How can I improve my efficiency in studying math and physics?

[Sarlizwx]

To get straight A's you don't have to understand everything. You only have to do the right steps and memorize the right things. Even if you learned everything, will you be able to use it all in your job? You might and might not. Also after you get your job, you will still be learning new things and companies even train you and some even require tests. So put more effort to what you consider to be important and less effort to the one you don't consider that important (but don't slack off!).

P.S. You are the one to decide.

A lot of good information there! I'll admit I'm compulsive at taking notes and I should probably do it less. A LOT LESS! I may just write out of fear that I won't have the information later. Sad thing is, when I go to study my notes, they don't have everything I need. I'm also spending a lot of time trying to organize my notes. By organizing, I don't mean creating a fancy outline, I mean trying to figure out whether to redraw the picture the instructor has on the board so I can understand it better and trying to figure out if the example on the side board should go in somewhere or not. Half the time I'll leave something out that seems unimportant, then go back and try and copy it while missing something else because I see where the instructor is referencing it again and again. Then I'm back into the horrible whirlwind (pardon the reference, I'm a Meteorology student) of obsessing over my notes. My Calculus III instructor does nothing but write on the board. As soon as he starts into proofs, I put the pencil down and follow along. Bottom line is I want to learn Physics because it is a very important part of my field. I'm paying for these classes because Meteorology (and Climatology) is my dream. I may not need to know about magnetic fields to do my job, but I will be a researcher and much of my job will involve Physics to some degree. Of course I want to do well. I'm tired of watching my GPA go downhill and I'd like a scholarship or two. But I really want to get this!

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[Moonbear]

I'm really not sure what to do anymore. I'm a returning student with a completely different career path. I'm okay with reading ahead and trying to stay on top of things, but I'm also a furious note scribbler. I keep thinking that if I don't know it then, I'll figure it out later. Well my "laters" are not all that flexible. I have the capacity to learn this stuff and I've tried everything except standing on my head to understand math and physics. I'm in Physics II, Calculus III and IV and Meteorology, and I figure if I made it this far, I know something. I'm above 30, and I don't have the stamina for the all-nighters.

When it comes to note-taking, put down the pen and listen. If you don't understand anything in the lecture and feel compelled to have to scribble it all down in hopes of learning it later, then you need to prepare beforehand for lecture. Skim the textbook chapter in advance of lecture...not read...skim. Look for key terms, bold text, highlighted definitions, etc. Know those before you go to class, and if you don't understand one...make a note of that. Then, when you are sitting in lecture, you'll recognize the terms you have already seen in the text, and it will be easier to follow the logic of the lecture because you know where the chapter is going. This mean you can listen carefully, and only when the lecturer gets to the terms/topics that you did not understand in the text will you need to write something down. But, wait for the full explanation, then jot the few key points down that you didn't get from the textbook. Notes and textbooks complement one another. If you saw something in the text you didn't understand, and the lecture did not clarify it for you, that is when you need to be one of those people surrounding the professor at the end of class asking individual questions about things you missed.

Physics seems to be a mix of learning concepts and applying equations. Those who can solve the equations seem to get the A's and those who learn the concepts pretty much have that "understanding" that someone eluded to in an earlier post.

You need both. You won't be able to solve the equations if you don't understand the underlying concepts. This is a common mistake, that people just try to plug numbers into any equation that looks like it has the right selection of variables in it to match the problem, but a lot of equations can look like that, and selecting the right one requires understanding when and how it is used.

I've tried to focus on either equations or concepts hoping for higher grades and a better understanding, but I still miss something. I need to do a major overhaul on my studying tactics, but I don't know what to try that I haven't already tried. Help?

Look at both equations and concepts. I'd suggest starting with a list of the new equations you learned in a lecture, and then using that to identify the relevant concepts. For each variable in the equation, where did it come from, what does it mean, why do you use it in that equation, why wouldn't you use something else that sounds really similar in that equation? Look over all of the equations...compare them to one another. What ones include the same or similar variables, what ones look similar, but actually use different variables. If you derived the equations from other equations, why does that work, and why would you do it that way? Make sure you understand how the math works and what it means.

At this stage, you may have missed too much earlier in the course to grasp the newer concepts. You may have to find time to really go back to the basics and figure out where you lost your way. Once you get behind in a class, it is really hard to catch up, but if you want to do well, you have to do it.