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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