<p>Hey all. Its almost at the end of the first Quarter of my junior year and all of my high school Career I have had 3.2, 3.2 3.2 etc. except last year was like a 3.45 or a 3.5 as my final GPA at the end of the year. Right now I have a 3.000 and Its really annoying because it seems like I can never get higher then a B in any of my classes that Actually count. I’m taking all the AP courses and Honor Courses I can and my AP chemistry grade is a C at like 78% or so. and Pre-Calc is at an 80%. Last April I took a tour of the Academy and probably the most important thing I learned was that the Admissions office double weights the Math and Science Grades. Is there any tips that anyone can give me on techniques for learning or studying these courses. I know that I need to get the grades the last few points up to the next grade but it seems that whatever I am doing isn’t working and I am looking to try something new to see if it will help.
Thanks</p>
<p>It's hard to answer, given the info you've stated. </p>
<p>Are you missing entire problems, because you don't know how to start?
Get "extra instruction" from your teacher, or from classmates. If you do work with classmates, don't just get answers. Make sure you know WHY they worked the problem in the way they did. </p>
<p>Are you making "simple" mistakes, but losing enough that they just add up?
If so, make sure that you REALLY check your homework, and manage time during tests to allow checking. No, you don't have time to completely re-do problems, but you can make sure that you don't lose points for not writing down units, if required, and you can make sure that your answer makes sense (i.e., mass should never have a negative sign, unless you're a sci-fi writer). And ALWAYS write out your work. 1. You may earn partial credit, even if your answer is wrong. 2. You cannot check your work if it isn't there.</p>
<p>Here's one thing that should apply, no matter what. Are you maxing out the "gimme" points (i.e. earning any possible extra credit, getting full "participation" grades, not losing points for turning assignments in late, etc.) If not, start there.</p>
<p>From a chem major's perspective, a lot of chemistry is understanding, but memorization/repetition is almost just as important. (works for other classes too!). Take your math/chem examples, book problems, even ask for problems from a teacher and work them multiple times. Getting the process down well speeds up your work on tests and helps solidify the basics so you can conquer the advanced or abstract questions.</p>
<p>Yeah, I go in after school a couple times a week for Chemistry but no matter what I do I just can't seem to retain the knowledge that I learn. I mean, I can do the work but then when the test comes I cant do it or I get lost. I am even able to do most of the review questions my teacher gives out. And its not that I don't like the subject because when I understand it, it's really fun but it seems like its mostly the tests. When I visited the Academy in April last year, I went to one of the Chemistry courses and the professor took out a bottle and told me to light a match and open the bottle, then put the match over the bottle. I did and it exploded (making water) and everyone kinda laughed but I said that I had done that my sophomore year in Honors Chem 1, and that it was simply making water. We did that experiment alot at my school, only in giant trash cans that blew up. Everyone was surprised I knew all that but thats the kinda stuff that I can remember. The fun stuff. the stuff that I don't understand the first time I do it, I seem to never understand. If that makes any sense. :)</p>
<p>I had that problem in my Calc 3 class here. My problem was that I didn't fully understand the prerequisite information. When you go in, ask your teacher to let you walk through a few problems. You and he/she might realize there is a gap that is more fundamental than the problem you are working on. I know that when I found that gap with my calc teacher, we were able to fix it very easily.</p>
<p>I am a chemical engineer. In chemistry I have found that if I was able to do all of the problems at the end of the chapter I did fine on the tests. That means you have to do all of the problems and understand how you get the answers. This takes a lot of time. Always write out the units so you don't get confused. Teachers and book writers like to give out part of the problem in one unit and another part in some other unit (gm & kg or mols & gm). </p>
<p>Another way to look at it is: If you can't do the problems at the end of the chapter, you will NOT do well on the test(s).</p>
<p>Same principle for math. </p>
<p>My 2 cents.
Good luck.</p>
<p>Ok, I'll try doing those. raimius, I talked to my teacher today and he said I should come in almost everyday after school to work on stuff to see if I am missing anything so I think that part will help. Also, USNA2012Dad, I'll try doing some more of those problems. I looked in my chemistry book and after each chapter there are a bunch of questions that my teacher uses for little quizes over the reading and when I meet with him after school, I'll see if we can go over more of them.
Thanks for the input. It really helps! :)</p>