Math Courses
- Keep up with the material. Scan the material in the text before going to class. Review your class notes and relevant textbook sections after class. Exams are typically based on both textbook and lecture material.
- Attempt all of the assigned problems, even if they are not going to be graded. It is by working on the problems that you find out if you have really understood the material.
- Form a study group - collaborate on homework assignments if allowed. Getting together with classmates to review the problems that were difficult for you is an excellent way to help each other. You might understand a type of problem that a study partner does not, and vice versa. Explaining your solution to a classmate reinforces your understanding of the solution.
- Begin work on an assignment on the day you receive it. Waiting until the evening before the day it is due typically results in sloppy work and no access to your study group.
- Look up the answer in the back of the book only as the last resort. The answers in the back of the text should be used to simply confirm a solution that you have already obtained. Avoid getting into the habit of reverse engineering the solution from the answer.
- Attack mathematical problems in an organized way. Simply jotting down mathematical formulas is confusing, both to you and to your instructor. It should be possible to describe the solution you present in complete sentences.
- Writing summaries of what you have learned is a good study technique. Much of the mathematics studied at the freshman and sophomore level has an algorithmic flow; it involves a series of consecutive steps that can be applied to many different problems.
- Take extra time and effort to write your final solution to a problem in a detailed, neat, and intuitive manner. Communicating mathematics clearly pays dividends in terms of understanding.
- Ask questions when you have them. Chances are that others in the class will have the same question. If you wait until the class is over, you might forget what the question was.
- Work with your instructor during office hours. No appointment is necessary during office hours. If you have a class or work conflict with your instructor's office hours, make an appointment. If you have tried the practice problems and don't understand something - ask your classmates. If you still don't understand, go to the instructor. Your instructor can give you some hints that relate directly to what is challenging you.
*adapted from an essay by Larry Leemis, Professor of Mathematics
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Oral Presentations
Amazing as it may seem, many Americans appear to consider public speaking a fate worse than death.
Fear is a natural human reaction to situations involving public speaking - EVERYONE has it. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to conquer this fear and deliver an oral presentation confidently and successfully.
Preparation
Choose your topic carefully; if one is not assigned, choose a topic focused enough to stay within the time limit. Create an outline and highlight your main points. After each main point, construct a transition and note instances where examples, demonstrations, or visual aids will be useful.
Audience
Your thesis and information should be appropriate for your class/audience. You should present information that is new, but do not under or overestimate their knowledge. Use concrete language and simple, direct phrasing. Use specific examples or analogies that are explained using vivid language.
Organization
- Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em. Begin with a hook; then narrow your field of interest until you get to your thesis statement or purpose. Identify it and explain how you will develop it in your presentation.
- Then tell 'em. Proceed through the body of your talk point by point, being sure to organize facts as they are relevant to your points. Do not repeat facts. Be sure to cite any outside sources that you use.
- Then tell 'em what you told 'em. Summarize your specific points; then broaden your field of interest and conclude with more general statements. Refer back to your thesis. Avoid using phrases like "to conclude" or "in summary" because they sound abrupt and mechanical. Plan out your very last sentence!
Delivery
Speak extemporaneously. Don't read or memorize your presentation. Have a brief outline of notes which will keep you on track. The most important rule of delivery is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! When you practice, you should time yourself, use your visual aids, and ask a friend to watch and give you feedback.
Fear
A degree of nervousness can help to promote adrenaline flow that is often necessary for delivery of a dynamic and captivating presentation. Here are some guidelines to avoid a mental meltdown:
- Prepare thoroughly. Sound simple? Yes. Does it work? Yes.
- Breathe. Before you begin, breathe deeply.
- Interact with your audience. Really communicate with your audience. Eye contact is vital.
- Channel nervous energy. Focus any physical nervousness into smooth, controlled movements. Communicate confidence. Show your audience you're in control.
*adapted from an essay by by Sharon Zuber, Director Emeritus of Writing Resources Center
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Research
Overheard during a campus tour: "The smartest thing you can do is make friends with the librarians. They are nice folks, they know how to find everything, they are very helpful, and using their expertise can save you a lot of time." Don't be afraid to ask questions about how to find what you need before it's crunch time. No one can be expected to navigate the complexity of the library on his or her own. And you don't have to! The staff of the Earl Gregg Swem Library and its branches is dedicated to making you feel comfortable with the library and all it has to offer.
The Library is a special place to:
- Be alone to write a paper or study for a test - the third floor is the quiet floor.
- Meet with fellow students over coffee in the cafe.
- Work on a joint assignment in one of the twenty-seven group study rooms.
- Create a documentary film in the Media Center.
- Study an original letter by Thomas Jefferson.
- Work with a subject-area tutor or a writing consultant.
There are even comfortable couches to catch a few winks before that statistics class!
They can help you learn to:
- Find and evaluate information.
- Avoid plagiarism.
- Advocate for library instruction in your classes.
- Download and format citations for all the sources you use.
- Request materials the library doesn't have.
