Hello all- could really use some advice!
BACKGROUND: My son took a few gap years as a sponsored athlete, then got serious about school
and went to a CC for a few years and then applied to UC’s last fall as a transfer for Fall 2016. Because he is a little older due to GAP years (just turned 25) and just because of his personality, he has not allowed me much input into any of his decisions re where to apply etc. (Another family member was supposed to help with finances along with financial aid, so I couldn’t play that card.) He is also LD but has learned to manage that pretty well, works very hard, advocates for himself, utilizes accommodations etc. Against my advice and much to my chagrin, he did not apply to any safety or back-up schools.
As stated above he has been accepted at UCSB, and approved for UCD TAG as a Psych major, but still waiting on their admission decisions. (Has also applied to UCSC, UCSD and UCLA.)
The problem is that he is currently in the second half of pre-calculus and has Calculus planned for the summer. Pre-calc is not going well. He has to get a C or better in it, I believe, as well as in the Calc planned for Summer, as a condition of his admittance to UCSB. He doesn’t know what to do or what will happen if he drops Pre Calc, or stays with it and gets below a C. I think he is afraid to call the admissions office and discuss it with them.
It looks like the Psych/Brain Science major at UCSB includes a lot more math than the Psych major at Davis. I believe that is why he was advised to take the current semester pre calc and summer calc, so he would possibly have other options in case he didn’t get admitted to UCD.
I am even wondering if he should find a few CSU’s that are still taking apps and apply there in case UCSB rescinds and he doesn’t get into UCD. I am also worried that the math heavy Psych at UCSB would be too much for him even if he manages not to get rescinded.
Any insights welcome!
~ confused mother
Students who struggle in Pre-Calc struggle a lot more in Calc. The UCs do rescind if students don’t follow through on their planned progress.
I advise tutoring. Lots of tutoring.
Not laying blame at all, but how is the teacher? Available? Is he seeking help where he can? A lot of students don’t understand that math is like piano, unlike a read and memorize subject, it takes practice to understand it. Sure, for some math is just hard, and maybe they can’t get there, but for many, they just don’t put in the time it needs. It takes practice practice practice. The above statement by Cardinal Fang totally makes sense, but one of mine struggled in pre calc but then rocked AP Calc BC - one because she had a much better teacher, and two, was mature enough to realize the time she had to invest. So should he fear math and change his course because it really just is too hard for him (and maybe it is, that’s ok too) or really try to conquer it? Also agree, tutoring a must.
Thank you for the feedback. He has been going to the free walk-in tutoring at school- it is helpful, but it seems that quality of the tutoring varies depending on who he works with. Maybe hire a private tutor?
I am also worried that this might be indicative of further problems both with Calc and the more qualitative upper division Psych classes in the major at UCSB. The midterm is in 2 weeks and they have weekly quizzes.
CADREAMIN and Cardinal Fang - thank you for your insights. He doesn’t like the teacher at all. Says she doesn’t “care”. Not approachable. Weekly quizzes. He thinks a lot of people have dropped the class. Sounds like she is Pushing through a lot of material at breakneck speed. Going to look into better tutoring options.
Get a private tutor. LD or not, Calc is pretty tough to figure out on your own. Walk in tutoring is good if you are struggling with a specific topic but regular private tutoring will be a lot more effective in the long run. Once the tutor knows your son’s strengths and weaknesses, it will be a lot easier to get him back on track. And if he’s struggling with pre-calc, Calc is going to be a total trainwreck.
You might want to double check the Psych degree requirements. I wonder if you are looking at requirements for Biopsychology, which is essentially neuroscience. The Psych degree (BA) requires just one math class, 34A, which is introductory Calculus, and a course in statistics for Psychology majors.
https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/catalog/Current/Documents/2015_Majors/LS/Psy/Psychology-BA-2015.pdf
The campus also provides extensive free tutoring opportunities for anyone needing some help with the material:
http://clas.sa.ucsb.edu/
Notveryzen- I am definitely going to look into private tutoring- today his tutoring through the school was cancelled because the Tutor he was scheduled with is sick (?)! Can’t really afford it but …
Momsquad- thank you - I did check- I believe this year UCSB no longer has the Psych degree, they have replaced it with Psychology/ Brain Science. The info is very confusing to me at least. I will try to post it here.
