# yep...still bad at math



## Twice on Time (Dec 31, 2009)

earlier this month i took my english placement test to start out at a nearby CC. i did pretty well on it, and it took me a whole 20 minutes to breeze through the reading and writing. it was pretty easy for me because i've always enjoyed english, and like it a lot more than math. but honestly, it was simple, and my enjoying it, and being half way decent at it, just doesn't bring my spirits up and make me feel good about myself. i feel like math is the real focus these days. it's almost a benchmark in society. if you're good at math, great, you're smart. if you're good at english..."cool, what else can you do?" problem is, mathematics is where the trouble starts for me.

i took the math test and completely bombed. 81 in pre-alg and a 33 in everything else. that is: algebra, geometry, and college alg. it makes me feel like a complete moron. i'm 20 and barely fluent in algebra. i took that **** when i was 14! *sigh* the world keeps turning i suppose.

even still, this sort of thing validates all the inadequacies i see in myself. it's something i've always struggled with, and god knows high school didn't do anything to help. i remember looking around at all the other kids (boys AND girls). they all had great grades, were going to great colleges, had promising futures, had interesting lives and hobbies, they were popular, pretty, and most people liked them. the only thing i could think was: how are these kids so perfect? where is the equalizer? when am i going to be good at something? i spent so much time sizing myself up to others and convincing myself i just wasn't smart enough, that i missed the broader goal of going to school. there's so much competition in the educational system today (at least where i went to school), and i think it's disgusting. school should've been about me expanding my knowledge of the world. not about going through the motions so i can get into a good school, otherwise the person sitting next to me will probably make more money than me. consistently losing in the race to college, whether it be due to laziness or incompetence, has scarred my confidence permanently.

i think the issue of feelings of inadequacy in students has been overlooked. there's no doubt in my mind that if i hadn't just given up on so much school work due to the fact that, "i'm just stupid, and will never amount to anything useful.", i would have excelled in school, instead of just leading an idle lifestyle because of the low confidence in myself.

*to sum it all up for anyone not interested in reading my wall of text* -

i suck at math
that makes me feel worthless

if anyone has been through this type of thing, or has any advice on how to maximize my confidence for school in the summer, i'm interested in hearing from you.


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## laura024 (Aug 11, 2006)

I suck at math, so I chose the easiest math course available to satisfy my college's core curriculum requirement. I'm doing fine in it. So there is hope.


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## cakesniffer (Nov 11, 2003)

Don't feel worthless. Lots of people are not gifted at math, myself included. If you are not actively learning and reviewing it, it's very easy to forget everything you learned. That's how it is with me.


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## mcmuffinme (Mar 12, 2010)

i psyched myself out with math my whole life and just recently found out i'm actually decent. i'm 21 and i failed a math class in the 4th grade. i took college algebra in high school and thought i was failing and paid a kid to change my grade only to get caught and find out i acutally had a B- (embarrassing, lol). I took college algebra twice before I passed it- the first time I took it with a friend and I think having her sit next to me psyched me out because I didn't want to look stupid, and so of course- I ended up looking stupid and had to drop out.

The second time I took the class alone I recieved an A. I'm taking Statistics right now, by myself, and getting an A.

I think what threw me off was that English and everything else came so easily I thought that all schoolwork was supposed to come relatively easily. So when I put out a moderate amount of effort I thought I would recieve a good grade, but wound up not grasping the concepts as fully as I could have if I would have put out a sincere effort.

I realize now that even if I do all the homework assignments I still need to study thoroughly before the test unlike other classes. I need to study before quizzes.

Also, you have to be able to ask questions, which was always REALLY hard for me because I had an inferiority complex about my mathematics skills, not to mention having SA. If you're in college I recommend you use the math study center (or whatever you have that is equivalent). I thought it would be awful and I couldn't handle feeling stupid, but they have a great system at my school. You put a flag up on you table when you need help with a problem and a tutor comes over and helps you. Otherwise you are left alone and don't need to talk to anyone until you run into a problem that pisses you off, lol.

Don't feel bad if you ask a question and you were overlooking something small. That happens a lot and it's very true that when someone asks a question in class it's likely that other students have the same question (a girl asked a question i needed answered today). I asked a tutor for help with a problem that had a set of data in the back of the book, and my problem was that i didn't realize the data went to the next page- so i wasn't seeing all the numbers given to me. I felt a little stupid, but hey, I knew what was wrong after that, and being corrected is a victory not a defeat- though if you're insecure about math it might feel like it at the time.

