MATH - and acceptance

[alleigh79]

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I am beginning my pre-req. classes and have been out of HS for almost 10 yrs. So beginning math again - I needed to start from scratch. I took my College Algebra final today. I basically had to make a B to keep a B. I did not do well on my final and am afraid I will end up with a C in the class.🙁 I am scheduled to take Pre-Cal. in the fall and to take Calculus in the spring. If I had this much trouble with college algebra what can I expect from Calculus. And what can I expect from physics which is Cal. based!!! I'm just really concerned whether I'll get in or not if I just end up getting by in math with C's. I'm beginning to question whether I should even quit pursuing optometry and go to nursing school! I also just finished Biology I and made a B in the course. Which means if I did make a C in math I have a 2.5 GPA --- this does not make me happy. Please give encouragement and advice.

 

[eyelectric]

I am beginning my pre-req. classes and have been out of HS for almost 10 yrs. So beginning math again - I needed to start from scratch. I took my College Algebra final today. I basically had to make a B to keep a B. I did not do well on my final and am afraid I will end up with a C in the class.🙁 I am scheduled to take Pre-Cal. in the fall and to take Calculus in the spring. If I had this much trouble with college algebra what can I expect from Calculus. And what can I expect from physics which is Cal. based!!! I'm just really concerned whether I'll get in or not if I just end up getting by in math with C's. I'm beginning to question whether I should even quit pursuing optometry and go to nursing school! I also just finished Biology I and made a B in the course. Which means if I did make a C in math I have a 2.5 GPA --- this does not make me happy. Please give encouragement and advice.

I would say it really depends on what you learned in your algebra class and what you will retain when entering pre-calc. If the foundation is there, then you should have no trouble in pre-calc. On the other hand, if you think you just skated by in algebra and don't really understand the concepts then I think it might be worthwhile to retake it. Just becasue you are getting a B (even a C) doesn't necessarily mean you aren't ready to go to the next level. Also, they will probably review some of the same concepts in pre-calc that you learned in algebra. As for physics, I don't think any of the optometry schools require you to take calculus-based courses; those are generally reserved for engineers and scientists and are almost always weed-out couses for those majors. Although, if you think you can handle taking calc-based physics you will definitely come away with a better understanding of the material than in a general physics course. Hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[gochi]

I am beginning my pre-req. classes and have been out of HS for almost 10 yrs. So beginning math again - I needed to start from scratch. I took my College Algebra final today. I basically had to make a B to keep a B. I did not do well on my final and am afraid I will end up with a C in the class.🙁 I am scheduled to take Pre-Cal. in the fall and to take Calculus in the spring. If I had this much trouble with college algebra what can I expect from Calculus. And what can I expect from physics which is Cal. based!!! I'm just really concerned whether I'll get in or not if I just end up getting by in math with C's. I'm beginning to question whether I should even quit pursuing optometry and go to nursing school! I also just finished Biology I and made a B in the course. Which means if I did make a C in math I have a 2.5 GPA --- this does not make me happy. Please give encouragement and advice.

I have not taken physics yet so I cant comment on that, however I found CALC to be very unrelated with college algebra. For calc 1 you will cover differentiation, limits, differnetials and world problems. There isnt much algebra involved, since the profs ask us to leave the answer in un-simplified form. I found High School math to be harder than Calculus. Its fairly easy, you should just practice and come test time you will be ready !

Good Luck!

 

[luckyfool]

I am beginning my pre-req. classes and have been out of HS for almost 10 yrs. So beginning math again - I needed to start from scratch. I took my College Algebra final today. I basically had to make a B to keep a B. I did not do well on my final and am afraid I will end up with a C in the class.🙁 I am scheduled to take Pre-Cal. in the fall and to take Calculus in the spring. If I had this much trouble with college algebra what can I expect from Calculus. And what can I expect from physics which is Cal. based!!! I'm just really concerned whether I'll get in or not if I just end up getting by in math with C's. I'm beginning to question whether I should even quit pursuing optometry and go to nursing school! I also just finished Biology I and made a B in the course. Which means if I did make a C in math I have a 2.5 GPA --- this does not make me happy. Please give encouragement and advice.

Calculus is going to be pretty difficult for you because it involves abstract thinking and manipulation of numbers. If you have trouble with algebra/trig which are cold hard maths then you probably should take some extra training courses to strengthen your abstract thinking skills. calculus is not for everyone. talk to your prospective schools to find out whether you really have to take them.

 

[tinymissdr]

hey,
Well from my experience.. Pre-cal was a so ridiculously easy i mean i got a 98% but calc killed my butt for some reason.. i ended up w/ a B in that class. but then again the instructor was horrible.. The material really isnt hard you just have to do all your h/w and study for the test. thats all! don't worry..you'll be fine!! have a little faith in yourself and youll be able to concor all! hehehe
🙂
-tinymissdr

 

[jc812]

I took and DROPPED calculus.

I made an A in college algebra, but a C in pre-cal (a hybrid classroom/computer class that I hated for math!!) In any case, I didn't learn anything in pre-cal but found it totally unrelated to calculus.

Calculus, to me, is about 85% algebra and 15% trig. You will need a strong algebra background to do the stuff for Calculus.

My algebra has always been just enough to get me by, but in Calculus.. it needs to be more than just that. I'm in the same position as you.. I despise Calculus and hope that I can give it another whirl after some home practicing. (I'm taking a look at some Opt. schools that don't req. Calc)

Don't take the class if you aren't ready for it.. you don't want the bad grades on your transcript.

 

[rallthenamesgon]

(I'm taking a look at some Opt. schools that don't req. Calc)quote]

jc812, what Opt. schools don't req. calculus?

 

[hfpepperbean47]

From the ASCO Website (http://www.opted.org) there are two schools where calculus is not required but still highly recommended - PCO (Pennsylvania) and NESCO (Oklahoma)

 

[alleigh79]

Well my algebra prof. ended up having to curve the final exam! I ended up with a B in the class!! Yeah! I'm still concerned with my ability to do calculus but I an hoping I will have a better prof. next yr. Thanks to all of you who gave encouraging advice!

 

[Spearmint1]

You're taking algebra in college? Isn't it supposed to be a high school freshman class?

 

[luckyfool]

guys, easy now..

 

[jc812]

You're taking algebra in college? Isn't it supposed to be a high school freshman class?

That's why they call it "College Algebra".

There's different levels, too.. like "linear algebra" which is a higher level course than Calc I and II...

 

[Spearmint1]

forget it...

 

[cpw]

You're taking algebra in college? Isn't it supposed to be a high school freshman class?

is that kind of response in ANY WAY helpful ? (or just demeaning to the OP)

If you've been out of school a long time, i can see exactly why someone would take a refresher math class.

I minored in math. Could I do diff eq now ? I think not.

Don't judge unless you've been in the exact same situation. I applaud anyone who's unhappy at work and actually working to change their situation to go back to school. 🙂

 

[alleigh79]

You're taking algebra in college? Isn't it supposed to be a high school freshman class?

Thank you very much - I have been out of high school 10 yrs......

 

[Spearmint1]

I've been out of high school for 6 years and I still know my algebra.

 

[hfpepperbean47]

You're taking algebra in college? Isn't it supposed to be a high school freshman class?

What, you didn't start algebra in junior high? Only started in high school?

 

[hfpepperbean47]

Spearmint - You sound like Lenny Briscoe, always quick with those sensational one liners.😀 👍