Study Groups
Study Groups offer an opportunity to study collaboratively with classmates under the guidance of an upper-level undergraduate leader who did well in the same course in an earlier semester. Study Group Leaders (SGLs) are trained to address both course content questions and questions about effective study habits so that students can holistically prepare for their course work and exams in a friendly, low-stress environment. Just like more informal study group arrangements, the name “Study Group” is meant to imply regular attendance and a commitment to your peers’ success as well as your own; together, you can all be ever better.
Study Group Benefits
Scientific data about learning, some from right here at the University of Rochester, show that most people learn better when they study in groups, regardless of how well they are already doing in their coursework. If you are struggling with the course material, commiserating with your peers and getting targeted help from SGLs can give you a boost in positivity and resolve. If you are handling the course material well, you can deepen your understanding by working with others and maybe even reveal and address some misconceptions you would not have realized on your own.
Study Schedule
Study Groups meet weekly over the duration of the semester for 75 minutes each week. SGLs typically start hosting their sessions in the third week of the semester and wrap up on the last day of classes. The complete Study Group schedule is finalized and posted below during the first weeks of each new semester.
Joining a Group
You can sign up for Study Groups through the course Blackboard page under “My Organizations.” Study Groups are completely optional and have no point-based impact on your grade in the course if you do not attend. However, if you frequently sign up but do not attend, SGLs have the discretion to remove you from the sign up to make space for others, as space is limited.
Resources for Unlisted Courses
If you are taking a course you feel would benefit from having an accompanying Study Group, please contact Kyle Trenshaw so that he can look into recruiting a new SGL for the course. In lieu of a study group, The Learning Center offers several other resources for students looking to improve their study habits and academic performance in general. Check out our tutoring and academic success coaching pages for more information.
Become a Peer Leader
All open positions are listed on the Learning Center’s job openings page. Applications open for SGL positions at the end of every semester, and especially at the end of spring. Please consider applying if you:
- Took a course for which we currently offer Study Groups and did well, and/or
- Regularly attended one or more Study Groups in the past and improved your course grades as a result.
All undergraduate students interested in making a positive difference in their peers’ academic journeys are welcome!
Please check Blackboard for when your Study Group will begin.
Class | Peer Leader | Weekly Meeting Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
BCSC 110 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
BCSC 111 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
BIOL 110 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
BIOL 111 | Anisha (Ani) Goorha Natasha Vacca | Wednesday 5:15-6:30 PM Thursday 6:30-7:45 PM | Dewey 1-160A Lattimore 431 |
BIOL 217 | Zhihan Zhang | Monday 4:50-6:05 PM | Dewey 1-160B |
BIOL 250 | Catherine Xie | Thursday 4-5:15 PM | Dewey 1-160A |
BUS 221 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
CHEM 132 | Allison Lee Claire Lee | Tuesday 2-3:15 PM Wednesday 6:15-7:30 PM | Dewey 1-160A Dewey 1-160B |
CHEM 204 | Nichen (Stella) Zhu | Wednesday 4:50-6:05 PM | Hylan 202 |
ECON 108 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
ECON 207 | Lan Nguyen John Nguyen | Tuesday 4:50-6:05 PM Friday 3:25-4:40 PM | Douglass 403 Lattimore 413 |
ECON 231W | My Nguyen | Friday 4:25-5:40 PM | Dewey 1-160N |
FIN 205 | Lan Nguyen | Thursday 3:25-4:40 PM | Douglass 403 |
FIN 206 | Zhushan (Joanna) Xie | Tuesday 11:05 AM-12:20 PM | Dewey 1-160A |
MATH 141 | Van Khanh Le My Nguyen | Wednesday 3:25-4:40 PM Friday 12:45-2 PM | Lattimore 413 Dewey 1-160N |
MATH 142 | Kelvin Nguyen Nadia Bazhenov | Wednesday 3:25-4:40 PM Thursday 5:30-6:45 PM | Hylan 203 Genesee 308 |
MATH 143 | My Nguyen | Friday 3:05-4:20 PM | Dewey 1-160A |
MATH 150 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
MATH 162 | Linkun Ma | Friday 5-6:15 PM | Dewey 1-160B |
MATH 164 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
MATH 165 | Kelvin Nguyen Martin Trpceski Kelvin Nguyen | Monday 3:25-4:40 PM Tuesday 11:05 AM-12:20 PM Wednesday 4:50-6:05 PM | Lattimore 413 B&L 270 Gavett 310 |
MATH 201 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
MATH 235 | Canxin (Mary) Liu | Wednesday 3:30-4:45 PM | Dewey 1-160B |
PHYS 113 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
PHYS 114 | Cancelled | Cancelled | Cancelled |
PSYC 161 | Sirui (Larina) Gong | Monday 6-7:15 PM | Dewey 1-160A |
STAT 212 | Tianzi Wu | Tuesday 4:50-6:05 PM | Hylan 305 |
STAT 213 | Xingyue Cheng | Wednesday 4:50-6:05 PM | Dewey 1-160B |
STAT 216 | Xingyue Cheng | Thursday 5:25-6:40 PM | Dewey 1-160A |
Study Groups Frequently Asked Questions
You can sign up for Study Groups on Blackboard. You will automatically be enrolled in a Blackboard Organization if one of your courses has a Study Group during a particular semester, and you can access sign-ups through that organization. Organizations show up on the right-hand side of the Blackboard interface on a laptop or desktop and near the bottom if scrolling through the mobile view.
Study Groups are course-specific collaborative study sessions led by a near-peer who recently completed the course.
The purpose of Study Groups is to provide an opportunity to connect with other students in your courses who are also motivated to study consistently each week. One the other hand, the Study Zone is a quiet study location in the Learning Center suite where near-peer leaders help students set studying goals and plan their path to achieving them through their individual study sessions. So, in summary:
- Study Groups are collaborative, course-specific, and content-knowledge-focused.
- The Study Zone is individual, generally applicable to any academic work, and study-skill-focused.
Any student can benefit from both resources in their coursework.
There can be anywhere from a single student to as many as 15 in any given Study Group session.
If you are taking a course you feel would benefit from having an accompanying Study Group, please contact Kyle Trenshaw so that he can look into recruiting a new Study Group Leader for the course. In lieu of a Study Group, the Learning Center offers several other resources for students looking to improve their study habits and academic performance in general. Check out our Tutoring and Academic Success Coaching pages for more information.