You have made it through school with study habits that worked well enough to get you here. But let’s talk about some beliefs you might be carrying into higher education. Beliefs that actually work against you when the material gets harder and the stakes get higher.
The Cramming trap
We are all familiar with it. Assignment deadlines and exams cluster in the same week, and suddenly you are pulling an all-nighter. And it works, at least until you walk out of that exam room. The problem is what happens next. That information you crammed in starts to evaporate almost immediately.
Here’s the truth: your brain needs repetition spread over time. When you revisit material across multiple sessions, it sticks.
The multitasking mess
Be honest, how many tabs do you have open right now while you are reading this? Here’s the truth: you are not multitasking. You are task switching, and every time you switch, you’re losing something. You need to refocus, and that deep concentration required for truly complex learning gets fractured. Even a glance at your phone can derail your focus more than you realize.
The no-break method
Seven hours of study marathons look impressive on your schedule, but your brain isn’t a machine. After a certain point, you are just sitting there, not learning anything.
What actually works is shorter, focused blocks, maybe 45 minutes to an hour. Its not about how long you study, it’s about how efficiently you use that time. This approach keeps you sustainable instead of burning out.
The ease deception
You’re going through your study notes, and you think, “yeah, I’ve got this, this is easy,” but it is very deceptive. Real mastery isn’t about recognizing information when you see it. It’s about pulling that knowledge out of your brain when there’s nothing in front of you. In an exam hall, working in the lab, or tackling a real-world problem. Testing yourself might feel tough, but that’s exactly when real learning happens. The struggle is what makes the knowledge stick.
So here’s my question for you: which study myths did you swear by until they finally failed you?
MBH/AB