<p>ok im a pretty good student i think. But im not doing so well in college. Im at U of M if that matters.</p>
<p>Im taking 5 courses currently
Calc 2
Economics
General chemistry
Chem lab
Engineering 100</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Ok, i have big problems in some classes. I got an 88/100 on my chemistry test. Which, is a pretty bad grade. even though 85% is an A-. And i also get 5% bonus for going to class. For this examination I just did online homework each week. Did not do any book homework. And crammed 3 nights before for the exam.</p>
<p>This week I took my econ examination. I got a 56%. I got 23/30 on my first quiz (did not label stuff). 27/30 for my second quiz. We take 6 quizzes and drop the worst one. The test was really easy. I just answered problems backwards and gave wrong solutions to the problem i solved. 56% actually curves to a C in the class. </p>
<p>For engineering 100. I so far have a 100% in the class, but we have a lab now which is going to very difficult and most of the class will not do well. Not sure how this is going to end up. This is a class that is very open ended and requires lots of creativity. My first test is in late october so I dunno.</p>
<p>For my chemistry lab, I got a C on my first lab. But, for the 2nd lab I typed up the answers to the lab report before hand and me and my group went over the questions together and ended up getting around an A ~94%. This class is only slightly curved. And it has two tests. We are planning on going to get advice from the science learnign center here for comments on our lab report from now on so we dont forget anything.</p>
<p>I really want to do well, and im already off to a not so great start in calculus and economics. I also need to avoid bad crashes in my chemistry and Engineering class. I need some serious advice as to what kind of work I should do for studying, since the way im going right now... its not going to work out. How much should i be studying for these classes? I would really like to do well. Possibly all A's and if i dont do good on my next tests that chance will soon fade.</p>
<p>Truthfully, I did not do much of the homework. </p>
<p>^i think that answers most of your issues. </p>
<p>and 88 is not that bad at all... thats an A- for christ's sake!</p>
<p>just take it slowly... do sample problems. do your homework. read. what else can you do? if you dont understand something see a TA, tutor, or your professor</p>
<p>don't just worry about getting A's...there's a good possibility your chances of getting one will go down if you do. in fact...don't really worry about anything. just try to do well. don't be afraid to ask for help...you are, for lack of a more appropriate word, stupid and arrogant if you think you can go through college without going to your classmates and <em>gasp</em> tutoring for help.</p>
<p>getting an A- isn't the end of the world...heck, getting a B isn't the end of the world either. that said, the two A-'s i got last semester were the first grades i'd gotten lower than an A since the 5th grade, and only one of those A-'s was in an engineering/math class...i didn't really sweat it though...</p>
<p>C's are not the end of the world, yikes (and especially not that A that you are complaining about). Don't stress about your grades, and you'll find yourself having a lot more fun and being less stressed out.</p>
<p>I think im going to drop calculus. This week has been really rough on me. My mind is forgetting so many things. Like taking a scheduled test that lowers my grade by 1/3... so i will be dropping it and taking it again next semester.</p>
<p>Best two things I've found that help my grades are </p>
<h1>1. GO TO CLASS- common sense</h1>
<h1>2 make notecards- seriously they help me so much because I can sort them by what I know and what I need to study more, and I can use them to study before classes or when I have other free time.</h1>
<p>get the book "what Smart Students Know". It was written by one of the co-founders of the Princeton review SAT prep service. The book explains how to study for different types of classes, how to take good notes, etc.</p>
<p>Also you should take advantage of the resources your school offers. Your school (Minnesota? Michigan?) undoubtedly has a study-skills center. Part of being a college student is figuring out what you have problems with and who can help solve them. You'll get a lot more help in-person than you will by posting on the internet because it's more interactive and they'll know the expectations of your school better than we do.</p>
<p>BTW did you know that the rule of thumb for studying is that you should spend 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour in the regular lecture?</p>
<p>If I followed the 2-3 hours studying per hour of class rule, I'd be studying anywhere from 34-51 hours a week. I honestly don't think it's a reasonable rule of thumb whatsoever; it depends entirely on the class and on your ability to study well.</p>
<p>IMO i dont think you need to have that many hard-core like study in the library hours. I try and make use of what time I have by watching football games (go cowboys!) and I'll mute the TV during commercials and half time and read some of the textbook or maybe when I have time between classes and have nothing to do. Some people cant study like that but it works good for me.</p>
<p>
[quote]
If I followed the 2-3 hours studying per hour of class rule, I'd be studying anywhere from 34-51 hours a week.
[/quote]
Yeah, it'd be just like college was a full-time job or something.</p>
<p>BTW the 2-3 hours guideline is for homework & studying together. And in some classes time outside of class may be lumped instead of evenly distributed over the quarter, coming in bursts for papers and the like.</p>
<p>I'm not surprised that many people find this excessive. There is no doubt you can pick a college that isn't challenging to you, within any given U pick classes that aren't that demanding, etc.</p>
<p>as for the "rule of thumb," yeah...far in excess of any amount of studying i actually do, and i'm doing pretty solid. by going to lecture i pick up a good deal of what i need to know, give it a little extra study time at home, and things tend to solidify. especially in classes where there's homework (e.g. physics, math, digital logic, computer science in my case this semester), doing the homework is absolutely crucial to understanding the material. i consider that studying enough by itself.</p>
<p>I want to add that for many people college doesn't take all that much time; a few hours a week outside of class is about it. And if everyone around you is doing the same it feels normal, it is normal.</p>
<p>I do ask to you reflect for a moment, though, on what you're getting in the way of education if a college diploma takes less work per week (and only for about 35 weeks a year on the semester plan) than a full-time job does...</p>
<p>Anyway, the OP asked what he should do because he's not satisfied with the scores he's getting. One simple answer is to spend more time on school; work practice problems (there are excellent review books for many subjects that give problems and worked solutions), attend office hours, review old exams the prof may have on file, etc.</p>