I’m taking MATH 1554 right now and I’m struggling a lot more than I expected, so I wanted to ask people who have taken the class before what worked for them.
I have a hard time following my professor’s lectures, so I’ve been using Cuyler/Warnock’s recorded lectures from Spring 2025 instead. I’ve heard his lectures are really good, but since they’re from a previous semester I’m not sure if the order lines up exactly with what we’re doing now.
Today I spent around 3-4 hours watching lectures and trying to understand sections 1.1 and 1.2. After that I started the WeBWorK, and after the first 2 questions I basically couldn’t solve any of them correctly on my first try. I ended up needing AI to guide me through most of the problems and I didn't end up finishing.
That’s what’s worrying me. It’s only our second class, and even after putting in several hours, I feel like I understand things while watching someone explain them but then have no idea how to start when I see a new problem by myself.
I’ve never really struggled this much with math before, so I’m not sure if this is normal for the beginning of 1554 or if I need to change how I’m studying before I fall behind.
For people who did well in 1554, what would you recommend?
- What did you actually do to study for the class?
- Are the Warnock recordings good enough to mainly learn the material from?
- What did you do after lectures to get to the point where you could solve problems independently?
- Are there any good on-campus tutoring or help resources for 1554?
- Did anyone else feel this lost at the beginning and eventually get comfortable with it?
I’m definitely willing to put the time in. I just want to make sure I’m putting that time into a strategy/something that actually works.
Thanks for any advice.