<ol>
<li><p>My parents took out PLUS loans in a sufficient quantity such that there would be a surplus for books. This has been deposited in my student financial aid account, but I have no idea how to draw from it for purchasing. Who do you think I should talk to about this--the director of financial services? An assistant director? Someone specializing in loans and grants at the college?</p></li>
<li><p>Math has always been my weakness, though I've lately come to really enjoy it. I always struggle through homework, occasionally pulling my hair out and never getting many answers right. After reviewing homework with the teacher, though, I usually grasp the concepts easily and do quite well on quizzes, tests, and exams. This was especially true in calculus, where, fortunately, homework was not considered as part of the grade. I excelled in that class and my teacher told me that I have a brain for math (which I doubt, but it was nice of him to say).</p></li>
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<p>So, my question is what to do about math at Smith. I'd love to take another math class, even if it's just through higher levels of calculus, but I don't want to have my grade dragged down by poor performance on problem sets. I know grades aren't everything, and I love learning for the sake of learning, but my marks will matter when it comes time for grad school or further scholarship applications. </p>
<p>Should I stay away or take the risk and seek extra help as necessary?</p>
<p>Call Financial Services and they’ll route you to the right person.</p>
<p>Remember that you can take a few classes P/NP. Take too many and those perusing your resume in the future may look askance but if it’s a targeted 2-3 math classes, you would probably be okay. </p>
<p>You may want to consider what, if anything, you’re inclined to do junior year: if you go to a Smith-run program, grades are counted in your GPA but if it’s not a Smith-run program, the grades are considered P/NP by Smith…though for grad school, etc., you would report those grades as they actually were.</p>
<p>Thus how D had 3 GPA’s: Smith overall, Smith Latin Honors (w/o first year), and Everything (Smith + Semester abroad…second semester was a Smith-run program in Washington)></p>
<p>Btw, the Math lab is reportedly an excellent resource for students seeking help with Math. I’ve heard this on multiple occasions, so I tend to believe it. If you anticipate problems, go from the beginning. It’s easier to catch the problems early before you start getting behind.</p>
<p>No idea about the PLUS loan, but as for math, there are a number of courses offered in the math department and other quantitative departments that are designed for people who have unsteady math ability but want to learn more. I would check the course catalog for more info on those. </p>
<p>If you want just straight math however, there are some courses offered to get students up to speed who didn’t have calculus in high school or didn’t have good calculus in high school. I forget what they’re called but you’ll find them in the 100s in the course catalog. Smith just opened a Quantitative Learning Center a couple of years ago to provide a place for support and one on one help for students in math intensive courses, so if you choose to pursue math, you’ll have support. </p>
<p>I always think that simple fear of losing GPA points is a bad reason to not try something you think you’d like. Give it a shot, and if you’re miserable, you get a “Free drop” First year, where you can drop any course without penalty to transcript or GPA (you have to do it by a certain deadline), or you can switch to taking the course as a simple pass/fail, if the professor is amenable. Don’t be afraid to take risks with your schedule! This is college, it’s a time to explore.</p>