Your mastery of the material will be much greater and easier to obtain if you attend the live performance. Copying a friend's notes, reading the text, or listening to a tape of the lecture are great supplements to your own lecture notes, but they are poor replacements. If you are confused about anything e-mail, call, or stop by my office hours.
Concepts build on one another.
You need to grasp what we are talking about now so that you can comprehend what will come up next. Do quality studying. You should find a comfortable, quiet place to concentrate on your courses. I am going to be asking you questions on the exams, so you should study by asking yourself questions. Study groups can be great ways to quiz each other.