Any college students here?

[Pisceslilith]

I just started college and I got enrolled late so I had to catch up with everything in a short amount of time before the deadline but I'm having problems with my math course and the deadline is tomorrow. I can't drop it right now because of an issue, so I either fail or figure something out. Any suggestions on excelling in math?. I've always been horrible and I have to relearn everything algebra related but it's tough when i have such a short amount of time to catch up. Even if I ask to have the deadline extended I still don't have the mental capacity to learn and remember everything and still pass. I don't know what to do and I am so angry and frustrated.

 

[domedune]

Is cheating an option? Other than that, I don't have much advice other than practice. If you're struggling with a concept, do problems relating to that concept until you can get problems correct without looking up how to do any aspects of it. Though, this may not be too practical given your short amount of time.

You can try memory tricks like using mnemonic devices, acronyms that can be pronounces as words, memory palaces, etc. You could chant formulas or mathematical concepts to yourself, or maybe try to make a poem or limerick out of acronyms that rhymes so it can get stuck in your head easier.

If you're pressed for time you can try to learn what's you suspect will be most important and hope. You can try watching online videos, like Khan Academy (these are good for memory but bad for time, unless you skip around or only use them when necessary).

When preparing for tests that are coming up right away, you got to think quality vs quantity. Sure you can run through a list of everything you need to know quickly, but will you remember all that? You might need to sacrifice some concepts to dig deeper into more important ones.

Also, before a test, it may be better to get more sleep then to spend more hours studying, because memories get cemented into long-term when we sleep. It has also been speculated that listening to information you've already learned somewhat while you sleep makes it more likely to stick. I'm not sure if that's true, but it didn't hurt. I listened to Crash Course History videos in my sleep the night before my AP U.S. History exam (obviously I studied before that, but still) and got a 5.

Speaking of that, I studied for my AP U.S. History exam in one day after being a terrible student and not paying attention the entire course, and what I did was I watched Crash Course History and some other guy's videos sped up (to save time) and took as many hand-written notes as possible while watching them. Hand-writing notes makes you more likely to remember the information. Don't type. Write.

That's a little different than math though. History was more pure memorization, but with math you have to adapt more. Still, while doing problems, do them on paper.

Sorry this comment was all over the place. I was coming up with ideas as I wrote. Also, if you can't excel in math, that's ok. Holding yourself to too high a standard can be bad for you. Good luck :)

 

[Pisceslilith]

Is cheating an option? Other than that, I don't have much advice other than practice. If you're struggling with a concept, do problems relating to that concept until you can get problems correct without looking up how to do any aspects of it. Though, this may not be too practical given your short amount of time.

You can try memory tricks like using mnemonic devices, acronyms that can be pronounces as words, memory palaces, etc. You could chant formulas or mathematical concepts to yourself, or maybe try to make a poem or limerick out of acronyms that rhymes so it can get stuck in your head easier.

If you're pressed for time you can try to learn what's you suspect will be most important and hope. You can try watching online videos, like Khan Academy (these are good for memory but bad for time, unless you skip around or only use them when necessary).

When preparing for tests that are coming up right away, you got to think quality vs quantity. Sure you can run through a list of everything you need to know quickly, but will you remember all that? You might need to sacrifice some concepts to dig deeper into more important ones.

Also, before a test, it may be better to get more sleep then to spend more hours studying, because memories get cemented into long-term when we sleep. It has also been speculated that listening to information you've already learned somewhat while you sleep makes it more likely to stick. I'm not sure if that's true, but it didn't hurt. I listened to Crash Course History videos in my sleep the night before my AP U.S. History exam (obviously I studied before that, but still) and got a 5.

Speaking of that, I studied for my AP U.S. History exam in one day after being a terrible student and not paying attention the entire course, and what I did was I watched Crash Course History and some other guy's videos sped up (to save time) and took as many hand-written notes as possible while watching them. Hand-writing notes makes you more likely to remember the information. Don't type. Write.

That's a little different than math though. History was more pure memorization, but with math you have to adapt more. Still, while doing problems, do them on paper.

