Irvine College Tutoring Tips: 5 Things to Talk About in Your College Study Group

5 things to talk about in your college study group

Every student should either join or start a study group once they get to college. Not only can a study group help students get a higher grade but they can be a great emotional support during this important life transition. In many cases, members of a study group become fast friends and can help each other academically throughout their entire college career. The more engaged each member of the study group is the more likely everyone will be to find success when it comes to their education and academic life. There are some things students can talk about and topics they can bring up to make their study group more interesting and connected.

1.  Common problems

Most college students will find out right away that they have several problems in common. Freshmen are usually focusing on their transition and seniors are usually focusing on graduating and finding a job. Unfortunately, many students feel entirely alone and isolated because they don’t know that other people are going through the same thing. It’s important for study groups to identify common problems whether it’s an extra challenging professor, a social situation on campus, or having difficulty finding a good class to take next term. Once students start to identify with each other, they reduce the isolation and tend to be able to focus more on academics.

2. Creative solutions

There is more than one way to solve a problem and students are encouraged to brainstorm wherever possible. There’s no reason to immediately reject any particular idea when it comes to effective studying or test prep because each student’s learning needs will be different. Sometimes students can get by with a standard solution to a problem, but sometimes more creative solutions are required. For example, students may need help with education technology, or they may need to develop advanced library skills. Whatever the situation may be study groups can help each other come up with a positive solution to each other’s academic issues.

3. Extracurricular activities

Although it’s important to focus on the task at hand if students talk about academics all day every day they won’t be as interested in maintaining attendance in their study group. It’s important for students to be able to talk about fun things once in a while and make sure that everyone is getting a well-rounded college experience. Maybe the study group could all go to a movie together or grab a cup of coffee and go to a social club on campus. The more students focus on finding a balance between work and fun the more likely they’ll be to stay in college, do well, and graduate to find an excellent career opportunity (READ: 10 Study Tips From an Irvine History Tutor).

4. Successful study habits

One thing study groups should talk about is successful study habits that have worked for them in the past. Many students end up completing assignments an hour before they’re due and get totally stressed out. Time management tips are always welcome and simply going to the study group will help students organize their assignments. One person might need help with organization while another might need to learn how to speed read. Whatever the situation, talking about successful study habits will help the entire group improve.

5. Each student’s schedule

It’s also important for students to talk about the practical issue of each other’s schedules. Class schedules change each term and students will need to make sure they can all meet at the same time each week. It’s a good idea for students to have several meeting times in hopes that everybody will be able to go to one or the other meeting. Additionally, students can consider meeting in a virtual environment if they can’t all get to the same place on campus at the same time each week.

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