167: Do You Have to Join a Study Group in Law School?

The Law School Toolbox Podcast: Tools for Law Students from 1L to the Bar Exam, and Beyond

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today, we're talking about law school study groups and how to make the most of them (or if it's okay to skip them entirely). This topic came from a listener question so don’t be shy. Send us your questions – they might end up being an episode!

In this episode, we discuss:

• The law school mythology of the study group and why you don’t actually have to join one
• Some common pitfalls to study groups, such as group anxiety
• Why you shouldn't be afraid to leave a study group if it is not working for you and is a waste of your time
• Whether a study group is actually the best way to learn the material – after all law school exams are not a group test and the other people in your study group are just students who likely don’t know any more than you do!
• Things that your study group might be able to help with
• Useful tips for organizing a productive study group – including lots of technology tools that can help you collaborate more efficiently
• Alternatives to a full study group, to get some of the benefits without all the hassles!

RESOURCES:

• The Girl’s Guide to Law School: Surviving 1L: Should You Join a Study Group? (https://thegirlsguidetolawschool.com/10/surviving-1l-should-you-join-a-study-group/)
• Five Myths About the Law School Study Group (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/five-myths-about-the-law-school-study-group/)
• 5 Study Tips for Visual Learners (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/5-study-tips-for-visual-learners/)
• 5 Study Tips for Auditory Learners (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/5-study-tips-for-auditory-learners/)
• Meeting with Your Study Group Before Exams (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/meeting-with-your-study-group-before-exams/)
• The Girl’s Guide to Law School: How to Get Your Law School Study Group to Actually Study? (https://thegirlsguidetolawschool.com/10/how-to-get-your-law-school-study-group-to-actually-study/)
• Five Techniques for Using Deep Work to Excel in Law School (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/five-techniques-for-using-deep-work-to-excel-in-law-school/)
• How to be the Star of Your Study Group (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/how-to-be-the-star-of-your-study-group/)
• Active Vs. Passive Learning in Law School (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/active-vs-passive-learning-law-school/)
• Lessons From My 1L Year: Be Careful with Study Groups (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/lessons-from-my-1l-year-be-careful-with-study-groups/)
• Trello (https://trello.com/)

Episode Transcript: Download the Transcript (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/LST-Ep-167-Do-you-have-to-join-a-study-group.pdf)

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Thanks for listening!

Alison & Lee