Just Declared Math - Advice

<p>i just declared math as my major. I am really good at it when I go slow and have time to think about the problems alone, but I panic when I have to take tests and I forget everything. it would take me 75% of time I have to do the test to do 3-4 problems out of 25 in the time of 55 mintes we have to take the test. BTW I am a freshman in college...I really want to major in math because my school only has 22 majors and is mostly and engineering school. I do well on pop quizzes, but I have nearly a D average on my tests because I can never finish them. I know how to do the problems and my teachers see that I work my problems out well...CAN ANY MATH MAJORS give me some advice as to how to effectively study for math or prepare for an exam, or what to do if you have a teacher who cannot teach!!! I can do the math TESTS just scare me now for some reason and I need advice in knowing what to do. I am not a math genius, but I'd rather figure out math problems than type a 20 page thesis and read 1000 page book in 3 days. Can any experts out there give me some of the things they experienced chosing math as their major....DID You suck at it in high school and got better in college?????Thanks.</p>

<p>Hmmm I can relate to you a lot. I am a freshman in college and a math major, and I am very slow at problems but only because of being very meticulous which is what your reason sounds like too. I have OCD so it's a little bit excessive but trust me I understand the situation.</p>

<p>This is my philosophy about the ideal way to study math (although I actually don't do it AT ALL):</p>

<p>1) go to all lectures and recitations and ask questions and take notes and really think about the material so you really understand the big picture.</p>

<p>-That takes care of the conceptual stuff. unfortunately most tests are just problem-solving.</p>

<p>2) do all the homework problems and when there is a test coming up just do as many problems as you can of the type of problems you know will be on the test.</p>

<p>That way you can do all the problems on the test quickly when the time comes because of all the practice problems. If you happen to get caught up on a problem on the test, you can always figure out what to do because of part 1 of my method: understanding the big picture.</p>

<p>Follow that and you'll get straight As in math and actually understand it! (Again, I'm not saying I use my method...)</p>

<p>there's nothing really that can be done when you have a bad professor but do the best you can with what's given. learn some stuff on your own and hopefully the TA knows his or her stuff.</p>

<p>-Dan</p>

<p>What exactly is it that makes you slow on math tests? It helps a lot if just by looking at the problem you have a general idea of what type of problem it is/how to go about solving it. If you're able to determine this, then you don't have to think about anything, just start doing the problem. If you have this down and are just taking time on your problems, maybe try not to think too much about what you're doing. Look back on all of your tests and ask yourself: have I ever spent a lot of time thinking about a problem only to end up going with my first hunch? At least these are the kinds of problems I run into during tests. It's easier to fix if you know what exactly is causing you to slow down.</p>

<p>I don't know what math classes you are taking right now, but the more advanced the classes get the more will tests be about writing proofs rather than solving problems or doing computations. This may or may not help you in the long run, depending on what you are having troubles with.</p>

<p>Have you talked to your professors about this? Maybe they have some suggestions for you. (Btw, I just recently found out that professors can be a great resource and are really not as scary to talk to during office hours as I had imagined!)</p>

<p>I think the thing is that we get so many easy problems (and the teacher flys through each section), that when the test comes I try to work them like my teacher works them on the board....the main thing is that the wording is completely different on the homework as opposed to the tests. Also I do not have any patient teachers, once I learn something the first time it sticks, but there are some things teachers cannot explain so they say "because it is, that's why..."I need to know the mechanicss of why an equation is used. Word problems and graphs are the MAIN things I have always had problems on, the wording in math can be taken in so many different ways....when I get to the test concepts don't even play a role any more....Basically when teachers say keep practicing how to do problems, it doesn't help if you don't know what you are doing when you are practicing the problems, I find that I am trying to teach myslef what I should have learned in class when I go to do my homework or study for and exam.</p>

<p>Are there any resources, other texts, websites, learning resources for math, strategies that have been helpful to any of you all?</p>

<p>There are in fact quite a lot of free online resources. Try to google a bit and you should come up with something. I also suggest you go to the library and see if they have a textbook that makes sense to you.</p>

<p>I don't know which courses you are taking, but here are a few (in my opinion) nice websites for courses that are typically taken by first-year students.</p>

<p>Single-Variable Calc:
S.O.S</a>. Math - Calculus
Tutorials</a> - HMC Calculus Tutorial
Visual</a> Calculus</p>

<p>Multivariable Calc:
Multivariable</a> Calculus
Multivariable</a> Calculus Contents</p>

<p>Linear Algebra:
MIT</a> OpenCourseWare | Mathematics | 18.06 Linear Algebra, Spring 2005 | Home</p>

<p>Differential Equations:
MIT</a> OpenCourseWare | Mathematics | 18.03 Differential Equations, Spring 2006 | Home</p>

<p>Statistics:
Online</a> Statistics: A Multimedia Course of Study
StatSoft</a> Electronic Textbook</p>

<p>classes I will be taking are: matrix theory, calculus III with vector fields, differential equations and fundamentals of mathmatics....right now I am taking calc II and nothing is relatated in that class..., but I do understand it at my own pace...</p>

