Student myths and pitfalls in higher education

Students who attend classes more regularly have a greater chance of academic success. The freedom that comes with university life can sometimes be a double-edged sword. It may be tempting to skip that Monday morning lecture and catch up on the material at home. This is not a problem as long as it remains the exception rather than the rule. 

Attending classes in person, rather than following them online, offers many advantages. It allows you to connect with fellow students, ask questions, develop a structured daily routine, and improve your ability to focus. By contrast, online classes make it very tempting to frequently pause the lecture or write down everything the lecturer says word for word, which is not the idea. Although it’s not mandatory to attend all courses, some include continuous assessment. In addition, lecturers and professors often give extra information, examples or explanations during class that are not included in the course materials. Students can also ask questions before, during, or after class. The answer to that one question asked by another student may be exactly what helps you earn a higher grade on the exam.  

Try to attend all classes from the start of the academic year, and you will soon develop a solid study routine. 

For many students, asking questions in a large lecture hall can feel intimidating. This is perfectly normal. 

Any question you may have about the course material is likely also on the minds of many other students. By asking it, you not only help yourself by getting an explanation straight from the professor, but you also help your fellow students who might have been too nervous to ask. Asking questions helps you remember the study material better for the exam.  

If you prefer to stay in the background, you can usually talk to the professor during the break or after class. Many professors and teaching assistants are also happy to answer questions by email. Just check with them if it’s ok to send an email. 

Some students appear to perform better under pressure. This might be true for some people, but it’s definitely not the case for everyone. 

Try not to procrastinate on assignments or study right up to the last minute. You never know what unexpected situations might come up, so always build in some buffer time for revision, forgotten chapters, printer failures, public transport strikes, and other last-minute problems. 

Students who keep up with their coursework from the beginning of the semester and maintain a realistic study schedule are often better able to avoid deadline-related stress. You may be surprised by how much more effectively you absorb information when there is no exam right around the corner. 

Studying effectively means actively engaging with the material. A textbook full of highlighted passages might look like you’ve been studying hard, but if the material has only been marked or read quickly, you probably won’t remember much by the time the exam period starts. 

There is not much evidence that rereading the same information over and over again is an effective way to store it in your long-term memory. Rereading is mostly passive, while our brains remember information much better when we interact with it actively. 

Active processing can take many forms, such as creating structured summaries, putting together a glossary of key concepts for each chapter, or making an overview based on the table of contents. 

Taking notes during class is actually very important. Writing down relevant information is the first step toward remembering it. 

Instead of trying to write down every word the lecturer says, focus on making concise notes, using keywords, bullet points, diagrams, or structured outlines.  

Practice effective note-taking strategies. Try to identify the most important concepts, organise information logically, create useful summaries, and go through your notes regularly. This will help you become familiar with the material and strengthen your understanding. 

If you get behind schedule, you might think you have to catch up on missed classes before attending new ones. If you have enough time, this can certainly be useful. However, there is a risk of creating a snowball effect: missed classes accumulate and you end up missing weeks of the semester. 

Some course content builds on previous lessons, but this doesn’t mean you always have to master every class before attending the next one. In many cases, professors cover one chapter or topic per session, so you can attend a class on a new topic even if you missed the previous one. 

If you miss a class, it is generally best to stick to the rest of your schedule. Constantly rearranging your planning can lead to a backlog that will get harder and harder to fix. 

The second semester is organised differently from the first, and this can be challenging for first-year students who are still adapting to higher education. 

In the first semester, there is a revision period right before the January exams. The second semester is different. Many students mistakenly think that studying during the Easter break is pointless. In reality, it is the ideal time to go over everything you have learnt up to that point.  

Since the semester is not yet finished, you will still learn new material after the break. Many students will also have assignment deadlines and group work during this period. Being well prepared before classes start again after the break will make it much easier to manage the rest of the semester. 

Although the exams still seem far away, reviewing material during the Easter break improves long-term retention and helps you understand the course content better. 

A study schedule is a tool that helps you gain control over your time. Taking a moment to think about what needs to be done and when increases your chances of reaching your study goals. 

Planning also reduces stress because you don’t have to remember everything you still have to do – it’s already been written down. Both short-term planning (to-do lists, daily or weekly schedules) and long-term planning (semester schedules and exam timetables) can be helpful. 

However, creating a schedule is not an end in itself. A schedule is meant to support your studying. If your planning is too ambitious, too vague, or unrealistic, it may actually create frustration and procrastination. A clear, structured, realistic schedule can be a huge help in your studies. 

You may enjoy studying with the television on in the background while occasionally checking Instagram, trimming your nails and browsing food delivery apps. But this only feels enjoyable because these activities distract you from the task at hand. 

Research shows that multitasking can reduce productivity by as much as 40%. Instead of multitasking, try task-switching in a structured way. Read a chapter, review your notes, then take a short break to watch television or check social media. Afterwards, return to your studies with fresh focus. 

Do one thing at a time, do it well, and then move on to the next task. 

Having to take a resit exam does not mean you’re a failure as a student. 

For many students, it takes time to get used to the large amount of course material you have to study at university. This is completely normal. Although resits can feel discouraging, the second exam period is a second opportunity to earn the marks you were missing, to study a difficult chapter more thoroughly, and to keep growing as a student. It’s often only in September that you can truly look back on the academic year and evaluate your overall results. 

