How I did it- Self study vs Group Study

STUDYING IN A GROUP VS STUDYING ALONE

Dear Friends!

One of my juniors from BITS Pilani had asked whether one should study in group or prefer self study. Here is my take on the issue

I am strongly in favour of studying alone for mains. In the interview stage interacting/studying in group obviously helps. More on interview preparation later...

Why I did nt like studying in a group

1)      Snatches away your freedom to study at your own pace and in your own style

2)      Is uncomfortable- time and energy wasted in travelling to a common place, chit chatting etc

3)      Multiple inputs from multiple people may lead to confusion, information overload etc

On the other hand, some of the successful guys I know used to study in groups.

The obvious advantages of studying in groups

1)       is that you can divide the coursework amongst yourself.

2)      Peer pressure increases your motivation

 I personally feel that technology has enabled to collaborate electronically now. So I prefer virtual interaction rather than going to someone’s house and wasting time travelling, chit chatting etc

What we did was we made an online group. We used that for

1)       getting our doubts cleared- specially helped me a lot in psychology

2)      Sharing relevant articles/information. Anyone who came across something relevant which others would have missed, he/she used to share it on the group. VERY VERY USEFUL for preparation of topics like environment/SnT for which specific textbooks are not available

3)      Getting our answers peer reviewed

Studying in groups can help when

·         All the members of the group are highly and equally motivated

·         Are of  similar capabilities

·         The group size is small

I have tried to cover as many aspects of group ‘study vs self study’ issue as I could. In case I have missed out anything, please feel free to ask in the comments section below!