Anyone else quickly forget material when the class is over?

[bchandler]

I am an engineering undergrad, and always get top grades in my courses, but find myself quickly forgetting the material soon after moving on to new courses. For example, on our first Calc III exam, I forgot how to integrate a very basic function for the integration of a vector function. Likewise, I found Chem I and II very interesting, but probably couldn't do any of the problems I learned in the class without consulting the text (though I do remember much of the conceptual stuff).

I'm just wondering if the other students, or employed professionals out there remember their material better than I do. Or does everyone need to consult the text to do a problem from a previous course like I do? I have heard very few engineers ever use the mathematics they learn in school; needing to know only basic concepts. But for some reason I would just like to be one who could bust out a pencil and be able to do a complicated problem on memory alone, like I read about all the great engineers/physicists in history doing.

 

[mhazelm]

I have to see it on about three different occasions to really remember things - for most of my math classes, although I loved them and worked hard, I tend to forget proofs of important theorems and such. I feel the same about modern physics. I think everyone just has to review until the information is second nature. Don't worry, there is a point where you've seen it enough to never forget it!

 

[kingdomof]

A lot of random biology facts are just second nature to me after only reading them once. It depends of focus, I guess.