VISITOR: I think I have a math related learning disability. I seem to be able to learn math skills, but then I can be confident about my knowledge and ability, and suddenly the information is just gone.
I have other issues sometimes with names and faces, but the biggest problem that I have been unable to cope with is having to re-learn math over and over, and then keep failing my college classes. I seem to be okay up until I start getting into fractions, and percentages. After that, my mileage may vary.
I keep trying to explain to people that this isn't just "text anxiety" or anything like that. It doesn't usually happen during tests. It happens when I think I've learned a math skill, and am perfectly confident in my ability to do the problem. The information is just gone. I didn't have any anxiety about it. I was convinced that I knew what I was doing.
I just barely scraped by my Math 20 class, attempted math 60 twice, and failed both times. (pre algebra and algebra 1 respectively) which led to me losing my financial aid for college. I'm at a loss of what to do, as I'm wanting to get my art degree, but that requires me to pass a college level algebra class, which I'd been trying to work up to with the other math classes.
I don't know how to get tested, have no money to get tested, my GPA is in shambles, and I have no idea where to turn to, or if there's anything I can do to ever even get a degree. I've tried tutors, that's how I managed to pass math 20, but that didn't seem to help for math classes higher than that.
So, I don't really know what I can do, but I need help. Without a college degree, it doesn't look like I can get anywhere.
DYSCALCULIA.ORG: Start with our guidance for adults with math learning disability. Also see our resources on College and Math Learning Disability.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Can't pass college algebra, degree out of reach.
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I know exactly how you feel. I'm am going through the exact same thing now. Barely passed pre-algebra and now I might fail Algebra for the 2nd time even though I put in the time and work to learn the material.I forget everything very quickly. What sucks is I have an otherwise great gpa because I do well in every other class. Math is also holding me back from getting my Art degree.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteKeep your head up and keep trying until you succeed.
Delete"Never give up!" "Head up!" Easy words, daunting and despairing task for some. I have a 3.9 gpa, without a degree because I've tried College Algebra 3 times and cannot come out with a passable grade. Chinese Language a breeze, College Algebra impossible.
Deletekeep trying... easier said. money doesn't grow on trees!
DeleteKeep on trying is all you can come up with? A lot of have tried until we are broke from tuition/books, much more...all the wasted time. I have a BA from SMU and substituted Science for algebra. When I went back to a jr. College for an AAS, they would not accept my science credits For math. I ended up having to take 3 pre- algebra classes, 2 of which I made A's in, then I suffered a concussion and have been stuck on intermediate algebra, the one before College Algebra. I have tried and taken an "e" or just withdrew from them. Talk about a waste of time and money. I think if one try's to take it 3 times and fail, you get exempted, but I am an honor student and don't want F's on my GPA. here is a great website for Algebra and other courses: Khan Academy, it is fantastic. At least Google it and read how it all got started and probably will change the face of education forever. There mission statement goes something like this "to provide a free quality education to the world" . Bill Gates donated a ton of assets to this cause, check it out! plz excuse spelling/grammar as I am very tired.
DeleteYes I agree...I kept on trying I finally had to give up my degree because I couldn't pass the next level which is math 090. I am a the very lowest level and still need college algebra. I want to get out of food industry and finish my degree Rad technology. I feel like something is wrong with me. I am really frustrated with the system..
DeleteI'm so glad I read this today. Just took my first Algebra exam this morning and like a few people stated in the thread I just can't retain how to do each formula or rather when to use which formula. I keep forgetting key ingredients to complete the problem correctly like x=1, when to turn positive into a negative and vice versa when switching sides when to add and subtract. I really feel stupid. This course is making me feel like an idiot and is not letting me focus on photography. My husband helped me with my homework all night. He had no issue solving the problems, but I just can't retain what he teaches me. Same when I go to the tutor. I get it when he shows me then just like that it's gone. I'm going to stick it out and try my best but I don't think I will pass this course. Discouraging to me that I'm reading a few of you out there took Algebra 1 up to 3 times! On one hand I'm glad I'm not alone but on the other hand this is just not cool. Algebra should be restricted to major's that require that math in real life and on the job like Architecture and Engineering and so forth. I feel everyone's pain. I know I am smart but this is really making me feel inadequate.
DeleteI feel you. I'm a mature student :) who has struggled with math all my life. Each math I've passed, it took at least 2 times to do so. Once I made it to college algebra, I couldn't go any further. I failed that twice and apparently now I have to pay the out of state fee ($1200.00) to retake this course. I don't have that kind of money to take a class I know I will not pass. I only have 6 credits left for my AA and those are math. I spoke with a counselor who suggested that I had a math disability, but in order to find out, I had to see a psychologist and go through a serious of testing. Not only did I find out that I have a severe math disability (that would only manifest itself in higher math), I had a shopping cart full of other issues I didn't know I had. LOL. . It's hard once you decide to go back to school especially when you've been absent from school for so long. It has been an uphill battle for me to work full time and go to school part-time at my age. I am only 6 credits away from the AA. I am determined not to let anyone or anything keep me from obtaining my degree. Especially math. Don't give up, ever!!
DeleteThe schools make a lot of money from students who have had to repeat algebra several times. Most instructors can't teach. Honestly, its a money maker. Period. Ive been working in Legal 30 years and have never used algebra. 1 in 4 high school students di nit graduate due to failing algebra. Check out the statistics fir your college on the ratio if pass/fails for algebra at your school. uou will FIND MORE students fail than pass. Money maker for schools.
DeleteThe schools make a lot of money from students who have had to repeat algebra several times. Most instructors can't teach. Honestly, its a money maker. Period. Ive been working in Legal 30 years and have never used algebra. 1 in 4 high school students di nit graduate due to failing algebra. Check out the statistics fir your college on the ratio if pass/fails for algebra at your school. uou will FIND MORE students fail than pass. Money maker for schools.
DeleteI don't know if anyone is still following this thread or not. But, I have the same exact problem and I have had it for years. Now, being older and going to college I have started to realize that what is going on is not normal. I will study for days and days and think I know what I need to know for a test and completely go blank and forget everything when I loo at the test in front of me. I am going to an educational psychologist next week for an evaluation for dyscalculia. That's gonna cost $250.00. I got into the nursing program and did good in all of my nursing classes except for Medical Calculations. I could never remember the formulas and the steps I needed to take to get the answer. Eventhouh, I studied for hours and hours, sometimes full days. I failed that class with a 76, you have to make at least an 80 on all of you nursing class exams in order to pass and move forward in the program. I seriously feel like pulling my hair out or someone elses. The nursing instructors or the dean of nursing will not listen to me. I feel lie I could passee the test I failed if I had the proper accommodations. I just feel like, I wasn't able to do the math on a normal playing field as everyone else. Because, my bran does not work like everyone elses. I should be able to retake those test since I received a diagnosis, but they want let me.
DeleteI don't know if anyone is still following this thread or not. But, I have the same exact problem and I have had it for years. Now, being older and going to college I have started to realize that what is going on is not normal. I will study for days and days and think I know what I need to know for a test and completely go blank and forget everything when I loo at the test in front of me. I am going to an educational psychologist next week for an evaluation for dyscalculia. That's gonna cost $250.00. I got into the nursing program and did good in all of my nursing classes except for Medical Calculations. I could never remember the formulas and the steps I needed to take to get the answer. Eventhouh, I studied for hours and hours, sometimes full days. I failed that class with a 76, you have to make at least an 80 on all of you nursing class exams in order to pass and move forward in the program. I seriously feel like pulling my hair out or someone elses. The nursing instructors or the dean of nursing will not listen to me. I feel lie I could passee the test I failed if I had the proper accommodations. I just feel like, I wasn't able to do the math on a normal playing field as everyone else. Because, my bran does not work like everyone elses. I should be able to retake those test since I received a diagnosis, but they want let me.
DeleteUnbelievable that all these stories are here. I am 47 and was going back to school for computer science. School was always a joke for me. All A's and B's in high school and 2 other colleges. I breezed through Trigonometry with a 99 in high school but was not required to take any math at the 2 other colleges I attended over the decades. This past semester was my first for this major. I got 3 A's but a D in precalculus. All semester I worked and studied harder for that one class than for any of my other 35 credits by far. 10-12 hour days doing it. I spent 165 hours logged into the terrible MyMathLab and another 100 minimum doing written homework and studying/watching lectures. My first warning was the in person mid term. It was like I forgot everything I had done. It may as well have been written in chinese. Terrible score. I thought it was just anxiety, so I got a chance to retake it after studying for another grueling week. Same chinese, 5 points higher but still terrible.
DeleteAfter watching every YouTube video, tutoring, and doing everything I could, I failed the final even worse. My final homework averages were 93 and 94. The math wasn't hard as I was doing it, learning it. But when I would stop for a few hours, go take the test, it was like my memory was erased.I ended up with a D after all that work. A C or better is required to progress so I guess I am never getting that degree.
I am not going to try again because frankly I don't have time to waste. I will just switch to something else. I had never even gotten a C before and now I wasted 100's of hours over months of not only my time but my family's time as well. All blown in 2, 2 hour tests.
I felt so terrible and stupid after those tests, I'm sure some of you can understand.
What I don't understand is why it happened. I'm glad I found this and I am not alone. Good luck to all.
Cheeseandf*ckingcrackers! I thought *I* was the only one!
ReplyDeleteI went to Deanza community in Cupertino CA, did well in every class within 2 years - except algebra - completed every other category that I needed, I *did* get math tutoring for every quarter, failed, tried again, failed, tried even harder and ultimately failed the class three times. I got tested for a learning disability for the first time, but it's mild.
Because I "maxed out" the number of times I could try a class, I'm not allowed to try again at that school, so I'm basically kicked out of Deanza college.
That was at the end of 2010. It's september 2011 now. Almost I year has passed, and school-wise I'm in a purgatory.
I don't know what to do!
I don't think I deserve a sh*tty life of hard labor and low pay just cos I can't pass a class that I've never used, and doesn't even have to do with my major.
If anyone has any good ideas for me, my email is pyrotech132@yahoo.com
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteTake a degree in the arts, that doesn't focus on algebra as much. I took accounting and business mathematics, and avoided stats, calculus courses by changing from a bachelors degree in business administration science to a B.A. In business management.
