Struggling with Linear Algebra? Here's What to Do!

[Cudi1]

Hello , I'm a first year engineering student and Its required i take linear algebra. The only course that is causing me difficulty is that course, as of this moment the class avg for linear was a 45% and i believe i was in that range. I want to do much better, but i just hate failing . I don't want to drop this course at all either... What should I do ? I have about 2 exams left, both worth 60% .
Thank you

 

[bogarts21]

Study and practice doing problems. What else should you do?

 

[eXorikos]

Make a realistic planning of studying and more important follow it.

 

[Choppy]

It is extremely rare (if it happens at all) for a first year university class to end up with a failing average. Professors will generally grade on a curve if that's what the raw marks look like - so what's really important in a class like this is that you do well in relation to your peers, or at least maintain the class average.

That being said, it sounds like this 45% average is the result of say the first mid-term, which arguably was a little more difficult than it should have been. Sometimes, to avoid curving the marks, professors will make subsequent exams a little more straight forward - although I wouldn't count on this.

From a student point of view, your best means of confronting this issue is to put more time into studying, and try to identify what parts of the material you are struggling with and get help. Make sure you spend some time analyzing your study habits themselves. Often what worked in high school doesn't work in university.

 

[Cudi1]

thanks for the suggestions, the prof already told us there wouldn't be any bell curves. It's just that when I study and do bad it makes me not even want to study for that particular subject anymore

 

[Cudi1]

another thing is that when I'm studying for other courses or that particular course it just brings me down thinking about my mark

 

[Plebeian]

Aim for the sky and you will hit the ceiling, aim for the ceiling and you will stay on the floor.

Finish off the syllabus before hand( if not everything atleast two or three classes before the prof does). Practise a lot. I would suggest having small stick notes that outline the basic methods to solving problems. I used to have huge charts describing the various methods plastered all over my room. Put in the extra effort and it will pay off.

Try to have a more competitive approach. If there are a few students who you think are really good at it then try and discuss it with them. Try to compete with them.

Linear Algerba is a beautiful course- understanding it and having mastery over it will always help you.

 

[Cudi1]

thanks , is there a way to get out of the void- where you hate the course so much..

 

[MasterX]

thanks , is there a way to get out of the void- where you hate the course so much..

The only advise I can give you is that this course will be extremely useful in the next years. If you take a course on numerical methods you will learn that all type of equations (algebraic and differential) can take the form Ax=b, where A is a matrix and x,b are vectors.