<p>I really really suck in math. I mean really. I'm in all honors and ap classes expect for the math part. I'm doing soooo bad in AP Physics (partly because I don't study) which is basically using memorizing formulas and calculation using math. So my question is, if you major in finance or eco how much math do you need to know? And if you major in business in general, do you need anything beyond precal?</p>
<p>econ is all calculus. finance is basically all math. if you don't like math don't go into either of these majors because you will be miserable.</p>
<p>Math isn't something you have to be brilliant to do. It takes practice. Much like driving an 18-wheel truck or cooking a fancy meal. The people who do best in it at high school and undergraduate level are not the people that are brilliant. The people who do best in it are the people who practice. Relentlessly.</p>
<p>Some people like to play down the amount of studying they actually do in order to create the impression that they are naturally gifted. They aren't. It's easy to tell because the ones who actually are gifted don't generally like to show it off. So don't be a victim of BS. </p>
<p>It is also easy to feel as though you are not good at math simply because of a few low grades. I got 52% in high school calculus (partly because I didn't study), and now I'm holding an acceptance to a top 50 grad school for economics. Still waiting on admission results for the rest of them.</p>
<p>If you love econ or finance or some other applied math subject, the math will come because you will find it necessary to know it in order answer the questions that naturally arise in your head during the course of your studies. The notation makes math look intimidating sometimes, but really all it takes is practice. </p>
<p>Remember, what looks like gibberish to you at first glance probably looks that way to 90%+ of the other students in the room. The rest of them have seen it before because they worked ahead. So study study study, if you are determined enough not to let some silly math come between you and your goal. </p>
<p>Btw, I ended up getting some of my highest grades in calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and statistics. My lowest was in a mandatory class in marketing; I didn't study because I thought the course was stupid. (And it was.)</p>
<p>and undergraduate level are not the people that are brilliant</p>
<p>Sorry, but that's flat out wrong. Those that really do well in any meaningful mathematics course, (ie:functional/complex measure, combinatorics, etc) are quite brilliant. That's not stuff that you can practice. It relies on raw intelligence. You either get it, or you don't. Most of the kids that are in these types of upper levels are already pretty brilliant. Those that excel...well, that's another story.</p>
<p>btw, where did you apply for grad school?</p>
<p>6rings: stay away from econ and finance</p>
<p>I know a fellow that went from a C in college algebra and F in biz calc to a top 10 PhD program in mathematics (i cannot recall the specific field..but i believe it was something along the lines of topology and geometry). He said if you can learn a language, you can learn math. Now i suck at math but have recently finished biz calc and found myself quite intrigued. So i have been studying on my own and have been through the entire james stewart calc book, i am currently doing multi variate calculus and some linear algebra and will soon be on partials and mixed partials (i have touched on a few of these already). All in all, i have found that it is easier than it is made out to be, although the work is monumental compared to anything else i have set out to learn. This is coming from somebody that could barely do algebra. But once i figured out i never learned algebra (i took unified math in high school up to pre calc), i decided to learn and everything has been fine since.</p>
<p>PS: torrents are your friend since books/solution manuals are quite expensive</p>