DeleteAnon, that's useless. In order to get a degree in california, you have to complete GE requirements, which involve math. There's honestly no way around it unless your school offers math substitution.
DeleteI can relate and I don't understand why CA Community colleges don't recognize that some students suffer from this real math learning disability and they should offer an alternative to graduate. I am a honor roll student passed every class with A's and B's at Ohlone College in Fremont and the 1 class I need to graduate is College Math ....I've wasted years taking one class after another each semester in math because you have to take lower level math first one class at a time to even get to the College level passing math course...I've really tried and can't pass MATH.... What a waste to not get a degree because of this ONE class needed to graduate!
ReplyDeleteNever Give Up!!!
Deletealgebra is a waste, pointless and totally useless. I dropped out of high school because of it in 1998. I am a successful businessman, have made million and employ 44 people. If not for high school math I could add a law degree to my list of accomplishments.
DeleteFind an Algebra tutor ASAP or a friend who doesn't mind helping! Don't lose out on a whole degree because of Algebra, cause the stuff doesn't get any easier.
ReplyDeleteHere's my story: got an Associate degree in NC - took 2 prelim math classes then got an A in Col. Alg. - yay! thought I was done forever. Relocated to Texas (years later) and enrolled to complete my undergrad. They're making me retake Col.Alg! Seriously? They gave me credit for Elem Statistics but not Algebra - go figure that one.
So I'm in the class now (I have this class and one more left) and it's busting me. It seems different than "way back when."
It's freaking hard! I don't ever want to go through this again... So I'm doing whatever I can to get out alive with my undergrad and I hope to only see College Algebra in the distant rearview.
Like your never give up attitude :)
DeletePlus, if it's a class you can't pass then you just substitute it with a class you can pass. Good luck and never give up or in.
DeleteI know how you feel, I am trying to get my art degree too! I only have ability to do very basic math that little kids can do. I was diagnosed from when I was a kid, but I had to retake tests. These documents are VERY important so I suggest you do it too. I barely passed the lowest math class. Now all I can do is wait until my school decides if I can substitute or not. It's a shame...all this fuss about math when all we want is an art degree!!!
ReplyDeleteNever Give Up !!!
DeleteI feel your pain........i hope that you continued....amazingly i have the same situation......it is dreadful......God help us not to give up........There is a Professor in Texas he is so great i wish he could give us a direct app to his brain......that would be an amazing invention.....http://www.mathtutordvd.com/public/department90.cfm
DeleteI as well had great difficulty with algebra. I could probably understand much more as to them requiring it if we all were going to design a rocket ship to Mars. I am now much older and I have not ONCE in my life have had any need to use algebra ever but I have used plenty of regular math in day to day living. I thought way back when it was a ridiculous requirement...and still do.
DeleteI am so happy to heart other people have the same problem as me. I have tried 2 different semesters to pass basic algebra 2 in community college. I have to have it, in order to get my associate's degree in culinary arts. Cost control and basic algebra are so confusing for me. I know I not stupid, because I am passing my sign language and other classes. I am good to go for my English classes as well. I have tried to find someone to tudor me, but no one is willing to help with math issues. I will keep on until I pass. I just feel I can't quit........
ReplyDeletethat right never give up you've come to far!!!
DeleteThat just sucks, you want to cook but need algebra. Ridiculous.
Deleteit was good to know about all of you guys
ReplyDeleteNever Give Up!!!
DeleteStop with the never give up slogan. Some people cannot do it due to a variety of reasons. Heck, I've spent over a grand trying to pass this sh...,
DeleteBut I'm a paralegal/ mediator and do not need to take College Algebra to do my job.
Yes. Whoever keeps chanting the "never give up" is condescending and obviously has no idea what this is like. I am one class a way from my associates degree and I have maintained a 4.0 while working full time with a husband and two kids. But for the life of me I cannot retain this information. I understand it while the teacher is going through it and if given the same kind of problem I can work through it right then. Give me that same problem 10 minutes later and it's like I have never seen it before. I literally tried writing a problem over and over and then solved it. I wrote it down a 7th time and then for up to put a load of clothes in the dryer. I sat back down to work the problem and I had no idea what to do. (How is that possible since I has just worked it 6 times!) It is a terrible tragedy that I will not be able to earn a degree because someone somewhere arbitrarily decided that for a degree in Educational Psychology I need college algebra. It isn't that I don't comprehend it; I do. I simply cannot retain it.
DeleteI just read this and I have to tell you that I SHARE YOUR PAIN,.I am 55 and about to fail college algebra AGAIN,..I laughed so hard reading this because truly truly I have found someone that completely fills my angst,..I am about to finish my degree in June but if I dont pass this class AGAIN well no degree for me.........
DeleteWow......this is humbulying to me. I thought I was so alone. I need to pass college algebra to be an early childhood teacher. This is the only thing that is holding me back. I lost all scholarships, all financial aid because of a class I am never going to use. I am at a loss of what to do. I spend almost 20 hours a week with a tutor and its STILL not enough. So helpless, its really getting to me thinking something is wrong with me. I am so down and don't know where to go next....if I didn't pass the first two times what makes me think I can the third?
ReplyDeleteNever Give Up!!!
DeleteFunny that Googling "Why can't I retain Algebra" brought me here. I wish I could give you an answer as to what you can do, but as you can see, I obviously don't either. I am fine until I get to fractions as well and then it's all down hill from there. My brain just can't work it out logically. The saddest part of all is that my father and brother are literally mathematical geniuses. Talk about making a girl feel dumb, eh?
ReplyDeleteI am in an Honors English course (composition), and fly through everything else with ease. I'm in a LEARNING SUPPORT college algebra class and struggling there. I can do it with no problems when I first learn it, and bam, there it goes-- completely forgotten in a day or so. I honestly don't know how I will move on to regular algebra and then calc 1 and 2. I'm seriously starting to think that my only option is to drop out and be stuck with the crappy tech degree that I have now.
Never Give Up!!!
DeleteGive up.
DeleteSame problem here. I have had some success taking online math classes. My school uses Pearson MyMathLab for the instruction. They break down the course into sections and each section has a video lecture, and each homework problem has a "Help Me Solve This" button, it then completely breaks the problem down step-by-step. This was a huge help for me. Through the whole course I took notes on step-by-step instructions for each type of problem. The class final allowed us to use notes and no time limit. I was able to get an A! It took me a solid 25 hours a week (it probably took normal people 4-8 hours a week), but it was worth it in the end.
ReplyDeleteMy Math class this quarter is similar, except there is a time limit on the chapter exams. I am working on getting my dyslexia disability certified (a painful and demoralizing process) so that I can get additional time to finish the test. The final still allows notes and no time limit.
For anyone interested: My school is Chemeketa Community College in Salem, Oregon. Since the math classes are online you can take them from anywhere, and you can use a proctor for the final, so you never have to go to the school. They also have free online tutoring that is pretty good (Pearson has free online tutoring as well but within limits).
Plus, if you take the class at a school other than your own and fail you can just not transfer the class, then the poor grade won't ruin your GPA. The classes are fairly inexpensive...around $300 for the class and book.
I just found my way to this site and saw your reply.
DeleteThat is very good information. Thank you!
Sounds encouraging I'll look into it and more importantly see if my school will accept it..
Deletethanks for giving us all some hope :)
I'm very glad that I'm not alone in this very concerning problem that we all have. I currently go to a community college and must take a an algebra class to receive my A.S. degree. At the moment I'm doing as i hoped for my second attempt at this course. I've arranged a counseling appointment to determine if i have a L.D. I can pass every other class except math. After reading all of your comments and experiences, it makes me less confident in passing my math class. I hope that we all find a way to pass this steep hill and achieve what rightfully belongs to all of us. I don't know about you, but i refuse to give up!
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you I'll never give up, nor should any of us :)
DeleteI hear you all, I maxed out the number of times you can take a class in one community college and am now trying it in another that doesn't seem to have a max limit. I just failed it again which I think now makes 6 times. I'm not kicked out of this school but I feel like I'm just stuck because I have or can pass everything else but in the end this is what will hold me down. I'm in the frustrated boat with the rest of you.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it is good to see other people in my same predacament, but it is. I am beyond frustrated and discouraged with trying to pass Algebra 2. I attend Fresno City College and was given permission to take it one last fourth time by the school, however if I fail it again I am pretty much f-ed. My math requirement is the only thing holding me back from transferring over to university and seeing is how I look to fail again this semester since the professor I have gives little or no credit for working a problem and showing that you are at least aware and have been paying attention in class, I am going to fail because my math disability prevents me from getting the problems right! That and he only allows so much time for his tests, which is not enough time at all for me to do them and redo them to make sure they are correct. I may have to drive 40 miles to Lemoore next year just to take this freakin class again and maybe transfer over within the next couple of years. I should have transferred over 2 years ago, but this math block has kept me from doing that.
DeleteNever Give Up.. think positive
DeleteYou should be able to substitute that math class for something else. I think the teacher should pass you for trying. My moms teacher passed her for putting in an effort. Get tutoring they wont fail you then.
DeleteI too am in the same boat. I have both ADD (diagnosed), and Dyscalculia
ReplyDelete(undiagnosed). i am ashamed to say that i am thirty two years old and still
do not have a degree. Both of my parents were college professors and
tried every trick in their respective bags to help me pass algebra. At some
point in my young adult life i just gave up. I joined the USCG and enjoyed
my time in the military. After i got out i tried attending university but with the
same reaults from my youth. After failing two more semestersbof math and
getting little to mo support from student disabilities department i relented
again and took a low paying job as a cook. After several years of working
my way up the ladder at different restuarunts i have reached that glass.
ceiling. I have looked into getting a culinary degree and of course HAVE to
take College Algebra! I know i am smart and capable but not being able
to get a degree because of one class really bites the big one. One way or
another i am going to finally get a degree, even if it takes me until
i am forty (god i hope not though).
Best of luck to you all!!!
