<p>Guys, I have serious problem. You see, I go to physics class and I do all the homeworks. But when I study for my exam, nothing from my notes help me. The teacher goes through basic stuff. I have to start from the beginning by reading everything and solving examples. The homeworks are ridiculously hard so i have to get aide from someone. I recently bought a book with solutions to all its problems, but I dont know if doing each problem ( around 120 per chapter) will help if I just look at the answers when i get them wrong.</p>
<p>I think I only go to class for attendance, the same is the situation with my programming class. The teacher goes through code, and I cant ask a question because I had a problem with an earlier concept. And the list goes on.</p>
<p>I recently scored amazing low on my physics mid term. Teacher said I should have done better, he was VERY surprised. Did i mention I ALWAYS sit in the front of the class??</p>
<p>My friends would ask me questions, they have 90's. They really make feel retarded when i get any lower than them. I had a 91 on my math, they had 93+ so i felt retarded., I am here lurking in the 60's with the physics midterm. Its so embarrassing i cant even discuss it anyone, so i had to post it here on cc. Thanks again for any help.</p>
<p>This is exactly what office hours are for. Go in and talk to the professor or TA (preferably the professor) ASAP. Take your exam with you and ask where you went wrong. Say you think you're missing some earlier fundamentals and you'd like to figure out where you're going wrong. When they give you an explanation of a problem you got wrong on the exam and they say something you don't understand, don't nod and say you understand!! You're not learning anything then. Say "I don't get it." If nobody explains it to you COMPLETELY, you're never going to understand what you're missing.</p>
<p>Never be embarrassed to ask questions, because you'll dig yourself into the same hole you're in now, and it's going to take some work to get yourself back out and back on track. Ask a neighbor. Make notes of where in your notes you're getting lost. I'd always put arrows next to bits and pieces I wasn't understanding so I could go back later and figure out what I didn't understand. Go in to the office hours and ask for clarifications if you don't want to ask during the lectures.</p>
<p>Gotta be fearless with science and math, and that means asking questions. You <em>don't</em> gotta know everything when you're supposed to be learning things for the first time. Sort it out in the privacy of office hours, or ask some friends. It may be embarrassing to not understand everything the first time around, but it sure beats the embarrassment of failing classes and having to retake them.</p>
<p>thanks allot. I wont forget this part of your reply "It may be embarrassing to not understand everything the first time around, but it sure beats the embarrassment of failing classes and having to retake them."</p>
<p>Yeah, that was a little harsh... I debated about leaving it in or not, but it was exactly what I told myself when I started falling into that trap, and it's exactly what I've told my tutoring students when they've gotten into the situation.</p>
<p>Admitting that you're stuck is really, <em>really</em> the hardest part. But that's the part where you've hit rock bottom, and where you can start getting out of your rut. I promise, as soon as you start getting some of your misunderstandings cleared up, things are going to feel <em>so</em> much better! I've been there, I've gotten in that rut, I've wondered how the heck I'm going to figure out what I need to know without looking like an idiot and letting on that I have no idea what I'm doing... And I've had to eat crow and admit that I can't magically divine the knowledge out of nowhere. I have to go and ask questions and get help.</p>
<p>You sound like a smart person, and it sounds like your profs really respect you. They're going to respect you even more when you start to clear up your issues and start really understanding stuff. It'll be okay! =)</p>
<p>Physics is hard... hang in there. Like aibarr said, office hours can be a good help. But if you feel rushed or if the office hours are extremely crowded it can sometimes be hard to get the attention you need. Study circles or just getting some help from someone who does really well can also help a lot. Many times, students are able to teach other students better because they know where you're coming from... and you don't have to tell them what your grade was on the midterm to get some help.</p>
<p>I'd say that doing a lot of problems will definitely help you but only if you're able to make a reasonable attempt at each problem. I usually get my physics problems wrong (as far as the numbers go) but I usually get the process of getting to the answer right. Don't worry so much if you're off by a few sig figs or if you missed a negative or something.</p>
<p>When I got to college this year I realized that most classes expect a lot of outside studying. Reading the book has been crucial in passing my physics/chem classes, for instance. Due to having a few bad teachers in HS I was used to studying/learning from the book and that can be something difficult if you've never done it before. It gets easier with practice. </p>
<p>Same thing with programming... nothing will help you more than practice. Use the internet... try different programming projects. Especially with programming, its pretty easy to find a lot of help just by googling a little bit.</p>
<p>Lastly, don't be ashamed of your grades. Ask yourself before and after the test what grade you really deserved? If you really really feel that you really do know everything and that you're as good as the next guy then who cares about the test grade? I know it matters, but this usually makes me feel better personally. And to be honest, I'd have been happy to get a 60 on some of my tests... What really sucks is when the highest score is three times your score!!!!</p>
<p>i had the same problem. The problem was lack of motivation. I always sit in front of all my classes, and attend all classes, yet I just sit there not listening to anything. Whenever there was an assignment, i would look at it and think, "oh ok, just like the stuff we talked about in class, easy, i'll do it in a few days." But I would keep putting it off and end up cheating to turn it in in the last minute. It kept accumulating until i realized i was screwed for a big test. Then I would start thinking excuses of why I can't understand the material. The fact of it was, i wasn't doing what I was told. I didn't learn the material in class when i was supposed to. Sure, there are people that spend very little time in studying and HW and still do exceptionally well, but good for them.</p>
