Ultimate list of Calculus Parody songs can be found here, (almost 3000) a few of the better ones are below

6 tips for surviving ap calculus

by Jasmine Malhi

1. Go back and review past math concepts.Math is one of those subjects where what you learned a year or two or three ago won’t go away. This year in Multivariable Calculus, my teacher keeps going: “Remember in freshman year when…?” Yeah, it has been three years since then. Apparently, I still need to remember it. All of it comes back! Heather Weaver, a TP Editorial Intern, suggests going back to Algebra I and II before your year of Calculus begins, to make sure you are strong in Algebra, as a lot of people have trouble with Calculus because of weak algebra skills. Review any topics you know you were shaky on back then or simply forgot over time. Calculus also becomes very visual and geometric at times, so try to create a picture of whatever you are doing.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re taking calculus as a high-schooler, you are clearly a very strong student. You might have been gliding by, a genius, knowing the answers to everything. In calculus, you might not. Stay after school and ask your teacher for help. Come in early. I’m sure there will be some really smart kids in your class who know calculus like the back of their hands. Have a group study session! Ask them for help, or ask older students who have already taken the class. When I need help with Multivariable, I ask the accelerated class, who went through the unit we are on a month or two ago.

3. Use outside resources. There are many review books and sites out there dealing with AP Calculus. Whether it’s Princeton Review or Barrons, they will all help! Lauren Haartz, a fellow TP Senior Intern, uses a tutor and the book Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus Thompson, both of which help clarify what is going on in class. She also suggests reading ahead in your book to understand what is going on next class. Look up some problems or videos on the internet!

4. Problems. Problems. And more problems. I cannot stress enough how helpful it is to got through the motions of solving problems by doing lots of questions in Calculus. I’ve had an engineer tell me, “You know how to get good at calculus? Do problems for two hours. Every day.” Though I’m sure most of us don’t have that kind of time, you should really do as many problems as you can to actually understand what’s going on and to give you practice. Definitely do the homework, and really try to understand it instead of just giving up straight away when you get confused. Study for tests and quizzes by doing problems instead of just looking at notes and previous questions.

5. Don’t just memorize formulas. Traditional math courses (in my experience) place a lot of emphasis on formulas. Do not just accept those formulas without questioning them. The derivative of tangent is secant squared right? How did I get that? There’s a proof that gives you that derivative. Question everything. Gabrielle Scullard, a fellow Senior Intern, says “always understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.” At least derive a formula or a derivative once or twice to at least understand where it comes from.

6. Persevere! I’ve had those days. When I feel like I cannot understand math at all, I sometimes feel the urge to give up set in. My texts to my friends read “what is math.” Don’t give into that urge. It will put you  behind and likely make you hate math forever. Keep on working through problems and believe in your abilities!

Whether you’re in AB, BC, Multivariable, or even Differential Equations, we all have trouble with math sometimes. I was in a nontraditional math course, which focused more on understanding than memorizing, but this class was still very difficult. However, it was one of the most rewarding classes I’ve taken. After calculus, I realized that even though it was hard, I really enjoying problem solving and math as a whole, influencing my current choice of a major: engineering. I’m sure calculus will have such an effect on you as well.