Precalculus Advice
I asked my Precalculus
students near the end of the term what
advice they would give, in a sentence or two, to future students. Here
are their responses:
Read the book, do the homework, and come to class. Make sure you ask
questions on stuff you don't understand.
Always go to class and do your homework.
Do your homework and review all sections weekly. Be assertive and get
help in the Math Lab when you have questions.
The advice I would give is the come to class every day and read the
text. If you do both you will learn the material twice as will because
the teacher will reinforce what you read and vice versa. Also, do the
homework and ask questions if you do not understand it.
Precalculus is very comprehensible. What I found to be of great help is
to read the given chapter section and take notes on it as well as take
notes in class. The two combined helped me understand more fully what I
was doing.
Read your text before lecture to get familiar with concepts. Go to lecture. Read text
after lecture to clarify concepts. Ask questions if you don't
understand. Do more than
required homework.
My advice to an incoming student would be to go to class everyday and
read the text for every lesson. Also, do all the homework so you aren't
trying to cram writh before each test.
Do all homework. Even if it is late you will still understand it better
by doing it. Don't get behind. If you don't understand something, ask
right away. Everything builds on previous material.
Make sure you read each
lesson good and thoroughly (highlighting could help), and make
sure to do all the homework
assignments. I find that doing the homework gets you good
practice and helps you to remember everything covered in lecture.
When doing the homework, understand how you got the answer.
Concentrate on theorems
(not homework answers).
Always show up for class. Buy the old exams -- it will help when
studying for the upcoming exams. Don't be afraid to visit [the
instructor]. He can and will help.
Read the chapters well. Do the homework and ask about anything you are
not sure of.
Read the book. Get help from someone who has taught the course. Do the
homework and ask questions. Go to class even when the sun is shining
and it's nice out. Skip the answer book! It doesn't help much.
Read, read, read!
Understanding concepts and seeing how they work is very important, Keep
up from the beginning to end. If you fail to do so, most likely you
will fail. Information in Chapter 1 is as important, or maybe more so,
than other chapters. P.S. Do all the HW and go to class.
Read and do the homework. The course is set up for you to learn the
material. They want you to pass this course. Get help if you need it.
The help center is great.
Attend class and listen.
Don't take notes. Do more homework than assigned -- B problems. Get
help sooner rather than later!
Ask the learning center or prof when you have a question. Make sure you
understand it because that's what will be on the test. As always, read
the chapters -- they help.
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