9 Ways To Become A Great Social Studier

By Julia Bianco on February 25, 2014

Flashnotes.com is the student-to-student study materials marketplace. Flashnotes.com gives college students what they need most–more money and better grades. To learn more about Flashnotes, click here.

As college students, we are constantly getting slapped in the face with that age-old question: do I have a social life, or do I try to actually get some homework done? Luckily, if you know what you’re doing, you don’t have to choose. Studying with friends or classmates is easy, and there are lots of fun ways to use the social aspect of the situation to your advantage. Here are the top nine ways to utilize your peers when it comes to studying for your next test.

1.) Make a plan.

Photo by UBC Library on Flickr.com

It is easy to get distracted when studying with friends, especially if you don’t have a set goal for the session. Plan to learn a certain number of chapters per hour, or write out which problems you want to have done when. This should help to keep everyone focused and on track. And remember, it is perfectly acceptable to politely ask your more unfocused friends to leave if they’re interrupting your study session.

2.) Plan your study breaks.

Photo by photogms on Flickr.com

Make sure that you also plan out five to ten minute breaks each hour, so that no one gets too burned out. The best thing about having friends there is that you can make your study breaks really fun. Try doing something active to break the tedium. Throwing a dance party, running up and down the stairs, or playing a game of tag will help to keep everyone awake and will alleviate a lot of the stress.

3.) Bring snacks!

Photo by Brad Hardy on Flickr.com

Nothing brings quite as much to a study party as the food. Organize a study party potluck with your friends. Have everyone plan on bringing a healthy brain food (or just chips) that will help get you through the long hours.

4.) Explain it to each other.

Photo by tamulibrary on Flickr.com

If you’re working on understanding complicated concepts for a math or science class, take turns explaining them to your friends, and having them explain the concepts to you. This also works well with history classes— placing the facts into a type of story and then saying it aloud to your friends will help you to remember. Teaching someone else something is one of the best ways to learn, and explaining something out loud will help it stick in your mind when it comes to test time.

5.) Make a game out of it.

Photo by Are We Not Men on Flickr.com

Studying can be extremely boring, but having friends there can help to take away from the tedium. Try making a game out of your studying. Quiz each other on flashcards, rewarding a right answer with an M&M. Or, if you want to go the extra mile, try creating a homemade Jeopardy game using a site like jeopardylabs.com to play as a group. Make sure not to spend too much time getting caught up in the games, though. Always remember, the most important part is the material that you’re trying to learn. 

6.) Motivate each other to stay on task.

Photo by Robert E. Kennedy Library at Cal Poly on Flickr.com

One of the biggest problems students face while studying is how easy it is to get distracted, whether it’s by your phone, your computer, or your social media addiction. If you’re not into using a study aid like Cold Turkey, try using your friends to keep you on track. Studying is one of the few situations in which peer pressure can be a good thing— if you decide to study for a test with an extremely driven classmate, you’ll be much more likely to force yourself to get to work. Try finding ways to reward each other for staying on track, like clapping every time someone finishes a problem set, or using food (one of life’s best motivators) to give kudos to really dedicated studiers.

7.) Get interactive!

There are lots of creative ways to study, especially with friends. Try making skits or PowerPoint presentations to use as study aids. If you’re having trouble learning something, try to look at it in as many of the different learning styles (visual, logical, verbal, physical, and aural) as possible. Some examples would be creating diagrams and pictures for visual learning, making a skit or demonstration for physical learning, and writing an educational song for aural learning.

8.) Contribute.

Photo by UBC Library on Flickr.com

It’s very easy to fade into the background when studying in a group, especially when you don’t necessarily understand what is going on. Don’t let yourself fall out of the group. Be sure to contribute to the discussion when you understand it, and ask questions when you don’t. Your study buddies are here to help, so don’t be afraid to step into the conversation.

9.) Debrief.

Photo by S@Z on Flickr.com

Take notes throughout the session, and try to create a quick summation of what you went over to share with everyone at the end. This will give you all a great way to review what you went over for future studying. If there’s more studying to be done, be sure to set a plan in place for your future sessions!

Post your notes and study guides for sale today on Flashnotes. To learn more about Flashnotes, click here.

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