D. A. Shuford
This is totally heartbreaking to read. I just turned 33 and after years of trying to pass collega algebra I've just accepted I can't and it really sucks, no one understands and it seems like really dense people get degrees all the time. I'm ready to have someone really 'help' me with an online class if I can because I don't see any other option and with 150 credits and huge loans to pay back I refuse to get screwed. I was a writing tutor and have a great GPA but math is the frakin' devil. I say pass however you can pass and don't feel bad about it.
ReplyDeleteYou should be able to substitute that math class for something else. I think the teacher should pass you for trying. My moms teacher passed her for putting in an effort. Get tutoring they wont fail you then.
DeleteI too am an adult college student- late 50s. I`ve got a 3.4 GPA and will graduate with honors,except that I can`t @&?@&> pass algebra! I`ve tried tutorin, on line learing sites, ad even math websites for children.I can do regular math OK, but the algebra is totally confusing. I learn something, and forget it the next day. I can`t count the hours that I study, but its all for nothing.I already dropped bit once- after the second class where I didn`t understad anything bthe instructor was saying. I took itagain and resolved to learn it, but after more than a month,its the asme old story.I want to go onto a four year college and plan to teach History or Art History, but I pretty much resigned it to myself that it will not happen. Maybe if I throw myself at the mercy of CUNY, they`ll let me graduate, but , according to everybody I asked, it will not happen until I pass algebra.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the same boat as most of you. I just found out that I 'maxed out' the number of times I can take a course at my community college and will have to drive about thirty miles out of my way to attempt to re-take the course at another college.......I'm not even going to bother. I'm throwing in the towel and accepting the inevitable as this will be my 5th time re-taking college algebra. I'm not even going to bother wasting my gas. And i'm a history major!! I don't understand why I even need to f*&^%$# take this course....I'm never going to use it. I'm 25 and it seems like i'll be stuck working as a receptionist for the rest of my life unless I can magically pass College Algebra. THe first four times I tried I had tutors, help from the college center, you name it. But how in the world can you even comprehend such things as graphing when mere fractions leave you baffled? I've cried, I've had private tutors, nothing has helped and my parents have given up too. They think I'm lazy and not trying. At this point, all I want is my AA. I can't understand why just this one class is keeping me from obtaining it. I can't even transfer to a UC or a Cal-State school without first passing college algebra so that door is also closed.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to miserably suffer through a mind numbing job the rest of my life-suicide is better than that.
I seriously thought I was the only one suffering from this. I go to a community college, and am only four classes (aside from math) to transfer and get my AA in Child Development, and get my Child Development teaching permit. I've looked at my transcripts from elementary through college, and I see a pattern. 3's, 4's, and 5's in elementary for other subjects, and 1's and 2's in math. Junior high I got A's B's, and some C's, but always low C's, D's and even an F in math. Went to HS, got the same A's, B's, and C's, and D's and F's for math.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm in college, and not only am I angry at my counselors, parents, and teachers for never taking the time to help me and intervene, I'm frustrated because this difficult subject is holding me back from ever getting my AA, my BA, or my teaching credentials. Seems like the majority of society believes those with dyscalculia are lazy, not motivated or lack focus. I'm tried tutoring, online sessions, have even considered paying someone to take my math classes! That's how desperate I am. But I'd rather take it one class at a time, than be kicked out for academic dishonesty. :/
OMG, I am sitting here in tears. I am in school to get my Assoc. degree in Allied Health. When I took my college entrance test, I aced the English and reading portion and bombed the math. I had to take a fundamental math class. I am 11 months in and have had a 4.0 up until this point. I have always struggled with math. I flunked h.s. Algebra and had to take it over the summer and take a test my sophomore year in h.s. to get my Algebra credit. I took the test, walked out of the room and in my head it was like I had never had algebra before. I seem to have no retention for it at all.. A tutor can't help. I am beyond frustrated...
ReplyDeleteI cannot express how comforted I am to read this thread. Not delighted by others struggles, just relieved and heartened that I am not alone, I am not a totally deficient person who is too "stoopid" to pass math...
ReplyDeleteI am a community college student, working for Cert/AA/+ transfer as an Accounting major. Yes, I know, Accounting uses A LOT of math. However, I can't explain, the math is different - I can see patterns in the numbers when I analyze financial statements, etc, I am quick to diagnose errors, I can apply the formulas I need for Excel, Peachtree, etc. For some reason I cannot translate this to College Algebra. I am having trouble retaining the info. I was in total despair, sitting here in the computer lab at school, my heart sickening as the clock ticks away the time until my final today at 3pm. I know I will bomb; i have been working on review since 8 am this morning (after working from 8-12am last night). Everything looks foreign to me; stuff I thought I had learned early in the semester now looks like cyrillic script.
I rec'd an A on my first test in Algebra this summer semester, I was keeping up on the online homework. But it takes me at least 4 hours to do each section - I review the problem, try it on my own, get an "error", then use the program to walk me through solving it, try a similar problem, taking notes...and repeat for question #2. I have quickly fallen behind. I feel dense as a brick.
i had a 4.0 gpa until now (have 2 more semesters to go). It has dropped due to failing this course once before; I am depressingly resigned to failing it again. I can only take it 3 x's before i am cut off here.
I am so embarrassed to ask questions in class; I get a lot of side eye and collective sighs.
My planned strategy:
Skip this next semester - just move on to Stat's (good luck w/that!). BUT: I will continue to work my math daily. i'll work through the text I have, and use other texts to help fill in the info. My online mathlab access expires in Sept - I'll work on it until then, and then see if I can purchase it myself to continue working and testing. I will see if I can use the math center tutors - If I can't b/c I'm not enrolled in math next semester, i'll see if I can get a private tutor.
I'm looking into maybe taking it at another community college next semester, just to get it out of the way....
I'm a broke student, but I'll have to consider this an investment. I MUST PASS THIS CLASS!
god I feel stupid....sorry for the "blah blah blah" but it helps me think, helps me feel less despondent...
it's only stupid to not ask questions.. I'm sure you know that and think about it this way..that's how you learn and that's why the teacher get's paid.. and all those people in class making noise forget them. They don't care about you so why should you care about them.. don't be embaressed your to smart for that ask all the question you want.. you have promission to do so :)
DeleteNo one is ever too stupid. I know a friend of mine who is mentally incompetent of learning. He passed in highschool with all c's. They eventually will have to pass you because you learned something. You may not no it all but you do know and or learned something.
DeleteI too am now 32 years old and have failed algebra 4 times!. Unbelievable. I kept on meeting with the counselor at the community college and her last excuse was that I have this blockage that I need to open. I was really good at it knight school but when it comes down to it, I now fail right after my midterm. Half ways Dow. The bok, I just do not get it no matter what I try. I got my AA in 2006 but cannot transfer to a university until I pass this class. It is now 6 years since I got my AA and still cannot pass the class. I even hired a private tutor and got a D! This made no difference. My dream has always been to get my BA, but this class has shattered those dreams. I'm going to change colleges to see if it helps me. I was just advised that Pasadena Community College has Intermediate Algebra broken down into 2 semesters. Maybe this will help. I am so disappointed that there are no alternatives. No other way. Good luck everyone.
ReplyDeleteLIke others, I'm happy I'm not alone in this, but very upset to see so many otherwise talented, smart people, giving up on their degrees. No one can explain to us WHY algebra has to be taken for degrees that are not math-reliant, like the art students and cooks here. I'm 57 and still agitated that I cannot finish my Bachelor's because of algebra, and my field was Hospitality.
ReplyDeleteI think we need to start really fighting this one. I once had it explained that it was a "core requirement" to round out one's education. If that's the case, why can't we substitute with other types of math such as Business Math?
I agree with you but te colleges would never I repeat never want the powers that be to know how many people are removed often times within inches of graduation. They would never want that.
DeleteI am soooo comforted by this site and am glad I found it. I am perhaps the oldest gal in the room at 40 but share the same problem. I attend a nj college and pretty much have been lying to eveyone about my education including my family. I have always felt so ashamed because they expected so much from me and I myself. I am trying this class again full guns blazing for the last time. They will dismiss me if I FAIL. But where is the colleges responsiblity when you get soo close and youa cannot pass the math requirement? What if you pass every other class with flying colors except that class? Where is the alternative classes you could take to fulfill the requirement? Where is teh humunity from these colleges who take your money and drop you with 5 classes to go...
ReplyDeleteLike others, I'm so glad I found this site--I thought it was just me! I'm the same age as you, 40--I should have gotten my degree 20 years ago! But alas, I suck at math and kept failing or putting off the requirements until it was the only thing left. My major? Journalism. Over the years I've written for major publications, started and ran my own online publication along with several successful small businesses. I'm really good at everything else but the fact that a couple of stupid little math credits has stopped me from getting my degree is the one thing I'm so ashamed of. I've tried to chip away at it in the past few years, taking a course at a local community college to be transferred over...but now, as a busy, working single mom--where can I find the time to not only study--but STRUGGLE with this math mess again? There should totally be some alternatives, especially if you have a major that's unrelated to these algebra requirements. I don't condone those who falsify their college records/transcripts--but at this point, hell--I understand. :-/
Deleteif you are paying for it i think you should be able to take it as often as you want, it just makes the college look bad if people fail
DeleteI am 25. I should have been done with community college and transferred to a four-year college when I was 20, but college algebra has kept me form pursuing my dream of obtaining my four-year degree. I've had to take this class so many times, and have had to drop it before the withdraw date so it doesn't effect my GPA. Since I was 20, I've been stuck in retail hating every minute of my life while all my friends have gotten their degree and have successful careers. I have even contemplated suicide and all because of this F-ing class. I don't understand it. How can I be blocked from furthering my education and getting a degree just because of some worthless piece of crap class that doesn't even have any relevance in the career path I have chosen. I'm so ashamed to live in a world that keeps you from obtaining a higher education based on one class alone. I wish so bad that there was something I could do or start up at a state level that would allow students to continue their education without having to pass a particular class and to also allow students with a degree that does not require higher-level math to just choose another class in its place and move on with their lives. Because of this class and never being able to pass it, even with spending 5-7 hours per day just studying PLUS an expensive private tutor, I will be stuck with the current life I have working in retail, living with my parents, working full time, and all while my friends around me are already done with their degree and have started their lives. At least there's always the option of suicide.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up God will work it out for you. He see's that you're trying so he will help you. God do everything for a reason. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem things will work out for you and everybody else on this board.
