<p>You go into a science/math class, take rigorous notes, review them later, look up the homework--and realize that you can't do any of the problems even with your notes? Then after a long struggle (involving lots of google and badgering of other people to help you find the answer), you realize how to get the answer from the notes....</p>
<p>This problem has occurred to me for the past 6 or 7 years now. Before then though I could come out of a lesson and do the homework immediately. How do I get back to this stage? I'm almost done with my first year of college.</p>
<p>6 or 7 years ago you didn’t have this problem? So you mean like, 5th or 6th grade math? Math gets harder the farther you go in it, and conceptually what you’re trying to do changes. It’s not that weird that you were able to complete problems then easier than now…</p>
<p>The best thing you can do is practice. Even if it’s not on the homework, try and solve problems from the textbook. If you’re struggling with something conceptually, going to office hours or tutoring might help. The more math you do, the better you’ll get at it, even if you struggle a bit at the start.</p>
<p>I have NEVER been a math person, but I am a science person (not for physics stuff, most chemistry and environmental science), so maybe I can help a little. Don’t do your homework immediately after class, but don’t save it for last either. Also, try not to over think things, you may be making things harder than they really are. If you can (you MUST ask your prof/TA), record the lecture (just buy a cheap voice recorder from an office supply store), sometimes the auditory reminder can help you understand your notes.</p>
<p>Try Kahn academy. It’s a great resource sight.
Math gets increasingly difficult and ALL professors are different. Sometimes, you will learn form the notes and sometimes you won’t. My buddy is an electrical engineer and he used Kahn academy and pretty much blew off his book and professor. He passed with a great GPA and now has a very lucrative successful career. Learning is not black on white.
Find what works for you and roll with it.</p>
<p>99% of the time I don’t review my notes (going to be a senior). I think it just helps with learning on the spot and if there’s something I’m recalling in the back of my mind that I don’t remember super clear, I may crack open my notes. </p>
<p>Like once…I spent around 3 hours trying to figure out what the heck the people in the book did to jump from one DE representation to another. I looked at the notes I took down in lecture and realized he filled in where the author left off. Had a good laugh.</p>
<p>I’m a pretty good critical thinker, so when something stumps me…it really stumps me. I usually save my homework for last minute, but I am a guy who works good under pressure. I am also a guy who procrastinates heavily but when I have time to kill, like when I’m in the library waiting for a friend, it’s good to play around with things and see what kind of interesting things develop. We had this applied induction problem from a p-set in my intro proofs class that only a few people got (which I was one of them), but that was just because I played around with it until I saw something interesting. </p>
<p>I result to google when I’m super pressed for time or no longer care. Doing your homework right after you have class I think is not a good idea. I know, I’m a procrastinator, but I think it’s better to think about the ideas somewhat and then work on your problem sets.</p>
<p>I remember the same thing used happen to me, I would recommend you to listen what is being taught to understand the way to solve problems and if possible take notes later.</p>