<< My answer to this question is yes and no. Sometimes I prefer to study alone, but sometimes studying with a group of students is more efficient than studying alone. For example, when we have to moemorize something for an examination, studying alone is much better. On the other hand, when we discuss a problem with our friends, we can usually get an answer otherwise we could never imagine. For the most efficient studying, I guess, both studying alone and studying with a group of students must be mixed or combined. When studying alone in a quiet room, we can concentrate our minds more deeply on a problem. Especially when the problem needs our originality or creativity, we prefer to think in a private room than to think in a noisy classroom. We can't concentrate on a problem in a noisy classroom. That might be a demerit of studying in a group of people. But sometimes, group studying has a power to stimulate a problem to be solved. For example, if we have 5 students in a group, each of them has his/her own approach to a problem. Each approach might not be sufficient to reach an answer, but when 5 approaches are mixed or combined, they can get an answer. The same thing can be said in the field of medicine. When surgeons do some surgery, they have to combine their ability to make the best effect. But outside an operation room or even at home, each doctor has to study medicine to be more effective clinicians. Studying alone is of course important to strengthen each individual's ability. At first we must study alone and obtaine sufficient abilities that can be used in a group of people. When we have enough knowledge and skills, we have to use the ability in a group. Then, in a group, we can know the merits and demerits of our skills. That is, comparing with other co-workers' skills, we know the point we don't have now but should be improved. After studying with a group of people, we should have a time to improve our demerits by ourselves. Then, we can cooperate in a group again. In this way, we can strengthen our ability to a limit.