Math Department at My University Isn't That Great. What Do I Do?

[168135]

I am currently taking two courses of a pre-calculus math. Next year I have to take stats and calculus, which I think are both considered as my pre-requisits.

My first course of pre-calculus just ended. There are roughly 20 students in the class, and they ALL feel the same way about the class and most of them are scared that they are not going to pass. I had a tutor. Here are some problems we are having:

- Professor only gives us help when he wants to give it. When he doesn't, he makes up look like jerks in front of the entire class.
- He doesn't have consistant office hours like the other professors.
- This is his first time teaching the course in 20 years.
- He made the first midterm too easy, and admitted that he made the second midterm too hard (only five students passed)
- His teaching style is hard for us to follow. Yes this is university math, but we are failed the calculus readiness test and we would appreciate if you used more examples. Stop this y=px+q crap and give us a real example with y=5x+8.
- His exam was way too difficult... and everybody came out of the exam thinking that he failed. He said that if we did well on the final exam, he would somewhat forgive the grade we got on the midterm.

I have him again next semester. No other prof teaches this course... and even if other profs taught this course, people are always reminding me, "Oh, this prof is worse, trust me."

I am anticipating a B or an A in Bio, a B in English, a C in Chemistry, and a B or an A in Anthro/Soc. Next semester I am going to get a tutor right away for Chemistry, but I don't know what to do about math. If I get a poor grade, but pass, should I retake it? I don't know if I can do this, but I was thinking of dropping the second semester math, taking stats, and trying this again next year. But then, what happens if I get "worse professor".. do I take that risk?

I was so mad after that exam that I thought about switching universities. I love this school though.

I'm just really frusterated

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[Angelo84]

Another option would be to take your math courses at a local community college. A tutor would also likely be very useful--or even just a friend that knows the subject well.

Good luck!

 

[banditalfi]

Another option would be to take your math courses at a local community college. A tutor would also likely be very useful--or even just a friend that knows the subject well.

Good luck!

That's a really good point - basic math courses like stats and calc are generally offered over the summer at most colleges, so you could take it at home instead of dealing with this horrible prof.

 

[168135]

That is a very good idea. Back home, the community college is a five minute walk from my house. I'll wait and see how my math grade is, and then look into it.

If I take math during the summer, that means I can take two other courses next year that I have an interrest in instead of taking math.

I'm liking that idea.

 

[PSUPops]

In the U.S. Pre-Calc and Calc are two different types\styles of math.

 

[168135]

In the U.S. Pre-Calc and Calc are two different types\styles of math.

Same here. I have heard that all of the math professors are horrible. I can do my last semester of pre-cal here and then do cal and stats at a community college.

I could even doing it while I am in school. The community college here is right next to the university.

 

[lailanni]

Taking it at a community college would be a great idea -- the teacher makes all the difference in the world. I've only taken a handful of classes at a CC, but the instructors were great.

I had a similar situation with a god awful physics prof. He would actually walk away from students trying to ask him a question, and in class if someone answered incorrectly he'd make fun of them. I ended up waiting a quarter to get a different prof to finish the series, it made a huge difference.

 

[cyrille104]

Get a tutor and pass the class. There are godawful professors everywhere...in high school, college, and, yes, even vet school. Some professors are just there to do research and have no interest in teaching introductory courses. That's just the way it is...you teach yourself the material from the book, and get the best grade you can.

Reasons:
1) Schools are going to wonder why you took your pre-reqs at a community college, and make a pretty good assumption that you did it because it was easier (not because it was cheaper). In fact, they'll probably ask you why you did it, and interviewers NEVER want to hear you blame a professor for your performance in a class.

2) Just because one professor is bad doesn't mean your next calc/stats class are going to be bad. The problems you described are specific to the professor, not the department.

3) Sounds like the exams are balancing each other out. Unless the professor is handing out bad semester grades like candy, it doesn't really matter.

Sorry for the tough response, but really the best thing you can do for your app is just push through. Compared to your other pre-reqs (as you are now discovering in chemistry), calc should be a cake walk, even if you're just learning it from a textbook, and if you get a tutor you should have no problem at all.

