Hello,
I am a 34-year-old returning student attending community college in Southern California. My current GPA is 4.0, and after this current semester, I will have completed all but 2 of my GE courses, one science, and one college-level math. I plan to complete the articulated courses for my major within the next year and transfer in Fall, 2020. However, I am concerned that I may get a B in the algebra class that I am currently taking.
Should I be concerned about getting a B in a math class that isn’t even college-level? I honestly feel great about my math skills once I understand the concept, and I’d like to think that I have good number sense. I help my classmates with their hw and lab work. However, what has caused me headaches in this class, besides the ineffective (in my opinion) teaching style of the professor, has been the word problems. I feel supremely confident about everything else. Nonetheless, I got an 80 in my most recent exam, and the reason is that I left two word problems blank. I would’ve eventually solved them, but I ran out of time. What does this spell for me in future, more advanced math courses?
I guess what I am trying to say is that I struggle a bit with word problems, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot comprehend them outright. Maybe I just need to study and practice a bit more? Math is one of those subjects that I don’t really study for, as long as I understand the concept I can focus on other classes and do relatively well on exams. Nevertheless, what would you suggest to improve my word problem-solving skills? A tutor? More intensive studying? Moreover, is getting a B in algebra indicative of an impending failure in future math courses?