BA310 Notes
FIN 300 Survival Guide
Read this closely. Then re-read it after exploring MyFinanceLab.
These tips will help you succeed in FIN 300!
Finance is a difficult subject. Everyone struggles with the material initially. I can guarantee you that everyone else in the class is reading the text, working through the homework problems for the first time, and thinking, “I am so lost! I have no idea how to work these problems!” Everyone feels that way at first.
I felt that way when I took my first finance class. The only way to get over that is to re-read the text and work the problems…over and over again. It will start to come together after a while, but it takes A LOT of repetition.
There is no other way around it. This is a problem based class. If you want to do well in Finance 300, you have to practice the problems over and over again. In fact, you have to work the problems so many times that you can quickly and accurately complete them using nothing but the official formula sheet, an approved calculator, and blank scratch paper. That is all you will have access to in an exam. The formula sheet you will have for the exams is available in the “Document Sharing” section of MyFinanceLab. Use it while you study the problems so you get used to using the formulas you will have in an exam.
The old rule of thumb is that for every hour you spend in class, you should spend two to three hours studying outside of class. The face-to-face version of this class meets 2.5 hours each week. That means you should spend another 6 – 7.5 hours studying on your own each week. This assumes that you are strong in all of the prerequisite areas, including math (especially algebra), accounting, and economics. If you struggle in some of these areas, expect to spend even more time each week. If you are in the online section of this class, expect to spend even more time since you do not have the in class lecture to help explain concepts for the first time. No matter what version of
Read this closely. Then re-read it after exploring MyFinanceLab.
These tips will help you succeed in FIN 300!
Finance is a difficult subject. Everyone struggles with the material initially. I can guarantee you that everyone else in the class is reading the text, working through the homework problems for the first time, and thinking, “I am so lost! I have no idea how to work these problems!” Everyone feels that way at first.
I felt that way when I took my first finance class. The only way to get over that is to re-read the text and work the problems…over and over again. It will start to come together after a while, but it takes A LOT of repetition.
There is no other way around it. This is a problem based class. If you want to do well in Finance 300, you have to practice the problems over and over again. In fact, you have to work the problems so many times that you can quickly and accurately complete them using nothing but the official formula sheet, an approved calculator, and blank scratch paper. That is all you will have access to in an exam. The formula sheet you will have for the exams is available in the “Document Sharing” section of MyFinanceLab. Use it while you study the problems so you get used to using the formulas you will have in an exam.
The old rule of thumb is that for every hour you spend in class, you should spend two to three hours studying outside of class. The face-to-face version of this class meets 2.5 hours each week. That means you should spend another 6 – 7.5 hours studying on your own each week. This assumes that you are strong in all of the prerequisite areas, including math (especially algebra), accounting, and economics. If you struggle in some of these areas, expect to spend even more time each week. If you are in the online section of this class, expect to spend even more time since you do not have the in class lecture to help explain concepts for the first time. No matter what version of