In this article, I’ll share key insights on how to form a study group to help you advance in your university career.
The best tips for forming a study group in college include: finding members within your area, with similar priorities and skill levels. Ideally, these individuals should also be supportive. Don’t limit yourself to just one gender, and try to get team consensus before adding new members. Lastly, avoid conflicting personalities.
Keep reading to dive deeper into each of these aspects.
Why Is It Important to Have a Study Group?
Studying can be easier when you do it in a group, especially in college.
A study group helps you learn better by sharing knowledge and keeping you motivated when you need it most. Having a steady team is one of the best ways to make consistent progress in your academic journey.
But how do you form a solid study group that supports you rather than holds you back? Let’s find out.
7 Tips for Creating a Successful Study Group in College
1. Geographic Location
If you’re forming a study group, it’s ideal to meet in person with your teammates. Everyone should live close enough to make in-person meetings possible.
Even if you attend the same institution, that doesn’t always mean you’re nearby. Some students travel long distances to get to school or university every day.
Fortunately, technology now allows for virtual meetings and collaboration tools that facilitate teamwork. However, it’s still a good idea to meet in person from time to time.
2. Priorities
If you don’t work, it’s best to team up with students who are also fully dedicated to studying. This way, everyone’s primary focus will be on academics.
On the other hand, if you do work, it’s ideal to form a group with others who also have jobs. Meetings will likely be shorter and more efficient.
Mixing people with different priorities can sometimes lead to issues.
For example, a student who also has to support a family might not be able to participate as much, which could create tension with someone fully committed to studying.
Joining people with the same level of priorities as you is essential.
3. Solidarity
This might be the most important factor when forming a study group. Before selecting a candidate, the first thing you need to assess is not their knowledge of the subjects, but whether they are a good person willing to contribute to the group.
How can you tell? By observing small details in their behavior, and sometimes by intuition. Avoid selfish, opportunistic, and lazy individuals. Always look for people who work hard and care.
A study partner’s solidarity is far more important than their skill level.
4. Personality
You should avoid opposing personalities, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like politics, religion (and even sports in some countries).
Sometimes, it’s easy to pay attention to two people and realize they are like oil and water. Also, keep in mind that some people are organized while others are more laid-back.
You can bring together people with divergent views on life, but if they have too strong personalities, they will eventually clash.
5. Level
If you’re one of the best students, seek out the best. If you’re one of those who struggle, look for fellow fighters like yourself.
There will always be some level differences between group members, but it shouldn’t be drastic, or the team won’t be able to function effectively.
6. Gender
Don’t limit yourself to gender. Have you noticed that guys always group together, and the girls do the same?
While there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s recommended to mix things up a bit. It’s clear that men and women think differently. We see the world in different ways. So, why not form a group with different points of view?
7. Consensus
Reaching a consensus on the inclusion of members is crucial when forming a study group. We are talking about creating a group, but it’s never done by just one person.
When you agree with the first person to form the group, you should come to a consensus about adding more members. This way, if a problem arises later, no one can accuse anyone of forming the group out of pure whim.
Once the core group is formed, it’s better to reach a consensus when including new members.
How to Work Successfully in a University Team
In this part of the article, we will discuss some tips to prevent problems once the team is formed and starts working together.
Clear Rules
It’s important to clarify some points from the beginning, especially those related to the level of commitment required to be part of the study group. In other words, how much each member should contribute and in what way.
You should anticipate what the consensus mechanisms will be. Will decisions be put to a vote? Will ideas take turns? Will there be a system that weighs the different aspects of each idea to choose the best one?
By setting clear rules from the start, many problems can be prevented later on.
If there are opposing personalities in the group, or people who have very different views on certain topics like politics and sports (in Argentina and Uruguay, a lighthearted soccer discussion can quickly turn bad), it’s best to clarify from the beginning that these topics are off-limits.
Finally, it’s important to anticipate the consequences of not respecting the rules. Keep in mind that once the group is formed, it’s difficult to disband it.
In some universities, teachers and assistants completely disengage once the teams are set. However, sometimes it’s possible to approach them to try to resolve any related issues.
Establish Communication Channels
This is a step prior to the actual organization. It’s about defining how you will keep in touch.
Nowadays, there are many ways: email, messaging clients, Zoom for video conferences, WhatsApp groups, Telegram, Facebook, and web tools for teamwork like Todoist, Asana, or even Slack.
It’s crucial to create a common virtual space where you can communicate with your group members.
The important thing when working with any system is that no communication is left out. All members need to be aware of everything.
Organization
Once you’ve chosen how to communicate, it’s important to maintain consistency in updating others on the progress of the practical work.
You need to make sure tasks are distributed and avoid situations where two people end up doing the same work.
Don’t lose sight of deadlines, the conditions for submitting the work, and the presentation.
Organization must be maintained from the very beginning. If neglected, it can lead to many problems, resulting in wasted time, disorganization, and mistakes.
Forming a Study Group is Key
Believe me, having a group of three or four people to go through the university journey with is crucial. Forming it, if you follow these tips, isn’t hard.
What I can assure you is that maintaining it over time is very difficult. That’s why qualities like solidarity and a similar level are needed. This way, no one will get too far ahead of the others.
Even so, it’s very likely that at some point, someone will decide to start working while studying, another will feel they’re in the wrong field and try to switch, and someone else might simply decide to take a semester off.
In upcoming posts, we’ll explore how to work as a team so that your group is helpful and not a burden or nuisance during your courses.
Sometimes, someone may not want or be able to collaborate. If that happens, I recommend reading the article Are your groupmates not helping? Here’s how you can take control.
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