It is very difficult to get through college without having friends to study with. This is especially true for international students who might not understand some aspect of an assignment.

How do you find American friends to study with? Here are some guidelines:

1. Do more than your part in the study group. Once you have proven your value to a study group, you will be sought out by others. What you don’t want to do is to make excuses for not contributing as much as others.
2. Find something distinctive that you can do to contribute. Every study group needs different types of skills. Some skills where you might contribute include:
   • Computer skills
   • Organizational skills
   • Data collection
   • Library research 
3. Be a good teammate. This means you make all team meetings, you support others, you stay focused, and you meet deadlines.

Here are some cautions for developing study groups:

1. Avoid setting up a study group primarily made up of classmates from your country.
2. Don’t ever let your teammates down. You will get a reputation of being a free-loader and will be avoided by others.

Study groups often become very strong friends as well. This is a great way to increase your enjoyment of college..