Study habits are a very individual thing. Some people like to study alone, while others like to study with a group. Personally, I would rather study alone, but I can see advantages to both ways.

　　It can be very helpful to study with other students. For one thing, you can exchange information about the topic. Not everyone is going to hear everything the teacher says in class. Comparing notes is a good way to be sure you get what you missed. You can also discuss various aspects of the topic. Other students can bring a different perspective to the discussion. They can point out things you may not have thought of, and help you make your arguments clearer.

　　Studying with other students can also help keep you focused on studying. If you’re in a study group, you have to be at a particular place to study at a particular time. This is good discipline. The group reviews all the material available and then begins studying. There’s not a lot of wasted time, if things work the way they should.

　　Of course, it doesn’t help if you’re in a study group that doesn’t take studying seriously. Then you’d be much better of studying by yourself. If you’re trying to study with friends and all they want to do is talk about other things, you’d get more done going somewhere to study by yourself. Being with people who don’t want to study can mean you’ll be constantly distracted. There’ll be a lot of interruptions, and you won’t gain much hearing their points of view on a study subject.

　　Finally, whether you study alone or in a group depend a lot on your own study habits and on your personality. If you need absolute quiet to study, then you’re better off alone. If you’re a very social person, then you’re better off studying alone, too: you’ll be too tempted to socialize instead of studying. This is the reason I prefer studying alone. When I’m with other people, I want to play, I don’t want to work.