For a student, there are times when there is a lot of confusion, doubts and queries regarding many topics including career, options in life, what to do next, which course to pursue and so on and so forth. Every student wants a support system or a network to fall back on for information, guidance and advice. The advent of Internet has made this very easy these days. Students can easily form student communities online and make friends and network with people pursuing the same type of course or with similar aspirations. This helps a lot in getting relevant information and getting doubts dispelled with the help of experienced members in the group. Sometimes, it is just important to be apart of community to feel supported.

Since internet enjoys a ubiquitous presence, one can join student communities across the globe without the location and time barriers. There are discussion forums on these communities that allow members to come and discuss topics of relevance to the group. It always helps to remain active on such discussions. If you have knowledge on a certain topic, do share it with others and if you want to seek advice, you can always start a discussion and invite others to join in. Student communities and forums also float information about courses, deadlines, alerts and events. This way, they are a very useful resource to keep yourself updated.

There are many websites that allow student communities. Education sites and networking sites host various student communities. On most networking sites, one can find student groups where students connect and interact with each other, discuss problems, share information and exchange material. These communities offer easy access to the material shared by the members and encourage interactions among the group members. Here, students can talk about courses, colleges, seek guidance from alumni, give opinions, get career advice and share experiences, documents, pictures etc.

Mostly, MBA and engineering student communities are the most popular ones. Not to say that other communities are not but MBA is one course that can be pursued by a student of any stream so these communities are generally very large and attract students from various streams. Here, students discuss about best MBA courses, about particular colleges, exam preparation, tips on interviews, group discussions etc. Since MBA courses are so sought after, students on these communities gain a lot by interacting with each other and sharing experiences.

Especially, in examination time, it is easy to exchange notes through these communities and get last-minute questions and doubts cleared from the fellow community members. Since students tend to get very anxious during exams, they share their experiences on communities and seek comfort in the advice of seniors. They also exchange questions, solutions, tips to cope up with the stress of examinations and time management tips on these communities. This way, the communities become a good and useful resource for students.

Sometimes, it is open membership to each community and anybody with an interest in that community can join it while at times, the membership is subject to the approval of the moderator. It is just to prevent spamming and unnecessary crowding of the community by bots or members who may have nothing significant to offer to the community. There are a few rules and a certain code of conduct to follow on these communities. No obscene comments are allowed and no unnecessary discussions are encouraged. It is ensured that the flavour of the community remains sane and the content of discussions remains what it is meant to be.

For Internet-savvy students, joining a community is not a difficult task. They frequent such sites and become members on the relevant communities. In some communities, active members grow to become reliable resources with their valuable participation on forums. They share and discuss their experiences and pass on relevant information to other students. If you are an aspiring student to a particular course or college, chances are that you will find many other students in your league online. These students come together to talk to each other and form a community. Joining a community can be very beneficial and students who are part of a community get to open up their horizons. Once you are on a community, you will not just get information but also get a chance to make new friends who are like-minded and can offer the required help as and when required.

Few useful links:
www.shiksha.com
http://ask.shiksha.com/