I didnt take calculus in high school and Im kind of struggling, I understand the concepts but keep getting simple things wrong. (like if its a trick question It goes over my head). I dont really know what my grade is right now because theres no way to really tell. I got around a 50-60 on my first mid term and I score around the same on my quizzes (my professor is really tough, her questions are tougher than the exam). I have one midterm and one final left, and Im just wondering if theres any way I can at least have a C in the class if I get a 70 on both of those. Im thinking about going overtime with math the next few weeks and trying to score higher on the quizzes and working my ass off (going to tutoring, and doing all the homework problems). I do, do the homework but I get alot of the answers wrong, can someone give me tips on how to actually learn the material and understand it and get it right? whenever I go to my professors office hours she doesnt really help me, just tells me things I already know and reiterates things. I just want her to explain certain steps and the reasons behind them (not tell me the answers). so yeah tips would be nice.
Go look at your syllabus. It should explain everything you could ever want to know about grading. Keep the late-drop deadline in mind as a last resort (November 11 I think).
Also try getting a tutor. http://penn.liontutors.com/classes/math-140 Online resources might include Khan Academy or PatrickJMT on YouTube.
@bodangles wait, whats the point of dropping out so late?
If it looks like you’re going to fail, you get a W on your record instead of an F. Doesn’t affect your GPA, just may set you back in your course plan. https://handbook.psu.edu/content/schedule-adjustment#latedrop
@bodangles For entrance into a major would that mean I would be entering a semester later or when I finish all prerequisites? (Im not thinking of quitting yet, Im just asking).
What are you in, MechE?
https://advising.psu.edu/entrance-major-requirements-college-engineering-2017
https://rap.psu.edu/mechanical-engineering-university-park
In order to stay on track, you would probably have to catch up over the summer with Calc 2. That way you could take DiffEq in the fall as planned so it’s complete for entrance to major in the spring. You really want to have those prereqs done in time for entrance to major. I wouldn’t want to risk having to work out an alternate arrangement for applying to your major – there’s not only a GPA requirement and required classes, but a credit window where you can’t apply if you have more than 59 credits or less than 40.
I took Calc 3 over the summer at my local community college so that I didn’t have to take it alongside DiffEq in the fall. It wasn’t too bad. Best case scenario is that you pull this semester off and stay on track, though. It’s just a backup option.
@Ajpat123, taking Calculus for the first time in college is not easy, but you can definitely do it. I wouldn’t give up.
I think the first thing you need to do is figure out what types of things are tripping you up.
There are 5 main things that can cause someone to have trouble with Calculus:
1)Trouble understanding the new concepts in Calculus - like:
a)What a limit is and how to use the limit definition of the derivative to find the derivative of a function.
b)What a derivative is, and what it means, not just how to calculate it for different types of functions.
c)What the fundamental theorem of Calculus is and what it means.
d)What an integral is and what it means.
2)Trouble with algebraic manipulations - when calculating derivatives, there’s a ton of algebra that you have to do to simplify your answer. If you don’t have STRONG algebra skills, you could understand all of the concepts in Calculus and still get every problem wrong.
3)Trouble with trig concepts, trig identities and the derivatives of trig functions. You can’t get through Calculus without knowing trig, but trig functions are only a subset of the functions you’ll have to deal in Calculus. If you’re having trouble with the questions involving trig, I would partition that off, and don’t let it freak you out. Learn how to do the problems not involving trig, and then set aside separate time to really dig into trig. And by dig in, I mean MEMORIZE. I know, memorization is no fun, but there’s no way around it. If you don’t have the trig identities, the derivatives of all of the trig functions, and the inverse of all of the trig functions burned into your brain, then you’re not giving yourself a fair shot at Calculus. Just do it. If you set aside one weekend day, you could probably memorize all of it in 3 - 6 hours, and then you’ll be done with it forever, and you’ll own it.
