Law School Study Groups: Help or Hinder?

One of the good & bad things about law school is the push for everyone to study a certain way. It’s good because it may open up new avenues of learning information that you hadn’t used before but it can also work against you because you may feel pressured to do what everyone else is doing—even if that doesn’t work for you. A big part of studying in law school is Study Groups, now obviously study groups happen anywhere but they are a different beast in law school.  In many schools, study groups take on a weird, competitive nature of resume collecting, secretive note-sharing, and other weird behavior.  That’s not always the case, of course, but these stories help highlight what bizarre world law school can be. See OneL for further proof that the nature of law school rarely seems to change.

What do good study groups look like? They’re collaborative, amicable, supportive, and equally cumbersome. Meaning, everyone is respected and expected to do the same amount of work. One of the underlying goals is to be a mini-support system within your section, and when it works, it works great! When I was a student, I saw some groups that were really great models of this and I know it’s possible.

So should you join a study group?  I think really depends on your studying style and your own availability to commit. When I was in school, I didn’t join a group—not because my school was aggressively competitive, but because my learning style is very independent, and I didn’t want to become reliant on others’ notes or assessments.  At the time, I also found it difficult to commit the time needed to be at he school for the group because I lived farther away than most of my classmates. If you don’t have the time available to deliver to other members depending on you or you don’t easily learn in traditional ways, then a study group may not be for you. Definitely take into account your learning style and even be honest with your group about wanting to try them out before committing.

While I wasn’t in an official study group, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my study buddy, so not much a group, but my law school PIC. We made it a point to take a class together each semester and would study together, but still study independently. Meaning, we’d sit and study in silence and then take coffee breaks to gossip. This type of support system worked really well for me because I wasn’t dependent on her for material, and didn’t feel pressure or obligated to have some material ready for her. It was way chill and sometimes that’s what you need in law school.

Overall, make sure what you’re allowing me into your life is healthy and not screwing with you mentally.  If you’re thinking of hiding your notes/assessments from others; if you’re worried about what others may think of you in your group; or are dealing with a megalomaniac than is it worth it to be in the group? If it causing more stress & drama in your life, then do you need it?

Again, good study groups can be such great tools and build strong support systems, but if you’re not getting that, then cut your losses and move on because law school is too short to be miserable on purpose.

Happy Studying!

And if you were in a study group, what worked/what didn’t?