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Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 4:54 pm
by Smoking Gunner
I tend to find group studying to be extremely ineffective and generally a waste of time, but everyone I've talked to that has gone to law school has recommended joining a study group in law school. Is law school so different from undergrad that it's really necessary to join a study group? If so, why? My guess is that since there's no other evaluations throughout the semester, study groups give you a sense of where you stand compared to your peers, but I don't really know. As someone who finds study groups to be pretty unbearable, and who studies much harder and more effectively alone, is it still worth it to join one?
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 4:57 pm
by thesealocust
Definitely won't hurt you. Most 1L study groups are a complete joke/waste and nothing more than the blind leading the blind.
If you want to grab a person or two and take the same practice exams + carefully review/grade/critique answers, that could be helpful. But most 1L study groups are just useless nervous echo chambers.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 5:28 pm
by vivala
Definitely not, especially if your professors are kind enough to provide you with model answers. I usually had one or two friends to review practice exams with and that was more than enough. Everyone I know studied at such different times and with different methods, and ultimately you have to decide what works best for you and only you. Study groups often become more of a contest for who thinks they're the most right, not who actually is. I know I couldn't deal with that.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 6:08 pm
by jbagelboy
thesealocust wrote:Definitely won't hurt you. Most 1L study groups are a complete joke/waste and nothing more than the blind leading the blind.
If you want to grab a person or two and take the same practice exams + carefully review/grade/critique answers, that could be helpful. But most 1L study groups are just useless nervous echo chambers.
this, except 4-6 people, basically describes a study group. and I think it's an important thing to have in the weeks before exams. what else are people talking about when they say 'study group'? people who hang out in the library together to read cases?
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 6:28 pm
by thesealocust
In my experience, the average 'study group' for first semester 1Ls tries to meet roughly weekly and
study. Like, review readings, prepare for classes, discuss doctrines, etc. - which is in my opinion a
huge waste of time.
'Study groups' that were meeting only to do practice exams, and as a consequence not meeting until late in the semester when taking practice exams was even possible, were the exception and not the rule. Of course, if you saw or experienced differently, so much the better.
law school culture certainly isn't totally uniform.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 6:35 pm
by jbagelboy
thesealocust wrote:In my experience, the average 'study group' for first semester 1Ls tries to meet roughly weekly and study. Like, review readings, prepare for classes, discuss doctrines, etc. - which is in my opinion a huge waste of time.
that's legit crazy-town.
thesealocust wrote:
'Study groups' that were meeting only to do practice exams, and as a consequence not meeting until late in the semester when taking practice exams was even possible, were the exception and not the rule.
I did this, but I only knew of a couple people that met throughout the semester. Then again maybe I wasn't the most clicked in, but what I did worked out fine for me so whatever.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 6:47 pm
by RaceJudicata
I found study groups particularly helpful for closed book exams - not all schools have these, but they suck - because you could talk out answer shells and memorize the material more naturally.
However, once a study group got bigger than 4-5 people, you gotta be able to pull the plug and go study on your own. Also avoid at all costs group outlines. They are worthless.
As people have said, actually getting together in a "study group" before exam time is a complete waste. IMO.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 6:55 pm
by Hutz_and_Goodman
No a study group is a social thing. If you are unsure about a concept talk to the professor. Otherwise, prepping is memorization, reviewing old exams, doing practice tests, etc.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:17 pm
by pancakes3
The law isn't so dense that you need a study group to talk things out. In the rare case that you don't understand a concept, don't ask a 1L, ask a prof. Or TLS. Then when it gets to finals, it's all outlining, practice tests, and model answers anyway. Study groups are really just a social thing to stay sane - which... some people kind of need.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 9:24 pm
by Serett
No, but smoking will.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 10:33 am
by Smoking Gunner
Thanks for all the responses! I definitely don't feel as bad about not wanting to join one now.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 5:51 pm
by BmoreOrLess
Smoking Gunner wrote:Thanks for all the responses! I definitely don't feel as bad about not wanting to join one now.
I didn't want to do one, but got asked to join one at the end of the semester. We mostly only talked exams. I found it extremely useful to hash out exam strategies, and not very helpful for actually discussing/learning law. I got my worst grades in classes we didn't meet for.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 10:34 pm
by BVest
You do you. Plenty of people do well without them. I definitely felt like it helped me, but I know plenty of people who prefer it without.
I had one for the full semester and thought it helped (we started by meeting to do LRW exercises together that permitted group work and in October we started outlining together on google docs). We did all our outlines together, plus did exam studying together as well -- though we alternated that between mornings apart and then afternoons or evenings together when we could help each other with our weak points. We had top 10%, top 25% and median in the group. We added another top 10% in the spring; I think they did slightly worse (but still top 10%) and the rest of us all did better.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 11:30 pm
by lavarman84
Will it hurt you? Probably not. But it can help you. I wouldn't decide now that you don't want to be in one.
That all said, they're only useful around exam time. The full semester ones are generally a waste of time. And even if you are in one, I recommend studying quite a bit on your own. I typically met for 3 or so hours each day with my study group and then did 3-5 hours of studying on my own.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:30 am
by star fox
I consider study groups socializing time instead of study time.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:32 am
by Companion Cube
I had one bro who was similarly motivated that I studied with. But what I mean is that we literally studied near each other (sort of as motivation to keep going) but we were rarely working on the same thing. And if either of us ever did have a question it was nice to be able to bounce them off each other every now and then.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 11:33 am
by ManoftheHour
star fox wrote:I consider study groups socializing time instead of study time.
This is why I left my study group with my friends and went to one with people I didn't really like.
All in all, they're not necessary if you're able to pump out exams on your own and conduct thorough review.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 9:18 pm
by jk148706
.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 9:44 pm
by 03152016
star fox wrote:I consider study groups socializing time instead of study time.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 9:58 pm
by fisheatbananas
thanks for the thread. as an incoming 1L im glad to see the general consensus that study groups arent really necessary. im not completely opposed to trying one out but just from knowing my own personality i feel like i wouldnt want to be in one ultimately
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 10:13 am
by MCFC
It can be difficult to survive the rigors of 1L without a study group.
https://twitter.com/jacobgershman/statu ... 6783648768
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 1:34 pm
by 03152016
that is not a study group
reading groups are clubs, small groups meet with professors in an informal setting to talk about a topic
so that one i'm guessing is for corp people, gives them a chance to talk about current deals, the markets, etc w/ a well-respected prof in this area
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 2:11 pm
by MCFC
I know that isn't a study group. I was suggesting a study group might be needed to cope with that course.
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:32 pm
by Herky Jerky Slo Mo
Have people ever agreed to a study group only to find out later that it wasn't a good fit and dropped out/disbanded it?
What is good etiquette for such a situation?
Re: Will Not Being in a Study Group Hurt Me?
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:38 pm
by Mack.Hambleton