How to succeed in this class

There are many resources online for how to succeed in your college classes. Here are some specific suggestions for this class.

1. Be consistent!!!
   • Truly, nothing beats consistency when you are learning a new skill. I recommend spending at least 10 minutes every single day (including weekends) on this course. You will certainly need to spent more time than that on most days, but those 3-hour study sessions will be a lot less painful if you’ve built a foundation of spending some time every day chipping away at your tasks! And finding 10 minutes per day might be easier than you think.
2. Commit
   • One rule of thumb is that for every hour you spend in class, you should spend three hours studying. Since our class meets for four hours per week, this translates to 12 hours of study per week. Some weeks might require less time and some weeks might require more, but you should schedule 12 hours per week into your regular schedule.
   • Of course, your other classes will require time outside of class too. In my experience, students who prioritize their math classes end up doing well in all of their courses.
3. Arrive prepared
   • Class time is limited and we need to make the most of it!
     • Get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast (to the extent that it’s possible for you).
     • Bring your notebook(s), a pencil, an eraser, and a calculator (not just the one on your phone) to every class.
     • Arrive having read the relevant sections of the textbook, of the workbook, and having completed your WeBWorK to the best of your ability.
     • We’ll be following the rough schedule here, so you’ll always know what’s coming up.
4. Stay organized
   • It sounds like a lot but I recommend keeping three separate notebooks for this class.
     • One notebook for taking notes in class; write down literally everything that is written on the board, adding your own helpful comments, and use a note-taking strategy like this one.
     • One notebook for copying your class notes. Yes, I recommend copying your class notes from your first notebook into a second one after every single class meeting. Make these notes neater and more organized than your class notes and don’t copy something down until you feel confident you understand it. This will be a beautiful record of all the class information you need and a good place to add your own study guides before quizzes and tests.
     • One notebook just for practice. This notebook can be an absolute mess. You’ll just use it for practicing problems over and over and over again until you feel confident that you can do them without looking up information in your textbook, workbook, or other notebooks.
5. Avoid distractions
   • This is easier said than done, especially because you will access a lot of course material online and will need your device with you. However, in class or when you are practicing problems, your phone/tablet/laptop should be put away completely in your bag (or better yet: in another room).
   • If you find other people in your home distracting, you can always study at the CityTech library. There are also branches of the Brooklyn Public Library nearby and several of the New York Public Library and Queens Library around the city.
6. Ask for help
   • One of the biggest mistakes college students can make in their math classes is to suffer alone with their confusion. You will be confused! It’s expected! The most important thing you can do is seek help from your classmates, from a tutor (CityTech has free virtual or in-person tutoring), or from your instructor. Sometimes even just figuring out how to ask a question can help you figure out the answer.
   • Don’t do all your work alone. Give yourself a chance to bounce ideas around with your classmates and see where they lead.
7. Practice
   • Your 10 minutes per day and/or 12 hours per week should be active. Sure, you should read the text or review your notes, but most of your time needs to be spent actually writing things down.
   • If you don’t know how to solve a problem right away, that’s okay! Our six-point framework will help you get started. If you encounter a problem you don’t know how to solve right away, take your time to figure out the solution (and ask for help) and then come back to that same problem again and again and again until you feel comfortable with it.