<p>Urban legend it is… Competitive, yes, cuthroat, no. </p>
<p>Yesterday, a group of 20 students and I waited around for our Epidemiology TA to arrive at our extra help session… After fifteen minutes of waiting, we made the decision to work together as a group, wrote out the homework assignment on the chalk board, discussed our concerns, reviewed our answers, and completed the assignment, together. Everyone significantly contributed to the discussion, and despite the TA going MIA for the evening, the session went extremely well.</p>
<p>I’ve had similar experiences working together with students in chemistry and biology classes, reviewing notes after class, studying in groups, working together with lab partners, etc. The whole notion of the ‘cut throat’ environment at Hopkins really needs to be put to sleep, for good. :)</p>