I dont learn anything from my classes

<p>I want as much as help possible so i am posting another thread here.</p>

<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>go to office hours</p>

<p>I'm not clear on whether you think the problem is that the instructors don't provide the information you need or that you're not absorbing it for some reason.</p>

<p>But in any case, are you doing all this work before the class meeting in which it is discussed, or after? I've found that the better-prepared I am when I show up to lecture, the more likely I am to benefit from it.</p>

<p>Also, as soccerguy315 suggests, going to office hours may help, or even getting a tutor. There's nothing to be embarrassed about: different people find different teaching methods helpful, and sometimes there's a mismatch between teacher and student. Some of the teachers I've had from whom I learned the most were loathed by other students; some of the teachers I've had that I found completely useless were adored by other students. You're clearly a hard worker and your physics instructor at least seems to know that, so asking for help in figuring out ways that you can master the material isn't going to decrease his or her respect for you.</p>

<p>I hope you'll keep posting, though, because maybe once we understand the problem we can help you find a solution.</p>

<p>Go to office hours. Pay for a tutor.</p>

<p>If you aren't learning anything, then don't go to class. Seriously.</p>

<p>I mean, you said it yourself. "I only go to class for attendance. I don't learn anything." You go to class to learn. If you aren't learning, then class just becomes one of those middle school detentions where everyone just watches the clock and waits for time to run out. You'll make much better use of your time just reading the textbook carefully in your room and doing the exercises at the end of the chapter, instead of sitting through another monotone, mindless, incoherent rambling mess of a lecture. </p>

<p>Let's be completely frank here. Many professors may be ridiculously talented, gifted intellectuals, but can't string three coherent sentences together. And many of them simply can't lecture/teach/communicate or have learned basic social skills. Why lower your standards and subject yourself to such torture? You're the one that's paying 40k a year a first-rate education. In fact, I have been getting straight As and becoming a much better student and human being by making the choice to not go to classes where I know I will simply zone out and doze off.</p>

<p>If you truly have to go to class because of attendance, then at least bring you textbook and your iPod so you can study and read in the back corner without distractions.</p>

<p>how were you in high school with math and science? i'm wondering if these just aren't your strongest subjects. i mean you can't really help that if that's true. i used to struggle with them bitterly too. in fact, i sounded kinda like you. i always went to class, always did the reading and homework like I'm supposed to, i even had outside tutors... but i couldn't really pull above a 3.0. well, i got a 3.6 once but that was pure luck. i swear, after that 3.6, everything else just started dropping and i couldn't bring it back up. i started to question if it's just not for me. math and science were never really my stronger points, so yeah... i guess it's just not something i'm really good at. i even went to the teacher's office hours for math, and she said what was wrong with me was my lack of basic knowledge of math for the previous topics in lower levels, and she didn't really know how to help me. all i can think of is maybe try and study the basics on your own and it might help a little with your current situation. i couldn't really figure this out either. i just decided to do something i was better at. can't help you too much there. but i wish you good luck.</p>

<p>There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Many kids have the same problem as you do including myself. You need to know that everyone learns indifferent ways. I can sit in a lecture for an entire year and learn absolutely nothing but I could learn an entire semester's worth of work in a few days by studying it myself.
Find out what works for you. If classes don't help, don't go.</p>

<p>4321234, I <em>was</em> really good at physics in HS. I had to practice math before I could do the homework problems. But I hate to admit that now, I have to work to maintain what I was in physics, i am not a genius :( . I dont know how to type my feelings right now, but really, my professor said " you should have done better". the feedback killed me. But i am getting back on my feet now. I have done better in other subjects so it will help stabilize my gpa. Thanks again for all your pieces of advice.</p>

<p>dont try to believe you know it all. Make sure you can do the problems even AFTER you do then from the solutions manual. Try to understand the concepts involved, formulas and a calculator isnt enough to solve college physics problems.</p>

<p>What note-taking method are you using? How soon after the lecture do you review your notes?</p>

<p>Holy crap are you my twin?
I'm struggling in physics and programming too!</p>

<p>For programming I can't write anything worth crap but I can interpret the code just fine. For physics it's all just wrong. According to their site 60% of the class has a higher grade than me lol!</p>

<p>So far no luck, I'd go to the office hours if I knew what to ask because I seem to "know" everything I study until test day (I begin studying 2 weeks in advance). I understand all the practice tests from previous years but the new test just throws me off completely. It's like there are too many variables to a concept that you have to consider and I just can't? </p>

<p>Calculus isn't too hard for me right now, but approaching math problems and approaching physics/programming problems seem to be completely different.</p>