Study Groups: Yay or Nay?

For me, they are a “nay”. For you, they might be a “yay”. It honestly depends on the person, but more than that, it depends on the way you most effectively study. If you get off-topic easily (like me), a study group is probably not the best idea. If you learn best by bouncing ideas off of others, then a study group is one of the best tools law school has to offer. If you determine that you need a study group, you will have no problem finding one.

That is one of the best parts of Loyola: people are incredibly supportive. While I don’t lean on my peers for studying purposes, I HEAVILY lean on them for my emotional/mental well being. Law school is stressful and the other people that are going through it as well? They get it. It is nice to know that you aren’t alone when you are struggling to understand a concept or you just don’t have enough time in the day to get everything done.

And that doesn’t change the further you get into law school, if anything it starts to get more stressful. Once you get the hang of the whole “law school game” in 1L, suddenly you are expected to get a job or an externship or an internship. And then you are invited to join a trial team or a moot court team. And then you are able to work in a clinic. But, you still have to take all of those classes that you were taking as a 1L, and you still have to get those pro bono hours done. How can you balance all of that and still have time to stay sane? Well, when you are able to talk to others and realize how they are getting everything done, you start to realize that it isn’t as daunting as it seems. So even if you decide study groups are not for you for studying, you might find that they are essential for support. And if so: use them.