4)Trouble with logs and exponents. Bad news again. This is all about memorization, too. But there’s way less to memorize here. Again, just do it. Set aside a couple of hours, and you’ll have it all in your head. One thing to watch out for here. If you’re doing a simple log problem that involves converting log XY to log X + log Y, and you catch yourself trying to prove the Log Product Rule to yourself under your breath, you’re thinking too much, and wasting time. Just memorize the rule and be done with it. From that point on, don’t try to prove it to yourself every time you use it. Just see the log of a product, and say, “Oh, I know how to deal with that. The log of a product is the sum of the individual logs”. Once you do that for each of the log rules, logs won’t be so scary any more.
5)Trouble with integration. Integration is definitely harder than differentiation. The key here is practice. Do as many problems as you can get your hands on. They’re not likely to give you some really crazy function on a test, so as long as you’ve practiced enough, you shouldn’t have trouble handling the problems they throw at you.
Notice that 3 out of 5, or 60% of what I listed above is not actually Calculus. It’s Algebra, Trig, and Pre-Calc. Calculus can seem overwhelming, but if you step back a little bit, and look at it at a high level, it’s really just 3 big concepts(limits, derivatives, and integrals) and a bunch of rules, tricks, and techniques for calculating those 3 things. It’s really not that bad. But you have to have the Algebra, Trig, and Precalc down cold, or you’ll be fighting an uphill battle.
You’re not going to be able to get it all in a weekend. It’s going to take time. But if you break it down into reasonable chunks, and don’t let yourself get freaked out, you can definitely do it. You wouldn’t be in the class if you didn’t have the ability to do it.
Good luck!
@WalknOnEggShells OnEggShells The weird thing is that Im fine with derivatives and limits. I think the lack of trig and rusty algebra skills are killing me.
@Ajpat123, rusty Algebra skills will definitely sink you in Calculus. It’s easily fixed though. Just get an Algebra review book, and spend a whole day with it, or a whole weekend. That should be enough. When you say lack of trig, do you mean that you never took it at all? That would be a serious problem, but again, fixable.
How’s your knowledge of exponents and logs?
@WalknOnEggShells Lack of trig as in lack of knowledge in trig, I didnt cover everything in trig that I needed to know. I have worked with the unit circle and trig equations but not any of the identities (I kind of just learned them in calculus, but dont really understand how to apply them.
I did fine with logs and exponents in high school, a quick refresher should do me good.
Not gonna lie though failing this midterm is teaching me a lot, my algebra skills are a lot better than it was when I first started the class.
@WalknOnEggShells I just got my exam score back and It turns out I did worse than I thought, and am thinking about just dropping out now. I dont know how I could bring my grade up. I calculated every the weights for my class and all the possible scores I would need to get, Im pretty screwed.
Calm down, relax. get a tutor to help you. Put out flyers. Put that I’m looking for a tutor or someone to be a study buddy. I’m sure there will be some people. Penn state is a huge school. You will probably get a call after 10-20 minutes. I did this for organic chem.
What type of Math 140 are you taking? A, B, E…?
Do you have a tutor? Did you go see the professor early enough and often enough that s/he knows you by name?
If you’re failing, drop the class - but ONLY if you remain at 12 credits and above. What other classes are you taking and how many credits do you have if you remove calculus?
You can drop the class and take Applied calculus next semester (something like Math 110). It’s applied to economics and business and goes more slowly than 140.
If you’re already in the Applied Math course, it means you may need to take a refresher course in precalculus before you take Applied Math. It’s not the end of the world.
Why are people forcing him to drop out?
drop out of calc?
@MYOS1634 Im taking Math 140 the regular one, Im thinking about waiting it out until the next midterm and depending on what I get on that one, I`ll either drop out and take it next semester (if I dont do too well) or stay in the class if I have a chance of passing.
If I drop calculus I would be taking 12 credits.
@NASA2014 the thing is, I would have to make a really high grade on the midterm and final (like above an 80) to get my grade to a low C. But even then I would just barely be passing.
Nobody’s forcing anyone to do anything. We’re just giving OP the information on their options so they can decide for themselves.
I think studying really hard for the second exam and seeing how it goes before deciding whether or not to drop is a good idea, as long as the second exam is before Nov. 11.
@bodangles I thinks its on November 1st,
Drop the class, use the free time to review trig, and if you’re not majoring in stem take Applied calculus in the spring.