Study group or solo study for a tough class

Hi Joan! Yes, split your time, but keep the group narrowly focused and use solo study for the bulk of learning. With two weeks, do 45–60 minutes of solo active recall most days: close your notes, write out learning objectives, sketch pathways and definitions from memory, then check and correct. Use the two one‑hour group sessions each week to tackle the exact concepts that stall you and to run exam‑style questions under a timer. Before each group, spend 10 minutes picking two or three specific questions you cannot resolve alone and bring page or figure numbers. A simple plan that works is solo on Mon, Wed, Fri, group on Tue and Thu, and a weekend solo block to do a practice set and grade it. To keep the group on task, set a written agenda and strict time boxes: 5 minutes to choose the order, 40 minutes on problems or teach‑backs, 10 minutes to resolve disagreements with sources, and 5 minutes to recap. Assign rotating roles each meeting: a facilitator who cuts off tangents, a timekeeper, and a scribe who captures unanswered items and posts them after. Everyone arrives with exactly three questions or problem numbers and one teach‑back topic, for example explain the rate‑limiting step of glycolysis and its regulation without notes.

Phones away and laptops closed unless you are the scribe, and have the timekeeper run a visible timer. Use a parking‑lot list for off‑topic items to revisit only if time remains. End by listing two action items per person, such as finding a primary source for a disputed detail or building five Anki cards, and confirm the next session's focus by 12 p.m. on meeting day.

Hey Joan,

Do one group hour per week for targeted stuck points, keep the rest solo deep work. I survive with a two-tab timer: 25 min focus, 5 min meme-free, and in group we bring one question each, phones face-down, and a whiteboard parking lot for tangents. Start with a 3-minute micro-lecture from whoever understands the chapter best, end with a lightning quiz you write together. Bribe yourselves with snacks only after hitting checkpoints.

Split it. Do most content alone, use one weekly group hour to crush the hard parts. Use the other hour that week for solo active recall and practice questions. Set an agenda in the first two minutes, assign a timer and a note-taker, and park off-topic chat on a sheet to handle after time. Phones upside down, laptops only for references, no social media until the end. Timebox 20 minutes per topic and then move on. finish with three takeaways and next steps. If someone shows up unprepared twice, they sit out the next meeting.

Split your time if the group helps with stuck parts. Meet those two evenings, one hour max, and stick to it. Set rules upfront: no phones, agenda for topics, rotate who explains concepts. If it turns to chit-chat, end the session early. I've learned from co-parenting schedules that structure prevents waste. Solo study the rest to match your style.

I've got this quirky habit of timing my solo study sessions with a kitchen timer that looks like a cartoon brain to keep my ADHD in check and and it works wonders for focusing alone on the tough stuff. But yeah, join the group for those sticky biology bits – splitting time sounds smart, like one evening group, the rest solo. For rules, we always designate a 'focus captain' who rings a silly bell if chit-chat starts, keeps it fun but on point.

Study groups can be absolutely fantastic for tackling those tricky biology concepts, you know, I remember back in college we had this one group where we'd dive into cell structures and suddenly I'd start thinking about how cells are like little cities bustling with activity, and that enthusiasm really carried us through the exams with flying colors. Splitting time between group and solo is a brilliant idea, it'll keep things balanced and exciting. For rules, just encourage everyone to share their positive energy on the material, and if chit-chat pops up, gently steer back with more enthusiastic questions about the subject.