I think people psych themselves out the way I do because math is known to be such an indicator of a certain type of reveered intelligence. My first quiz in statistics, which was INCREDIBLY easy, I felt nervous and scored a 2/10, but now I get 9/10 on most my quizzes, but since I knew statistics was supposed to be hard I just kind of choked.

I hope this helped and wasn't just long and useless :/
___________________________________________________________
and I took a math evaluation test when I first went into college and did poorly too. Math just isn't as easy as English, period. It doesn't mean you're unintelligent, but that math is more difficult. Especially when so much of it is memorizing formulas and certain concepts- you can't be expected to retain all that for too long. I know when I'm done with a class it is mostly all gone and out of my head.


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## rctriplefresh5 (Aug 24, 2009)

Twice on Time said:


> earlier this month i took my english placement test to start out at a nearby CC. i did pretty well on it, and it took me a whole 20 minutes to breeze through the reading and writing. it was pretty easy for me because i've always enjoyed english, and like it a lot more than math. but honestly, it was simple, and my enjoying it, and being half way decent at it, just doesn't bring my spirits up and make me feel good about myself. i feel like math is the real focus these days. it's almost a benchmark in society. if you're good at math, great, you're smart. if you're good at english..."cool, what else can you do?" problem is, mathematics is where the trouble starts for me.
> 
> i took the math test and completely bombed. 81 in pre-alg and a 33 in everything else. that is: algebra, geometry, and college alg. it makes me feel like a complete moron. i'm 20 and barely fluent in algebra. i took that **** when i was 14! *sigh* the world keeps turning i suppose.
> 
> ...


i definately empathize with you man. the whole english versus math thing is so true. that is because, anyone can be good at english, but only smart people can do math,physics,chemistry, that's my opinion.

i am horrible at math as well. when i started community college i aced the reading and writing as well, it was easy. i got a 92 on the arithmetic part, and a 40 on everything else. i placed into algebra 1(elementary algebra but not pre algebra) i placed into the 2 semester slow paced one. i decided to get waived into the one semester class as i am a math/science major LOL!!!!(reason is because math is hot these days like you said!!
anyways i managed an A in that class, and went onto intermediate algebra in the 6 week summer course(got an A). last semester i took college algebra and trig(one class) scored a B. this term i registered for precalculus, and my teacher was an *******, so i had to drop. it also was hard as hell for me. you have to be expected to know algebra very well, and to be fluent in trig. they dont reteach it,kind of like how you need to know how to balance equations for algebra 1, and they wont reteach.
anyway, my point is, although im in precalculus now, i still struggle with algebraic stuff. i never learned algebra, just memorized how to do it, because i am just not smart enough to understand it. im getting really sick of this major though, and thinking of just doing psychology, and being homeless, instead of working my tail off to do something in math, competing with people who took calculus in highschool,when i struggled with algebra my first year in college.

a lot of teachers will tell you, that anyone can do math,and that its jsut that some people need to work harder than others. i think anyone can pass amth, but njot everyone can understand it. i worked hard and got good marks in my classes(not precalc,but idont even understand the quadratic formula so well) i was talking to a calc 2 teacher who said her students cant do long division HA THAT'S GREAT.


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## monkeykoder (Mar 18, 2010)

I just have to finish this semester to finish my BA in math. I've learned one thing through countless hours working in tutor centers, even those that are purportedly good at math have a really hard time with certain things. Truth is English is just as hard for those who are good at Math as Math is for those who are good at English.


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## Pileo (Mar 24, 2010)

You really shouldn't feel bad about it. I got a low score myself and had to take the lowest math class my CC provides. Surprisingly, the class was a pain in the *** to get into because it was packed with people of all sorts of ages. This term it's the same story. All seats are taken in the lower Math classes. 

It turns out it's not uncommon for people to score low as a lot of the stuff you learn in Math class, you don't use on a day to day basis. So... why remember it?


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## Amanda123 (Jan 21, 2010)

lol, you're not alone. I'm so clueless in math.. tbh though math isn't all that important. You won't use half the crap anyways, well if you want a career in it then nvm. That's probably why I'm so bad in it because I don't really have any desire to learn it.


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## monkeykoder (Mar 18, 2010)

Amanda123 said:


> lol, you're not alone. I'm so clueless in math.. tbh though math isn't all that important. You won't use half the crap anyways, well if you want a career in it then nvm. That's probably why I'm so bad in it because I don't really have any desire to learn it.


It's incredibly useful you just have to know what it's useful for.


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