Dearest Abigail,

Please help me pass Calc IS.

Best,
Lonely Calculus Student

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Dear Lonely Calculus Student,

Thanks for reaching out with your concerns. I know how difficult Calc IS can be, and to be honest, I don’t know if my advice will be of any help, as everyone’s journey is unique. However, as someone who has been through the class and is (clearly) still alive, I’ll try my best.

I will preface by saying that I used to think math was easy. Calc IS was, unfortunately, a punch to the gut. Suddenly, I wasn’t just memorizing formulas; I actually had to think. And this is my first piece of advice: think. Dr. Landes is one of those teachers who gets to know you through reading your thought process. Even if the math is completely wrong, your unique problem-solving will help her understand you better as a student, and, therefore, be able to help you more.

Second, whenever you take a test, solve the problems worth the most amount of points first. The Calc IS tests are notoriously long and difficult—even if you miss the lesser point problems, you probably won’t face many issues. One mistake that I made last year was trying to solve everything as best as possible one problem at a time, which led to me missing the entire last page (which was worth the most amount of points!) So please, prioritize the bigger problems!!!

Third, don’t waste your time trying to correct your PSets yourself. Just do it with Dr. Landes because she will talk through it with you, meaning that she’ll understand that you understand, and should you believe it, you’ll understand! Also, chances are, if you try to correct the PSet by yourself, you’ll do it wrong.

Most importantly, just seek help! Remember, Dr. Landes is a teacher who wants you to succeed.
Thanks for asking Abby!!

Until next time,
abby