Hey, it’s Rahul & Lani
In one engineering course, the professor made something clear at the start of the term.
There wouldn’t be many problems solved step-by-step in lectures.
Instead, the assignments would force students to learn the material from scratch. A few example problem sets were provided, but most of the learning was expected to happen through working problems independently.
That structure revealed something interesting.
Most of the class studied the wrong things.
This Sunday Setup is about why that happens.
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LinkedIn: Lani Aremu, Rahul Lakdawala
Sunday Setups - The Class That Studied the Wrong Things
Before the midterm, most students prepared in similar ways.
Lecture slides were reread.
Notes were reviewed.
Concepts were checked to make sure they “made sense.”
By the time the exam arrived, the theory felt familiar.
Then the first question appeared.
It required building a solution from scratch. That’s where many students stalled.
Not because the topic was unfamiliar, but because they had never practiced solving it independently.
What the exam actually rewarded
The students who performed well prepared differently.
Assignments were worked through again.
Unfamiliar problems were attempted.
Solutions were built without relying on notes.
The question guiding preparation wasn’t:
“Do these concepts make sense?”
It was:
“Can this problem be solved under pressure?”
That difference is subtle, but it changes everything.
Why this happens so often
Reading and reviewing feel productive because they are structured and comfortable.
Problem solving is different. It exposes gaps immediately.
Reading confirms what feels understood. Solving problems reveals what isn’t.
That discomfort is exactly why many students avoid it until exams force it. By then, the window to adjust is small.
Lectures and theory are still essential. They provide the tools.
But engineering courses rarely test how well those tools are recognized.
They test how well they are used.
Understanding is the starting point.
Execution is what earns the grade.
Sunday is for protecting the system.
Not just feeding it information.
See you next Sunday🦫,