I was looking at the following link- but later tonight I am going to see if there was anything more specific sent to him with his UCSB acceptance.
https://www.psych.ucsb.edu/sites/www.psych.ucsb.edu/files/docs/C) Psychology Transfer Plan_0.pdf
That link doesn’t seem to work… Trying again
https://www.psych.ucsb.edu/sites/www.psych.ucsb.edu/files/docs/C) Psychology Transfer Plan_0.pdf
Still doesn’t work? But can’t delete it
The link works if you cut and paste it into the browser address bar.
Got it! thanks! Is it just me or is that graphic “majorly” confusing!!!???
Tutoring is most important, but in between there is also khanacademy.org (Just Google “khanacademy precalculus”). The instructor, Salman Khan, has a special talent for making material understandable, and it’s free.
That flow chart does seem to be unnecessarily confusing. It would have been more helpful if they had course descriptions instead of just course numbers. Still, for the BA in Psych ( it’s still called Psychology major but it’s in the department of psych and brain science) only the one math class and one stats class are required. There’s also a class in experimental psych methods which may involve practical applications of the statistics and some basic calculations. The psych program at UCSB is research oriented, if his interests are more in counseling or therapy there may be better options at Cal State which pave the way for a certificate in counseling.
BunnyBlue- yes I know he does use Khan Academy pretty religiously and loves it.
Momsquad- thank you for all the great info- I believe he is leaning more towards the research than counseling side but we will see. Having struggled with LD his whole life has spurred his interest in understanding how the brain works, how his brain works etc. I see what you are saying about the Psychology BA and that is what it says on the UCSB website, but he is admitted as a pre- Psychology/Brain Science major - and I saw somewhere that this is replacing the Psychology major for Fall 2016 transfers. I either saw this on assist or on links on his admission portal. I’ll check it later when I’m home.
I found it on “assist”- the new major seems much more quantitatively oriented - looks like they want to phase out
the less rigorous major.
UPCOMING CHANGES FOR FALL 2016: The Psychology, B.A. will be discontinued and
replaced by a new major, Psychological and Brain Sciences, B.S., beginning fall
2016. The B.A. in Psychology will continue to be available to transfer
applicants (but not freshman applicants) in fall 2016 and fall 2017. Transfer
students may also choose to apply for the new B.S. in Psychological and Brain
Sciences beginning fall 2016.
PSY 3, 5, and 7 will not be part of the new major. PSTAT 5A, which is now an
option, will be required instead of PSY 5. Two quarters of general chemistry and
two quarters of biology will be required. General psychology (PSY 1), one
calculus course (MATH 34A or 3A), statistics (PSTAT 5A), and two quarters of
general chemistry (CHEM 1A-1B) must be completed before enrolling in the new
classes - PSY 10A (Statistics in Experimental Psychology) and 10B (Methods in
Experimental Psychology). PSY 10A and 10B, which will be unique to UCSB, will
teach statistics and methods at a higher level than was previously possible in
PSY 5 and PSY 7. Biopsychology (PSY 3) will no longer be taught at the
lower-division level.
That is interesting! I guess they want to strengthen the rigor of the major, maybe because so much more is known about the biochemistry of the brain.
Yes I agree- it does make the major a bit more daunting to someone like my son though. Nerve-wracking times around here. He still has time to drop the pre calculus he is in now, but would dropping it also cause them to rescind? He says he will call UCSB today to discuss.
Frustrating for me to watch this going down when he ignored my advice to apply for back up schools in the first place! Now he says oh I’ll just apply to CSUs for Spring 17 if this falls through. This after The gap YEARS and the extra year or two in CC he took killing himself to meet UC transfer requirements. He could have gone to a CSU several years ago but he was fixated on going to a UC. He is 25 and not easy to live with. I don’t want to/can’t be supporting him much longer. I’m a low income single parent and just so frustrated with him right now!