Study tips for university

Most study advice is garbage. It's written by people who haven't been in a real lecture hall in decades. They tell you to "get organized" and "manage your time" like those are new ideas.

They are not.

You're here because that advice isn't working. You’re juggling five subjects, a part-time job, and a social life that’s barely hanging on. You don’t need a better calendar; you need a better system.

Stop Highlighting. Start Recalling.

Passive review is the biggest trap in education. Rereading a textbook or highlighting notes feels like work, but it does almost nothing for your memory. Your brain gets good at recognizing the material, not recalling it.

Active recall is the opposite. It’s forcing your brain to pull information out of nowhere. It’s hard. It feels slow. But it works.

I learned this the hard way. It was 4:17 PM on a Tuesday, and I was cramming for a biology midterm in my 2011 Honda Civic because the library was too quiet and my apartment was too loud. I’d reread the chapter on cellular respiration four times and still couldn't explain it. I got a C- on that exam.

The next time, I tried something different. After reading a concept, I'd close the book and try to explain it out loud to the empty passenger seat. It felt ridiculous. But on the next exam, I could actually remember the steps.

That’s active recall.

The Feynman Technique: Explain It Like I'm Five

If you can't explain something simply, you don't understand it well enough. That's the idea behind the Feynman Technique, a four-step process for figuring out what you actually know.

1. Pick a concept. Write its name at the top of a blank sheet of paper.
2. Teach it. Write out an explanation like you're teaching someone for the first time. Use your own words.
3. Find the gaps. When you get stuck or have to use jargon, that’s where you don't really understand. Go back to your notes or the book and figure it out.
4. Simplify. Reread your explanation. Cut the complex language. Use analogies. If it still sounds confusing, you haven’t mastered it yet.

This process makes you confront what you don't know instead of just glossing over it.

Your Calendar Is a Battlefield

Stop treating your calendar like a list of appointments. Treat it like a plan for the week.

Block out everything. Not just classes and work, but study sessions, breaks, and time to do absolutely nothing. This forces you to be realistic about how much time you actually have, and it defends against burnout.

Use focus sessions. The Pomodoro Technique is popular because it works. Set a timer for 25 minutes and work on one thing. When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. After four rounds, take a longer one. This isn't just about focus; it's about building stamina.

And get enough sleep. Seriously. Sleep is when your brain files away everything you learned. Sacrificing it for an extra hour of cramming is the worst trade you can make.

Spaced Repetition Fights Forgetting

Your brain is built to forget things. Spaced repetition fights that by showing you information again right before it disappears from your memory.

It sounds complicated, but it isn't. After you learn something, look at it again the next day. Then a few days later. Then a week later. Each review strengthens the memory. It’s a lot more effective than trying to cram everything in during one marathon session.