Buddying Up for Better Grades
By Liliana Chai and Shiny Xu Feb. 12, 2025
Multicolored flashcards spread over a desk as pages of in-class notes and practice problems are frantically flipped, along with the background noise of students loudly quizzing each other on academic material—a familiar sight for many students during the days leading up to a tedious assessment. Although numerous students have their own study methods to accomplish academic success—ranging from making flashcards, creating mnemonic devices and teaching a topic to themselves—the collaborative group efforts of studying with partners can be appealing for many.
Having a peer, or a "study buddy," to review with, provides plenty of benefits for enhancing students' academic performance. Study buddies can keep each other motivated, avoiding procrastination through shared accountability. According to a study by Northwestern University, individuals apply themselves toward their goals more when they are shared with others. Thus, setting a mutual objective will result in both partners pushing themselves to accomplish it.
Additionally, discussing challenging topics with a partner can make material more approachable. By sharing different perspectives on the course material, students can find successful and creative solutions more easily by complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses in comparison to struggling individually.
“Collaborating with study buddies has improved my test and assignment scores because we often catch each other’s mistakes. Once when I was studying with my friend, I thought I completed everything correctly on my math assignment, but she noticed several errors that would have gone unnoticed otherwise,” Sophomore Yashika Agarwal said.
Despite many finding study buddies useful, they can also bring distractions, turning what should have been a productive study session into a social hour. Also, it is natural for group members to have different learning and studying styles that conflict with one another—students who prefer to audibly go over material may clash with those who would prefer to organize their papers in silence.
“It may be worse to study with a partner than study independently, as many people end up chatting and wasting time together. In the end, the effectiveness of study buddies depends on the person you are studying with, and how seriously you both take the study session,” Junior Jaya Bhattacharyya said.
Complete reliance on group members can hinder an individual’s learning process and critical thinking. These aspects are crucial to performing well on assessments in class, and they cannot be fostered ahead of time when a student leans too heavily
on another peer for answers.
“It is nearly impossible to study with others. Discussions often derail, and individual weaknesses get little attention—especially for slower learners. Groups spend minimal time on topics before moving on, which can overwhelm those who are struggling to keep up. Not only are they falling behind and confused, self-confidence and motivation could also plummet,” Junior Adalyn Lin said.
Even inside of the classroom, collaborative techniques can be introduced. Many teachers at the school implement group or partner quizzes to encourage teamwork and enhance the learning experience, such as Nathan Lee, Social Studies Department.
“Articulating and discussing information is one of the best ways to fully understand a concept. It teaches an important lesson that no one always has the right answers. Since collaboration can help combat a large portion of the problems society faces, the classroom is a great place to start,” Lee said.
Collaboration during assessments can reduce stress while promoting self-confidence. However, failure on an individual test can hit harder than collective group failure, where the responsibility is shared. Lee has observed that students who collaborate more often gain patience and adapt their communication style depending on who they are talking to. Those who need help also feel more engaged in a group setting.
Whether students thrive in group settings or independently, the key is finding a study method that aligns with their individual needs and learning goals. As adolescents prepare for their future at school, it is vital to consider that collaboration is a necessity in most jobs after graduation. Students must still be self-reliant to navigate adulthood.
About the Contributors
Liliana Chai
staff writer
Liliana Chai is a sophomore at Leland High School. She is a staff writer for the 2024-25 Charger Account. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, playing piano, writing poetry and sleeping.
Shiny Xu
staff writer
Shiny Xu is a Junior at Leland High School and a Staff Writer. This is her first year in journalism. She likes theater, reading and hanging out with her friends.
Isabella Zhu
artist
Isabella is a Staff Writer/Artist, and this is her first year in Journalism. Isabella is deathly scared of running, but does cross country anyways. Her favorite things to do outside of journalism are eating, walking, and sleeping.
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