Midterms are Here

Midterms are just around the corner and I am freaking out. Last week I took my calculus two exam and I literally spent fifteen hours or more studying. I have never studied that long for a test but our professor said that it would probably be our hardest test. Right before the test he tells the class that it only has three questions which is not a good thing anyone wants to hear. Everyone was freaking out and already panicking. However, it wasn’t really three questions. It was more like five but he had the test have multiple little parts, like 2a, 2b, and etc… Either way, five questions is not a lot and I think I only got two problems correct. I hope he gives me some extra points for having somewhat of the problem done correctly.  Now I have to worry about my other two midterms, computer programing one and problems in the U.S. I don’t feel to stressed out with these two classes compared to my calculus two class. I will probably only study for thirty minutes for each class. I spent only thirty minutes for my last history exam and I got a B. For computer programming I need to refresh myself of what the terms mean and how codes should look like in order for them to run properly. The most stressful part about midterms during spring is that spring break is almost here and all you want to do is relax. But I try to keep that mindset of I need to pass the finish line as hard as I can and then I can rest after I passed that line.

English is complicated

So last week in my English class we had to turn in our third/ final draft of our essay.  I thought my first draft was written pretty well so I barely made any new changes to the second draft when I turned it in.  However, when I got the second draft back from Mr. Hall, he made me realize that it wasn’t as great as I thought it was. From the comments that he had written on the side of my essay, he showed me that I wasn’t focusing on the main topic that the author was talking about in his article.  After working on the essay for five or six hours, I thought again it was pretty good. Sadly, on Monday I came to his office so he could overlook my essay and I didn’t hear that many goods things that I thought I would be hearing. He thought the introduction was still not connecting to what the author was mainly talking about.  The weird thing was that my conclusion was written pretty well for connecting to the issues the author was talking about. So once again I spent a few hours working on the introduction and fixing other issues. I came back to his office on Wednesday and I finally got somewhat good news about how I was connecting the main topic about what the author was talking about but he said that I need to be clear and concise. I spent another hour on Thursday and I hope Mr. Hall sees how much time I spent on this essay because I felt like this is the most time I have ever spent on his essay.  After going into office each time and hearing how I had so many things I needed to fix made me so frustrated. Sometimes I wanted to quit and just turn in what I had but I need to get an A in this class so that I will be able to get a 3.5 GPA for this semester.

Where Can I Relax

As most of you probably know, the Stanislaus warrior grill has been shut temporarily for three to four years from what I have heard. I'm not for sure if that part of three to four years is true but the issue at this moment for me and probably many others is where can I sit down with some friends and relax or do some homework. The warrior grill was a place I can sit down and relax since the game room and lounge was under construction but now the only place to sit is the dining hall.  However, with all of those buildings under construction the dining hall has become very compact with everyone there. Just the other day my friend Jose and I were going to the dining hall to sit down and work on some homework but there was no room to sit and we didn't want to sit outside while it was super chilly. So we ended up walking to science building which was filled with so many students that we wouldn't be able sit next to each other. Finally, when we got to Naraghi Hall, there was a spot for the both of us to do our homework. Just trying to find a spot to sit took twenty to thirty minutes from just walking around campus. At the very least the university could provide another area for the time being, while all of those buildings are under construction. Where students can get work done in a building so that they wouldn't have to worry about it raining outside or that there homework would be blown away from the wind.

Struggling with Calculus Two

3/05/2018

So I got my test back from calculus two and I didn't do as well as I thought I did.  From how difficult the test was, I thought I would get a low B but instead I ended up with a low C.  That test was on chapter six and this new test we will be taking in our class will be at the end of March.  Already just beginning this chapter, I find myself lost with how to even start the problem.  The issue I have with this chapter is that there could be multiple ways of doing a problem but the challenge is deciphering which way can actually work and lead you to the answer.  Chapter 7 is mostly all about integrals which we learned a little bit of the basics in calculus one but in calculus two they are very difficult because we are not able to always use u-substitution. I asked my professor how can I get help because the tutoring center does not provide any calculus two tutors.  My professor said that I can come into his office hours.  However, I told him I wouldn't be able to ask him help since I have class during all of those times.  Luckily, I have an amazing professor that would make time throughout his day and that we can schedule a time and day so he can help me out with any problems I ever had. Over this new week coming up ahead, I plan to work on some extra problems from the book.  Hopefully, by studying and getting help from my professor, I will be ready for this next exam.

