So, I’m a math major in the middle of my 2nd semester of freshman year and I’m really struggling in this one math class. I enjoy the class and think it’s super interesting, but it’s really hard. I understand the lectures, but the homework takes me a long time to complete, and sometimes I get stuck on it even after asking my professor for help. Occasionally, I’ve had to stay up working on homework for the class until I was so exhausted that I fell asleep. Once, I even gulped down four cups of coffee (and I HATE coffee) so I could pull an all-nighter doing work for the class. A few weeks ago, there was a test and I failed it- even with the curve! There were four questions, I left two blank, and didn’t do too well on the ones I attempted. I’m also intimidated by my professor; he’s really nice, but I feel like he dislikes me because I currently have a C in his class.
There’s another test coming up next Friday. I’ve been reworking the homework assignments, doing extra problems, and taking note of questions I can’t get so I can ask my professor about them when I come back from break Monday morning. But I still feel like I’ll do really badly on the next class because there’s SO much to cover (I have to review the material from the last exam) and I take too long to do the problems. What should I do? PLEASE HELP ME! I don’t want to badly on this test too! I can’t fail again! I just can’t!
It would be helpful to know what class you’re talking about. We might be able to help you better from there. Some general advice about math courses is to never be afraid to ask your professors/TAs for help. That’s why they have office hours. Also, professors care much more about seeing effort than seeing A’s. If they see you putting in the time and asking questions, they will like you. It shows you take their class seriously. Does your school have a tutoring center you can go to?
I think it would be hard to find a tutor for the class- it’s a partial diff eq class. And it just so happens that I have class during my professor’s office hours, so whenever I need help, I have to email him to make an appointment or go to his office and hope he’s there. But your comment about professors caring more about effort than grades does make me feel a little better. Thank you.
Presumably you aren’t the only math major at your school - surely a few of them have taken partial diff eq and are tutoring. All of the tutors I’ve seen for math except one have been grad students.
Otherwise you seem to be on the right track. But I would definitely suggest doing more new problems than redoing homework problems - that way you won’t think you understand just because you remember the answer.
I’ve always gone with the philosophy “don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong” and it works particularly well with math. So just keep practicing as much as possible, even if you think you get it.
The course is offered once every three semesters, and there are very few grad students at my school. Besides, the problem isn’t that I have difficulty understanding the material. It’s that I have difficulty figuring out how to apply it to the problems (in less than fifteen minutes per problem). I guess I should talk to my professor more… I wish I weren’t so scared of him.
You say that the difficulty is in figuring out how to apply the material.
I’m guessing that there are a limited number of “types” of problems we’re talking about (though I agree-- this would be a lot easier if we knew what material, or even what course, you were talking about.)
Tonight, concentrate on your notes. For each type of problem, write:
a) how you can identify that “type”
b) what process you follow
c) any “warnings” against common mistakes.
d) one example
So basically, the bulk of what I’m asking you to do tonight is to summarize your work in words… to create a “user’s manual” of sorts that you can use to study from for the rest of the week.
IS that something you feel might be of help to you?
If you show up to class, do the homework, and are respectful during class then I don’t think the prof doesn’t like you.
They want you to ask for help if you are having issues. They get mad at people who don’t try.
Set up an appt with your professor. Ask the questions you have.
Ask if s/he has ideas on how to better study. Ask if they know anyone who could tutor the class.
Ask if they know of other books to do practice problems.
And specifically ask how to know how to identify the different types of equations.
Also like @bjkmom see if you can figure out the types of problems.
I never took partiial DiffEqs but for regular DiffEqs I remember thinking it was like a recipe…figure out the type of problem and apply the correct recipe.
@bopper At the beginning of the semester, I almost never asked for help, but lately I’ve been asking my professor for help more often (terrifying as it is). And I’m reluctant to get another book because I’m afraid it will confuse me (the notations and methods probably vary a little from book to book).
Partial Diff Eq definitely has a different feel to it compared to the other math classes I’ve taken (ordinary DE, multivar, and linear) and the intro to proofs class I’m currently in. I did struggle in multivar and linear, but ended up doing well enough, and I easily got an A in ODE, so I thought, “Hey, how hard can PDE be?” Turns out it’s pretty dang hard. Maybe I hit a wall with this class because it’s my first “upper-level” class.
If you honestly feel that the “material isn’t that difficult” but you are having trouble figuring out which techniques to apply to which problems, I would suggest you spend A LOT of time working with problems. Work on any problem you can find that has a worked out solution available. In order to improve efficiency, don’t bother working out the numerical answers, but rather focus on the techniques. Patterns and clues will eventually start to reveal themselves. Go through the problems as though you needed to tutor somebody else. Ask yourself why they chose a given technique, why didn’t they use an alternative technique.
It sounds like you are a decent math student (given the courses you have taken). Perhaps your struggles in some of your previous classes are catching up with you a little. Some holes you were able to fight your way through before are exposing themselves. Take a long term view and try to identify the “advanced fundamentals” you might be missing.
You’re in partial differential equations during the second semester of your freshman year? That’s a bit unusual. PDE’s has a reputation of being one of the most difficult undergraduate math courses. Even if you did take advanced math in high school, I find it highly doubtful that you’re mathematically mature enough to be prepared for that class. Have you even taken an upper level ODE course?
@comfortablycurt My school doesn’t offer an upper level ODE course; just a regular one that I took last semester. I aced the class, so I wasn’t expecting PDE’s to be that bad. Besides, I’m currently taking the last 200-level math class (that isn’t statistics-related), so I’ll have to take a 300-level math class next semester anyway. I figured it would be better to take my first one this semester rather than sophomore year because now I’ll know what to expect and (hopefully) how to deal with it, so I’ll be prepared for next year. I know I’m not doing very well in the class, but I am improving.
Clearly it’s too late now, but that was some kind of poor planning. It wasn’t a good idea to take the (arguably) most difficult undergraduate math course as your first upper division math course. I’m absolutely astonished that you were allowed to take it without upper division ODE’s. I also find it bizarre that a school that offers partial differential equations does not also offer upper level ODE’s. I guess all you can do is ride it out and do as well as you can.
Last semester I had to take Statistics, after the first test was over I emailed my professor with concern that I bombed the exam and asked if I should withdraw from the class. His response was surprising, he told me not to worry. I started going to the TA’s office hours and met with the professor a couple of times. During lecture I always sat in the front row. The class had 200+ students in it but because I made myself known to him he recognized me and got to know me. One day in his office he told me “you are going to pass, I reward hard workers, I see you in the front row, I’ve seen you in tutoring” I failed every test. But got 100’s on everything else. I got a solid “C”. I was so excited that I passed that I sent him an email, he responded telling me the social work profession is going to be lucky to have me. Miracles can happen.
