In college, I usually the get the best grades in where I have taken a similar class in highschool. Now I am taking Economics and I have never taken it before. How should I pass this class?
Try to work ahead. Do the reading that will be discussed in lecture ahead of time. Attend any tutoring sessions offers, and go to office hours with any homework questions you have.
I didn’t write this but my grades would have been much higher if I followed this advice:
The workload is definitely manageable if you manage your time well. The key is staying on top of your class work. Keys to success (probably more tuned to science/engineering types
-
Do all your assigned reading BEFORE your classes
-
Take a look at any assignment/problem sets/papers THE DAY THEY ARE HANDED OUT. Knock off any easy problems early. Take a stab at the more difficult problems and make notes about what difficulties you had/
-
Go to all your recitations. Don’t blow them off. Your TA is your life-line. If you don’t like your TA, find another recitation section to attend if possible.
-
Ask your TA in recitation about the difficulties you have with the problem set.
-
Attend the office hours of your TA and your professor. The TA office hours are probably more important.
-
Don’t put work off until Sundays. Do some on Friday afternoon/evening and some on Saturday. Nothing more stressful and depressing than starting work on Sunday and realizing how much work you have ahead of you.
I agree with posts #1 and #2. I really didn’t figure out until graduate school just how powerful it is to be ahead in your homework, rather than just caught up. This means that you are better prepared when you walk into each class, which means that you pick up a bit more in every class. This in turn makes it easier to keep ahead.
A lot of students don’t take any economics at all in high school, but then take it in university. I quite liked economics when I finally took it in university (macroeconomics as an undergrad, and econometrics as a graduate student).
Read the books.
Go to class and pay attention.
Start assignments and projects early.
If you need more help, ask the instructors during their office hours.
Do the things in this post:
Buy a second econ textbook so that you can see how a different professor explains the concepts. It will also give you a second set of problem sets to work on.
All the above advice. In addition, expanding on what @SMMom1 said, look for other professors’ lectures on YouTube or MIT Open Courseware. If you’re having trouble with a concept, sometimes all you need is a slightly different explanation.
Most students in an introductory economics class have not had economics in HS. My S did not take AP Econ and did very well in his two college economics courses. Just stay on top of the work, attend class, do the readings and homework, study in advance for exams, see the professor or TAs with any questions, go to any review sessions if offered etc. and you should be fine. You will have to take many college classes that you have not taken in HS.
College is not a repeat of high school. It is a place to learn new things. Add that to your mindset, embrace that idea positively.
I hope the vast majority of your classes aren’t things you took in high school!