Debunking Myths on Being a ‘Good’ Student
Most students have a singular image of what an ‘ideal’ student looks like: someone who willingly locks themselves in their rooms all weekend, yet somehow maintains a healthy, vitamin-D-filled glow.
While discipline and consistency do matter, this version of the ‘perfect student’ can prove to be not only problematic but also severely unrealistic. Studying relentlessly without balance can lead to burnout, frustration, and the feeling that you’re never doing enough.
Let’s debunk some of the bigger myths about what it actually means to be a good student, and what healthy, sustainable studying really looks like.
Myth 1: Content is easily understandable to good students right from the get-go
Reality: No, it does not.
Confusion is a normal and necessary part of learning, particularly in academically demanding programmes like IBDP or A-levels. These curricula oftentimes require students to stay intellectually alert, questioning new material in relation to the knowledge they built over previous years.
It is important to know that struggling with a topic does not equate to falling behind. More often than not, it is usually a sign of active and effective learning. Good students do not simply absorb information passively; they engage with it, challenge it, and reshape it until it makes sense to them.
Myth 2: Good students study for hours every single day
Reality: More hours don’t automatically mean better results.
Effective studying is all about quality, not quantity. More often than not, the most successful students engage in short, focused study sessions consistently leading up to a final rather than cramming day and night before a major exam. Long, unfocused hours lead to burnout and diminishing returns, while structured revision allows information to actually stick.
A healthy weekly schedule includes:
Focused revision time
Breaks and downtime, particularly engaging with activities that promote self-care ( investing in yourself is never wasted time)
Sleep – not treated as optional, but essential.
Sustainability beats intensity every time.
Myth 3: Good students are always motivated
Reality: Motivation comes and goes – for everyone, not just students.
Even high-achieving students procrastinate, lose momentum and feel overwhelmed at times. If you’re unsure how to approach procrastination, read our article on it [here].
What matters is not constant motivation, but building and maintaining routines that keep you going, even when motivation dips. Many successful entrepreneurs, including Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos and Oprah Winfrey, have spoken about oftentimes prioritising sleep, rest and reflection– recognising that success is rarely linear.
The brain requires breaks. Building a weekly routine that anticipates and mitigates burnout will always lead to more sustainable, long-term success.
Myth 4: More extracurriculars automatically mean better university applications
Reality: Universities look for impact, not overload.
This distinction is particularly important for students currently applying to universities. Admission teams aren’t counting how many clubs you joined. They are far more interested in how engaged you are with what you chose to pursue.
They look for:
Consistency: How long have you been involved? How well does this reflect your interests and character?
Responsibility: What roles have you taken on, and how have you gone above and beyond?
What you learned, and how you grew. Was there a particular skill you struggled with? Universities love this.
Quality, commitment and self-awareness will always stand out more than an overloaded CV.
Myth 5: Good students have their lives held perfectly together
Reality: Absolutely not.
There’s a common belief that perfect students are always organised, emotionally stable, and somehow immune to chaos. That all ‘perfect people’ are somehow simultaneously both morning birds and night owls, drink 8 litres of water a day, and submit assignments a week before the deadline.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. A good student knows that success oftentimes takes sacrifice. A good student can adapt when things go wrong, laugh it off, and move forward without letting one messy week define their ability or intelligence.
Progress is not aesthetic. And neither is success.
Final Note
Being a ‘good’ student isn’t about perfection, constant productivity, or having everything figured out from the start. It’s about learning how you work, and giving yourself permission to adjust and adapt when things go wrong.
Progress will look messy. Motivation will dip. Plans will change. And honestly, that’s all part of the process. The students who succeed in the long run aren’t the ones who never struggle; they’re the ones who keep going, ask for support when they need it, and build routines that work with them, not against them.
You don’t need to do everything. You just need to do what’s sustainable.
