I graduated college 5 years ago and wish I'd known this earlier: the specific knowledge you learn matters less than learning HOW to learn. Develop good study habits and critical thinking skills and you can adapt to any subject or career.

Teach it to someone else, even an imaginary student. If you can explain a concept simply and out loud, you understand it. If you stumble, you've found the gap you need to study. They call it the Feynman technique and it really works.

Break big assignments into small chunks with their own deadlines. 'Write a 20-page paper' is paralyzing. 'Write one paragraph today' is doable. The hardest part of any project is starting, so make starting as small and easy as possible.

The library is full of free resources people forget about — encyclopedias, reference librarians who will literally do research for you, study guides. And the librarians are thrilled when someone actually asks for help. Don't be shy about it.

As a teacher, I see students struggle with this all the time. The most effective approach is different for everyone, but research consistently shows that active practice beats passive reading. Don't just read — do problems, write summaries, teach the material to someone else.

Flashcards still work. Old-fashioned index cards. Make them yourself — the act of writing the card is half the learning. Quiz yourself, shuffle them, put the hard ones in a separate pile. Low-tech but it gets results.