Author Topic: Group Studying??? (Read 2907 times)

Sammy · « **on:** February 17, 2008, 07:00 PM »

is it a good thing to study in groups for college science and math classes? For example, if it is calculus class or something, would it be good to form a study group of three or four people and meet to work hw problems together daily? or maybe for science classes such as chem and bio, you could help each other out with concepts??

JHU_Jermaine · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2008, 12:47 AM »

Hey Sammy!

Yes. Studying in groups works for basically every class you'll take at Hopkins, especially science classes! If you go to the library right now, you would definitely see lots of people studying together for the upcoming Biology and Cell Bio. exams (I know...I just got back from MSE). For me, studying in groups helps to keep me from falling behind and being forced to study a ton of material right before a midterm because you have a set schedule (of course, you and your study group could make the mistake of starting to study for that big Biochemistry exam two days before...and freak out about how much you don't know together...but it's less likely in a group). Being in a group also helps you assess just how well you know the concepts (it's not until you study with your roommate or someone else that you realize that you didn't really understand the Kreb's Cycle as well as you should have(!)...What I've found is that studying by yourself to get the big concepts before trying to study with a group is best. (There's nothing worse than being that one guy (or girl) in the group who has no clue what's going on...with less than 24 hours until the exam) So yeah, group studying doesn't hurt and a lot of people at Hopkins do it.

JHU_Blake · « **Reply #2 on:** February 19, 2008, 11:09 PM »

group studying also works for the social sciences classes... talking about the readings that you have really helps to reinforce it before class.

JHU_Lauren · « **Reply #3 on:** February 19, 2008, 11:54 PM »

To be completely honest, I'm not too great at group studying. It's hard sometimes with Writing Seminars and English, because a lot of our assignments are either creative writing or reading a selection from a book that you can't really focus on unless you're working on it alone. It really helps to get together with other people though to do homework assignments that "work" in a group setting. I actually have a Fluid Earth date tomorrow night during Top Model with my roommate and my neighbor so we can finish our homework questions for that class that are due Friday, and those work well because it helps to discuss them with others and get more than one brain contributing to the answer. :) I think it helps to have others there with you, both because they can help you on things that you don't understand, and because it feels really good to be able to commiserate. It isn't healthy to complain all the time about a class or work, but it's definitely a comfort to have other people to work through problens with.

Oh, also, before finals it helps to get together with one or two people from ANY class you're in to discuss what you worked on over the course of the entire semester. This might also work better for natural science/engineering students, but social science and humanities students will also benefit. You can't possibly remember or keep track of everything you did in three months, so it helps to bounce ideas off of someone else and prepare an outline/list of things you should study.

What's great about Hopkins is that you can pretty much go either way. If you work better in a group or want to try it out, a lot of people are willing to study together. If you work better alone, most of the time you'll be able to do that as well {unless you're given a partner/group project}. It's your education, and it's totally up to you!

JHU_Tanmay · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2008, 01:23 AM »

I think it really depends on the person.. I personally always work with other people on homework, but tend to study for exams on my own and then review with others.

I remember when I came to visit Hopkins, I had heard all the rumors about people being competitive and cut-throat. I visited/stayed over the night before a huge Physics II test and on my host's floor, pretty much everyone was studying in the floor lounge. Some people were studying by themselves, others in small groups, but they were all there together so that if anyone had questions, they had someone to turn to and ask.

As a BME major, I think it's really hard, if not impossible, to do well on some homeworks without working with other people. I remember last year during Systems and Controls, we'd have probably 6-8 people working in my suite, talking on AIM to another group in another room and groups of people at the library and the HAC lab

JHU_Laura · « **Reply #5 on:** February 20, 2008, 12:08 PM »

For tests studying with others is GREAT! And tons of people do it; including me.
However, I have taken a lot of classes that don't have exams (writing sems major...) and so often "group study" isn't an option.
I have found that for a lot of assignments it is super useful and encouraged to brainstorm with other students. For example in one of my Philosophy classes I would always get together with one or two other students in the class and we would discuss, make sure we understood the readings, and come up with some general arguments and ideas before we wrote our papers. (make sure you check with the professor to see if this is Okay. Most professors are totally fine with it but like to know that you worked with someone else during the brainstorming part so that if you two have similar ideas they know that it wasn't one person copying the other =) ) Anyway, it was a great help especially b/c some of our readings were super confusing...

