Will College Algebra Look Bad On Transcript To Employers and Graduate Schools? CS

College Majors Science Majors
1

<p>I am pretty awful at math and didn't even place into pre-calc. I didn't take Trig in high school as there was a way to opt out. I didn't think I would go into a math oriented field like Computer Science until recently. Anyway, I placed into the pre-req for pre-calc which is college algebra, which I'm guessing goes over Trig as well.</p>

<p>I'm sure I can retake it, study, and place into pre-calc, but I can't retake until the semester has already started so I wouldn't be able to take any math class this semester. So I'd probably end up taking Pre-calc in the spring semester either way. I want to take College Algebra because I want a more solid math foundation, but not if it's going to be considered a blemish on my transcript to future employers/graduate schools.</p>

<p>This sounds silly now that I've written it out, but I'm still nervous about it. Like comparing transcripts, wouldn't you take the guy who DIDN'T take College Algebra as it makes him seem more gifted/harder working in the early years?</p>

2

<p>Nope, end result and GPA matter, not original placement.</p>

3

<p>Won’t matter a bit. Now it will probably take you 5 years to graduate, but that doesn’t matter either as long as you have the degree. </p>

<p>By the way, I know so many engineers/computer scientists/physicists that had 5-year undergrad durations that it is not even funny.</p>

<p>Good Luck</p>

4

<p>The last thing you want to do is go a semester without any math classes. Math skills deteriorate rapidly if not used constantly.</p>

5

<p>Thanks guys. Reading your posts put me at ease.</p>

6

<p>Don’t worry about it. Worry about other courses to come. One of my friends is going to UCLA this fall after having been at my community college for 5 years. </p>

<p>I know a computer science major who had some trouble with Calc 2 but was a whiz at Linear Algebra and Discrete Math. He was from CSUN and had failed Calc 2 5 times (at different places) and ended up taking the summer course with me at my CC when I just turned 20. I saw him a few months later and caught up with him to learn that he had finally passed. Got his comp sci degree about a year ago. :)</p>