Advice from Successful Calculus Students
These are quotes (shared with permission) from students who first struggled, and then succeeded in a calculus class at CSU. Each student quoted below improved their test scores by at least 20 points, and as much as 42 points, over the course of the semester. They were asked to respond to the question:
What did you change in the way you approached the class/homework/studying that lead to your improved performance?
"I think I started to do better after I not only completed the homework, but completed it and took a minute to understand how I got the answer. Showing up to class is not enough, you have to do the work at home. Another thing that worked for me was breaking down each process into steps, so I knew exactly what to look for in a problem and what to do. If you put in the work and dedication to studying, you'll get the grades you deserve!"
"After completing a test review, I would circle questions that I wasn’t confident on and bring these questions up during study sessions with my classmates, and SPT study sessions for the test. My best advice is to attend as many study sessions as possible, and don’t be afraid to ask anything even if you think it’s stupid ."
"I did the entire review problem set, I asked questions on the HW, and I started to ask the SPTs questions on minor stuff I was confused about. In general, I don't like to ask questions and now reflecting back I'm pretty sure that's why I did poorly on the exams. There is no shame in asking a question, especially since that's why there is a teacher and SPTs. I also probably did worse on the earlier tests because I never did the review problems until the last test."
"Algebra will always be a struggle for me but that does not mean I will give up. Learning is as much in the hands of the student as the teacher. You get the hand you are given; you can complain or you can get good at working with a disadvantage. CSU has lots of places to get help, so much more than I ever got in high school. I have the will, awareness, and the resources to improve."
"Math is a subject where the only solution for improvement is more math - and that's exactly what I did."
"I primarily focused on questions I knew I had difficulty with when reviewing, and did several of those questions in the online homework. I did question after question until I was confident I could remember how to do the same process on a test. It was very hard finding how to study, but I eventually found a system that works for me, and I hope to continue with the good scores!"
"I tried to do as many practice problems as possible (mostly the review problems) and I reviewed the notes. I am a visual learner so writing down the topics and the steps for each made it easier for me to remember."