<p>I just finished my freshman quarter at UC Davis and did for the most part, pretty good. I got an A in PSC 1, and A in my freshman Seminar, a B+ in Chem2A, but unfortunately, I’m expecting a C (or potentially less) in Math17A.</p>
<p>Math has always been a struggle for me, even in high school, and I had no prior calculus experience and had Dr. Dad-del as my professor (those who have him no what I’m talking about, his tests are not the friendliest).</p>
<p>Perhaps the worst part of this is that I didn’t really slack off or not take it seriously, I was in tutoring and office hours to the point I was on a first-name basis with many of those who helped me. I got a maximum of roughly 2-3 hours of sleep the night before each midterm, I formed study groups with other kids who were struggling. But even with all my efforts it still just wasn’t enough :(</p>
<p>Here’s the thing though, for my major (biotechnology) I technically don’t even need the 17 series, I only was taking it because at the time I wasn’t sure at the time if I wanted to switch into the college of biosci as a genetics major or consider med school. Now I know for sure I don’t really want to do either (not just cause of the math thing I spoke with some professors in a seminar and it just doesn’t appeal to me as much as I thought it would.) I have a delimma.</p>
<p>Would I be able to restart math from the 16 series by taking 16A next quarter for a higher GPA and replace the grade from 17A? would it be better to just finish the 17 series and hope it gets better? Or should I go to 16B and try to move on? I’m just really trying to figure out what I want to do with myself as far as this goes and just with my life and education in general and want to make sure I don’t screw up again which unfortunately, I have a tendency to do :/</p>
<p>Any advice can/would be appreciated. Thanks in advance :)</p>
<p>Your grade from 16A will not replace the grade from 17A, just like how when I took 16B instead of repeating 21B (since I got a D in 21B), my grade in 16B didn’t replace my grade for 21B. Since you’ve already taken 17A, you have the choice to either continue on to 17B or take 16B–there’s no need to start over at 16A. Since you said you don’t really need the 17 series, just go ahead and take 16B.</p>
<p>Hmmm, my advice is to either stick with 17B or go to 16B. Math concepts are similar in all the series 16, 17, and 21 at Davis. However, the concepts may be more in depth for 21 series, ie. proofs, theorems, laws. If you want to tackle 17B, try to build up your skills in math. I got through the 21 series by watching videos on youtube. Google PatrickJMT and KhanAcademy for simplified math concepts that are taught in the 21 series. Pretty sure 17 series cover the same stuff. Good luck!</p>
<p>Here’s a different point of view. You yourself say that Math has always been tough for you. It sounds as if you did all the studying you could. Math must be mastered sequentially.</p>
<p>I’m coming from the perspective that you don’t really know what you want to major in. Also, like most people, you don’t want to kill your GPA.</p>
<ol>
<li> Keep this in mind. If you get a D or F, you CAN retake the course. The original course instance and grade will stay on your transcript, and the retake instance and grade will appear on your transcript, but only the retake grade will be calculated into your GPA.<br></li>
<li> Since you do not really know what your major will be, I would urge you to discontinue Math for just a bit. It’s not like you need to take 2 years of 21/22 to be an engineer. I urge you to wait a bit because, if you happen to choose a major in the College of Letters and Science, they let you pass/fail courses in your major. Not everybody knows about this. So you would have the option of taking the rest of your Math pass/fail.</li>
<li> Once you’re sure of your major, take the easiest Math that meets the requirement. If you switch to the 16 series, start at 16A. Better yet, I would urge you to voluntarily go back and take MAT 12, Pre-Calculus. I know you don’t like reading this, but you need to make this as easy on yourself as possible.<br></li>
<li> You could take Math at a local JC, where the grading might be somewhat easier. Just make sure that the courses transfer over officially.</li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck.</p>