<p>Is it me or does every single person on College Confidential ignore every single thing I say? Hmmm...</p>

<p>I think you have made some great contributions to CC, but I would have a hard time replying to many of your posts even if I tried. The reason: you are not saying anything I disagree with, you are not asking questions and I am generally not the person who says "great post" (unless you have replied to a question of mine). Oh wait, actually I do disagree with you on this statement: "Follow that and you'll get straight As in math and actually understand it!" but I did not think that it was something worth making a fuss about.</p>

<p>sparkledust, it is really unfortunate that Calc 2 doesn't make a lot of sense to you because it is so fundamentally important for so many other courses. Concepts in Calc are derived from one another and build onto each other really nicely, and it is a shame that those connections are not pointed out to you in class. (My Calc classes were so well taught that I thought Calc 2 was almost trivial because all the concepts were directly derived from Calc 1 and Trig.) Does your college by any chance offer tutoring services? Maybe a tutor could help you see the big picture of Calc. That might solve a lot of the problems you are having right now.</p>

<p>If you have troubles in Matrix Theory (= Linear Algebra) or Differential Equations next year, I would highly recommend the MIT video lectures that I have posted links to above.</p>

<p>If you have just declared a major in math, don't rule out the possibility that you decided too soon. You're just a freshman, after all, and most college students change their majors at least once over the course of their undergraduate careers.</p>

<p>You mention that your school has mostly engineering majors? It doesn't surprise me, then, that the problems are many and more complicated than would be sufficient to teach the mathematics of an idea. It's a classic symptom of mathgeneering... a math department coopted by the engineering department to train engineers.</p>

<p>My main point is simply this: perhaps you could look into similar but different major courses of study? They are given in no particular order.</p>

<p>Computer Science
Economics
Industrial Engineering
Physics</p>

<p>Any of these majors should have more than enough math to satiate your desire, while at the same time fitting your style more. Computer science will be writing programs and doing some very basic math, computation, and algorithms in class. There are many more projects in that curriculum, and time constraints probably won't be as bad. Economics has tons of word problems and lots of practical applications. Industrial engineering is probably the closest in lots of ways to math, and may be a specialty of your school. Physics will be a lot like math, but with an emphasis on applications of math to physical systems. Well, these are just ideas... not to dissuade you from your choice, just to let you know you have options.</p>

<p>@ sparkledust</p>

<p>I would definitely look into similar majors to Math. You may find out you enjoy the engineering or science side more so than just mathematics itself. Look at some interdisciplinary programs too. In addition to Industrial Engineering, Economics, Computer Science and Physics, look into Statistics, Accounting, and Finance.</p>

<p>Excellent ideas, tenisghs. The main point is that options exists... and that's part of what makes math so exciting: you don't have to major in math to get all the math you want. Many programs teach tons of math, and each puts emphasis on different areas and uses it in different ways for different purposes. Some ways are more in line with any given student's interests and abilities... for example,</p>

<p>I could ask a student to determine the limit as t->infinity of the period of the solution to the following second order linear differential equation:</p>

<p>y'' + 2y' + 4 = 3 sin(5t)</p>

<p>Alternatively, I could say</p>

<p>Given a spring with Mass = 1 kg, damping parameter = 2 (1/s), and spring constant k = 4 N / m, drive it with a sine waving having amplitude F = 3 N and frequency 5/(2PI). Determine the period of oscillations for the steady state solution.</p>

<p>These are the same problem, presented in very different ways. Which way makes more sense to the student is very subjective, but it illustrates the point that the same material can be dressed up in different ways. Consider also...</p>

<p>Given sets A and B, determine how many elements are in (A intersect B).</p>

<p>A mathematics course may teach using the principle of inclusion / exclusion. A computer science course may teach how to program a set in a computer and implement methods for intersection, union, etc. Again, which way is more useful is largely a matter of taste.</p>

<p>"I think you have made some great contributions to CC, but I would have a hard time replying to many of your posts even if I tried. The reason: you are not saying anything I disagree with, you are not asking questions and I am generally not the person who says "great post" (unless you have replied to a question of mine). Oh wait, actually I do disagree with you on this statement: "Follow that and you'll get straight As in math and actually understand it!" but I did not think that it was something worth making a fuss about."</p>

<p>Well thank you for acknowledging that I said anything. I honestly felt like I was talking to myself. I sometimes felt like there was something wrong with my internet so it appeared my posts were there but in reality only I could see them.</p>

<p>Is there any particular reason you don't think that method can lead to straight As in math?</p>

<p>Your first suggestion was this:

[quote]
1) go to all lectures and recitations and ask questions and take notes and really think about the material so you really understand the big picture.

[/quote]

The OP just told us that he does not understand the big picture and you tell him 'study until you understand the big picture'. I am afraid that will not help him or anyone else.</p>

<p>
[quote]
2) do all the homework problems and when there is a test coming up just do as many problems as you can of the type of problems you know will be on the test.

