While coffeeshops, libraries and University campuses may be shut down, your study group doesn’t have to be. When LSU switched over to online courses, many professors opted to use Zoom to host live classes rather pre-recorded lectures posted on Moodle or YouTube. Even if you personally haven’t had to use the program yet, all LSU students have access to Zoom, so there’s nothing standing in the way of some social distancing studying and socializing.
With the University’s recent decision to give students the option to change their grades to pass/fail instead of the traditional plus/minus system, it’s tempting to slack off and stop trying academically, but most major classes are cumulative. Unless it’s your senior year, most likely you’re actually going to need to know the information your professors are teaching you in order to do well in future classes. 
Many study options which were available at the University are no longer available, like tutoring and public study spaces, but online options are out there if you look hard enough. If you’re like me, you’re going crazy in quarantine, and the distraction of schoolwork isn’t enough—I desperately miss my study group. Not only did we help each other through rough patches of material and provide academic assistance to one another, we provided emotional support and a morale boost. 
Logging onto a Zoom call with friends can’t fully replace walking into Highland Coffees and being greeted with physical hugs, the bright atmosphere of busy students and the comforting smells of coffee beans roasting, but it’s a huge step above suffering through endless piles of homework alone. Study groups, whether in person or online, are a great way to stay motivated. After all, you’re more likely to be productive if three of your closest friends are holding you accountable.
Though it doesn’t fully compensate for the distance, Zoom does offer a ton of useful features like screen sharing and breakout groups which are great in class and even better with friends. When you find yourself needing a study break, turn on a movie and enable screen sharing to turn your study session into an impromptu movie night. 
Even if you don’t need academic support, study groups are a great way to make sure you get regular social contact with other students who understand exactly what you’re going through with online classes, upcoming deadlines and general corona-related stress. 
Now more than ever, it’s important for students to hang onto the options we still have for enjoying and improving our time as college students. We may not be able to throw wild parties or go out to bars, but we can still talk to friends, try to learn and make the best of online classes. 
Marie Plunkett is a 21-year-old classical studies junior from New Orleans, Louisiana.