Study groups are great for improving your learning and giving you a better grasp of class topics. If you are part of a good study group, the task of understanding and memorising content will be more enjoyable. In addition, you will enjoy a relaxed and productive environment in the process.

At some universities, it is common to find established study groups that you can join. If this is not the case at your university and you want to form your own study group, consider these tips:

Includes few members

The members of a study group should be able to discuss issues, listen to each other and exchange ideas. To maintain a harmonious communication process in which everyone can express themselves and be heard, the group should be small.

At most, create a group of 6 people. If there are more, the group generally does not function well. Some will not be able to express themselves, others will lose concentration and it will be a mess to organise. The larger the group, the more difficult it is to keep everyone’s attention on the same task.

Group leader

Sometimes, having a group leader can be useful to keep members focused on tasks. The leader can be in charge of proposing the next meeting date, discussing with the members what the next topics are to be discussed and what study dynamics they can implement.

Most of the time, the leader is the person who organised the study group. But if you don’t want to be a leader, an alternative is for the members to agree to appoint one.

Choose a good meeting place

Many people think that the best place to gather a study group is in the library. No! This is the worst place. You need to be somewhere where you can talk out loud about your ideas and concerns, where everyone can hear each other clearly, so forget the library.

Also avoid noisy places with lots of distractions around you. Instead, opt for coffee shops that promote a quiet atmosphere and where you can stay and study with friends. Think of a place with soft music and good coffee.

On the other hand, if one of the group members offers the living room of their flat, that is also a good idea. Just make sure that there is space for everyone and that there are not too many distractions, noises and disturbances there.

Define the issues to be discussed in advance

It is important that before the meeting begins, all members know what will be discussed. This gives them the opportunity to probe deeply into the topic and to recognise possible doubts or questions that arise from it.

So, at the end of the meeting, make sure you agree on the topics you will discuss next time. It will not only help you to structure the discussion better, but also to avoid rambling and wasting time during the meeting.

A good tip we can give you is to do all the necessary reading and in a notebook, write down all the questions that come up. Another option is to use a marker to highlight those points you need to talk about. If you ask your colleagues to do the same, you will have very productive meetings.

Support each other

Don’t forget that the aim of the study group is to learn from each other in order to get the best grades. Therefore, one week you will be explaining a topic to your classmates and the next week they will be explaining one to you.

While one member may find an issue difficult, another may find it easy. This is when they should work as a team to support whoever needs it.

Apply study dynamics

To make the meetings enjoyable and entertaining, we advise you to apply some study dynamics. Otherwise, the meetings will all be the same and could become boring, causing members to lose interest and the group to disintegrate.
In addition to resolving doubts, consider these dynamics:

• Assign each member a section of the topic they are going to discuss to summarise and read out at the beginning of the session. In this way, everyone participates and presents the topic together.
• Write several questions on strips of paper and put them in a bowl. Each member will take a piece of paper and if they don’t know the answer to the question on it, the others should help develop the topic.
• Answer model tests together and aloud for everyone to participate and take notes.

Forming a successful study group requires determination and commitment. If you do it right, you can be sure that learning and studying will no longer be such a boring and lonely task.