Sorry this comment was all over the place. I was coming up with ideas as I wrote. Also, if you can't excel in math, that's ok. Holding yourself to too high a standard can be bad for you. Good luck :)

Thanks so much, your suggestion is great. I'm trying my best honestly plus my bad memory isn't any help. But I'll try to follow your advice, thank you for your time :).

 

[everydayiloveyou]

Hey Im a senior in uni! Im a comp sci major. Certain kinds of math are really fun, once you understand it better you'll find yourself wanting to do problems for fun.

What level of math is this class? Algebra? Calc?

regardless of the level, most students struggle with math because they don't have a good grasp on the fundamentals yet. Math is 99% practice.

What I did to get better at algebra is do this course on Coursera by Arizona State University. I think it was called College-Level Algebra. They give you an ALEKS test that measures your strongest and weakest skills, and then based on your aptitude they will recommend a sequence of topics to study and give you a ton of practice problems. You can use their explanation videos/solutions to study, or go on Khan Academy/patrickjmt to learn more about the topic.

Everyone always hypes up Khan Academy but honestly I think it's not the best resource. For some math courses they have a good sequence you can follow, but for others they will assume you know topics that you're actually not strong with yet. Use it to test out of certain topics and see where you're struggling, but if Sal's teaching style isn't for you (or that horrendous color-on-black color scheme he uses), try looking at patrickjmt (short, simple vids based on skill) or looking up the math topic and filtering by time on youtube. Shorter videos with lots of views tend to be pretty good, though beware of vids by Russian or Indian teachers with english titles but all the explaining done in a foreign language lol

What I usually did was watch Professor Leonard for calc since he will occassionally review previous topics like basic trig. Prof Leonard records his lectures from class so the students are asking real questions and he's getting feedback from their expressions/participation.

you can do this! Use your school's tutoring hours if they have. Soooo many students struggle with math, even math majors. You're not alone and it's a lot more fun to do math with someone who can help you and support you through it

 

[Pisceslilith]

Hey Im a senior in uni! Im a comp sci major. Certain kinds of math are really fun, once you understand it better you'll find yourself wanting to do problems for fun.

What level of math is this class? Algebra? Calc?

regardless of the level, most students struggle with math because they don't have a good grasp on the fundamentals yet. Math is 99% practice.

What I did to get better at algebra is do this course on Coursera by Arizona State University. I think it was called College-Level Algebra. They give you an ALEKS test that measures your strongest and weakest skills, and then based on your aptitude they will recommend a sequence of topics to study and give you a ton of practice problems. You can use their explanation videos/solutions to study, or go on Khan Academy/patrickjmt to learn more about the topic.

Everyone always hypes up Khan Academy but honestly I think it's not the best resource. For some math courses they have a good sequence you can follow, but for others they will assume you know topics that you're actually not strong with yet. Use it to test out of certain topics and see where you're struggling, but if Sal's teaching style isn't for you (or that horrendous color-on-black color scheme he uses), try looking at patrickjmt (short, simple vids based on skill) or looking up the math topic and filtering by time on youtube. Shorter videos with lots of views tend to be pretty good, though beware of vids by Russian or Indian teachers with english titles but all the explaining done in a foreign language lol

What I usually did was watch Professor Leonard for calc since he will occassionally review previous topics like basic trig. Prof Leonard records his lectures from class so the students are asking real questions and he's getting feedback from their expressions/participation.

you can do this! Use your school's tutoring hours if they have. Soooo many students struggle with math, even math majors. You're not alone and it's a lot more fun to do math with someone who can help you and support you through it

Thanks so much for the advice. I totally agree khan academy isn't really the best resource in my opinion. I'm doing calculus which consists of algebra one and two for my classes but I can't remember any of it from high school. I've also watched the organic chemistry tutor, but it's a lot to take in and memorize and then go onto the next. So much to study within such a short time period. Plus with mental health issues and memory problems, it's honestly too much but I'll try my best. Thanks again, I really appreciate your help.