The policy on tardiness and absences. If a professor will fail you after three tardies or unexcused absences, you’ll want to pay close attention to be present and on time. Assignment due dates. Is there homework due weekly? Daily? Make sure you understand how the coursework is structured. Tests and test dates. If you aren’t a good test-taker, and the course grade is solely based on three test scores, this might not be the right class for you.
Talk to other students in your class, fraternity, or sorority to form a study group, or contact the Academic Services office at your school to find other students who are interested in forming a group. Meet in a quiet, private place where your group can focus. Come prepared to your group meetings, with an idea of the content that needs to be covered. [3] X Research source Be an active participant – listening to others work through a problem will not prepare you to work through it yourself. Offer your knowledge. Teaching someone else how to work through a problem can cement your own understanding.
Use flash cards to memorize definitions. Keep a “cheat sheet” of formulas that you can memorize and refer to as you’re working through practice problems. Draw and study any relevant diagrams.
Work through as many types of examples as you can to make sure that you can apply your knowledge to multiple scenarios and variations. You can rework assigned homework problems or look for extra problems in your text book. Assess each problem to determine what kind it is: general derivation, straight calculation, or design problem. [5] X Research source Determine what formulas you need for each problem. Engineering problems tend to have multiple parts. If you get stuck on one, identify and solve for any elements you do know. Always double check your math, including the numbers you’re working with and any units of measurement.
