Four Heads Are Better Than One by Sasha

Four Heads Are Better Than One by Sasha - January 2014 Scholarship Essay

As a high school student studying becomes essential to one’s learning , yet it was always something I find difficult to do by myself. I tried studying on my own and found it to be difficult to process all of the information in front of me. I tried breaking the material into chunks and analyzing notes for hours to no avail. I wasn’t able to find anything that worked for me on my own , so I instead I learned that perhaps going at it alone was the problem. Then I began to branch out and get involved in study groups, the best study method I’ve ever made the decision to partake in.

It was not until I became an advance placement student I uncovered working with others to be a useful tool. Growing up as a student who was more comfortable with solitary work , it was a major change to study with my peers ; I found that it made all the difference for me though. Whether that group was for my biology class or my government class, each subject seemed to have become easier to understand when working with others. It helped that I became capable of studying the content with someone else to share my ideas and difficulties with. Organizing such groups was a critical improvement to my comprehension and success throughout my classes.

The first aspect of study groups that worked was the environment change. After being so accustomed to sitting in my room alone and going through page after page of text book and worksheets , I discovered I just couldn’t force myself to retain the information. On the contrary at a study group I began to work in a place that was more chaotic and friendly , where I didn’t have to figure out the answers to everything on my own. If I was having trouble with something difficult I now had the chance to ask others in the group who might understand the topic better than myself. Being around others also presented the opportunity for me to review my own knowledge as I shared and taught members in the areas in which I did understand and they may have been troubled with. It became a team effort to make sure everyone understood , a new found support system that allowed me to reduce my stress levels and become more relaxed so that studying came to me more easily and was no longer such a daunting activity.

The second aspect of study groups that worked for myself was the abundance of social and work skills it allowed me to learn on top of the class material. I learned how to interact with my peers resulting in an increase in my ability to work in teams. My speaking skills were also improved as I spent more time around others , gaining the ability to talk in front of others with a decreased sense of anxiety. The most important skill was the ability to work more efficiently. I was introduced to study ideas I didn’t find useful before. My peers shared methods such as color coding , using sticky notes, note cards, and more. It also provoked innovative thinking from the group as a whole. Topics that were found to be difficult for the entire group became topics on which we formed games and other activities around in order to make things more understandable. To this day I still use each of these new found techniques.

After seeing what I felt to be a dramatic difference to my over all success in class , I continued to take part in study groups. I only wish that I had utilized this tool sooner. The skills I gained are ones that helped in areas both in and out of school and are useful all throughout life and my current classes. The benefits from participating in study groups are one’s I will continue to use to my advantage in life.