior posters on this one. Your situation reminds me of what my granddaughter recently told me. She was one of about a dozen people who passed the first exam in one of her classes, so the instructor pressured those who passed, to tutor and help the 40 students who failed. She doesn't feel she can say no because the request came from the instructor. She has a job in addition to school, so works a tight schedule. I can just see this little arrangement dragging her grade down as she is already too spread out. I hesitate to advise her to stand up to the instructor, reasonable request or not.
As a current RN student, let me tell you from experience that letting a student who is way behind into your study group will make you regret it later. My tight group is all A and B students who really like to get to the point and make the most of our time when we get together to study (especially because most of us have jobs on top of school, so our time together is very limited). The last time we let a student who was really struggling work with us, we spent most of the time explaining simple nursing concepts to her when the rest of us really wanted to move on. Sometimes you need to think of yourself first.
I've had something similar happen to me, in my chemistry class. As easy as it is, there are some struggling I guess because I spend half my lab explaining how to do something to a couple of other people. I was so frustrated one day because I would have been finished with my lab probably at least 45 minutes earlier but was trying to help someone struggling with a concept.
I felt mean too thinking these thoughts but I think you're justified in cutting that person loose if all they're going to do is drag you down. In a situation of limited resources (time) you have to do what's necessary for YOU to survive.
It's not horrible to not want to study with someone, but it is better to help people when you can, and when it doesn't hurt you to do so.
I agree with those that said to give her a "homework assignment" to complete in order to get in your group. It is likely at this level that she doesn't know how to study, outline chapters, etc. Many poor students don't. She may be looking to you to figure it out. Give her a very specific task. Like "write all the definitions from chapters 20 - 25 on index cards, and bring them with you to our group at 3:00 on Wednesday. There should be about 50 cards all together. We like them handwritten." Give her a later time to come then you would start. If you want, you could ask her to make copies of the work for each person to review.
I am a straight A student, and I generally prefer to work alone. However, I will spend some time explaining concepts to poor students, as it helps both of us to learn. Not a lot of time.
This sounds like a great suggestion! I second thisðŸ‘ðŸ»
Welcome her to the group but sit down with everyone (including the girl) and make it a rule that everyone in your group must study ahead of time with their own notes and recordings and meet up only to discuss and ask questions. That way, she hears it too. And I do agree with others to stop enabling her. Even if you come out as the 'mean' person to say it, in the end, it's more about responsibility, fairness and communication. This is the rule I always apply to my study groups and it works great. People do well too when they study themselves and then also benefit from group discussions when they do not understand something.
When I was in college I tried to be helpful to another student and that was a mistake. I actually had her mother call me to come over and help her study because she was failing. I did it once and then it became expected. Then when I had the flu she didn't want to help me catch up by sharing her notes She simply did not care that I had fallen behind. I think she wanted to see me have low grades too. Some friend.
Nursing School is not one big communal thing in which you have to make sure that no one fails. Some people just should not be Nurses. They need to
pass on their own merits and not expect to be carried by their peers, appeal and get a do over, sue after being dismissed from the program or take NCLEX five
times. I doubt that the LPN from New Jersey who gave 70 flu shots with the same syringe was a very good student.
Dont expect her to reciprocate in any way and don't be surprised if this turns out to be a very one sided arrangement and a just a huge drain on your time and patience.
She's not going into nursing, she's taking her pre-reqs and transferring to a PT program. She's an xray tech right now and talks crap about the nurses at the place she works everyday. 😡
She's not going into nursing, she's taking her pre-reqs and transferring to a PT program. She's an xray tech right now and talks crap about the nurses at the place she works everyday. 😡
Most rad techs make Nurses look like Rhodes Scholars.
She's not going into nursing, she's taking her pre-reqs and transferring to a PT program. She's an xray tech right now and talks crap about the nurses at the place she works everyday. 😡
I think her attitude would make me want to help her even less. It sucks because you don't want feel like you're being unkind, but I doubt she would be appreciative your efforts to help her anyway.
Your situation sounds very similar to one I had during my A&PII class. Continual emails, requests for help (reviewing homework, notes, labs, etc) and an attempt at joining a study group. We were not a closed group, so he was told, "the more the merrier". Funny, he never seemed to remember when we were planning to meet and was absent every time we were together. I cared greatly for this student, but his performance was not my responsibility. When requests got out of hand, I simply said, "I don't feel comfortable sharing that".
Additionally, any assistance given to a less motivated student tends to do more harm than good. That student will never learn how to care for him/herself if someone will always be there to do it on their behalf. Should that student manage to get into a program without the discipline developed during prereqs, failure is all but guaranteed.
As an aside - the student that I was having trouble with managed to pull it together and is now one of my favorite cohorts!
So, if the group is doing a project that everyone collaborated on, that would be one thing. But, I don't see an issue with a person joining any study group as long as they are not disruptive. Maybe by seeing how much everyone knows, it'll be a wake up call. And I don't think it's that much work to have someone else in the group (other than finding a chair). It would be that person's responsibility to show up. Also, you learn more by teaching others.
Edit: Just wanted to add that science centers from my experience offer very limited help, unless you have someone who knows and can explain the material very well.
I am not that great of a student, but I don't think you are horrible. Life is hard, college is harder, and well nursing lets just say the bsn was rated the most stressful degree in America to get.
I am a peer mentor, and a tutor so I live for helping other students. That said help her if you can without hindering yourself. If she doesn't show the effort don't bother.
If she does she just might become a valuable member of your study group.
As an aside in one class I was failing I went from a 62 to an 88. Sometimes life happens, and you just need a a few wake up calls to pull it together.
On the flip side I once went from a 100 to an 85. You never know what this student can contribute.
My advice for what it's worth little that it is, is be candid. Tell her you are going to have to pull your own weight of we let you join.
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
Agree with the prior posters on this one. Your situation reminds me of what my granddaughter recently told me. She was one of about a dozen people who passed the first exam in one of her classes, so the instructor pressured those who passed, to tutor and help the 40 students who failed. She doesn't feel she can say no because the request came from the instructor. She has a job in addition to school, so works a tight schedule. I can just see this little arrangement dragging her grade down as she is already too spread out. I hesitate to advise her to stand up to the instructor, reasonable request or not.