P.S. Most schools have some sort of course/teacher evaluation that is open to all students who can enroll in the class. Next time make sure you look at these and choose carefully (for example I doubt he's the only professor teaching calc this semester if there are only 20 people in your class). Otherwise try to ask advisors or friends about the professor before enrolling in his/her course, and do your best to take classes with professors who you know are good over professors who you know nothing about, or worse, who you know are bad.

 

[pressmom]

I'm actually going to second cyrille on this one. There will always be crappy profs. Ask around. Check review sites. Just get through it. There are crappy professors in vet school and there you DON'T have a choice. You just have to muddle through.

 

[bakaduin]

Im going to agree with the above two posters. Welcome to college. Sometimes you get an awful professor and figuratively take it up the butt! You just try your best and take whatever grade you can muster. When you apply to vet school if you say "Well I got a C in Blah blah because my professor was impossibly hard" your not going to get much but a laugh. Switching universities won't help because every uni has bad professors.

My advice to you is use ratemyprofessor.com to always try and find good teachers. If only bad teachers are available you either tough it up or go the community college route.

 

[ri23]

Agreed. The worst thing you can possibly do is blame a professor for your poor performance in an interview.

 

[banditalfi]

While I agree that it is a bad idea to blame a poor grade on a prof, there is a positive way you can spin taking classes elsewhere. Even though I have taken all my courses at my regular institution, I think taking stats there was a mistake - not because it was too challenging, but in fact the opposite - I found it to be a waste of time and a waste of a class. I would have much rather taken an elective that I was interested in than listen to a discussion about what you can tell from the slope of a line and how an equal sign with a line through it means "does not equal."

 

[168135]

So... which is worse... having a bad grade in math, or doing it somewhere else?

I heard that the prof who teaches calculus is worse than the guy I have now. This is a small university. I don't have much of a choice on who I get. I was going to change Chemistry professors next semester, but it is only offered twice, and the other class clashes with my Anthro/Soc, and I can't change Antro/Soc classes because it is linear.

I'm beginning to think that I am doomed.

 

[cyrille104]

So... which is worse... having a bad grade in math, or doing it somewhere else?

I heard that the prof who teaches calculus is worse than the guy I have now. This is a small university. I don't have much of a choice on who I get. I was going to change Chemistry professors next semester, but it is only offered twice, and the other class clashes with my Anthro/Soc, and I can't change Antro/Soc classes because it is linear.

I'm beginning to think that I am doomed.

Depends how bad the grade is. Seriously, you should be able to get a decent grade with a tutor and a book. Like I said, unless the professor is giving unforgivingly difficult exams and not curving appropriately, just stick it out.

This is just your first semester and you already have a problem with your calc professor, your chem professor, and next semester's calc and stat professors? What's going on? Either you're throwing blame for your grades or you need to transfer. Seriously, if it's that bad, transfer to another 4-year university. If not, you need to suck it up and still do well by putting in extra study time, because bad professors are not an appropriate excuse on your application...

 

[168135]

Depends how bad the grade is. Seriously, you should be able to get a decent grade with a tutor and a book. Like I said, unless the professor is giving unforgivingly difficult exams and not curving appropriately, just stick it out.

This is just your first semester and you already have a problem with your calc professor, your chem professor, and next semester's calc and stat professors? What's going on? Either you're throwing blame for your grades or you need to transfer. Seriously, if it's that bad, transfer to another 4-year university. If not, you need to suck it up and still do well by putting in extra study time, because bad professors are not an appropriate excuse on your application...

I already know that I need to spend more time on my studies.

I have a tutor and the book. Professor doesn't curve grades. Prof gave us questions on the second mid term and the exam that we have never seen before in class or in the assignments in the textbook. We known the method, in and out, but we don't even know where to start with some of the questions that he gave us. A friend of mine is on scholarship... she has a 90+ in every other course, and even she thinks that she is doomed for math.

You need good grades for vet school, so I was assuming that there was another option. Now I'm just lost.