- Access course reserves and class assignments.
- Meet with a research librarian assistance with your research assignment.
- Utilize the specialized resources of the Special Collections Research Center, the Media Center, the Center for Geospatial Analysis, the Writing Resources Center, and TutorZone.
And don't forget the books: Swem Library has almost a million and a half of them. Spend time browsing. Some of the best discoveries come when you don't know what you're looking for. If the heart of a library is its books, then the spirit of a modern library is its electronic collections. Whether searching for current events or topics from the eighteenth century, you can access resources any time of the day or night, from any area, including residence halls, offices, the Sunken Garden, and even study-abroad locations. Finding first-hand accounts of the Lewis and Clark expedition, contemporary reviews of Moby Dick, and advertisements for early telephones are a few computer clicks away.
Swem Library is regularly ranked among the best libraries in the country. Spend some time there, and you'll see why. Visit Swem Library.
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Science Courses
- Stay caught up. Do the reading and homework assignments on time. That way, you won't be trying to learn the material for the first time right before the exam. In many science courses, each subject builds on the previous material. Any weaknesses you have are magnified as time goes on.
- Don't skip class. Most science classes test on material covered in class — not necessarily what's in the book.
- Have your studying completed one full day before the exam. That way, you can get the good night's sleep you'll need to do well. Sleep deeply and long (no less than 6 hours before the test). New research shows that people actually use different parts of the brain to do the same tasks after even one night of sleep loss. Almost assuredly the second pathway is not as efficient as the first.
- For memorization-heavy classes, make a list of details you think you'll forget as you review your notes. Some people have trouble remembering definitions or terms; others have trouble remembering numbers. Read the list right before you go to sleep, then check your memory first thing in the morning. It's amazing how much easier it is to remember things once you've slept on them!
- Try to figure things out first, then ask questions. The act of thinking is beneficial, more so than the act of receiving answers.
- Don't study for a grade; study to understand. Studying for a grade is an imprecise act.
- Do extra problems. This is a better way to study for any course that is problem-intensive rather than rereading the book or your notes. If you can apply what you did, you will really understand it.
- Review your notes after each lecture, preferably the same day. Highlight things that are confusing; write questions in the margins. Then, do the reading assigned to accompany the lecture, and see if it answers your questions and clears up the areas of confusion. If it doesn't, ask the TA or the professor for help. Be sure you put the answers in your notes next to the questions. Your notes will be much more useful for pre-exam review this way.
- Make it a practice to carefully read over your notes from the day's lecture that evening. Just a few minutes will help cement the information and you will be using three different learning pathways in one day: hearing the lecture, writing the information down, and reading the information.
- Use a second textbook to clear up areas of confusion. For example, an additional chemistry book may present concepts differently and use a variety of examples and problems.
- Practice tests are useful. If the professor gives you access to old tests, use them as practice tests, not as guides. Do the old test without looking at the answers, then check your work. Questions that gave you difficulty tell you which concepts you need to review before the exam. You can make your own practice tests using extra problems or questions from the back of the chapter. Choose one or two problems for each concept that will be on the exam.
- Attend help sessions. Even those who don't have questions benefit from having the same material presented in a different format. Make good use of scheduled problem sessions. Often, other students ask questions you couldn't articulate, and the professor has more time to explain.
- Continuously ask yourself two questions: Why does the professor think this point out of all possible ones is important to include? How does this information relate to previous information?
- Study by trying to understand connections and applications.
- Try to skim through the book before class. It will make the lecture more understandable if you have the slightest clue about what is to come.
- Work the problems. Work alone, then work in a group. Even if your group only spends half of the time studying, you will still benefit — talking about the concepts really helps, and silly jokes you and your friends make actually help you remember the material.
- Read a section of text and follow the explanation of a sample problem in the textbook. Everything seems to make sense. At that point you sometimes acquire a false sense of confidence that you understand the point. What is important is that you go on to work a related problem (from the back of the chapter, for example) that uses the same principle. Work that problem without any help. If you can do that successfully, then you probably understand the principle.
- Come to class and pay attention. Be an active learner. Don't hesitate to ask for assistance.
- Start work on problem sets early so you can ask for help if you need it. Don't hesitate to talk with your professor.
*adapted from an essay by Randolph Coleman, Professor of Chemistry
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Writing Techniques
Learning to write well is a life-long process; however, you can improve your writing if you are open to instruction. The challenge for writers at all levels is to make order out of chaos by moving ideas from their heads to paper and then shaping them for an audience. The following tips can help:
Manage your time.
Begin thinking about your topic as soon as it is assigned and schedule writing time long before the paper is due.
Make using words a habit of the mind; good writers are good readers. Reading reinforces good spelling, grammar, and structure; you begin to internalize good writing.
Become your own best editor.
Honestly evaluate your writing strengths and weaknesses, then build on your strengths and find strategies to overcome the weak areas.
Ask when you have a question.
Begin with your professor (if you aren't starting your paper the night before it is due!). Schedule a consultation at the Writing Resources Center.
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