I recently met a new friend who moved to the United States with her family from Chile. She had been living here less than a year when we were first introduced, and the language barrier is a challenge for both of us.

Whether we like it or not, studying is a crucial part of the educational experience. Whether you’re trying to memorize muscles in the body or quizzing yourself on the details surrounding a certain period of history, the truth about studying is that not all methods are created equal.

Imagine if every time you got on your bike, you had to relearn how to ride it. Or every time you got in your car, you had to relearn how to get to work. Or on the flipside, what if you remembered every single experience you had or thing you learned in school? Either you retain nothing, or everything. Thank goodness we have a happy medium due to neuroplasticity.