DeleteIt's been 3 years but I hope you didn't choose the suicide route. It'd be a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I am 22 years old and just completed a CNA class. My goal it to go to a private trade school and get my Associate's Degree in Occupational Therapy Assistant. The salary is reasonable and it seems like a nice career. I chose this path because my math skills are terrible. I knew a 4-year degree at a University was out of the question. There are always other options and solutions. Everyone is different so don't give up on life. Work with what you've got.
DeleteI'm in the same position as many of you. I'm currently taking a shot at Beginning Algebra, but already it's looking like i"m going to fail. I have serious difficulty remembering how to solve problems, and difficulty in translating word problems into math equations.
ReplyDeleteI am very frustrated by this because the math requirements are the only thing holding me back from earning my degree. I've already been put on financial aid probation once because I failed a basic math class. And it looks like because I'll most likely fail this class, then I'll be put on probation again.
The Dept of Education could argue that if people don't pass all their general ed requirements, then the education system has failed them. However, I would argue that because education guidelines require higher math, even for non-math majors, then isn't the education system failing us anyway?
We are being prevented from earning our degree just so the people at the Dept of Education can sleep better knowing they did their jobs. I think they should be ashamed of themselves.
I want to study Linguistics, and be an ESL teacher. I have little use for algebra, but because of the requirements that are imposed on me, I may not be able to complete my degree.
I wish you all good luck and hope you can find some solution to your problem, and be able to earn your degrees.
Hi everyone i am going to Ashworth College on line and they give you a choice between algebra or basic college math.You can get a degree without having to do algebra. The exams are open book as well. They have very low monthly payments. i pay $40 a month but i beleve those who serve our country get financial aid. Call them or go on line.
DeleteI'm looking to get tested for this. No matter how much I study before the test and think I know it, I seem to lose it all the moment I step away from the books or the moment the teacher starts talking about it.
ReplyDeleteMy major isn't even in anything math related so I really don't see why I should need this towards the degree when all it's doing is holding me back. I get A's in everything else so the fact that I can't understand this is truly frustrating.
I am currently a freshman in community college taking Elementary Algebra &Geometry. So far I have failed two exams. The odds of me passing the class are against me. The teacher is also strict. I am in a deep hole. My sponsor found out I have an F. I'm now suppost to go to tutoring. I doubt that can help me raise my grade by now. I am so glad I came to this site. Everyone is right, no one understands a math disability. They think we are just lazy people that blame others and make excuses. But we are
ReplyDeletesmart talented individuals. I don't know how I will pass. Hopefully, I don't get in trouble.
just keep trying and Never Give UP !!!
DeleteYour chorus of "just keep trying and Never Give UP !!!" is incredibly annoying! How many times are those of us with math disabilities supposed to take this accursed algebra class?!?!? I had a 3.6 GPA before I started this class, which I have taken 4 times! This last round I just completed today and came away with a stellar grade of a D! this is just damn pathetic. I have finished work on my Major and Minor and 3 algebra classes are standing between me and my BA in Political Science. How many more times must I take this Gordian Knot of a class, how many more thousands of dollars do I have to shell out for a subject that I will never use....(I'm 52 so don't even go there), and have never been able to understand? I have never been so frustrated in my life! To Hell with that damn Persian, Abū ʿAbdallāh Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī.Damn him and his stupid mathematical confusion that forced upon the world!
DeleteHi.... I found this site ,while i was searching for questions on how to get better at algebra 2 .. Supposely my teacher said i need to go back to algebra 1 and renforce my skills..... Im a senior in HIgh school ....haha.... I have decent grades .... Ranges from f-a T.T im chinese and i am very very ashamed of myself...... Because everyone in the whole friken world needs to think asian people need to get straight a's ....
ReplyDeleteI know i still have time ,but im doing so horrible in alg 2 and did pretty bad in geometry
.... Sighs i just want to learn art.... I know that art doesnt really need math but, it realy does need math ..well at least algebra 2 ..... I still suck at art vut i really want to learn it... And art isnt even a easy job.
Its very stressful and its technically way harder than math... Thats what im thinking... If i would have to choose becoming a straight a student or destroying all electronics i would choose ,straight a student .
Because if u get good at art u can
Make it come to life and
Make yourself food good more than electronics..... You can make your on electronic... Your on drug technically..... Not in a bad way but yeah. ........ I dunno if i have this math disability but if i dont pass algebra 2 or college math course before age 25 i thnk im gonna have to give up on everything and just go and wander around a place that can give me freedom to do what i eant to do
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteNever Give Up !!!
DeleteI am reading this thread for the first time, and agree with the poster that the person who keeps posting never give up is incredibly annoying!!!
DeleteI'm so depressed reading this. I'm a 30 year old woman. I've put off college for so many years because of algebra, and algebra alone. I took my placement test and blew the reading/writing portion out of the water, but bombed the algebra portion. I wan't to receive my B.A. but cannot imagine ever being able to pass algebra. I've always been God-awful at math, particularly algebra, and spent more years in school crying and crying over what I believe is a valid learning disability.
ReplyDeleteReading all of these posts makes me realize how scared I am to work my ass off in college, and to receive great grades, only to be held back from my degree because of my true inability to comprehend algebra.
For the love of God, I've already written a 700 page novel, and I have no doubt that I'd do very well in all my courses, but blood-sucking algebra. Also, I'm looking to utilize the pell grant. If I fail algebra (which I know I will), the grant will no longer cover me.
I'm feeling so down. I'm crying, and I don't usually do that.
I'm older then you:) and did the samething..and cryed many of days and nights.. But you know us women we are strong you will make it.. just keep you head up and never give up :)
DeleteAlright enough of the "never give up" your going to give me an aneurism!
DeleteWow. It's good to know I have company. I put in "how can I pass Beginning Algebra if I currently have an F" and here are all of you. I lost my job due to taking care of my ill mother in January of this year and decided to pursue an AA degree since I could keep my unemployment as the unemployment office said my HIT was something they thought I could always get a job in. I started with two summer classes, one of them BA and had to withdraw as I didn't realize the summer classes are accelerated plus my mom got sick again. It wasn't going well anyway and in fact I just couldn't understand one thing about it. I had it in highschool and remember almost flunking it then and only barely passing it with a D.
ReplyDeleteI'm taking it again because like all of you, I have to have it to graduate, and am officially flunking it again, as of two days ago when I got the letter from the JC I'm enrolled in. I've got a peer tutor but I'm only allowed one hour per week of tutoring since I'm only pursuing a two year degree and I don't have a diagnosed disability. I've even humbled myself and am having my best friend's 19 year old daughter tutor me four days a week for about an hour and a half a day. Like the rest of you, I seem to understand it with my tutors and then when they're gone......poof.....I remember nothing. I tried asking questions in class initially but that didn't last long as no one else asked a question and seemed to complete the little 2 - 4 problem quizzes in 5 minutes if that, while I'd barely put the pencil to the paper and basically the teacher was hovering at my desk wanting to collect my paper so she and the class could move on. It did no good to talk to her as she could only say go to the math lab or use My Math Lab, they use Pearson too or get a tutor. I've done and am doing, ALL of that and nothing helps. When I see the problems on the paper for a quiz or test, all knowledge is gone, I have no idea what to do. They might as well be speaking chinese in class.
I feel so stupid and yet, again like all of you, I am doing great at my other classes and hope to get all A's and B's. I was great in highschool except for Algebra. I don't know what is wrong and the only thing that is saving my financial aid, for the moment, is that I overloaded myself by taking five classes so that if I flunked Algebra (which I now am officially)....because I took so many classes....my financial aid is ok. I've been on financial warning because I withdrew from the Algebra in the summer and will come off of that as long as I pass all my other classes. I have one more shot at passing Algebra from what I understand. After that, my financial aide is screwed like the rest of you and God knows what I will do.
Mom is now in a nursing home and I am hanging onto the house I bought so I could move her in with me, only with my unemployment. When that runs out and I have to get a job, again, God knows what I will do, because I have such trouble now trying to keep up with all the homework and I'm NOT working. I'm I'm not at school or doing homework, which takes all of my time....I'm trying to squeeze in a visit to Mom since my siblings haven't really helped but do seem to attempt to see her more now that the nursing is permanent now.
I don't even know if I can get a job with this economy and one that pays enough to make the house payment, car payment and bare minimum utilities/internet for my schoolwork and basic cable, which is close to being gone any time now. I may have to get two jobs and then what will happen to school........that is.....if I'm still there......and have my aide still...
It's so depressing. I've cried and cried about it. I don't understand either, why I have to have this for HIT. No one I've talked to has ever used Algebra. I seriously think something has to change in our schools but I'm sure it won't happen in time to save me & my hopes of a college degree.....
Please what ever you do... where there is a will there is a way.. Just Never Give Up!!! Stay Strong God will make a way for you and provide all your needs.. Stay faithful.
Deletehttp://www.mathtutordvd.com/public/department90.cfm
DeleteTry the above link to Professor Jason. He is a blessing to all of us who are confused about Algebra and need to complete it for Graduation. God help us all Ameen
WOW-I can't believe what i'm reading. I had no idea so many people had this problem.I am almost 50, a foreign language major,and am very close to graduating but it will take a miracle. I have read a lot of "I forget algebra the very next day" but how would you like to forget it the next minute? I have had a tutor throw up her hands, raise her voice and tell me(and everyone else in the room)that she doesn't know how to help me. I can't tell you how embarrassing it is to make the same mistakes over and over in the same problem after continuously being corrected. Like the rest of you, I make all A's and B's in my other courses.But the real clencher is that I was tested for a learning disability and told I was fine!I was stunned. It is extremely difficult for me to simply COPY a problem from the board,let alone solve the problem. Numbers make me dizzy, and I have to use blank paper with no lines, and cover up everything but the problem I'm working on. I have flunked beginning algebra 3 times and am taking it again next semester. I have no idea how I can possibly pass it-in fact I highly doubt that I ever will, but I will continue until there are no more options I think. I really enjoy learning everything else, and consider myself the better for having learned what I have. Even if I don't get even an associates degree, I know that I am fairly educated now, at least much more so than I was. That might be all I can achieve, but at least I tried. You see, I have already been through the ANGER,and the HUMILIATION; now I am kind of accepting that this is another one of life's ways of being totally unfair and there is nothing I can do about it.
