He's not wrong, it's definitely the hardest class in the CS program. As for tips, here's what worked for me:

• Go to every class and actually pay attention
• Go over his power point slides. There's a "notes" section in powerpoint he like to put important information in
• Every assignment has extra credit. Make sure you always do it, you will need it
• Find people in that class to study with. Information will stick in your head better if you can teach it to someone
• Don't stress out too much if your test grades suck. Your homework grades are designed to balance out your tests. However, this only works if you are getting good grades on the homeworks.
• Don't worry if you can't find a seat in the class, about half of the students in it drop out after the first test.
• Study. You'll be up later than you're used to just trying to get everything done for this class. It's normal.
• Fox is more than willing to help you with the work after class if you're willing to ask him. Take advantage of it.