During your educational journey, Working and studying in groups will be a necessity, so you need to make it work for you! Like most things in life, studying in groups comes packaged with both perks and drawbacks, but the trick is knowing what to expect and when to choose group study over solo study. Here are some of the pros and cons of studying in groups that are guaranteed to make the process easy and seamless for you! 

Advantages of Studying in Groups

Grouping different-minded individuals together to work for a common goal surely comes with its benefits! From the merging of different perspectives to the motivational impact of not working alone, studying in groups brings about plenty of perks, here are a few of them!

1. Brainstorming and Exposure to Different Perspectives

Studying in groups exposes you to people of different perspectives and opinions, which in turn allows students to share their different thoughts with one another. This notion usually leads to a better learning process and makes room for brainstorming, which generates new ideas and thus, students learn the same thing but from different points of view. Open discussion enhances thinking skills as well as communication skills and will give you access to valuable information and as a result, expose you to new learning strategies, broadens your mind, and lets your creativity run wild.

2. Regularity and Sticking to A Schedule

Studying in groups allows you to set a certain time to work or study in. This, in turn, helps you better organise your time and stick to a somewhat structured schedule. This is particularly helpful at times like midterms and finals, when you have so much on your plate and so many different subjects to study for. Studying in groups lets you know that others are sharing your struggle and helps you stay on track. Because if others are expecting you, why keep them waiting? Hurry and hustle already!

3. Motivation and High Spirits

Group studying is the best procrastination solution as it breaks the monotonous learning process and it makes you attentive to what the others are saying. While your study mates are here to help one another, they are also here to socialise with and make friends so you can break from studying whenever needed. Mock tests and trial quizzes are also nifty tricks when practised in groups, they let everyone know the areas in which they’re lacking and have someone who’s grasped said area help them. It’s an all-around beneficial situation!

4. Strength in Numbers

We are well aware that other group members can’t really study for you. However, during group projects, there are plenty of parts to divide up among group members. If you are not good at a certain task, or it seems tedious to you, it is a walk in the park for another group member! This allows you to mix and match tasks with your fellow group members and gives space for everyone in the group to save time and energy for the tasks they’re better equipped for.

Disadvantages of Studying in Groups

While studying in groups does boast a number of advantages, it, unfortunately, has its disadvantages as well. Knowing those beforehand, however, helps you better understand and deal with them. So, here are some of the drawbacks of studying in groups!

1. Distractions Are Inevitable  

While some students thrive in a group setting, others may find it tiresome to stay focused when studying in a group. Sometimes the conversation shifts away from studying and redirects to casual topics and current events, which affects some students’ train of thought, and in turn, steers them off track. Studying alone, in this case, might be helpful, especially if you need to dedicate your undivided attention to the materials at hand.

2. Lack of Efficiency

Group studying hampers creativity and efficiency and when there are exams on the horizon, efficiency should be the priority. Studying alone will give you time and space to do your personalized studying. Also, when alone, you can focus freely on a certain part because you know you need to and skip other parts that you have already mastered. This allows you to manage your time wisely and prioritise your tasks.

3. Impersonalized Learning

Our brains conceive information differently, and in order to digest information correctly, you have to do it your own way, not anyone else’s. When studying in a group, you might be studying at someone else’s pace, whether it is too fast or too slow, and that will probably not help you with learning or digesting the new information presented to you. Also, you might lose track of your own questions and the difficulties you might be facing with the subject at hand because students mostly do not want to diverge from the group. Creating personalized study plans for suture references tends to save much time if the student loves to follow a plan and a schedule while studying. 

4. Similar Weaknesses

While studying in a group might be beneficial in the event that some of you excel in certain parts while others lack, it becomes challenging when you all lack in the same area. This usually sets the entire group back a few steps and takes time for everyone to understand the material you’re all struggling with. This is always an aspect you should consider when choosing a study method. 

Preferring a certain study method or way over the other does not necessarily mean that it is better, it simply means that people choose what suits their characters best. For example, a social person might find it difficult to study alone and instead leans more toward talking to people to learn. Another social person, on the other hand, will opt for studying alone because they get distracted easily by people and can focus better when alone. In a nutshell, no way is more advantageous than the other; everyone has their own study pace, preferred method, and a common goal to improve their GPA. So, are you team group study or solo study?