ReplyDeleteNever Ever Give Up !!!
DeleteI'm with you (brother or sister)! I too have gone though tutoring ad nauseum and it slips my mind the next minute. Complete frustration, and I have just finished my 4th futile attempt. And BTW this guy or gal below with the never give up mantra is beyond annoying
DeleteI am happy to see I am not alone in this like many others. I feel as though this is a real problem that hasn't been adressed like maybe the system is flawed. If as many people as us are feeling like this imagine how much more people in the world more than likley do? But this also makes me very sad because I came here looking for a solution yet found none and neither has anyone else. I just wish there was something I could do. Tutoring, study guides, special programs, NOTHING. It is all useless it makes me feel like I cant amount to anything and like most of you and don't want a math degree or anything crazy I love art, the out doors, history, enviorment,but I will never find my dream job not like this.
ReplyDeleteI feel the way you do when you said "I feel like I can't amount to anything" You know, I went to tutoring, I studied sooo hard! It's not that I don't wanna do anything with myself because I really want a degree but I absolutely CAN NOT do algrebra.It's frustrating, isn't it?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteWhen you said 'I feel like I can't amount to anything' I know exactly how you feel. Not being able to pass math is incredibly debilitating and it makes you feel worthless. All the time and effort you put in to get to this one small goal of getting a BA and you can't even do that.....I still live at home and my parents tell me daily that i'm worthless and lazy because I've given up trying to pass college algebra after 5 years of community college. I paid for a private tutor and did everything I could...i think my life is wrecked because of this. No hope left.
Deletedito!! i'm 42 and was trying to get an A.S. in respiratory care or Health Information.I'm stuck and can't go any further without having all my maths.I just can not wrap my mind around algebra. I do well in everything else but that. I've come to terms with it but still discouraged :( I am glad to know that I'm not alone.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I found this site and to find people who are struggling with math, especially Algebra, the same way I'm struggling.
ReplyDeleteMany of us creative people are right-brained, and math and science are left brained subjects, and I think this is why we struggle so much. We are right brained people forced to be left brained people, and it's failing miserably.
I'm 48 yrs old and was never taught Algebra in high school. I lived in a time when girls took Home Economics class and secretarial classes in high school because that's what was expected of us. If a girl were to take an Algebra class back in my day, it meant that either her parents were upper middle income, her parents were professionals who had high standards for her, or she was incredibly intelligent and was planning on taking on a male-dominated career like law, medicine, or science.
And now, coming back to the present time, we have the "No Child Left Behind" legislation in schools, which is apparently creating a headache for states, schools, parents, and students. And because Algebra is being forced on students who struggle to understand it, no matter what methods have been tried, it feels like the high school dropout rate is rising. And if you are lucky enough to make it through high school and get into college, you have to face the evil Algebra once again.
Algebra is the most failed subject in high school and college, and this needs to be addressed in the education system. But colleges usually don't care because they get their financial aid money either way, even if you are going into student loan debt paying for all those math classes you failed.
Never Give Up !!! something is being done about it.. look it up online: National Groups Call for Big Changes in Remedial Education ...
Deletechronicle.com/article/National-Groups-Call-for-Big/136285/
and by the way I'm also 48yrs old.. and I'm getting my degree in business then going for a second one in interior design.. Math is the only class that's stopping me from completing my first degree..I've decided to move on to my second degree to get things rolling.. and hopefully the problem will soon be resolved then I'll come back for math and be done. It's good to see that I'm not the only right-brained artistic person struggling with math all my other classes I've received A's and B's..
DeleteThis is so true. I lost my chance to have a college degree to algebra. I took it 4 times and failed it miserably each time. No matter the help, the aid and the concessions made, I simply did not get it. I have a pile of college credits that are useless.
ReplyDeleteIt's maddening. Math is no part of my degree and I'm talented in everything but algebra. Yet I've never seen a lick of consideration for anyone bad at math, while other subjects get far more aid.
I wish I got a chance to have a degree and a decent job. I can't even think about savings or retirement with the jobs I can get now.
Never Give Up !!!
DeleteI'm 48 and it's unbeleiveable how many post i've read regarding this problem and to think all this time i was the only one. I'm three classes short of completing my associates degree and can't seem to go any further, I'm stuck in remedial math which is a prerequsite for my remainder classes business math then statitics. all prerequsites of each other. As a mother of four two already married on their own and two still home about to go to high school. I must say it's been awhile since I've sat in a high school math class and besides I've received my GED and beleive me there was no algebra at all. So pre-algebra, algebra or any algebra. i just don't get it so it's nothing more then a foreign language to me. I've studied for countless hours, math labs, received tutoring from my professors, youtube, selfhelp books, even received assistants from my children but still I failed. I'm still trying to find away to complete my degree.I was looking on line just now to try to find another way, that's when i ran into you guys and started reading. This is crazy I've spent the last of my finanical aid money on a remedial math class which i've failed twice now I have to come out of pocket to pay for. I don't have no problem doing that but it's hard to dish out a buck fifty per credit on a 5 credit class that you receive no credit for and only to set yourself up to know you'll fail with the same methods that have proven to fail twice before. It's got to be a better way, somethings not working. just reading everyones post is proof enough. I refuse to give another dime toward a remedial class. I feel like I've been robbed of my money and they're holding up my degree and my dreams but I shall not give up, there has got to be away.. we all need to get together and fight for whats rightfully ours. NEVER GIVE UP... We worked to hard and come to far,too just throw it all away.. Changes need to be made so we can complete our degrees as well as for the future generation. I've read many articles on this problem Bill Gates has taken notice as well as many others, talks are in progress regarding this matter as of December,2012.. Keep the faith people, keep your eyes and ears open make some noise get the stats on your campus. We are all educated people, start a petition on change.com (that's a good ideal..WOW ) keep hope alive we can do this.. and when it's all said and done we shall all walk away with our degrees in hand. In the meantime, stay positive, peaceful and prayful.. God Bless
ReplyDeleteThis is the best posible solution for all of us who are struggling with college algebra! Why not go onto to change.com and fight for this WORTHY cause? Some of us have school loans that will not go away; some are paying out of pocket, and still some are refused because of past failures at testing. Like most of you, I stumbled upon this blog. Now I hoping that together we can proceed to get some changes made. Algebra is the only class left before I get my degree. I graduated in 1972 and no matter what efforts I've made, I'm still unable to get around math. We must present a united front to get substitutions made. Anyone agree with this approach to our future progress? The only thing that will beat failing is putting our best efforts forward. Thank God for this blog! I'm going to change.com now!!!
DeleteFirst off good luck to you. Don't give up. Remember God do everything for a reason. You have your disabilities for a reason. Keep trying and never get tired of trying. Good things come to those who wait and do right. I'm going through the samething but will make it. It doesn't matter how long it takes me I will make it and so will you. Pray and help yourself, God do for those who do for themselves. Don't give up. Don't forget to use the School's office for student accomodations.
ReplyDeleteOne should prioritize looking for an accredited school before taking courses like earning associates degree online.
ReplyDeleteI am 44, and have failed high school algebra once (at the time it wasn’t a graduation requirement), and college algebra three times - once soon after high school, and twice in my 30s. If I was in high school today, I wouldn’t even have my high school diploma. Otherwise I earned nearly three college degrees in four years, and am held up from graduating with those degrees by this math class. Like many others of you here, I am from a family of math geniuses. My mom was a math major, my husband graduated from Navy Nuclear Power School, one of the toughest schools in the world, my brother, my younger son and my daughter are all in engineering. What really hurt was when my daughter passed me up in math by 7th grade.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I have given up. The last time I took the class they lost me at about the fifth week. I couldn’t figure out what they were talking about, at all. It made no sense, no matter how much my math genius family tried to explain it to me. I have taken the class at different schools, with different teachers and different methods. I have used tutors other than my family, tried several online math help sites. It’s like trying to teach a pig to sing. At this point the idea of taking math again makes me want to cry.
So, I came to the conclusion that I will never actually get those degrees. I have all of the knowledge, the learning, but will never get the piece of paper that says I have a degree.
I quit. It simply isn’t worth the stress and the tears.
My husband, who went back to school to get his degree in 2010 at 50 years old, faced the struggle of a lifetime. He too has a math learning disability. He completed all of the requirements except for Math earning As in all of his classes like many of you. He was dreading math. It was difficult at best in high school. When he was in high school algebra was not a requirement to graduate and he barely passed the general math class with a D.
ReplyDeleteHe actually had to take the math placement test twice because the first time he took it his score was so low in math that the school would not even let him take the remedial math class though his other scores were all at the top of the chart. After studying and retesting he was allowed to take a remedial Pre-algebra class before he could take the required algebra. He passed the Pre-Algebra class by spending no less than 6 or 7 hours daily completing practice problems over and over. (I know because I sat there with him as tutor for the entire semester.) He always used unlined paper because he said that the lined paper was too distracting. He would actually become physcially ill while preparing for the tests because of the stress he felt about remembering how to solve the problems, and after a test he would all but forget how to solve the problems from the previous sections. Yet, miraculously he managed to get a B- in the remedial course largley due to the fact the his instructor was willing to allow him additional time to complete the final exam. It is amazing how much difference removing time restrictions made.
Then came time to take the Algebra class. Because all of his other requirements were met he was only enrolled in this one class for the semester. This was truly a blessing because he spent every day from 10:00 am (after class) until bedtime working out Algebra problems. After a long semester of struggle living, breathing, and eating algebra, he managed to pass the class and get his degree. Again due in large part to the instructors willness to remove time restrictions. His school used an online math instruction tool by ALEXS in addition to face to face instruction which allowed my husband to progress through to course content at his own pace as long as he finished within the semester.
He put in countless (ridulous) hours of study, but was able to get past Algebra. I hope his success story can inspire many of you not to give up dispite the frustration and confusion of Algebra.
