This may seem like a silly questions but for many it’s hard to create a study group while for others, it’s natural. Some people are naturally leaders and attract other to them and other need to work on it. Those that naturally attract people to them always seem to have people to talk to, people to work with and in general don’t seem to be on their own ever. When you do happen to see them on their own, things just don’t seem right. Then there are others for whom this is not a natural character trait and always seem to be working on their own or find one or two persons that they attach to and work with when they can. The suggestions in this post will probably be more beneficial to the second type of person who are not naturally able to attract a flock of people around them where ever they go.
For this second group of “pied piper” challenged individuals (I hope I’m not going to be shamed for calling these people “pied piper” challenged? I know I was pied piper challenged in school and I’m ok with it. I managed to get through and in time got better at creating my own flock where ever and whenever I needed.) University and high school are a bit different in structure so the method of created a study group will be slightly different.
The Study Group
High school
- In high school or school, sometimes you can get some help from family. For example, if you have brothers and sisters, find an hour or two a week when you can sit together as a family and study all together. In some cases it may be a daily event.
- If there are other family members nearby invite them to study with you.
- We all have friends that don’t go to the same school as us. Invite that friend to your study session or create a study time with them. This is great because not only do you get some homework in but you get to visit with your friend who you may not see as often as you’d like.
- If you do any extra curricular activities, this would be another place to find people who may be interested in studying together.
- Parents can also get in on the search for study buddies. Parents know people, usually other parents, who have kids that need to study. Invite them over parents!
- Of course, there are you classmates at school. See if anyone you know in class wants to meet up during the week to study.
- And if none of that works, you can ask your teachers or guidance counselor if there is anyone else taking the same subject as you who may want to work together on homework.
- There are organizations like Kumon and such that are indirectly a study group of sorts. But with this type of study group there is no guarantee you’ll necessarily be with the same people or even with people studying the same subject as you.
- Online is another possible avenue to explore. While not quite a study group, sometime forums or other platforms where people post questions and answers is a way of “studying in a group”.
- If you have a tutor, that is a again a small group that you have created for yourself. It is a very specific type of group but still a group.
University
Most of the same suggestions as for high school can be applied to university. #5, #7 and #8 may be tougher or not even possible. There are other resources that a university does provide.
- Every course at university has a TA, teaching assistant, that will usually have office hours available for students. Use those office hours as your study time and your TA as a member of your study group. You may even meet others during the TA office hours who have similar questions as you. Talk to these students and open up the dialogue about studying or working together.
- Every professor will have office hours for students. Use those office hours and make your professor a member of your study group. Your professor may not work with you like another student would but they know all the answers and what will be on the midterms and exams so however they help you you know will be beneficial in the long run. Their office hours are also another way to meet other students in your class that can be potential study buddies.
- Some universities will have a math study centre or help centre. This is a great place to meet others taking math who obviously have questions or want to work on their math. Go to this centre periodically and see who you meet. Talk to other students there, introduce yourself, offer to help when you can.
- The university environment is made of students everywhere sitting and waiting between classes, doing something including studying. Students are studying everywhere. If you see someone studying and using the same textbook as you or the material looks familiar to you, take a chance and introduce yourself. For all you know they may be taking the same class as you
- Your lectures are a great way to meet people! Humans are creatures of habit including students. So you will slowly see familiar faces in your lecturers and people will sit in the approximately, if not exactly, the same seat lecture after lecture. Talk to these familiar faces.
- There are tonnes of student clubs, organizations and associations on a university campus. Join some, hang out at some, eventually you’ll get to know people, what they’re studying and you’ll find a study buddy in the most unlikely places.
- Proximity is another way to find a study buddy. Just sitting at the same table in say the cafeteria, studying or reading, others will notice, join you at that table and in time you’re studying together.
Above are just some of the ways to form a study group. They are certainly not the only ways but it’s a start. You just need two people to start a group and in time it will grow. For the most part, people like the presence of others. So it really isn’t as hard as you may think to find people to study with. Now what you exactly do in a study group is another story and post. What to do in a study group?
