I dont get why. I never struggled in high school. No matter what I do I just can not pass this class. This is my third time taking it. I cant do anything if I dont pass. I cant even stay in school. Theyll make me take a break for a year. What am I going to do for a year?? Work? With what experience??
I so sick of people telling me to see a tutor. I HAVE 3 I SEE 1 EVERY DAY AND THE OTHER TWO EVERY OTHER DAY. I go to the math specialist for 2 hours a day. I talk to my professor all the time. I am on medication because I apparently have adhd.
I hate when people ask me what im not getting, how tf am I supposed to know??
I just want to give up. Theres nothing else i want to do besides compsci and software engineering. I took college courses for those in highschool and they were so fun and easy. I can do higher math I just cannot do algebra. I tried my hardest to year out of it. I wouldve been put in calc if my algebra score wasnt so low.
Im just so tired of working so hard and not having anything to show for it.
this is the first class Ive ever failed in my entire life, i just study so much and nothing ever pays off with this class. I even get accomidations for the class feom the school and I still cant do well. I dont know what to do now. Everyone keeps telling me to change my major. Every major requires algebra here. I couldnt change it if i wanted to. Im so tired of struggling so much.
3-4 hours in tutoring, 2 more hours studying and keeping up with homework.
5-6 hours a day spent on a subject im currently failing. Again.
I had to take Algebra three times until I finally made a D, which was passing, and I could move on. I minored in CS and when on to an MBA. Yeah, College Algebra sucks. Any math but Algebra.
Any way you can squeeze your way into a D? Can you withdrawal and take it at a CC? You just need to find a way to put this class behind you.
Lots of places don’t need experience. Walmart pays $10/hr now. My coworkers were all really nice for the three summers I worked there.
How are you at the coding/programming part of computer science? Could you theoretically learn that from the numerous resources available online or in book form and get a job that way? I’m not sure how feasible that is, but I’ve heard that compsci is one of the fields you can kind of self-start in.
Can you take Algebra at another college? Perhaps the way you college teaches it causes the problem - it’s actually bn researched and some ways to teach Algebra (which is the most common obstacle for students) do cause problems for students, and other ways help them.
What state are you in and what colleges are within driving distance?
If you take a leave of absence next semester and take just that one class while you work somewhere, could this be ok with your current college?
First off, how can you do calculus but not algebra?? That’s impossible. Personally I just think your teachers suck or you just aren’t understanding their teaching style. I won’t tell you to go to tutoring. That’s never helped me either since I’ve always learned better on my own and just never found it helpful in general. It seems like everyone flunks math at least once in their lives. I’m currently taking elementary algebra and I’ve been struggling with it as I failed it over the summer and taking again now. You should tell your teacher exactly how you are doing the homework and prepping for exams so they can find out what you are doing wrong. Obviously you are doing something wrong if you are spending over 20 hours a week on the class and failing it. Are your tests open notes or book? That could be the reason you are struggling as my tests are open notes but the tests are extremely tricky. I’m currently trying to learn how to take a open notes test. I think teachers give open notes/book math exams so they know you understand the concepts and aren’t trying to bs your way through their class. I HATE open book/notes tests! PM me if you have any other questions
My son struggled with college algebra his first semester. And by “struggled” I mean he got an F. I think it was just the way the professor taught it. He spent the summer reviewing the material on Aleks.com (a $21/month website) because their explanations were clear, but Kahn Academy and other websites offer free videos that could help just as well. He’s retaking it this semester with a different professor and so far has an A even though he doesn’t have to study nearly as long as he did the first time. Changing the approach made all the difference.
Using online practice sites is one solution. The thing I like about Aleks.com is that as you work through the program, it adjusts which topics you need to study based on your responses. It doesn’t make you rehash things you already know. Have you saved your homework and exams from your other classes? If so, you may be able to use those to pinpoint which things are giving you trouble. My suspicion is that you need a different explanation than you’re getting. Does your text come with a student solutions manual? My son’s has one that shows the students how to work through some of the problems step by step. Once he learns the proper way to do each type, he can replicate those steps on other problems. And if he doesn’t understand why a certain step is done, he marks it and asks his professor for an explanation.
You’re putting a lot of stress on yourself. The worst that happens is that you take a gap year and learn the material so you can move on. The anxiety that stress produces makes it difficult to learn. Don’t give up. When you’re programming you have to search for solutions until you find one that works, right? Approach algebra the same way. Don’t ask yourself why can’t I learn it but how can I learn it. I think that will help.