<p>After a semester of "old school," no calculator, by-the-book, algebra, I've come to love it and really despise "modern" math methods. You know, where TI-84s are needed for EVERY class and when someone asks you what math you're in, you can't answer since you were doing a mish-mash of everything. Integrated math, maybe it's called?</p>
<p>Anyhow, it seems this crap has put a lot of fellow HS students who also attend my school into "baby" math -- basically the lowest of low remedial classes. I managed to get placed into algebra. The "old school" way was certainly a culture shock, but by the midterm time I adjusted fine. </p>
<p>Who else got screwed and hates this crap public schools are passing off as real math? Certainly my Algebra 1021 class could have been adapted to a public school 9th or 10th grade program. </p>
<p>Because I have a pretty strong interest and pride in coming from the HS I did, I've started private talks with former math teachers on their opinions of traditional math classes and will raise it to administration over the summer.</p>
<p>At least you were placed into algebra...we don't have placements and I signed up for Calculus (the usual starting math here). Bombed it...BAD. I did well in HS math...mainly because of the calculators and pretty lax grading. Got here last year and noticed my algebra and trig skills were not up to par, second time I took the course I actually studied 2x as much to get my precalc up the level of everyone else.</p>
<p>I didn't have any problem-- placed into Calculus but only needed Pre-cal with algebra/trig-- but I also took Cal honors in high school (my hs wasn't that great, but the math teachers were). Those "integrated math" classes are BS, generally. We were also only allowed to use in HS the calculators with basic trig functions (the ones that cost like $10 at walmart), no expensive graphing ones. </p>
<p>What I felt unprepared for in college was science. I aced basic Chem in high school, and thought I could do ok in it in college, and made a C in the first semester, and totally failed the second semester chem. It was bad. Everything else I think I had an okay basis for, if not great.</p>
<p>I'm taking BC calculus in highschool right now so I'm pretty sure I'll be prepared for college math next year, which I will be doing a lot of as an engineering major. Not sure if I'll take the credit or not if I get a 4 or 5 on the ap exam(which I should get since my school usually gets mostly 4s and 5s and I'm doing fine in the class). Might retake calc 1 and 2, might skip to calc 3.</p>
<p>High school math is ridiculously easy. I topped precalc/trig my senior year without even studying. The format made it ridicuously easy. 40% of the grade is based off of exams and the rest is made out of homework. Also, we got to use a calculator too. Then when I took calculus in college, I realized that math wasn't as easy as I thought it was. I bombed by first test in calculus, and had to study my ass off for an A(he dropped the lowest score). Same thing happened in physics and chemistry. But after I adjusted, the classes became much easier. I learned quickly what type of questions which professors asked, and how hard they graded. Basically, the questions you get in college tests whether you understand the concepts and whether you can apply them in various situations, rather than just testing you on regurgitation.</p>