In a particular course at university, I wound up as part of a circle that sat, studied and did projects together. This group was welcoming and the coffee runs together when our instructor graciously gave us breaks during class was worth the company kept.

However when exams rolled around, this group, composed of students who were mostly quite bright, would go into a level of heist planning that would put Ocean's gang to shame.

Mapping seating arrangements, clothing worn, arrival time at class, angles of one's chair- everything played out like clockwork. This was a foreign language course, mind you, so comprehending scribbled writing of alien characters in odd angles from three feet away, is no easy feat.

By the time finals rolled around and I decided I'd just sit wherever I liked and stopped going on the coffee runs together as a sort of meek protest, these people had enough marks to pass with flying colours.

In hindsight, I can't stress the importance of finding the right people to mix with enough. While a genuine effort on your part will get you respectable grades, learning a new language will be an invaluable skill too.