<p>I was aware of my situation and tried to think of ways to keep myself more organized and motivated. I went out and bought an assignment book. I would write down things I needed to do. Not just academic tasks, but everything else also. Not everything would get completed according to my schedule so most of the times, half of the things needed to be done get copied onto the next day, and things get done eventually that way.</p>
<p>To help me pay attention in class, I just try to think of why I am here at school while I am walking to class. After thinking of a few reasons why I want to finish school and sometimes even think of what I might be doing in a few years, it gives me motivation and drive to learn the material during class.</p>
<p>You know yourself best. Not everyone else's learning methods will work for you. The only thing that does work for everyone is learning one piece at a time slowly.</p>
<p>I've found that some of the students who supposedly "slack off" and still maintain terrific grades - just appear that way on the surface - for example, my friend doesnt go to many classes, only to turn in homework. what i didnt realize is that he studies a hell of a lot on his own outside of class, where he isnt distracted by females or conversations around him;)</p>
<p>Thanks allot guys. I think electric's comment about some people getting three times more than you really calmed me down. i am not one of them :) . Silverbullet, I know we ALL know ourselves, but like aibarr said, its VERy hard to admit that you've crashed yourself. And yes, outside studying is mandatory, i realized this. But i still have a chance at a b+. I have done well in other classes, so my gpa wont go up, but it probably wont fall either.</p>
Read over the material BEFORE you go to class. That way the professor's lecture will make more sense to you.
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You are so right; that is the best way to learn. A lot of people used to do this but now probably only less than 5 people in my lectures do that (the rest are either on track or many lectures BEHIND)</p>
<p>i used to be in your situation in college the first year and half. you probably did quite well in high school that way. but you have to realize that college is different and most people spend more time on homeworks and studying than they'd like to admit. </p>
<p>I found the key to success is truly understanding the material. and to do that you should establish a routine for yourself, and follow it, over time it becomes a habit and it's easy. Once you slack off and not read/study for a day or two, it becomes harder to catch up and you will only fall behind more. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Set a wakeup time and sleep time. do this everyday, even on the weekends for a few weeks.you can relax this policy once u get into the flow and habit of doing this.</p></li>
<li><p>read the text before class, goto class, ask questions, be the dumb guy in the class, that's the way to become THE MAN on exams. </p></li>
<li><p>goto office hours, ask more questions, do homeworks ahead of time, again schedule a block of time each day. </p></li>
<li><p>spend more time reviewing before exams, if you study just a little bit more, it can mean the difference between an A and a B-. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>If you do this, doesn't matter how difficult your curriculum is, you will do well. remember, even if you think you are studying a lot, there's someone out there studying more than you, you have to find a way to truly understand the concepts, and I concur with the above statement that making small calculation mistakes is not a big deal in physics/engineering.</p>
<p>read the text before class, i am going to do that. But with 20 credits, it becomes ridiculously hard. Especially the night before tues and thursday. From 9 - 6 STRAIGHT. But i have done significantly better on the first quiz after my post. I got a 9/10. two long problems that i couldnt have done without being the dumb guy and asking the question from the instructor.</p>
read the text before class, i am going to do that. But with 20 credits, it becomes ridiculously hard.
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Same situation as your NYeagle. I took about the same load, and still did it, but also have no life outside of academics.</p>
<p>It gets tough when each lecture covers one chapter a day (~25-50 pages per lecture per subject). I learned that you don't have to know every detail in advance, but the major ones while previewing.</p>
<p>It definitely feels a lot comfortable to know the material beforehand, and you feel a bit accomplished once the professor lectures on what you have skimmed through.</p>
<p>My biggest advice is to study everything you have learned within 36 hours. That is because you'll forget what you didn't know later. I have found that this is a good practice; consistent studying and keeping up with material allowed me to have a very relaxing finals week. I was only spending 10 hours doing practice problems and quickly reviewing the cumulative material, rather than for some people, spending 70+ hours straight cramming and probably not doing as well on the final exam.</p>
<p>As others have mentioned I think this is extremely effective. </p>
<p>An additional tip regarding this: write all over your text book. As you are reading, use the margins to re-summarize concepts (in your own words), make notes, or circle important pieces of information. It's not so much that you're trying to make a "cliff-notes" study guide in your textbook as it is that you have to be thinking in order to restate concepts in different words. The true goal is in being attentive and focussed while you're reading.</p>
<p>Regarding homework, I suggest that you create your own solution's manual, as if you were trying to guide someone else through each problem, one step at a time. See if you can't do a better job than the one that came with the book.</p>
<p>Finally, there are many free online resources. </p>
<p>There are many helpful websites too. HyperPhysics</a> Concepts
Physics concepts may be difficult to understand and sometimes it's helpful to hear the same concepts explained in different words. If you don't understand a section of your textbook, you can try to see how others explain it.</p>