Exams are stressful

           

2/25/2018

Last week on Friday, I had to take an exam for my calculus two class. Just hearing the words calculus and exam is frightening.  I probably studied for seven hours throughout that week but it seemed like it didn’t help me as much as I thought it would. However, the thing that helped me a lot on the exam was a six by ten note card that our professor allowed us to use.  Of course other students in lower math courses aren’t allowed to use note cards but that's because in calculus two we have an abundance of formulas to remember.  We also need to know trigonometric identities so that we can switch a piece of the function so that when we try to make an integral simpler.  It will help to get rid of the integral so that we are able to get the answer. Monday through Wednesday, I wasn’t really able to study for maybe ten or thirty minutes each night.  I was busy with finishing homework for other classes and studying for my history quiz.  On Thursday, I only had one class and then I came home to study the whole day after I finished my homework.  I spent probably five hours just looking at the review sheet our calculus professor gave us.  It seemed like the list kept on going forever and that there was too much to learn.  After studying for hours, I felt confused and distraught when I couldn’t remember how to do some problems.  After I finished the exam on Friday, I knew I messed up on a few of the problems and I felt that studying for so many hours barely helped me with only a few problems. Now I have to wait until next week to see how I did. Don’t get me wrong, I love math but it can stress me out like crazy.        

Self management

This week has been so stressful with all the things I have from all my classes and preparing for my calculus two exam.  Throughout the beginning of the week I am not as busy as I used to be since I changed my class schedule for one of my classes.  On Mondays usually at three o'clock I would have to be starting my calculus two laboratory but now I'm going on Wednesday at three o'clock to five o'clock.  However, I also have church as well on Mondays. On Tuesday, I have two classes but I use that day to do most of the chores at home.  If I have extra time, I also work on as much homework as I can.  Then Wednesdays are my longest day at school.  I'm there from eight am till six pm.  I have three or four hours of a break throughout that time.  However, I use most of that time just to eat breakfast and lunch.  I also use another hour just to work on the calculus two laboratory earlier so that I can finish it all in one day instead of working on it another day at school.  However, one thing I'm really happy about from planning out eight am classes from Monday through Friday is that I get Thursday's pretty much off except for my eight am class.  That is where I do all of my calculus two homework because that is the only day I have time to work on it.  With my calculus two exam coming up, I hope to make some time throughout this week by finishing some of my homework from other classes earlier.

Second semester

2/11/2018

                     It is crazy how long it has been since I have written a blog. I had a great winter break, but it is now spring and it's time to start working again. This is the third week and I already feel like there is a lot more homework compared to last semester. In my English class, we have to read usually. thirty pages for each day of class. Last semester, we would be reading maybe ten pages or less. In my calculus lab two, we have to complete eleven labs instead of ten labs. I don't know why college seems to be a lot harder but I have been doing a decent job of staying ahead of things.  For my history class, we have to read this very long chapter each week and take a test on it every Thursday. I read each chapter on the weekend because I'm usually busy throughout the week with homework from other classes. After the first semester, I have learned that I shouldn't procrastinate as much as I should have last semester. I remember staying up super late till one am to finish my calculus homework. After I passed calculus with a B-, my goal for this year is to get a job at the university as a math tutor. This year, I'm trying to be more responsible with the way I use my time and how to use it wisely so that it can benefit me. My other goal for this semester is to get an A in my calculus and I hope to achieve this goal by working harder but also smarter.