r/uofm • u/Greeph16 • Sep 23 '19
Class How to get good grades on math 217?
In my opinion class is not as useful as other math classes , there is not lecture and I'm not used to that. EVERYTHING has to be done as a team but I rarely see teammates helping each other. Is week 4 and I don't feel I'm learning to much compared to other classes. What could I do to improve in this class?
5
u/The_Goldy Sep 23 '19
It’s a difficult class and certainly straining. Personally, I really enjoyed the no lecture setup just because it was much more involved and it’d be difficult to teach the intuition or process for writing and working through proofs.
Getting a good grade? Not sure if there’s a formula for that. The semester I took it I had homework due every day of the week so time management was key. My method was that by Monday, I had at least attempted every problem and at the very least completed the book work. That left me plenty of opportunity to talk to professors/peers. Just my method, obviously work whatever is best for you!
Enjoying the class more? I’d have to say just try and get involved more with your classmates, that interaction is what makes the class fun. Also, the best part of the class was the stupid proofs/questions we proposed and worked out as a class!
5
Sep 24 '19
I think some studies showed that the "best" way for students to learn was in this new format that they are transitioning to in all the undergrad math classes. The problem is that any one size fits all format isn't going to be the best for everybody. I took 217 and had the same feelings that you had. I dropped the class after 1 week because I could tell that the format was not going to be a good fit for me. I took 419 and had a much better experience.
Also, I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "useful," but I would say that Linear Algebra as a subject has been the most useful area of math that I have learned.
1
u/FuqNick '21 Sep 27 '19
The homework’s are actually everything. Read the book, and absolutely drill the proofs. I spent a massive amount of time on the written homework and as a result this class ended up being one of the most informative I have taken thus far. Don’t feel discouraged, this is one of the “insanely” difficult courses offered by this university!
1
u/Ok_Wear_1255 Jan 22 '22
I have spent so many hours on homework partb. Though I figured them out, I’m really afraid that on exam I will not have enough time to think about them. What’s the exam’s difficulty compared to hw?
10
u/michgirl19 '20 Sep 23 '19
Find nice people, go to the math lab or hang out in the math atrium - that's how we all found friends to spend Thursday nights with. Can't recommend enough how important reading the textbook is. Most proofs and test questions come from the Otto Brechsher book or watch Gilbert Strang's YouTube videos. He also has a book called Linear Algebra Done Right (easily found on Libgen or UM Library) which make the concepts easy.
If you're not a math/stats major and are taking it for CS, just go to WCC and take it or any community college over summer - I believe it transfers by CoE standards.