Question:
I HATE math…what do I do?
LittleMixMuffin
2015-09-16 05:11:11 UTC
I m in college and I m stuck taking this math course. This is my second time taking it, but the 1st time was a while back so I don t remember ever learning any of this. I m terrible with this math course not to mention I need to pass it in order to graduate. My professor doesn t really explain thoroughly, and quite frankly, I don t know how she s a professor. Everytime I ask her to go slower, she ll say sorry but a few minutes later she s right back at going full speed! The examples she puts on the board don t even correlate with the hw. I really don t know what to do! I tried watching videos online and it keeps popping up random things that I m not looking for. What do I do? I don t want to fail again.
Five answers:
sophieb
2015-09-16 06:18:55 UTC
If you're in college then you're going to have to take LOTS of math courses and heavy ones as well. Math is simple (if you can count on your fingers which I think you can) it seems you've just formed a block as a kid.

Yes college is fast and university is even faster because you were supposed to get the basics in high school. I'd say get some tutoring and take a math course outside of college. I'd suggest you stop going to college because you won't graduate without the required courses. Those courses I had to take were business math, economics I and II (requirements), Algebra 1 and II (requirements), Geometry (requirement), Statistics (requirement), Quantitative Methods (requirement), etc....and they are all math related. If you can't learn math (which I believe you could if you got out of the mindset of HATE) then go to another kind of school like a vocational or trade school instead.
pioneer_grrrl1979
2015-09-16 05:53:47 UTC
First off you have to remember that professors are not hired because they can/know how to teach. They are experts in their academic field. The math professor is an expert in math--not teaching students



See if there are math tutors in the area/a math tutoring center at your campus.
Caligula
2015-09-16 17:48:17 UTC
Your professor is required to cover a certain amount of material in a fixed number of classes. That means that the speed of the class is not up to her. She can't slow down, so you need to speed up.



Are you already making an effort to learn the material by reading the textbook (and possibly another book, one that you find easier, that you borrowed from the library) and trying to solve problems (the ones in your textbook, the ones in library books, ones you find online, ones you make up yourself)? If you're not, you should be. Just as you're expected to read to prepare for classes in history and look at reproductions of paintings to prepare for art history, you are expected to prepare for math class - and this is how.



If you're already preparing, I suggest another trip to the stacks, or even the bookstore; visits to any math tutoring site your school provides, or the hiring of a more advanced tutor to help you prep rather than to help you catch up; or even withdrawing from this semester and starting over with a prep-tutor already in place before the first meeting of your class.



It's easy to study for classes on subjects we enjoy, and I imagine it's hard for you to study math. But this may be one of those classes where you need to spend more than 3 hours studying outside of class for every hour spent in class. You may find out, however, what a lot of "good at math" students already know: math is made up of a lot of easy little pieces. A LOT of pieces. And once you can take each new one, understand it and fit it into what you already know before the next one shows up (and yes, from here on out that will happen fast), you might even enjoy it.



Good luck with the class. I hope that it will get to be enjoyable, even though I understand that right now it's anything but. But I also hope that, while you probably will need to work long hours at math this term, you also have plenty of time to enjoy those things that come more "naturally" to you.
Jay
2015-09-16 06:52:36 UTC
Consult your professor after class and do as many problems as possible. Whatever you do not know make sure to consult from someone who knows our from you professor. You will see a remarkable improvement in your grades. Most important of all, love it.
drip
2015-09-16 06:14:08 UTC
There should be a tutoring center on campus that you can get help at for free


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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