A tactic you need to learn fast and use all the time is understanding how the professor thinks about the class and topic. You should strive to understand the material fully, but doing well in the class and knowing the content are different things.

I asked you why you gauged your results poorly because I think that you aren't aware of your professors' expectations of you. Try to figure out what kind of questions will be asked. Will they be directly from the homework? Are the tests multiple choice or free response?

I've had professors that like to be hard on everyone during the semester to push them, but if you make it through alive you will most likely get an A regardless of your test scores. This is probably not going to happen in first year courses, but talk to your professor during office hours and let her know you exist and are interested in the course.

Hope this helped some.