JHU_Jackie · « **Reply #6 on:** February 27, 2008, 12:56 PM »

A lot of my economics professors encourage group studying. Even working on homework together was fine.

Working together is very helpful in understanding the material, so it's nice when professors understand this and in fact, encourage it.

JHU_Kate · « **Reply #7 on:** March 14, 2008, 11:49 PM »

Oh yeah, group studying definitely helps! My friend Stephanie, our friend Priscilla, and I met often last semester to review for a course called "The Nervous System I" - Priscilla and I were taking it because we're both neuroscience majors, and Stefanie was taking it as an elective. This semester, Priscilla and I are taking "The Nervous System II," and she and I have continued meeting often to review together. Group study sessions can be very useful, because ( a ) when you're explaining concepts to another person in the group, the information gets reinforced in your mind and ( b ) when you don't understand concepts, another person in the group can help you get a better grasp of them. However, you shouldn't use group study sessions as your primary means of learning material! You still need to spend time reviewing material on your own; group study sessions should only reinforce what you've reviewed on your own or answer the questions that arose in your mind while you were reviewing on your own.

JHU_Jessica · « **Reply #8 on:** October 21, 2008, 10:48 AM »

I just wanted to add a little about the study rooms in Charles Commons. In Charles Commons there are rooms on each floor to study in. They are still "new" like the rest of Commons and include a couple of comfy chairs and couches and a table with four chairs. They are connected off of the hallway on each floor. Every week I get together with a friend and study in the room on her floor; it's really a great place to collaborate or just to study with the company of friends. So not only is group study pretty "big" on campus, but there are new places to study as well!

JHU_Peter · « **Reply #9 on:** October 21, 2008, 11:59 AM »

Group studying works for certain classes I suppose. For instance, I really can't study for my drawing class, and I'm not really close with anyone in my Portuguese class, so the studying doesnt really occur in groups, or at all (for art). However, for my Calc class we did study in groups, and that seemed to help, at least for the realization that we did know the information. If we didn't, we discussed this with others to see how we were supposed to do it. For my other classes its the same. I'm not really close to the people in the class, it's mainly a lot of reading and self-work (programming for example)

JHU_Wafa · « **Reply #10 on:** October 21, 2008, 07:09 PM »

I think the option of being able to work in groups is available to anyone. I am more of a loner when I'm studying for an exam because I find I assimilate better when I'm completely focused on the material.

But for homework problems and things of that nature, working with other people (which is encouraged by some professors) is a good way to have your questions answers and any concepts cleared up.

Also, a lot of times, it is nice to study in a group even when you are not all studying the same topic because friends can provide the extra motivation and de-stressing support.

JHU_Brian · « **Reply #11 on:** October 27, 2008, 02:21 PM »

I have found group studying to be very valuable thus far at Hopkins. My friends and I will often work on calc or physics homework together. It makes it a lot more enjoyable.

I also have found that it productive to study for exams with another person. My study partner for once of my classes is really good at picking out the important keywords from the textbooks readings and taking efficient notes. I'm better at summarizing the article readings and lecture notes. Together we make a pretty good studying team.

I think most people here realize that so much more can be accomplished when you are working with others, which is great.

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #12 on:** October 28, 2008, 01:39 AM »

I so agree with Brian. You can't really do your best unless you work in groups sometimes. I just came back from a study session--two actually--for two midterms tomorrow [well, today ahhh!]. Group studying helps me to pick out the big themes and pictures with my african american studies classes, because i tend to go into details without looking at how they are all related.

Now, for math and science, I tend to work alone because those classes are harder for me and I really need to focus, unless I have hw questions I don't get. Then I'll work in a group. =]

JHU_Julia · « **Reply #13 on:** November 11, 2008, 10:42 PM »

The library this past Sunday was like a case study in group studying. There was an exam in International Politics yesterday so the library was teeming with groups of people (mostly freshmen and sophomores) studying together. It got so loud! But it was emblematic of how much people work together.

