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Which is usually more effective for you: group studying versus studying alone?

And why?

In a book entitled "Academically Adrift," two sociologists argue that solitary study is often more effective.

Do you agree?

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For a few specific things, a group can add a lot of value. Taking practice exams with a few people, reviewing them, and trying to actually grade them like a professor would is the most helpful thing I did 1L year by a wide margin.

As for actually learning the law and studying, groups are probably a waste of time. Socialization is important, but I'd keep it separate from school if only for sanity's sake.

thesealocust wrote:For a few specific things, a group can add a lot of value. Taking practice exams with a few people, reviewing them, and trying to actually grade them like a professor would is the most helpful thing I did 1L year by a wide margin.

As for actually learning the law and studying, groups are probably a waste of time. Socialization is important, but I'd keep it separate from school if only for sanity's sake.

This.

Every other week lately, I have a group from my class come in on the weekend (I lure them in with food) and we walk through an outline of the class that was given to us by upperclassmen. We argue about what should be in and out of the outline and that discussion usually helps cement those concepts and fills in missing holes in an outline. Usually takes about 2 hours per class.

Bottom line for me: Study and outline on my own, check that outline and practice exam answers in a group.

MarcZero wrote:Every other week lately, I have a group from my class come in on the weekend (I lure them in with food) and we walk through an outline of the class that was given to us by upperclassmen. We argue about what should be in and out of the outline and that discussion usually helps cement those concepts and fills in missing holes in an outline. Usually takes about 2 hours per class.

This seems odd.

thesealocust wrote:For a few specific things, a group can add a lot of value. Taking practice exams with a few people, reviewing them, and trying to actually grade them like a professor would is the most helpful thing I did 1L year by a wide margin.

As for actually learning the law and studying, groups are probably a waste of time. Socialization is important, but I'd keep it separate from school if only for sanity's sake.

I think this is TTCR. If you have model answers for your practice exams then I don't think group study is useful for that either. I'm a 3L and I've literally never group studied.