Have you ever thought of taking the class during a summer session?..I too have always struggled with math my entire life, but I have learned that there is a way to pass. Some of it is luck, you have to get a very easy going professor; more likely to get one during a summer session.. by doing it in the summer you will go for a shorter ammount of time and have to do less work.. professors will usually take it easy on you because you don't have as much time to learn the material. Also by taking it in the summer all of your attention will go to your one math class.. Good luck to everyone out there..
ReplyDeleteSorry, been there and done that. My second or third attempt at algebra/Math095 I did during the summer semester a couple of years ago. It is not easier taking Algebra during the summer in fact it is more difficult. You have the same amount of work that you would be required to do during a regular semester crammed into a 4 or 5 weeks period. If you have the ability to take half of your summer and dedicate it completely in an attempt to pass Algebra then do it. I gave it my all and had to withdraw half way through the course because I was failing. The professor tried to coerce me into staying with the course by promising not to fail me if I completed the course, but instead offering me a D! That my friends was completely insulting, I had a 3.6 GPA going into that class and am not satisfied with anything under an A. I wish that I had the answer to this conundrum, but I do not.
DeleteI'm absolutely amazed by the multitude of people struggling with the same issues as I. Like all of you, I have made numerous attempts at prealgebra (on #4 as I type this) without success. I am able to demonstrate a problem in front of a tutor, but have completely lost the critical formula or order of operations by the very next day - this in spite of detailed notes and hours of study time. Obviously this is a common but largely undiagnosed disability that we suffer from, and very disheartening that the education system as a whole does not openly test for or accommodate students that are otherwise successful in nearly every other subject. We need to somehow raise awareness of this disorder so that others don't fall into the same abyss that we have.
ReplyDeleteI really think that what schools need to do, is to give students with documented learning disabilities an alternative to taking a required math course, provided that the required course in question isn't a something that is necessary for someone with a BA/BS in X major. Granted this will not work if the student is majoring in engineering or a science, but for those students who are perusing a major in Business, Economics, English, or any of the Arts/Humanities, should receive some sort of allowance for a waiver of the required math class or be given the option to take an alternative class.
ReplyDeleteFor example, an undergraduate business student who has trouble with Algebra and Statistics due to a documented learning disability should at least be given the option of taking an additional Accounting or Finance class to satisfy whatever math requirement.
The problem is that our educational system starting with K-12 and with colleges/universities, is that there is this mentality of a one size fits all approach. This doesn't take into consideration that there are people with learning disabilities with respect to math who require much more than being allowed to have more time on assignments and tests. The root of the problem is that many people with math disabilities are unable to fully grasp and retain the vital concepts for advanced math.
It's been my experience while working with my Disabilities Services Office at my university, that the person who runs this department is typically very receptive to doing all that they can to help students like us. The problem is that beyond that level, lies administrators who refuse to recognize how severe learning disabilities prevent people from learning advanced math.
I think that as a result we as a community of people with learning disabilities need to organize and better communicate our needs to not only the powers at be at individual schools, but also to local, state, and the federal government. For far too long I believe that learning disabilities, (especially math learning disabilities)have been ignored. This has resulted in numerous people who have dropped out with thousands of dollars in student loan debt.
Finally, to any educators out there who would disagree with what I propose, would it be fair to require a paraplegic to take a semester of volleyball or swimming? No of course not, yet this is the equivalent of what K-12 schools, colleges/universities do to people with math learning disabilities every day.
Can you use calculators on test? Some colleges allow this.
ReplyDeleteYes, some do allow use of calculators, while others don't. It really doesn't matter because the Professors want to see the work.
DeleteYes, you can use a four function calculator and the use of charts and graphs in a college or school if you have documentation that you have this learning disability.
ReplyDeleteThese are basic ADA accommodations. However, there are many teachers and school admin who think this is a form of cheating, or somehow giving one student an advantage over another. So you will have to be your own advocate and be forceful about getting those accommodations. Unfortunately, many still do not understand Dyscalculia, and there are many teachers in teaching positions who are prejudice toward the learning disabled. It is unfortunate but true. I am in college right now struggling with a CCNA course. It is nothing but numbers! I am having to fight it out with my college for these accommodations. I have a disability counselor at the college who is completely clueless about my disability. Anyway, try not to get discouraged. You can request these accommodations!
I am in the same position. I have studied at 4 different colleges never being able to finish my degree to a variety of reasons financial hardships, severe learning disability, health issues, personal problems etc.. I am now finally one class away from finishing my BA in Philosophy. I have a pretty solid gpa over a 3.35 way better than I used to have. However I have never been able to pass a College Algebra, Finite Math or any other college math class due to my severe disability. This is go time and at this point I will do whatever is necessary to win.
ReplyDeletei know how you feel i failed algebra 2 and i'm retaking on the computer and it doesn't make sense at all I have struggle with math all my life, had tutor after tutor. I have no hope. I have all my credits for graduation and I'm so ready for culinary school the only thing holding me back is my alg 2 math credit.
ReplyDeleteI have secretly been struggling with math for most of my life. During high school, I only made it up to trig and even that was a complete joke for me. Barely passed the classes and didn't understand a single thing. In 2007, I graduated high school and decided to go to a community college. I got A's in all my other classes without much trouble but when I tested for math, I got into the lowest basic skills math class possible. I was ready to transfer or get a couple AA's but math was the only thing stopping me. After taking a couple years off from college and also coming to terms with the fact that I just suck at math, I decided to start fresh at a new community college and start with the lowest math class possible. Passed that one with no issues which was very encouraging but now I am in the second math class which is pre algebra and beginning algebra (basically stuff that middle schoolers learn) and I am struggling so much. I really do try by asking for help, reading the text book, looking up tutorials and resources online but it is still very difficult and becoming very discouraging. I still have another 2 to 3 math classes to take if I want to transfer to a state or UC.. and those 2 or 3 classes would be the bare minimum math class I need to do so.
ReplyDeleteI seriously felt alone for many years and suddenly finding this site makes me feel like I am not alone and that I somewhat have a shot at this. It has also affected my home life in so many ways. My parents do not seem to understand that I struggle with math so much and they are just disappointed in the fact that I'm still stuck at a community college for 6 years.
I have a post here from September 8th, 2013. Since that time I have gotten a new job (still no mobility and will be stuck in the position until I either die or quit) that I hate. The job is helping students at a for-profit university with their FAFSA (Federal Financial Aid Application). About 90% of these students are accepted and go on to pursue their relative dreams. How ironic that I am barred from pursuing my own dream of a college degree while I send happy students off to live out their dreams. That I help them in this and meanwhile, I can't even do what it is that matters most to me.
ReplyDeleteI do not know how long I can continue in this line of work. Soul destroyed does not even begin to describe how I feel.
My dream, of attending a public university in Washington state has recently been shattered by College Algebra. I found out that my low GPA (it was ruined by years of taking math, failing or withdrawing, last being asked to leave my community college for a year, and then as a coup-de-graux, finding out that I am now ineligible to even take the Pre-Requisites or Remedial Algebra courses at ANY school in my district AND that I do not even have the option of substituting for Statistics) has effectively banned me from ever attending any college of any worth in the US. I work two hours away from my house, and two of the schools in the district do not offer online courses in the algebra pre-requisite that is required for entrance into a UC or Cal State school. Non-profits and technical schools do not count, and I crave the challenge of traditional courses. I crave mental stimulation and higher learning.
I know I am capable of successfully taking and completing college courses. I have every class I need to graduate, minus College Algebra. I passed an Honors Critical Thinking and Composition english course with an A. The fact that I would need to pass first the Pre-Requisite course before even moving on to College Algebra has decided for me-I will not be getting a college degree. I have far too many failed attempts, too little self-confidence and a slew of failed attempts to get around the system (tested for Dyslexia, which I have. It is documented. I also have a processing problem which is related to dyslexia and has also been documented in my years as a high school student.
I am 26 years old, will be 27 this year. All I wanted was for my grandfather to see me with a diploma in hand before he passes away. At 93, it looks like this will not happen. I wanted to go into Environmental Studies with a minor in US History. I wanted to preserve and protect the Earth for future generations. I wanted to be challenged. And I have been-only to run up against another wall. I tried and failed to get into another university that would accept me and let me take statistics-until they saw that I had not even completed the pre-req requirement at community college. I just found out that the school rejected me as well. That is three rejections from three separate schools in the last five years.
I feel cheated, hurt, enraged, and more than a little depressed. Every day at work is a slap in the face. My family is so dissapointed and hurt. I do not know why or how the school system has failed us so greatly, but it is a damn shame that working adult students like ourselves are deemed 'too stupid' or 'unfit' to attain a degree and must instead be wage-slaves, working to support everyone else while being denied the chance to succeed.
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt197373.html
This site has validated that I am not crazy. I am a 42 year old woman who goes to school full time online and works full time. I also take care of a husband and 2 teenagers. I have managed to keep a 4.0 average but I will not get my degree in May (Educational Psychology) because of college Algebra. I am taking it in person at night from 6-9 twice a week in addition to four online classes. I have a private tutor, I recopy all the notes. I do the homework plus extra problems, I make a copy of the homework before I turn it in so I can study it. I have a set of 4 Algebra Tutoring DVD's that I go to after the class because I didnt understand it. I also have extensively used youtube videos instructing me how to do problems. I can do one type of problem or homework and I look at it an hour later and I have no comprehension of what to do with it.
ReplyDeleteI am in Phi Theta Kappa, Who's Who Among American College Students and have written a novel. I homeschooled both my children until they were in the 9th and 6th grades coordinating customized curriculum and teaching them for many years. Both my children went on to "regular" school and are both honor students. I am not lazy. I am driven and extremely determined and there it makes no sense that I cannot do this.
I have always had problems in math. I aced everything else I ever took EXCEPT math. It is like a foreign language that I cannot comprehend despite my best efforts to the contrary.
I am tired of crying in the driveway after class feeling like an abysmal failure; knowing that I am going to have to drop the class because there is no way I will pass it and not wanting to accept that defeat...but there it is.
