College is one of the best times of a person’s life, but it can also quickly become one of the worst if you don’t know how to study for all those exams. With the price of college skyrocketing, you simply cannot afford to fail a class. One of the best ways to improve your social life and also your grades is to have a college study team. This guide will tell you how to get your own group, how to lead it, and how to use it to your advantage.
 Getting Together Your Study GroupÂ
The first thing you should do is post a note at the beginning of your class that looks for others that want to work together to get better grades. Most colleges have an online bulletin board system that will make this easy to do. You can also make a quick announcement before class starts about your college study team, and you can also invite friends who are taking the same course at a different time for your study group. Let the word of your group spread – it will quickly pick up faster than you thought it would.
 What To Tell Your Study Group Team
Of course, you have to make sure that your new potential study buddies know the important details about your study meet ups. Tell them where you will meet, how often you will meet, and also how long you will meet up for. If you decide to serve snacks, mention it to your group, and encourage them to bring snacks as well. After all, good food can seriously help people focus on some of the more tedious aspects of any course. As an added note, it’s a good idea to have a mass email list for those who want to join your study group so that you can update them on any special issues that may arise, such as exams or essay writing hours.
 Troubleshooting
Every study group can have its problems, but most problems are easily solvable. As fun as having a study team can be, it can be hard to keep your team focused on actually studying. If you notice that your team isn’t being focused, remind them that they are here to study – not to chat – and that they can gossip after the meet up has finished. You can also instate a small 5 to 10 minute break to help students refresh a little bit if the study meet up is a little bit too long for their taste.
Sometimes, there will be one person in the study group who simply is not there to study, and repeatedly makes it difficult for others to study. They may view it as a social hour, or they may view it as a way to start drama, or just be not conducive to studying for some other reason. If you end up having someone like this in your group, pull them aside and explain to them that this isn’t the time and place for that behavior. If they do not stop their behavior, simply ask them to leave, or change the meetup location so that they can’t find it.
 Conclusion
Once your class is finished, expect people to look at you like a leader, and expect to have gained a friend or two due to your study group. You’d be surprised at how often people will thank you for organizing such a grade-saving group.Â