Thick textbooks, complicated syllabi, and countless lecture slides can feel overwhelming. As a result, many students rely on sharing or buying summaries. 

Be careful though. Summaries created by others are often incomplete, not always up to date, and may contain personal abbreviations or references that are difficult to understand. Creating your own summaries can be useful, but also time-consuming. There is also a risk that you’re just copying information without actively learning the content. 

While every student has their own study method, structured overviews, mind maps, bullet-point summaries, diagrams, or outlines based on the table of contents are often more reliable and efficient ways to organise information. 

The amount of material can sometimes seem overwhelming. But it’s still best to take every exam during the first examination period if you can. 

It is not always easy to figure out how much time you’ll need to prepare for an exam. In practice, studying often goes more quickly than you expected, and if you have attended classes regularly, you will already be familiar with most of the material. 

If you are thinking about postponing a course to the second examination period, make sure you review your exam first. Looking at your exam paper allows you to understand the types of questions that will be asked, like open-ended, oral or multiple-choice. You can also learn how to formulate answers more effectively and become familiar with examination conditions at university, such as large examination halls and strict time limits. 

Unfortunately, the days when it was enough to study for a single afternoon – like at secondary school – are probably over. 

For most university courses, you will need to dedicate several days to studying. While this might sound like a lot, any amount of course material becomes manageable with good planning, preparation, and plenty of motivation and perseverance. 

Start early and plan at least one full revision day per course so that you can start the exam as well prepared as possible. 

Studying is a skill that can be learned, but taking exams is also a skill that can be improved. 

By reviewing your exam, even after passing, you’ll gain insight into areas where you lost marks, such as incomplete answers, poor structure, uncertainty in multiple-choice questions, or mistakes in practical exercises. At the same time, you can identify your strengths and understand what helped you pass. 

This feedback will help you approach future exams with more confidence and improve your performance over time.  

Exam review sessions are usually announced through Blackboard by lecturers or teaching assistants. You can also contact the course coordinator directly. Contact details for each course can be found in the course information on the University of Antwerp website. 

Studying is definitely something that you can learn to do better. 

At university, studying is often very different from what you were used to in secondary education, and adapting to these new expectations takes time. That means your first year will be a learning experience: finding effective study methods, learning how to manage the freedom that comes with student life, developing realistic study schedules, and discovering what works best for you. 

These are all skills that improve gradually over time. Studying is a learning process, not an innate talent. Throughout your academic career, you will notice that with every class and every exam period, you will keep developing as a student. 

A good student is not someone who studies all the time. A good student is someone who arrives at exams well prepared, supported by effective planning. 

A good plan also leaves room for leisure and relaxation. Every effort deserves recovery time. Rest, breaks, enough sleep, and sometimes putting your books aside are all important aspects of a healthy student lifestyle. Finding the right balance between study and relaxation is essential.  

It’s clear from the many student-organised social, cultural and recreational activities at the University of Antwerp that there is room on campus for both academic commitment and personal well-being. However, the empty hallways during exam periods are also a reminder that neglecting your studies will probably lead to unpleasant surprises during the exams. 

Many students need time to get used to reading large amounts of text and studying for extended periods. As a result, some students consider using so-called study pills or concentration-enhancing supplements. 

But take care. While some students take prescribed medication for legitimate medical reasons, the effectiveness of many products marketed as study aids is unproven, exaggerated or just a placebo. In some cases, these products might even cause unwanted side effects like heart palpitations, dizziness or insomnia. 

What really makes a difference is a good study plan, thorough preparation, enough rest, regular breaks, eating well and a healthy lifestyle. Sometimes something as simple as a refreshing morning shower can do more for your concentration than any supplement.

It sometimes seems like other students have discovered the perfect study method, follow their schedules exactly, and have masses of discipline. 

But appearances can be deceiving. Just because it looks that way doesn’t mean it’s true. Try not to compare yourself too much to others. Instead, focus on discovering your own ideal study method, your personal sources of motivation, and the challenges that may affect your progress.  

Remember that this is your academic journey. Ultimately, it is your achievements, your growth, and your diploma that matter most. 

Most students would like to stay on the standard study track, and that can definitely be a good goal. However, for many students, this is simply not realistic, and that’s ok. 

Sometimes a less effective study approach, personal circumstances, or unexpected problems lead to one or more failed courses, even after resits. The university education system is designed to cope with this. For example, students can often combine courses from different years of their programme and keep progressing while retaking courses they have not yet completed successfully.  

If you are unsure about which courses to include in your programme, you can always contact the study programme counsellor in your faculty for individual advice. 

This final statement may not be a study myth in the traditional sense, but it is often used as an explanation for why studying can sometimes feel frustrating. 

Wouldn't it be great if you could somehow tap into the other 90% of your brain power? The good news is that you already are. 

The idea that humans use only 10% of their brains became popular through self-help books and advertising campaigns during the twentieth century. In reality, neurological research shows that we use almost every part of our brains, and that the brain is active almost all the time. 

This is actually great news. There is no mysterious mental barrier preventing you from accessing your full potential. Instead, growth comes from developing effective habits, continuously learning from your experiences, and challenging yourself to go beyond outdated study myths. You may be surprised by how much you are capable of achieving.