Mathematics is a difficult language; give yourself time to learn. Like any other language, your level of mastery grows every time you use your mathematics skills. Work every day. Pace yourself: it's better to work a little bit DAILY on the material than to save it for the weekend. First, try to understand on your own. You'll learn by doing the work yourself, not by watching someone else do it. When you participate in a study group remember that only after reading the material and attempting several problems are you equipped to discuss and compare your work with others. Skim the sections to be covered in a class meeting BEFORE that meeting. This exposes you to the new ideas and lets you have some feeling for and acquaintance with the material before it is discussed in depth during class. After each class meeting, read the relevant sections of the textbook again, and complete the assigned homework. Go to the instructor's office hours: the University is paying her to be available to you for personalized help. The instructor has at least four office hours each week (often more). If none of the scheduled hours fits your schedule, make an appointment with the instructor.

Be prepared to start the exam at the beginning of class. There will be no time for last minute questions or review. Before the exam is handed out, you will be asked to clear your desk of books, notes, paper, etc. You may have a calculator and writing utensils on your desk. Scratch paper will be distributed with the exam. The instructor will provide you with additional blank scratch paper upon request. You will be asked to remove your hat. You will not be permitted to leave the room during the exam. If you wish to leave, you must turn in your exam. You will not be allowed to work on the exam when you return. Therefore, use the bathroom BEFORE the exam begins and do not take in a large amount of fluid right before the test.

Behavior that appears to be cheating cannot and will not be tolerated and will be addressed according to University policy as outlined in the Student Handbook (from earning no credit on an assignment to a failing grade in the class along with a notation on your permanent transcript stating that you failed due to academic dishonesty). Here are a few examples of behaviors that appear to be cheating: any means of obtaining information for yourself during an exam, which includes opening the textbook or a notebook or using your own scratch paper; any means of passing information to another student, which includes talking, passing a note, or sharing a calculator during a test; turning in another's work (in whole or part) as your own (i.e.: plagiarism).