[WalterBright]

It was straightforward:

1. attend all lectures

2. do all of the homework on time

3. make sure I understood how to do 100% of the homework problems

4. get help with anything I didn't understand

5. write down everything that the prof wrote on the blackboard

6. clean up my handwriting so it was legible

7. lectures/homework/studying always came first

[fuzzfactor]

Exactly what worked for me back then, except in Chemistry in addition to copying from the board I also wrote down everything the professor said along with what I thought about what was presented and was writing so fast it made No.6 completely impossible.

Ever since, when working with someone who has difficult-to-decipher handwriting I advise them that their handwriting is just fine for themselves, so when you need others to read it correctly, in those situations approach it like calligraphy instead.

Naturally I typed my homework and did "calligraphy" on exams.

Also the homework contributed so little credit toward your final grade that a single wrong answer on a midterm or final counted against you mathematically more so than turning in no homework at all, so some good students treated it like they could make up for many hours shortage on homework in just five minutes of the time spent acing the exams. But it turned out to be impossible to get an A for the course if all of the homework was not completed and all correct as well. This was by design and for students to figure out for themselves. They didn't give very many A's in Chemistry.

[WalterBright]

At Caltech, the grade was totally based on the midterm and final exams. The homework only counted if you were on the boundary between one grade and another. In fact, the homework often wasn't even graded, you'd do the homework and then attend a "recitation" session where a grad student would go over it with the students.

The point of the homework was to teach you the material. Skip it at your peril. Mastering it meant you were reasonably prepared for the exams.