📘 Part 3: Study habits

This episode's vocabulary

To gravitate (verb) - to be attracted to or move toward something.

Drag (noun) - something that is not convenient and is boring or unpleasant.

To isolate (verb) - to separate something from other things with which it is connected or mixed.

Preference (noun) - the fact that you like something or someone more than another thing or person

Vast (adj) - extremely big.

Majority(noun) - the larger number or part of something.

At (your) ease (phrase) - relaxed.

Work placement (noun) - a limited period of time, usually forming part of a course of study, during which someone works for a company or organization in order to get work experience, which may be paid or not paid.

To consolidate (verb) - to become, or cause something to become, stronger, and more certain.

To vie (verb) - to compete with other people to achieve or get something.

To pool (verb) - to collect something such as money in order for it to be used by several different people or groups.

Groupthink (noun) - the process in which bad decisions are made by a group because its members do not want to express opinions, suggest new ideas, etc. that others may disagree with.

Questions and Answers

M: Why do some people prefer to learn on their own, while others prefer to study with other people?

R: Oh, I suppose you'd have to ask them, really. However, at a guess I'd say it's a personality thing, probably connected to being extroverted or introverted. So if you get energy and ideas from being around others, then you're more likely to gravitate to big groups. Conversely, if you find other people to be a bit of a drag, then you probably isolate yourself.

M: And do you think it's better to study in a group or individually?

R: Well, this comes down to the individual. If it's my personal preference. I'd rather do it by myself, but that's just me. I can't speak for the vast majority of other people.

M: What's the difference between learning face-to-face with teachers and learning by yourself?

R: I suppose the main one is the lack of external support and understanding or at least external human support. If you're on your own, then you don't have anyone to talk things through with, which is what a teacher is for. I mean, in addition to having some sort of expert knowledge, allegedly.

M: Why do some people prefer to study at home, while others study in other places?

R: I mean, my guess would be that they feel more at ease in their own familiar surroundings, and so they can focus more. That will be especially true if you're introverted like I mentioned earlier.

M: What are the benefits of gaining work experience while studying?

R: Well, assuming it's a work placement related to what you're studying, then you would be able to directly apply what you've learned while studying in a meaningful context. That might better consolidate what you've learned in theory.

M: Do most people like to study in a noisy place?

R: Oh, I imagine not. It seems like it would be hard to focus with a million things going on around you and vying for your attention and focus. What are the advantages and disadvantages of studying with other people? Well, on the plus side, you can pool your, I don't know, collective intellectual resources, and get things done faster. But on the downside, there's the potential to get distracted and fall into groupthink and miss some key details which could be important.