Tuesday, February 19, 2013

I ACED MY CALCULUS EXAM!!!

Today I took my second exam in Differential Equations, and I got an A!!!! My first exam score was awful, so I knew that I needed to change my study habits in order to bring my grade back up where it belongs. One of the main reasons that my exam score increased so much was the Math Learning Center (MLC) here on campus.

Differential Equations meets four times a week: three times for lecture and once for recitation. In recitation, we are allowed to work on our homework sets while a TA answers questions. During the last ten minutes of the 50-minute period, we take a short quiz. I spend my recitation doing my homework with the guy who sits next to me because he generally has helpful tips and tricks for doing the problems. Every time I would ask him where he learned how to do a problem a certain way, he would say that he learned how at the Math Learning Center. Because the MLC helped him so much with his homework, I decided that I should go.

Last week I went with a friend to the MLC in Wells Hall, which is right across the street from the Engineering Building and next to the International Center. The Wells Hall location is the main MLC location, but each campus neighborhood has a smaller MLC location with limited hours. If you want more information about MLC locations and hours, go to the following website: https://www1.math.msu.edu/mlc/

There were plenty of math TAs who could help me individually with my homework. Because the exam problems are almost exactly like the homework, it really helped having a TA teach me how to do a difficult problem at my own pace. Discussing the problems with the other students was also helpful. The tables were arranged by calculus level, so I was surrounded by people taking the same class as me. Best of all, the MLC is free so I was able to do better in math without having to hire an expensive tutor!

 
 
Last semester, I did not visit the MLC, but I did attend the review sessions held by the MLC. The evening before each exam, a TA did some review problems on the board. The sessions lasted 2 hours (from abuout 7-9pm) and took place in one of the lecture halls right by the Starbucks in Wells Hall.
 
I am glad that MSU has the resources available to help me become a better student and do better in my classes. I plan on continuing to take atdvantage of those resources by visiting the Math Learning Center regularly for the rest of the semester.