The Power of the Study Group

One of the best ways to get through vet school is to have a study group (or several study groups).  I study longer because learning with friends is just more fun.  When I get distracted there is someone else to pull me back (and I get distracted A LOT).  I learn so much better by talking something through than I do just by reading it.  And misery loves company, something about it is just a little better when it feels like you are all in it together. 

In an ideal world I would have study buddies for every class, and it would be easier to do better in school (and who doesn't want life to be a little easier?). If only lived in an ideal world...  unfortunately I have faced a few roadblocks that I am working to overcome:

·         In vet school, everyone is constantly trying to drink from a fire hose.  There is so much information, you can barely get it straight yourself, much less have time to go over it with others. When you have 2 tests in a week, it just seems like there isn’t time.

·         The people you like and the people you work well with aren’t always the same. In order for a study group to be successful and lasting you usually need both.  I have found a study group that worked for me, but socially we were a little different so it was hard to develop a long term relationship. Finally, some people that I like socially don’t have the same work or study style that I do.

·         Making friends in general can be hard. You need friends before you have a study group.

It seems that lately, there has been a small but slightly variable group of us that have been getting together to study before our more minor tests.  I really like it. Tonight we went to Jason’s Deli and reviewed Ethics for about 3 hours. As hard as it is to believe, it was a blast - mainly because those girls are hilarious.  (Actually I am pretty sure an outsider listening to our conversation would have thought we were bonkers, but I think that might be true of most vet student on vet student conversations.)

Here’s to good people, free ice cream, and making learning a little less miserable.  ::clink, clink::