[/quote]

Unless you know exactly what will be on the test, this method is risky because you would potentially not practice a big portion of the problems on the exam at all. How many professors actually tell you "You will have one question of this type, two problems on this..."? None of my math professors has ever done that! (And many don't even hold review periods before exams.) Of course, if you know that one particular sort of problem will be on the exam, practice it, but also practice everything else. </p>

<p>Lastly your approach does not guarantee straight As because some professors simply don't give out As, or they put grades on a curve and even though you did well there were 3 other students who did better and that's why you would only get an A-, or because a few questions on the exam are harder than anything you have done in and for class before (so you did not practice it), or because you make a few careless mistakes. Of course it "can" lead to straight As, but so can not studying at all. Initially you implied that your method guarantees As and that is bs.</p>

<p>I am also surprised to hear this line from a math major: "unfortunately most tests are just problem-solving." Well yeah, math is 100% problem-solving but I think you meant computations in particular (find the integral of ..., invert this matrix, etc). You are up for a big surprise!</p>

<p>If he doesn't understand the big picture, what makes you think the methods I said won't help? It's not like he said "I don't understand the big picture" and I said "well that's something you should work on." Then I can see you having an issue with what I said.</p>

<p>Here at Rensselaer, the professors usually tell you what types of problems will be on the exams and there are often back tests available from the service fraternity on campus to send you in the right direction. So when I say do as many problems as you can that you know will be on the test, that means to the best of your knowledge which at my school is usually a pretty significant portion of what ends up being on the test. That is not to say you will know every type of problem exactly as it will be on the test. I wasn't implying that at all.</p>

<p>And I don't know what kind of professor simply does not give out As to someone who earned it. I know for sure that if one truly earned an A with the standards the professor set forth, there is no professor who would deny a student this grade. If someone seriously did every single thing I originally said they really would get As in math...no one who does ALL that really exists so it's easy to call my method BS.</p>

<p>About the problem-solving business, please don't talk down to me and act like I'm some ignorant little math major making assumptions about the major I know nothing about. This guy just declared math as his major so at this point his tests ARE computations. I am totally aware of the type of tests higher-level math entails, so I am not up for a big surprise...I know what such tests are like.</p>

<p>You basically said 'go to the lectures and keep asking questions until you understand the big picture' (go to all lectures and recitations and ask questions and take notes and really think about the material so you really understand the big picture.) which is pretty much like saying "study until you understand the big picture" - the OP asked <em>how</em> to study and I don't think going to lectures and asking questions is news to him. </p>

<p>If your 'method' can be called a method at all, it is not a very useful one. All you are saying is 'study until you understand the material' (1) and 'practice what will be on the exams' (2). I don't think that is news to anybody. A useful method would tell me how to approach math to get the big picture, but telling me to go to all the lectures and recitations and doing my homework and asking questions is so general that it applies to any other subject as well. I would have thought that math is usually approached differently than e.g. a foreign language, but that's just my impression.</p>

<p>As I said, my professors don't tell us what type of questions to expect on the exam and we also don't have (easy) access to previous exams, and I also know professors who sparely give out As. (Some professors grew up in different countries and have kept the grading standards that are used in those countries. In Germany, for example, knowing all the material will get you a B. As are reserved for -literally- "outstanding" achievement, i.e. usually no more than one student in a class gets an A and there are plenty of classes with no As at all.)</p>

<p>Of course there can be plenty of colleges at which this might be different, but for some professors knowing all the material and practicing a lot is not enough to get an A.</p>

<p>To the OP:</p>

<p>The only way to study math and get anything out of it is to be actively, and not passively, involved. It's the same as in any major. However, it's particularly dangerous to just sit back and absorb math. You must do math and use math and think about math.</p>

<p>Be thinking of special cases and exceptions and when a certain idea makes sense or is defined. Question whether a certain idea makes sense, and discuss it with others until it does. Professors here in the US - despite what Barium may seem to indicate - generally don't leave a lot to chance in making up exams. If they assign homework, at least look over the homework. Pay attention to examples worked in class.</p>

<p>It's not too bad, but it takes practice. Good luck.</p>

<p>Sorry, I want to clarify that I did not mean to imply that exams are usually random or good grades are impossible to get or anything along those lines. Most professors indeed are very clear about their expectations and teach their courses in a very structured manner. I just wanted to point out that there is no guarantee for straight As like dsilva implied.</p>

<p>I'm not an A student, not because I don't follow dsilva's "method" but because I'm just not creative/smart enough to earn an A. Good study habits will take you far, but only to a certain point. I know maybe two people who earned As in my math class last semester? I mean, I still got an A-, but in terms of absolute points I bet I was at least 30 points below the cutoff for A. The ones who did get As are pretty damn good... definitely smarter than anyone I knew at my high school.</p>

<p>I should clarify that this only applies to me, since I've always been good at studying math. I feel like I'm approaching my "peak" if you know what I mean. But anyway I guess I just wanted to say that you just have to try your best, and do whatever you can to understand the material.</p>

<p>you guys are dickless pieces of **** who think you know everything. you and I both know for a fact that if you truly and sincerely did every single thing I said in my original post that there's no way to get a bad grade. you and I both know for a fact that I didn't mean LITERALLY straight As. just ****ing admit when you're wrong...it's not as horrible as you may imagine.</p>