My MAM Study Group Experience

By Marianna Taki, MAM2022

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It’s no secret that life at LBS is all about collaboration, exchange of ideas and developing a global mindset. As part of a study group not only do you get to do all of that, but you are also building bonds with your classmates that you are going to be carrying for the rest of your year at LBS, if not for the rest of your life.

But let’s start with the basics. What is a study group?

At the beginning of each term every Early Careers student is assigned to one study group. This is a group of 5 or 6 people from the same programme which are expected to complete all group assignments of the term curriculum together. As there are three terms during the LBS academic year, every student is part of three different study groups over the course of the Masters.

Study group members are assigned by the programme office. Every study group is diverse in its own way, with members from different nationalities but also a range of academic backgrounds. The outcome is a well-rounded group, with each member bringing different views and skills to the table allowing for effective collaboration and high standard work.

Okay so now we know what study groups are, but how do study groups work together?

The truth is that the beginning can be quite tricky. Put six strangers in a room and ask them to work on a graded submission together. Most of the times there’s bound to be panic and awkwardness. Well, that’s why we do things quite differently at LBS!

The first interaction with your study group will be during the famous ‘Away Day’ where you will have the chance to work together on a non-academic, hands-on project with the aim of meeting the community. This is a chance to get introduced to every member of your group and bond before you start working with each other on assignments.

A few days later, group submissions will be coming your way one after the other. At this point, there’s going to be many long meetings with your group, late night messages and hard work to be completed. The fact that you have each other will help a lot with calming nerves and motivating you to bring your best work, not only for yourself but for the sake of the team too. Communication between study groups is key. Normally, groups meet both in person and over Zoom to discuss and work on assignments. Of course, you’re free to choose your own means of communication and decide how you want to go about assignments or divide up work. What’s important is that every member of the group has their own input in each assignment.

All in all, in a couple weeks’ time you will feel so accustomed to your group members that they’ll become your LBS family. You’ll be ready to tackle any assignment that comes your way no matter how long or difficult, knowing that you’ve got your group to back you up!

Right, let’s talk about my personal study group experience.

Although I’ve always enjoyed working within teams my previous experiences were not particularly great. This made me quite anxious when it came to my study group as I wanted to perform well on group assignments and get on with the other group members.

Here are the three things I realised after working with my study group for an entire term at LBS:

  • Everyone tries to do their best

Average work was not an option when it came to my study group. From the very beginning we were all prepared to put in maximum effort and produce the best work we could. I could see everyone’s motivation and eagerness to perform at every meeting. This was not something that I was used to from previous team experiences at all, but it’s certainly a reflection of the motivation of all LBS students

  • Ask for help. You’ll probably need it

As group assignments tend to be quite long and tricky most of the times the work is split between group members and then brought together at the end. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re completely on your own for your individual part. Countless times I found myself struggling with particular tasks. However, I knew that my group mates were only a message away and they’d always do their best to help me get over any difficulty I was facing.

  • Make the most of it and learn from your fellow group members

Through my study group’s diversity, I had the opportunity to exchange ideas with people from entirely different backgrounds and combine them to achieve our common goal. I realised pretty early on that I had to take full advantage of this, and so, I did. By keeping an open mindset, I started to view things from a completely different perspective and engaged in discussions that at times were absolutely enlightening!

As Term 2 is about to begin, I’m beyond excited at the prospect of my new study group. I cannot wait to find out all about my new group members and discover the dynamic that we will bring to this term’s assignments!



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