Self-Study vs. Group-Study

Okay, so a common question that comes up regarding studying is whether to study alone or in a group.

Studying by yourself is great because you can avoid the distraction and occasional social loafing that can result from being in a social environment. It also gives you the opportunity to focus on the material that you need to study. A downside of studying alone is that you cannot get explanations of concepts and examples that you do not understand and it can be very easy to slack off if you are not a very disciplined person.

Studying in a group, however, is advantageous in that every member of the group will likely have found different sections of the material important and as a result one will be able to get various concepts explained that maybe didn’t make much sense before. This is particularly useful if you are the one doing the explaining since this is a great way to solidify and reinforce what you have learned. Similarly, if you choose to study with very disciplined people they will also force you to study as well. A possible negative side of studying in a group is that it can be very easy to get distracted if you study with people who are not focused.

Me personally, I have found that it is the best to combine both methods of studying. I usually study by myself first to ensure that I have a basic understanding of the material and also to ensure that I dedicate time to the concepts that require my attention. Once I feel as though I have done all that I can by myself, I study in a group so as to reinforce what I have studied and to ensure that I have not missed any important concepts or theories. This is also when I seek clarification on some of the material that I did not understand so well.

Hope you found this helpful!