And to the person who keeps saying "Never give up". This isnt a matter of "giving up". It is a matter of realizing your limitations. I know that people mean well when I try to explain my issues and they tell me "Oh you can do it! Dont give up" It isnt a matter of not giving up. I CANNOT COMPREHEND IT. If I had asthma and was having an attack I would hope you wouldnt simply tell me to keep breathing and go on about my day.....
I hope that doesnt come across as snarky but I have never had anything else frustrate me to this point. It is an arbitrary class that has nothing to do with anything. I suspected in high school that I would never use it and after twenty years of being out of school I can assure you I have never used it. Some degrees offer a choice of College Algebra or natural science elective...why not all of them that do not have anything to do with Math?
The "never give up" person is a troll!
DeleteI have a similar problem i managed to eek through my beginner maths like algebra and stuff but now i'm in calculus and i am on my second try, I fear i got another D which isnt high enough to meet the requirements. most teacher i have had feel like they drop the book in front of me and read from it...I know how to read i dont understand what order im supposed to do this in how that works and how the hell am i supposed to find a tangent or what a tangent is explain to me as if ive never seen numbers before then we will get somewhere
ReplyDeleteI am on my second minor and starting to work on certificates because of math. I have every single class for my BA in Sociology and minor in Anthropology. I am now working on my minor in Healthcare Administration and certificates in Women studies and ethnic studies. 3.75 gpa but math is holding me back. I am 41 years old and by sheer knowledge of my profession have a position in my company that requires a Bachelors or 10 years of experience and pass a rigorous screening test. I am good enough to be responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars a day but yet there is this silly notion that everyone needs algebraic skills. I think it is a way to get money for the post secondary system. It is very doubtful if someone who has a learning disability in math is going to try to earn a B.S. in engineering or mathematics. B.A.s should not require algebra; plain and simple.
ReplyDeleteIts better for you to understand the basic of algebra first such that you can able to understand the algebra problem and solve accordingly.Also easily you can get online algebra tutor through online.
ReplyDeleteHow do you have a teaching degree of you can't do Algebra?
ReplyDeleteHi Justis....I sincerely hope you are not implying that a student who cannot do algebra is too stupid to obtain a teaching degree or a BA. That is the way your comment came off.
DeleteRegardless, I will explain. Students will often transfer from a community college to a major state university under the understanding that the student will complete the mathematics requirement at that university. Many accredited and respected schools in the US allow this, California is one of the asinine states that does not, and forces students who do not complete the requirement to remain at the CC level for years in a horrific limbo.
Once the student begins attending the major university they will often begin taking classes that pertain to the major, often taking and completing every single requirement besides the mathematics one. The school will usually give the student a set amount of time to complete the mathematics requirement, and if the requirement is not met in a timely manner, the student will usually be dropped from the university and not allowed back until the requirement is completed. They will not be allowed to graduate and will be considered to have 'degrees in progress'. These students often have acheived BA's or teaching degrees and have fulfilled all requirements besides a mathematics one. In these cases, I often consider the student to have complete the degree, but the deans of such schools do not see it this way. They are forced to drop out and in some terrible cases start all over-from scratch, with huge amounts of student loan debt. That is why you'll see people on this board who say they have BA's or teaching degrees-because they do. They have done everything asked of them but by no fault of their own cannot pass the mathematics requirement, and as such are punished in every facet of their lives.
It is sickening, and wrong. I hope that cleared things up for you.
This article remind me my past, I can feel exactly how you feel. I'm going through the exact same thing. Barely passed calculus and now I'm totally blanked about linear equation even though I put in the time and work hard to learn the material but I forget everything. I want to tell you in last semester I'd six subjects I got 5 A's and one C in differential Equation very hardly.
ReplyDeleteHello. I am so glad I found this website. I too can't get my A.S. without passing Math 90 and still need to complete Math 108 for Crim. Jus. degree. This is the last time my community college will let me take it (3rd try). I guarantee you, soon there will be a program for all of us who are just to "slow" in the math dept. Pray for us all. So glad to know I'm not alone, because this is depressing as hell.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was the only I am 24 years old and been at community college since I was 19 trying to pass math to earn my aa degree but I keep on failing my begining algebra class and took it 3 times but still fail so I was on suspended from financial aid in california then I moved to washington to start fresh but I am having the same problem and that im not passing and im so worried that about getting financial aid suspension again. I feel like im never going to earn my degree.
ReplyDeleteLike others have mentioned, I'm not happy other people are struggling with this but at least I know I'm not completely stupid for not being able to exceed in algebra. Up to this point I've had a 4.0 at my community college and this algebra stuff just stumps me. I just can't retain it! I'm working on my nursing degree and this is the only thing holding me back from applying to the nursing program.
ReplyDeleteI take my class online and use MyMathLab and it is has lots of resources and sometimes very helpful but I struggle to take the tests. There just has to be a solution to the problem of people who are weak in the math areas. I think it's sad the world is missing out on a lot of professionals that want to make themselves better because of one class. Smh
Same exact problem. I have tired 2 different community colleges and still cant seem to pass simple math. It is impossible I have had to drop out of school twice cause of it. I don't know what to do.
ReplyDeleteI am currently suffering the same exact issue. I finished my ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION major in 2011 and have over 138 credits... you only need 118 to graduate... yet i cant get my degree because I just cannot pass algebra. I cant begin to explain how much stress this has caused me. I have been in limbo for 5 years and they just dont understand that practice and tutors just do not help. Its truly a learning disability. I am stuck and its as if i never even went to college because of a general education requirement that is OBVIOUSLY there to make students dumb more and more $ into the university year after year because they can not pass it. i spoke with the head of the math dept and they told me there was no way they could waive it and basically told me they would continue to allow me to exacerbate my resources. I wish someone would start a petition because there are literally no more options. I have 40k in student loan debt that i cant pay because i cant get a decent job with out a degree. I HAVE 138 credits, 40k in debt and its as if i graduated high school and never went to college... Something needs to be done asap.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad to see that I am not the only one with this problem. I absolutely started thinking that I was completely retarded. I have been trying to pass college algebra for about 3 times now. The maximum times allowed is 3 before i lose my financial aid. Firstly, with the upmost sincerity, I think it's bullshit that you have to pass a college algebra class to get a degree that doesn't even need algebra on it. I am almost certain that at least 70% of the people who went through college a long time ago would fail a college algebra test today, why? because they don't need it in their daily lives. Now my debt is up to 35k and rising probably, and it's so unfair that students cannot get a degree just because of a insignificant math class. Now that my rant is quite over, I will not say keep trying and keep your head up filled with empty promises and false hope. Let's be real, something has to be done about this. Germany is looking like an option for me at the moment.
ReplyDelete-R.B
Khan Academy is great online algebra site, worth looking in to
DeleteI am attempting my first try at intermediate algebra and feel as though I also can't retain the information thrown at me. And I am also trying to get an art degree.
ReplyDeleteI am in exactly the same situation that you are all in. The feelings....frustrated, confidence level down because I have a fear of taking pre calculus, business calculus or college math. I am in my 50's and knew that if I wanted my business degree I would need to start from the beginning. I have an associates in business administration but back in the 1980's higher math was not required. I started my math classes from the beginning about 5 years ago. Started with pre algebra at a community college in San Diego, then continued on to elementary algebra which I had to take twice but ended up getting a C with the same professor. When I got my A in pre algebra my professor stated how proud he was of me because I am conquering my fear of math. I then proceeded to Intermediate Algebra which was online with math lab and got an A. I studied for weeks for that final. It wasn't easy but I knew I had to do it. Then I continued on to Statistics and didn't pass the first time because my mother had passed away unexpectedly and I couldn't function or pass the class. My instructor even gave me time to the end of the semester to complete my homework due my situation but I couldn't focus and I ended up getting a few points short of a C so ended up with a D. I did retake it again a year later with the same Professor and received a B. It was an online class with Math Lab. I love Math Lab classes. I took Trigonometry next with Webassign...not easy...miss my math lab and it was a tough class. Very hard but studied several hours a day, tutoring, open math labs, and ended up with a B. So my math grades have been average but why do I have the fear of the higher math classes and why do they have to be required to get your business degree (they are even required even if you want a healthcare administration or hospitality management bachelor's) which I don't think is fair. I have not attempted my higher math classes yet and feel like I am at a standstill with obtaining my business degree. I would even like it either in healthcare or hospitality but the higher math is stopping me. It is sad that we are all in this situation. I worked so hard to get here and don't know if I have the nerve or confidence to take pre calculus or higher math. I really don't think so and it is going to ruin my chances of obtaining my bachelors. That was an interesting comment about the left and right brain. I feel myself that I have to use my left brain harder when it comes to Math and Sciences. I also considered pursuing nursing but Human Anatomy has been a challenge. Passed Biology and Chemistry with C's but not B's or A's. It is very competitive and the left brained students are very fortunate because they excel at the Math and Sciences. Even to get your Sociology or Psychology bachelor degree you need some type of behavioral statistics which is Math. So I feel for all of you that are going through this and it can leave you confused and having to think extra hard on how you are going to pursue your bachelor's. I am going to look at the math lab for Chemeketa College in Oregon. Thank you for the suggestion. Does anyone know of any other colleges that offer math lab math classes? It seems that the community colleges are going towards Webassign and doing away with Math Lab. Webassign is a struggle for me and I have learned so much from using Math Lab.
ReplyDeleteHi I have been tested and was diagnosed with discalculia. I had attended college in the past but never really took it seriously (ART classes, which sorry to say an art degree [well, fine art specifically] leads nowhere anyway) anyway when i decided to go back and get a degree that would actually get me a job I decided on graphic design but knew i couldn't do the algebra. I thought i had brain damage from a previous accident so I decided to get tested. It cost $40. No brain damage but a discalculia diagnosis. felling validated i enrolled but did not sign uo for math because the counselor said the disability services needed to be set up the previous semester. cool. so i go about my life learning photoshop whatnot, and finnaly the day comes when i get my disability appointment. Im sorry to tell you but i was very angry and left out of there very upset because they do not implement help for math disabilitys only reading and physical ones!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL. All i wanted was a calculator to get past math30 but they say i cant i have to pass algebra 1 before im allowed a calculator!!!!! WHAT???? So im sorry to say we are stuck in fast food jobs where we will constantly be fired for because we cant make change or balance a register and get accused of stealing. I try to aim for tiped jobs as any mistakes can be offset by my tips. its not fair but better than being accused of stealing. I SWEAR I GIVE EVERY SINGLE PERSON THE WRONG CHANGE AND I HAVE NEVER NOT ONCE MET AN HONEST ENOUGH PERSON WHO WILL GIVE THE EXTRA DOLLAR BACK!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, it was excellent and very informative.
