study tips for engineering students

Stop memorizing. That’s the biggest mistake engineering students make. They treat their classes like a history exam, cramming formulas and definitions. It might get you through a quiz, but it’s a trap.

Engineering isn’t a list of facts to memorize. It’s a tower. Every concept builds on the one before it. If you don’t really get the first-year fundamentals, you're building on a foundation that will collapse. It's just a matter of time.

Don't just memorize a formula. Explain what it does. In simple words. If you can’t, you don’t get it yet. Go back to the textbook, find another one, or watch videos until the "why" clicks. That's the only part that matters.

Problem-solving is a contact sport

You can't learn to solve hard problems by reading the solutions manual. That's like trying to learn to swim by watching YouTube. You have to get in the pool.

This means you have to actually do the work. Get your hands on old exams. Work through the problems yourself. Struggle with them. Don't even look at the solution until you've given it a real shot. The struggle is the whole point—it builds the instinct you need when you face a problem you've never seen before on an exam.

And when you get stuck, don't just flip to the answer key. Figure out where you got stuck. Was it the setup? A specific integral? Applying the right theorem? Knowing exactly where you're weak is half the work.

Time is your most finite resource

The amount of work is the biggest shock for most new engineering students. You have lectures, labs, tutorials, homework, and projects all fighting for your time. The average engineering student studies about 19 hours a week. That's five more than most other majors. You need a system to survive.

A simple one that works is the Pomodoro Technique.

1. Pick one task.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
3. Work on that one thing. No distractions. No phone. No email. Nothing else.
4. Timer goes off? Take a 5-minute break. Get away from your desk.
5. After four rounds, take a real break (15-30 minutes).

It's a simple way to stop procrastinating by breaking huge tasks into something you can actually start. It also forces you to take breaks, which helps you not burn out.

Your tools don't have to be complicated

You don't need a dozen apps. A few good ones are enough. Use Google Calendar for your schedule and something simple like Google Keep for to-do lists. For notes, maybe you use Notion or Obsidian. The specific app doesn't matter as much as just picking one and sticking with it.

And learn how to use your calculator. Every single function. It's the most important tool you have.

How to do group study right

Working with other people can be a huge advantage, but only if you do it right. A bad study group just complains about the homework. A good one makes everyone smarter.

The rule is simple: try the problems before you meet. You don't get together to do the homework. You get together to talk about the problems that you couldn't solve on your own.

I remember one night—11:47 PM, to be exact—my friend and I were stuck on a thermodynamics problem. We were in his dorm room, which smelled like old pizza and stress, and we’d been hitting a wall for two hours. A third friend walked in, glanced at our diagram, and pointed out a tiny, stupid mistake in one of our first assumptions. The whole thing clicked. We were so lost in the calculus that we missed the obvious thing at the start. That's what a good group does. It gives you another perspective when you're stuck.

And trying to explain a concept to someone else is the best way to find out if you actually understand it. If you can't teach it, you don't know it.