JHU_Jessica · « **Reply #14 on:** July 20, 2010, 09:10 PM »

So I would just like to say that I have been away from Hopkins since December and one of the things I miss the most is studying with my friends. It's not always the most productive use of time (and when I really need to be productive, I isolate myself), but I swear it's made my Hopkins experience so much better to see the diverse subjects that people are studying, to share stories about each other's days, and to brainstorm ideas off one another.

JHU_Greco · « **Reply #15 on:** July 27, 2010, 11:41 PM »

It really depends on your preference.. I mean, for me, most of the times I prefer studying alone since it gets less distracting and all, but sometimes I feel the need to txt a couple of friends to meet in the libs and just study together, let it be reading txt book together or going over work problems. I mean yea, sometimes they know more than me and other times I know more than them, but either way, I always find it beneficial in at least certain degree.

Hopkins is building this awesome looking place where people can do some serious group studying.. coming fall 2013!

JHU_Miranda · « **Reply #16 on:** July 28, 2010, 10:43 AM »

I generally like studying with other people - even if we're working on different things, it's still nice to have the companionship, and have people there when you're ready to take a break!

To elaborate more on what Greco's saying - the Brody Learning Commons is slated to open in 2012. They started construction about 7 weeks ago, and have torn up the area to the left of the library in preparation. It'll have more group study space, as well as a new cafe. Here's a Gazette article about it, as well as the blog about the ongoing project.

JHU_Greco · « **Reply #17 on:** August 10, 2010, 09:01 AM »

Quote

To elaborate more on what Greco's saying - the Brody Learning Commons is slated to open in 2012. They started construction about 7 weeks ago, and have torn up the area to the left of the library in preparation. It'll have more group study space, as well as a new cafe. Here's a Gazette article about it, as well as the blog about the ongoing project.

Thanks Miranda for correcting me! I'm really glad it's coming sooner than I thought :)

JHU_Cate · « **Reply #18 on:** August 19, 2010, 06:19 PM »

Greco and I definitely did process homework a couple of times last semester. I love getting groups together and studying at the library, even if we aren't in the same classes.

JHU_Nick · « **Reply #19 on:** October 12, 2010, 09:33 PM »

Group studying is my SAVIOR! People are always willing to study in a group, especially for the more difficult classes. For example, I'm in Calc III now, and we work on so much in groups, whether it be a particularly challenging homework problem or exam review. Everyone understands that the work must be their own, and don't simply want to mooch off another's work, but rather are eager to further themselves by being assisted in the problems by a peer. Everyone who says Hopkins is cutthroat is so wrong, people are more than happy to help out a struggling classmate. I know that when I help someone else understand the material, I understand it better as well, so group study works out even better.

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #20 on:** February 19, 2011, 02:17 PM »

i have a physics exam on tuesday and i don't understand anything in the class really, part of it is my fault for not paying attention in class and taking bad notes and not keeping up with the material and the other part of the confusing nature of the material. anywho my 2 friends and i are currently in the library and we are going thru every chapter and talking through the text and doing the problems and explaining them to each other (well they're explaining and i';m listening lol). the whole studying on my own wasn't working because i didn't know where to start but this has helped sooooooooo much and i can go on my own after this.

group studying ftw!!! :)

JHU_Ian · « **Reply #21 on:** December 06, 2011, 10:27 PM »

I find group studying to be really helpful. Not only do you find out what you do not know very well, but your other peers get a chance to help you out and explain it the way they learned it. I would not survive here if it were not for group studying!

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #22 on:** December 27, 2011, 02:38 AM »

love hate relationship with group studying...that last post about physics i wrote about last yr actually ended in failure lol. I don't think I am capable of being a group study person unless I'm actually teaching people...but anyways I am not representative of JHU in this aspect...there are groups everywhere. I always turn down ppl who want to group study because I have attention problems and I'd be more of a distraction to myself and them, so yea.

But if you want to, you will find people who want to study

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Author Topic: Group Studying??? (Read 2907 times)