Tips from a Private Fullerton Tutor: 5 Great Qualities in a Study Partner

Tips from a Private Fullerton Tutor: 5 Great Qualities in a Study Partner

Students have many options when it comes to study sessions. Most will go back to their home or dorm room and work alone, attempting to accomplish every question, every chapter, and every topic unaided. Although some students will do very well studying on their own, especially if it’s a subject they excel in, they can benefit from having a study buddy. Of course, group study sessions often don’t pan out because members of the group are there more to socialize thAn to learn. Some socialization can make a difficult task bearable, but it’s important to look for certain qualities when choosing a long-term study partner – working with a private Fullerton tutor.

1. Equal Motivation

It’s important to think about your current level of motivation in a particular class. For example, if you will only ever be satisfied with an A, this is something that’s good to know before choosing a study buddy. On the other hand, maybe you know that this is a class you would be lucky to get a B- in. You want your study buddy to have a similar motivation. If you’re an A student in a class, you will probably only benefit from working with somebody who also strives to reach perfection. However, if you know the best you will get is a B; then you might be holding back a study partner who is used to getting straight A’s (and vice versa).  Equal motivation generally means you will want to spend the same amount of time studying and share the same amount of drive to get assignments completed (READ: “10 Study Tips from an Irvine History Tutor”).

2. Consistency

It’s essential that a potential study partner demonstrates consistency, and that you do as well. When studying solo, it’s very tempting to put off the task at hand for ‘just a few minutes’, but of course those few minutes can turn into hours or days. Alternatively, if you have committed to meeting your study buddy from 3 to 5 on Friday, you’ll have to be prompt and get started on your assignments. You need to be consistent so as not to let your partner down but they also need to be equally consistent. If your study partner is showing up late or unprepared for sessions, it might be time to think about moving on to someone with more drive.

3. Skill Sets

The study buddy relationship is kind of a yin/yang type of situation. Let’s say you’re working on math and you are fabulous with triangle problems but not so great with functions. In an ideal world, your study partner would be great at functions but maybe need some help with triangles. If you can find somebody who can fill the gaps in your learning (and vice versa) then you may both be able to improve your grades in a particular class.

4. Fight Boredom

Once you get to know your study partner a little bit, it’s a good idea to help each other fight boredom. Trying to edit your own 15-page research paper can be dry to say the least, but if you switch papers with your study partner, you’ll be editing theirs and giving it a fresh perspective while they will be giving you suggestions on your own work.  A great study buddy will also be able to notice when your mind is starting to fade away into boredom. They can help you determine when you need a short break and when you need to simply push through and focus. Of course, you should be doing the same for them. Many students who study solo will end up giving up and moving on to non-academic activities before they have done enough studying to ace that test. An ideal study buddy will help you fight through this and get your work done (READ: “Online Study Tools for Students”).

5. No distractions

Students who study in a group setting may socialize more than is ideal, thus prolonging the amount of time they need to spend on academic tasks. Why spend three hours studying for an exam with tons of distractions from your group when you could have put in a solid 90 minutes and then gone and done something more fun?  And ideal study buddy will be fun to be around but know when it’s time to focus. A joke here and there to stay interested is okay, but tons of time spent on distractions is not.

Don’t wait to book your private Fullerton tutor for the New Year. Call us today for more information.

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