Strunk and White's 'The Elements of Style' is a tiny book that will make you a better writer almost overnight. Every student should own a copy. It's cheap, it's short, and the advice in it never goes out of date.

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.

Don't pull all-nighters. The research is clear that sleep is when your brain actually consolidates what you learned. Studying until 3am and then taking a test exhausted is worse than studying less and sleeping. Trust me, I learned this the hard way.

There's no one-size-fits-all answer here. Experiment with different approaches and pay attention to what actually works for you, not what worked for your friend. Learning styles are real — some people learn by reading, some by doing, some by listening.