CSC236 Data Structures - How to Succeed

How to Succeed in CS Classes

Think of something you are good at: reading? riding a bike? math? video games? driving? cooking? How did you get so good? You practiced! To learn something, you need to DO IT, a lot. Whatever it is, it takes practice.

Success in a class can be defined in two main ways: getting a good grade and learning a lot. Both are important! Obviously good grades are important. So is learning! If you don't learn the material and the skills covered in one class, you will not succeed in subsequent classes. And since the goal is to make this your career, it's a big problem if you don't know what you're doing.

How to Study

Practice! Do practice problems. Write code.
Study with other students. This makes a huge difference. They can help you when you are struggling. And ask any teacher or prof: when you have to teach something you have to really learn it. So helping another student also helps you.
Read the textbook and check out the other resources. But this is not enough, then you need to some problems. Listening/watching/reading an explanation impacts your brain differently than actually doing something. You can learn by watching, by it's not enough. You can't learn to swim by watching videos. You can't learn to code that way either.
Don't cheat! You don't learn anything if you copy code from a classmate or from the Internet. You may get a better grade, but your lack of knowledge/skill will come back to bite you later.
Take advantage of extracurricular activities. Go to a hackathon. Join the CS Club.

When to Study

Ideally, you should do some class work before every class. At a minimum, you need to do some reading, problems, and coding every week. Waiting until before a quiz or exam is bad! It takes time for your brain to absorb new material; you can't learn everything at once. Also, waiting till the last minute can provoke a lot of anxiety. And you can't concentrate when you are are worrying!

Focus

Come to class every time.
Pay attention when in class: no screens.
It's easier to learn in class than on your own. It takes less time, leaving you more time for other things. So make the most of your time by coming to class, paying attention, and staying off your phone.
Find a good time/place/environment for studying.

Not Enough Time?

Work less?
Reduce your course load. I KNOW you don't want to, but in the long run it might be better. You will have time to learn more in your classes, so your grades will be better. You will be more confident.
Don't max yourself out! Every human needs sleep, relaxation, and social interaction. You set yourself up to fail if you don't leave any slack in your schedule.
Remember: if you fail a class and retake it, the grade is replaced in your GPA. But the original attempt and grade remains on your transcript.