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opinion
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KANSAN.COM | THURSDAY FEB. 4, 2016
Overheard in the hallway: "Allen fieldhouse is Disneyland on steriods."
Guys who yell at girls from their car at night suck #noscrubs
Editor's note: *Hunger Games three-finger salute*
hey trump,don't wear those tan goggles anymore please. your lower eyelids look like they could glow in the dark.
Watching someone prance on the elliptical is the best thing hands down.
took a "who are you" in parks & rec quiz and got Lil Sebastian. WTF?
Popcorn = your best friend
Trump still has 6 horcruxes left
Burnt popcorn = your worst enemy
The underground should get a second cashier so I don't have to wait 882950402020 years to get my GD frappe.
Dogs are like people if they were not actually people but also dogs
Parks and rec season 1<the office season 9
Smoothies super underrated fam
I'm glad I spent so much money on a parking pass just so I can not have a parking lot on game nights.
On a scale of fruit fly to communist dictator, how long does it take for peanut butter to expire?
I'm too upset by Donald Trump's supposed Nobel Peace Prize nomination to make witty banter about it.
as if classes and books aren't expensive already, this class added a "mandatory" assessment that costs $20. there goes my weekend. no hotbox cookies for me.
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Is it better to study in a group or on your own?
Liston: Study groups improve preparation for large exams
RYAN LISTON
@rliston235
@rliston235
Sitting in Anschutz Library last semester, I prepared for my Western Civilization midterm with a group of my classmates. Later in the semester, I reconvened with those classmates to study for the final. I received an A on both exams and, without those study sessions, I can only assume I would have done worse.
Study groups can be an effective tool for students to prepare for tough tests. Through discussion and debate, students can gain a deeper understanding of the course material.
Studying in a group can clarify misunderstandings and answer questions that members of the group have. With more people, it is more likely that someone in the group understood seemingly confusing content from the lecture. When studying alone, it is difficult to alleviate this confusion. Students must set aside time to form study groups, which ensures that they will actually use that time for studying. When a student is studying on their own time, they can convince themselves that they have more time to study later. This mindset leads students to procrastinate by checking their phones or getting on social media. In effective
group study sessions, students are less likely to procrastinate because the other group members will focus on studying and would get annoyed if anyone distracts the group.
Studying for long periods of time can lead to boredom, procrastination and less thoughtful review. In a group, questions can be answered faster which reduces the total time spent studying. Additionally, answering questions faster means the group can move past information that everyone in the group understands well and go into more depth on harder concepts.
On easier tests or quizzes, study groups aren't always necessary, but they can be immeasurably helpful in preparation for larger exams. By eliminating distractions and increasing productivity, study groups help students perform better on tests and retain information past the testing date.
Ryan Liston is a freshman from Lawrence studying journalism.
- Edited by G.J. Melia
Clough: Individual studying most productive way to achieve success
▶ MATTHEW CLOUGH
@mcloughsofly
@mcloughsofly
Whether you like it or not, one of the biggest (and most important) aspects of college is studying. As the semester gets underway and early exams begin, the tables at Anschutz will begin to fill with evening study groups, and optional study sessions will be held in preparation for exams in massive lecture hall courses. Yet these environments simply aren't the most conducive to retaining information.
One of the greatest issues with group studying is forming the group itself. College students' schedules are hectic; while studying with just one friend may not pose much of a challenge, coordinating a time to meet with a larger group can prove to be daunting, if not impossible. With conflicting schedules, studying for a substantial period of time may be difficult as well and in many cases isn't worth the effort.
The next issue becomes one of content — what aspects of the material need to be studied most? Which lessons will go largely unvisited? Because students learn in different ways, group studying exposes imbalances in preparation. Perhaps you've already extensively studied one concept while the group as a whole hasn't. The end result is largely just you wasting your time
helping others.
And what about the one student (or several) who invariably doesn't come prepared — the student who asks to see your notes and copies down what they should have already gotten in class? Using study groups as a space to review material for the first time creates an unproductive environment for everyone else.
Productivity is also diminished by the very real threat of distraction. While studying alone can still lend itself to time-wasting bouts of social media scrolling, the risk of interference is much higher in group settings. We're social beings; it's only natural to want to focus on completely unrelated topics when we're with our peers.
The bottom line is the undeniable importance of peace and quiet. Studying alone provides a greater opportunity for a sense of focus than studying with others does if you can work up the discipline to budget your time efficiently. By removing yourself from the distractions of others, you can "get in the zone" and best prepare yourself for your upcoming exams.
Matthew Clough is a junior from Wichita studying English and journalism.
Megan Murphy/Kansar
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