My Advice to a New Math 207 Student

I have a great deal of advice for your first year of college. First off, it's not that big of a change going from high school to college. You still go from classroom to classroom and teacher to teacher. It is a little bit more challenging though. If you were an A student in high school, don't think you'll be getting the same kinds of grades. You have to put a lot more into your work.

I had Calculus my senior year in high school and got almost all A's, but that didn't mean anything when I started Math 207. It's generally the same material, but you have to apply it in different ways. You also go through information a lot quicker. Remember, it's only a semester, not a year. I thought I knew the material well when it came to tests and exams, but I guess I was wrong. You have to be able to apply your knowledge quicker and really know your stuff.

One thing I learned that helped was doing the given problems. Just going over a few of the problems gave me a great review. I also did better on tests when I went with that approach. If you have questions, don't be afraid to speak up. I never asked questions in class, and I didn't really know anyone in class, so I had no one to go to. I talked myself into believing that I could figure it all out myself. Boy was I wrong. I tried getting help from people who had originally had the class, but it didn't do me any good. The professor is there and willing to help and so are some older students who tutor. Don't procrastinate either. That's a big mistake.

I'd have to say the most interesting thing about calculus is the fact that there is an answer to almost everything. If you know calculus, you can do almost any type of math. The more advanced you get, the better. That's all the advice I can give you for now. All I can say now is ëGood luck!'

Sincerely,

Jennifer, Math major