# Whats the point of College Algebra?



## Ununderstood (Jun 8, 2005)

Three-fourths of the stuff they teach me I won't even remember or ever use again in my life. It's pointless! I hate it!!!


----------



## Lasair (Jan 25, 2010)

Oh Dear...I do not know! What are you studying?


----------



## Giraffe (Sep 7, 2010)

Math is basically a very abstract form of logic. No matter what we end up doing in life, we use logic. Therefore, it benefits us to learn math.


----------



## Faded Lines (Sep 22, 2006)

I really cannot stand when people say that. The only people that math benefits are people that use it in their careers. How can math teach me to think logically? It can only teach me to think logically about solving a math problem, not about deciding whether or not this method is better than that one. Silly.

I really intended on responding to you because you had a Gunners avatar. What a banger of a match today. Wenger's red and white army gunning through baby. **** THE MANCS


----------



## sas111 (Oct 20, 2010)

You may not use it in the future but it's making you smarter in lot's of other ways like in everyday life.


----------



## LessThanThree (Oct 5, 2010)

Well, my college algebra teacher tells me that mathematics helps you think critically and stuff. Also, it's good to keep your brain exercising and learning things, you know?

At the end of the day, I guess, the point of college algebra is to get the mathematics credit so you can graduate? ^_-


----------



## bobthebuilder (Jun 17, 2009)

Should be an easy class. Didnt you learn all that stuff in high school? I tested out of college algebra and it was like 5 or so years since i took it.


----------



## alte (Sep 4, 2010)

Probably the most valuable thing you learn in school is the ability to learn new material. The specifics may not be relevant to your future job or career but there can be benefits regardless.


----------



## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

There's some stuff on the side too, other than the material you're learning. For example, I have labs with most of my courses so I'm inadvertently getting laboratory training. I also have lab partners and groups to work with so there's relevant skills right there for any job that requires human interaction. Your dedication to meet deadlines and apply yourself are also reflected when you complete a course/graduate with a degree.

I took calculus, not algebra, but it felt just as useless.


----------



## coldsorehighlighter (Jun 2, 2010)

Even if you think it's useless, do it. School is about learning all the skills needed to be a good employee, and while doing "pointless" work sucks, look at it as a "work ethic" lesson...you'll have to do lots of things in life where you fail to see any point at all in doing it.


----------



## gopherinferno (Apr 7, 2009)

I am also an advocate of How Much Math Sucks.

Only people who are studying math/science/accounting should have to take the advanced math. It's wasting time and money. They should be teaching them how to nurse hangovers instead, that has practical value in their lives.

Of course, most subjects in college are also useless in real life. 

This is just a late-night mini-rant of an embittered and tired college student.


----------



## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

You won't even use a lot of what you learn in college in your career. Most classes are just to help you become a critical thinker and problem solver because that's what a lot of jobs DO entail. I was an electrical engineering and mathematics major, so if you need any help, just tell me.

I'm not even sure what you learn in college algebra (is it like pre-calc?). I started college in Calculus 2.


----------



## LALoner (Dec 3, 2008)

People complain about learning and then they wonder why they are poor and people look down on them.


----------



## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

I'm in Basic Algebra. Last semester I had Pre-Algebra. I just suck at math. Forgot everything in High School, I was always horrible at math. I'm a Psych Major. I'm not sure why its necessary, except that I need it as a prerequisite for Biology and Statistics. Statistics sounds scary. Anyone take a course?


----------



## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

Homersxchild said:


> I'm in Basic Algebra. Last semester I had Pre-Algebra. I just suck at math. Forgot everything in High School, I was always horrible at math. I'm a Psych Major. I'm not sure why its necessary, except that I need it as a prerequisite for Biology and Statistics. Statistics sounds scary. Anyone take a course?


Yeah. Statistics isn't too bad, but it was my least favorite math.


----------



## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

wjc75225 said:


> Yeah. Statistics isn't too bad, but it was my least favorite math.


What exactly... is it? Haha.


----------



## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

Homersxchild said:


> What exactly... is it? Haha.


Probability type stuff. Typically you use a lot of coin flipping, dice, and card game examples. Like some basic examples would be figuring out the probability of getting a full house in poker or the probability of a coin landing on heads 3 times in a row. It gets a little harder than that, but that's usually the stuff you start with .


----------



## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

Sounds pretty interesting, actually. I'm only terrified of doing long algebra equations.. so unnecessary in my life.


----------



## coldsorehighlighter (Jun 2, 2010)

Statistics, Odds & Probability. :heart


----------



## wjc75225 (Jul 24, 2010)

Homersxchild said:


> Sounds pretty interesting, actually. I'm only terrified of doing long algebra equations.. so unnecessary in my life.


Ahh, ok. You may find it interesting. It was boring for me to be honest. However, there aren't any long equations that I remember. It's been a while since I've taken the class. Most of it is word problems type stuff, but you have to understand how to correctly use the information given. This is just for basic statistics I'm guessing. I had to take an upper-level statistics class, too. It was 10 times harder and did involve long equations.


----------



## Monroee (Aug 26, 2009)

wjc75225 said:


> This is just for basic statistics I'm guessing. I had to take an upper-level statistics class, too.


I have to take Statistics and then Psychological Statistics. Hah. Well, I hope I like it, since I have to take two.


----------



## seafolly (Jun 17, 2010)

I've been putting off Statistics. :b It's a prerequisite for my degree but not for any courses so I'm being a dork and pretending it doesn't exist until I have to! I have sat in on a bunch of classes and it doesn't seem particularly difficult perse, it's just math (probability, yes), but for me that's the problem. Math doesn't hold my attention well! I completed calculus, shouldn't that be enough?


----------

