Incoming freshman might want to give extra consideration to living on the quiet-study floor.

A recent study entitled “Peer Effects in Higher Education” by Williams College professors Gordon Winston and David Zimmerman suggests that the study habits of those surrounding a student could have a significant effect on his or her grades. The study concludes, “Strong students tend to increase peers’ academic performance, and weak students tend to reduce it.”

Alberto Cabrera, a University of Wisconsin professor and Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education senior researcher, said interaction with other students allows a student to develop better learning skills.

“Students who study with other students do better in college,” Cabrera said. “Learning is socially based … so students are more likely to retain more knowledge and gain more problem-solving skills.”

UW sophomore Lauren Arnold agrees that the people she spends her time with can either encourage or discourage her study habits.

“If I work with someone who has a good work ethic and is goal-oriented, then I’ll have a better chance of succeeding. If they don’t place academics as a high priority, then it could be my downfall,” Arnold said.

However, not all students exhibit the same opinion. Anthony Turner, a sophomore at Princeton University, said peers have little influence on his academic decisions and experiences.

“You have to do your work,” Turner said. “There’s no getting around that.”

Other recent research is consistent with Turner’s view and found no such correlation between students’ academic achievement with their peers’ performance in college. However, it did note that peer effects have a significant impact on social behavior, such as drinking habits and on attitudes about social issues.

The study also tried to determine whether peer effects played a part in a student’s college choice. Based on a 2002 survey of what students look for in a college, the top six reasons a student chooses a particular school are: academic reputation, part-time job opportunities, size, financial-aid availability, the rate of its students’ admission to graduate school and the social life of the campus.