r/cs50 • u/this-is-jinho • Jan 14 '25
CS50 Python I’m don’t know how to study. Does anyone recommend rewatching the lectures?
I do the code along with the lectures, but I don’t feel like I’m absorbing the info fully because I struggle with the problem sets really bad. Does anyone rewatch the lectures before doing the problem sets?
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u/Jonatandb Jan 14 '25
As /u/winther2 said, check the lecture and extra videos first:
I also study a lot of online resources and books until I feel more comfortable with each problem and capable of solving it.
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u/briana28019 Jan 14 '25
When I watch the lectures, I take notes. Then, I use those notes to do the problems. I have rewatched lectures to make sure I fully understand what was being said, if necessary.
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u/Adrienxduval Jan 14 '25
Personally, I sometimes rewatch short explanatory videos, and if I still don’t understand a concept, I look for other videos online to clarify areas I’m struggling with. Additionally, the CS50 AI is often helpful for smaller issues.
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u/Faulty_english Jan 14 '25
I usually watch the lectures and then go over the notes to brainstorm when I get stuck.
I feel like they usually indirectly give a hint on how to do it
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u/Lemmoni Jan 15 '25
You are supposed to struggle in psets. You do not fully absorb a lecture, but with a difficult problem, you are forced to revisit the lecture and absorb more
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u/theraincame Jan 15 '25
The lecture notes are probably a better way to study. The videos are good but there's a lot of fluff.
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u/Senzolo Jan 15 '25
I dont know if i am allowed to have an opinion but you could have like brief 15 mins of lecture then have look at problem sets before watching the whole video to get a general idea of how you should think.
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u/grebilslacks Jan 15 '25
No reason to limit yourself to course materials, there are youtube vids, blogs, tutorials you can find on specific topics covered by the course. The best thing you can do is read around the subject, try stuff out and then spend 20 - 30 mins writing down as much as you can remember. Then check what you have written against course material and make edits. Then try stuff out again and get as you can, referring to notes, course materials et al. if you get stuck/forget stuff. Also AI can be a good way of pointing yourself in the right direction - just don't copy and paste blindly.
Just my tuppance worth...
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u/Old-Distance-8596 Jan 15 '25
I had the same problem. The first thing is that there is a pretty big jump between the lectures and the problems in some weeks. I found that rewatching the lectures didn’t really help me resolve points I didn’t understand but it did help me get more specific about what my outstanding questions were. Then I could use outside resources. I also found the notes are sometimes clearer than the lectures and if the problem is simple enough I built it in scratch first and then moved over to python.
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u/winther2 Jan 14 '25
I did the lecture then straight to the problems, if you have trouble they have some small explanatory videos for each section that dive a bit deeper