MIT OCW good for self study?

<p>Hey guys, I'm a sophomore who wants to self study Calculus I, Physics I, Linear Algebra, Intro to Algorithms, and Mathematics for Computer Science courses on MIT open courseware. If anyone has studied these:</p>

<ol>
<li>How efficient is it to learn from these (is it faster to learn from only textbooks)?</li>
<li>Do you need textbooks in addition to these courses?</li>
<li>How do I make my weekly summer schedule to accommodate all these so that I can learn them in the 2 and 1/2 months I have? (I'm a fast learner I think :D)</li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you all!</p>

<p>How smart are you and how much do you already know?
I like to use them for review/studying but, for me, the pace is too fast for learning something I’ve never seen before. I use them for calculus and studying AP Chem. For me, it was better to learn calculus at a lower level first because I had some idea of what was coming next and I didn’t get lost as much.
The physics is probably calculus-based, so it would probably be better to use high school physics videos if that’s what you’re looking for.</p>

<p>Hi there! Thanks for the reply. I consider myself pretty smart, 4 AP classes this year with running 4.0 UW, taking Honors Precalculus with 97 in class, I do math competitions and am very motivated! I will know Precalc fully by the time I start learning. Physics I: Classical Mechanics is not very calculus based; MIT says that most students take this course at the same time they take Calculus I. On the other hand, Physics II is.</p>

<p>I live essentially on the shore of Lake Erie. It’s so nasty I’d rather stay in the house and study than go down there.</p>

<p>As an MIT student, OCW is pretty useful but only if you can self-study efficiently.</p>

<p>Also, 18.06 at MIT requires 18.02 as a pre-req – I don’t know if learning Calculus I and Linear Algebra concurrently is a great idea. You won’t need much calculus in 8.01 – I took 8.012 last semester and it only required basic differentiation/integration. 6.042 seems like a fun course (I know some students taking it right now, I haven’t taken it (yet)).</p>

<p>Wish they would add more courses…</p>

<p>Yeah…but those are the courses nearly everyone takes. It’s unlikely MIT will put 8.012 or 8.022 anytime soon…</p>