ReplyDeleteCan You Do My Accounting Homework
Thanks for this great information. I totally agree with your perspective. Your articles made me want to read more.
ReplyDeleteSame situation with me. I am 25 and suffering at a job I hate because CamdenCounty College told me I still needed to take college level math for a degree in Dance and I couldn't even pass the math fundamentals, so... :(
ReplyDeleteI too have this issue of dealing with dyscalculia. I have missed out on many opportunities, spent unruly amounts of money on tutors who only gave up on me in the end and even spent money to be tested by a major, well known and respected, university that diagnosed me with dyscalculia. Despite my diagnoses and otherwise good grades and GPA, my disability has not even evoked sympathy from admissions staff. For this reason I am basically stuck in community college. Mind you, my major, communications, has nothing to do with math, at least not in my division of the field.
ReplyDeleteDespite all the money spent and repetition of the course, people around me can only say, “you just need to change your attitude”, “ study harder”, and “get another tutor”, as though I am failing because I am just lazy or trying to prove that I cannot do it. That fact of the matter though is that my brain literally does not allow me to retain, and keep the information. I can forget algebraic and geometric equations with in minuets even in a tutoring session, let alone in class or during a test. I other wise am I great student and receive all A’s and B’s. Universities only seem to care about math however.
Based on these comments I see that there are a lot of people here who are more than qualified to live out their dreams. It is not fair that one subject with little importance is dictating how people’s futures are being affected. Dyscalculia is as real as any other mental disorder or syndrome and there needs to be more awareness around it. I am not sure if there is an advocacy group or foundation in support of those who carry this disability (I need to do more research on that) but if not, there should definitely be one started. There are too many people here with too much potential being help back from progressing because of this math.
I completely empathize with those who suffer with dyscalculia. My daughter has dyscalculia and has had an agonizing journey through school, but I am happy to report that she will be graduating from college in December WITHOUT passing a Math class. How you ask? Well, here is the answer. She went to a private college. Only private colleges can substitute the Math requirement.
DeleteBefore she got in to Concordia University, she was tested for placement in a Math class. Of course, it was determined that she would have to take two remedial Math classes before she could take the one required for her major. I told the school that she would not pass the first Math class, much less two more, because of her dyscalculia disability. They said she had to take the first class, and if she didn't pass it, then they would approach the Dean about substituting a Logic class.
As predicted, she did not pass the first remedial Math class. The counselor then approached the Dean to substitute Logic, and a plan was made. I called the local community college, spoke to a Logic teacher and explained the problem. I told her that my daughter's college degree depended on her ability to pass a Logic class. She recommended that my daughter take her Logic class instead of another teacher's, because she said her class was less like Math. She also said that the school provided free tutoring and that extra credit would be given for that.
My daughter went to tutoring 4 days a week during this summer school Logic class, and wound up with an 80, largely because of extra credit. The day she told me her final grade was one of the happiest days of my life, because I knew she would realize our dream of her graduating from college.
Dreams do come true. I just had to find the path of least resistance. That path only runs through private colleges, NOT state schools! Junior colleges are revolving doors. If you can't pass the first Math class, you'll never get the chance to go on to a University. Don't frustrate yourself. Seek out a private school that gives grants and scholarships, and get your degree there. It IS doable. Good luck to all!!!
I have ALWAYS thought that there should be an organization that helps people like all of us and have often thought of starting one myself, I just don't really know where to start with something like that.
DeleteGlad I found this. Now I know I'm not alone. Funny thing is, I'm actually good at Math. I can solve problems and find formulas in my head for every day situations. Need to know how many miles you can go on that half a tank of gas? No problem! I can figure out angles on a pool table and run the house for an hour straight. People at work have trouble figuring out an obscure percentage of something, I have the solution in seconds.
ReplyDeleteNow, sit me down in front of a test or in a classroom and... there's nothing. It's gone. Meaningless X's and Y's floating around the paper, taunting me. Theorems and laws being used that get jumbled together in a mess of useless phrases.
Here's a messed up situation for ya. I've worked in a "science" field after earning a BA. Hands-on work, mind you. I'm good at it, good to the point where people look to me for guidance and my expertise. I decided to try getting my Masters in the field - Wildlife Biology.
Now, Biology, in all practical use doesn't use a single bit of math in any way, shape or form. You perform data entry and learn facts and details about the animals. No math. None.
The degree pre-requisites call for Algebra, Calculus, and 2 other elective math courses.
The GRE is about 25% graded on its Math section (Algebra level).
It's been 20 years since I stepped foot in a Math class and when I did, I barely... made it by. The only way I passed it in high school was by studying the patterns of the practice tests and figuring out what my "best guess" would be for the answer. I aced 2 final tests in high school and barely passed the 3rd.
Didn't actually learn a damn thing. Can't remember it. Can't retain it. Call call upon it. There's zip, zilch, nadda there for me to bring back up from my memory now.
The GRE is essentially impassible for me. Even if I did squeeze by in it, I'm hitting a brick wall in trying to fulfill the pre-reqs for the program. There is absolutely no way in Hell I stand a chance at even remotely failing Calculus with dignity. My grades would be so low, they'd simply kick me out of the class.
My hopes of getting a Graduate degree are next-to-nothing. In a science field that actually requires little to no Math at all, mind you.
So yeah, I feel the dyscalculia pain.
I Had someone change my grades in my 3rd year of college and here I am with my degree contact on +1 763 280 8650
ReplyDeleteI have the same issue I'm in college algebra right now and I have a high D. I'm a senior in highschool and my teacher so flustered that I'm the only person in the class with a D called my parents and ranted for half an hour that I'm an idiot and shouldn't be in any math class because of this. And all I could do was let my parents yell at me, because I can't understand the math no matter what I do even though I get all the homework right.
ReplyDeleteWow, read the responses here and I cried. Over 50 and I have avoided college for years because of algebra. I finally just passed pre-algebra after three tries and now have to look forward to college algebra.
ReplyDeleteMy homework scores are great, I can work through a problem when I have the formulas and simple instructions. Take those away and I'm lost, so my exam scores weigh me down.
My GPA is great except for algebra. I'm so happy to hear I'm not alone, but wish there was a better solution for us all to get to the next step. I'm not sure about anyone else here, but I will only need accounting for my career path, which I can handle, but I don't think algebra will come into play much, and again if I need to do it, a little backup instruction and I can get through it.
Good luck to all, I'll be back to share my pain and hopefully some successes.
My business degree was a cakewalk, Trig - no problem. Statistics - no problem. I decided to go back for a Masters in Biology after a 20 year break.... MAJOR problem with Calculus.
DeleteIt's like me brain takes a permanent holiday from itself when it sees the equations. In any practical, real-world application for these maths, I know the problems and I can work out the solutions but, damned if I how how I did it or how I'm able to prove the work. X's to the Y's by the squares of the blah blah blah *some Greek name* whatsamacallit to the thing-a-ma-jig. That's as much sense as any of it makes at that point.
The funny part is, it's not the Math that's the problem; it's getting my brain wrapped around the proper explanation for the Math, that's the problem.
I only aced my high school advanced Math classes by studying the State Finals practice tests and "playing the system", if my quick calculations were 1 above this, but 3 below that, I knew they had to be this answer. etc. etc. On the fly, in the real world, my Math is nearly perfect. In the classroom, via a text book, written on paper, my Math skills are a sad, sick joke without a punchline.
I used to have algebra problem but not anymore. Thanks to my online algebra tutor. The best possible online tutoring experience is one in which the student feels as if the online tutor is right there in the same room. https://preply.com/en/skype/algebra-tutors
ReplyDeleteThis class is to make you think period. This being my third attempt I think I could shed some light into how to pass.
ReplyDelete1) Do all the homework and then bring into the professor’s office the ones you had trouble with and do on practice tests
2) Expect every test/exam/final to cover those problems you are not good at or don’t get. ( This is way I failed my second attempt)
3) Use different colored pens whatever for every step. Draw small cartoons or something you can use to remember the steps.
4) Go to the same lecture twice. Ask your professor if its ok for you to go to there other classes or a different professor all together. Use the internet to find different ways that match your way of things.
MAT0018- Failed
MAT0018- Passed C+
MAT1033- Failed
MAT1033- Failed
MAT1033- Will attempt one more time
I have very strong dyscalculia. MAT1033 is the stepping stone to continue in college and with only 15 credit hours left till my AA, 6 of those being math and not the nice math classes. MAT1033 must be passed before I can take Coll Alg, Trig , Precalc, and then finally what my major requires Calculus 1 with Lab lovely. I am financially near the end of being able to continue college and debate switching to a easier degree or dropping out completely due to bloody MAT1033. Frustration and rage are in understatement.
I have all of my requirements to transfer to a 4 year university, except math. I cannot pass basic algebra. I have failed the classes so much that my GPA fell too low to qualify for financial aid.
ReplyDeleteI thought maybe I would try to join the military but I wouldn't be able to do well on the math portion of the ASVAB, and much of the science, and mechanics portions seem to be dependent on math as well so I don't see myself being able to achieve a passing score.
This disability has ruined my life.
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ReplyDeleteI don't know if anyone will see his but here goes. I have had to put off getting my paralegal associates degree so I can qualify for the math class part of my AA degree. However before I can even take the math class I have to take a pre-math class called Math 90. I am not doing well at all. I barely scored a 240 (needed a 237) on our accuplacer here in NH, USA. I have a severe learning disability. I'm an adult student. My program coordinator stated my CC requires it to finish my final 6 classes which math is a requirement. I'm close to just giving up.
ReplyDeleteI didn't take math in school because I failed the state exams nine times. so I was removed by the school administrators when I was a child.
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