Here’s what it’s all about:
You’ve probably been there: you spend hours poring over your notes, perhaps trying to prepare for an exam; you read, highlight, write summaries, and yet in the end you still feel that a lot of it hasn’t really stuck. In most cases, the problem isn’t that you’re not studying enough. The problem is how you study – in other words, you’re studying passively and probably aren’t using any specific study methods at university. Many learning processes then remain in what’s known as ‘consumption mode’. You take in content, recognise it and feel as though you’ve understood it. But this is precisely where the trap lies: recognition is not the same as understanding, nor is it the same as being able to recall the information, and above all, it is not the same as ‘having learnt’ it.
✨ Important: Your brain doesn’t simply store knowledge. It builds connections. And these only form when you actively engage with the material – that is, when you structure it, question it, recall it yourself and apply it to other contexts.
Below, we’ll share some more tips and tricks to help you learn more effectively and introduce you to some useful study techniques for your degree.
If you take a moment to look at your studies from a different perspective, it quickly becomes clear that it’s not primarily about accumulating as much knowledge as possible. It’s about learning to solve problems, particularly within your field of study. This is precisely what research into problem-based learning approaches shows. You don’t simply work your way through the material; instead, you grapple with specific questions. You have to understand what’s relevant, make connections and develop solutions. This fundamentally changes the way you learn.
💡You move away from rote learning towards applying what you’ve learnt.
And it is precisely this skill that really counts later on!
Effective learning is less about time than it is about quality. The key difference lies in whether you learn actively or passively. You learn most effectively when you:
It is in these moments that the very essence of learning takes place: you are thinking for yourself. Studies from my own research clearly show that learning methods which force you to engage actively yield significantly better results than purely instructional formats. Knowledge is not merely memorised, but understood and applied flexibly – and is thus more deeply ingrained.
Perhaps you sometimes wait until you’re ‘in the right frame of mind’ before you start studying. The reality is that motivation when studying isn’t always guaranteed.
Structure, on the other hand, works reliably.
If you have to decide all over again each time whether to study, it takes up your energy. It’s precisely this energy that you then lack when it comes to the actual work.
That’s why it can be a good strategy to structure your studying clearly:
These study tips will take the burden of decision-making off your shoulders and make studying more manageable.
It’s often only during an exam that you realise whether you’ve really understood something. Then it suddenly becomes clear: you recognise the material, but you can’t apply it or transfer it to the question at hand. The reason is almost always the same: there’s a lack of practical application in the learning process.
Understanding doesn’t just come from comprehending the content; it comes from using it. As soon as you apply your knowledge to new situations, you realise whether it’s really stuck. That’s exactly why exercises, case studies and problem-based learning are so crucial.
Even though learning often takes place on your own, your understanding frequently develops through interaction. When you explain something to others or try to understand their thoughts, something important happens: you have to structure and clearly articulate your own ideas, often rethinking them, consolidating them and, above all, defending them ‘against’ the convictions of others. This reveals gaps in your knowledge, and that’s exactly where you learn the most – whenever you realise what you only thought you knew, but don’t actually know yet.
💡Direct interaction, such as that which is more common in face-to-face settings, enhances the learning effect. Feedback is more immediate and thought processes can be adjusted more quickly.
AI is a powerful tool, there’s no question about it. It can help you understand content more quickly, spot connections or gain new perspectives. But it can also take over tasks that you really ought to be doing yourself.
The problem arises when you:
This makes learning feel quick and efficient, but it isn’t. Because the very part that really helps you progress is missing: your own thinking, which is sometimes less efficient and more challenging, precisely because it takes up your resources.
💡 Important: AI should always be a tool that follows your thought process, not precede it, and should at most be used for ‘discussion’ along the way.
If you want to put this into practice, focus on learning techniques that engage you:
👉 All these methods have one thing in common: they force you to think for yourself.
Successful studying at university has little to do with talent, and whilst motivation is, of course, an important factor, its impact tends to be more situational.
It arises above all when you apply these study tips:
The most important question is not how long you’ve been studying, but whether you’ve actually been thinking for yourself during that time.
