Introducing

integralCALC’s Calculus I Survival Guide

Your Solution to a Stress-Free Semester

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Download Calculus 1 Survival Guide

 

You know that feeling when you’re reading through an example in your textbook, hoping with desperation that it will show you how to do the problem you’re stuck on? You hang in there for the first few steps, and you’re like, “Okay awesome! I’m getting this!” And then by about the fourth step, you start to lose track of their logic and you can’t for the life of you figure out how they got from Step 3 to Step 4? It’s the worst feeling. This is the point where most people give up completely and just resign themselves to failing the final exam.

I’ve seen this same reaction in many of the students I tutored in calculus while I was in college. As hard as they tried to understand, the professor and the textbook just didn’t make sense, and they’d end up feeling overwhelmed and defeated before they’d ever really gotten started.

I wasn’t a math major in college, but I spent a lot of time tutoring calculus students, and I’ve come to the conclusion that for most people, the way we teach math is fundamentally wrong.

I wasn’t a math major in college, but I spent a lot of time tutoring calculus students, and I’ve come to the conclusion that for most people, the way we teach math is fundamentally wrong.

First, there’s a pretty good chance that you won’t ever actually use what you learn in calculus. Algebra? Definitely. Basic geometry? Probably. But calculus? Not so much. Second, even if it is worthwhile to learn this stuff, trying to teach us how to work through problems with proofs that are supposed to illustrate how the original formulas are derived, just seems ridiculous.

In my experience, most students get the most benefit out of understanding the basic steps involved in completing the problem, and leaving it at that. Get in, get out, escape with your life, and hopefully your G.P.A. still intact. Sure, there’s a lot to be said for going more in depth with the material, and I’d love to help you do that if that’s your goal. For most people though, a basic understanding is sufficient.

My greatest hope for this e-book and for integralCALC.com is that they’ll help you in whatever capacity you need them. If you’re shooting for a C+, let’s get you a C+. I don’t want to waste your time trying to give you more than you need. That being said though, most of the students I tutored who came in shooting for a C+ came out with something closer to a B+ or an A-. If you want an A, attaining it is easier than you think.

No matter what your skill level, or the final grade you’re shooting for, I hope that this e-book will help you get closer to it, and better yet, save you some stress along the way.