My chemistry teachers in high school sucked... I was in the IB program. I transferred schools, did bad in pre-IB science, went and did academic chemistry, and was blessed with an unclear teacher in grade 11, and a class of 32 immature students that it made it impossible to concentrate/get help. I am getting a tutor first thing next semester for Chemistry.

And ratemyprofessor is not helping! It is just making me more nervous!

 

[VAgirl]

I agree that it's a little suspicious when someone has had nothing but bad professors (since the common thread is the person, so perhaps there is something wrong there).

But that being said, I don't agree with everyone dumping on taking classes at another university or community college. Sure, I also think it'd absolutely look weird if you took all your pre-reqs elsewhere (makes one wonder why you picked that particular school in the first place). But I don't believe that a few pre-reqs at another institution (including a community college) are a bad thing. You need good reasons for it, ideally ones other than "it was easier." But surely there are other good reasons. Perhaps you wanted to have time to puruse a second major/minor/series of courses that were offered only at your primary institution, and one way to have access to this while still completing all pre-reqs were to do a few pre-reqs over the summer closer to home/for cheaper.

I think it's worth noting the fact that a lot of non-traditional applicants have courses at community colleges. CCs are often the only institutions who offer night courses to fit around our FT jobs.

 

[168135]

Perhaps you wanted to have time to puruse a second major/minor/series of courses that were offered only at your primary institution, and one way to have access to this while still completing all pre-reqs were to do a few pre-reqs over the summer closer to home/for cheaper.

I was thinking the exact same thing. If I take calculus during the summer, I can take the easier, calculus based physics next semester instead of the other physics class. Taking the calculus-based phyiscs gives me more options. If I decide to do a minor in chemistry, for example, you need the calculus based physics. Also, it allows me to take another elective.

I might see about doing Calculus this summer. It depends... I'm planning on working, and I need to work on my volunteer experience. We'll see.



My family has had huge problems with the school system here. I went to school for a bit in the states, and here they dumb it down to a point where it is frusterating. I think there was a point in my life where I was looking at going to a private school. Anyway... I just find the school system crappy, and I just think that if you are paying $10 000 to go to university, you should have professors that actually LIKE what they are doing, and are GOOD at what they are doing. I know two people who are doing Calculus at another, 10x larger university... they are doing so bad that the professor has to curve the marks. I don't know... if I have to suck it up and deal with it, I will, but I was just wondering what options I have.

 

[david594]

I was thinking the exact same thing. If I take calculus during the summer, I can take the easier, calculus based physics next semester instead of the other physics class. Taking the calculus-based phyiscs gives me more options. If I decide to do a minor in chemistry, for example, you need the calculus based physics. Also, it allows me to take another elective.

I might see about doing Calculus this summer. It depends... I'm planning on working, and I need to work on my volunteer experience. We'll see.



My family has had huge problems with the school system here. I went to school for a bit in the states, and here they dumb it down to a point where it is frusterating. I think there was a point in my life where I was looking at going to a private school. Anyway... I just find the school system crappy, and I just think that if you are paying $10 000 to go to university, you should have professors that actually LIKE what they are doing, and are GOOD at what they are doing. I know two people who are doing Calculus at another, 10x larger university... they are doing so bad that the professor has to curve the marks. I don't know... if I have to suck it up and deal with it, I will, but I was just wondering what options I have.

First off, isnt calculus based physics(the harder physics series) required for vet schools? as opposed to non-calc based physics(the easier series)?

Commonly the professors at large universities are good at what they do and like what they do. The majority of what they do being research and getting grant money. Its not uncommon at larger institutions for a professor to teach 1 course a semester(or even every other semester) and the rest of their time being left for their research.

And lastly, dont assume a curve in a class means the professor is bad or they did something wrong. A professor can write an exam where he thinks the average will be an 80 or a harder exam where he thinks the average grade will be a 60. If he shoots for the 60 he can make the exam more challenging and as a result cause he students to be more prepared for it. Then down the line he can scale the grades into the proper distribution.

If you go through a course with a 90's average which you know will be an A, you will not work anywhere near as hard if you have a 70's average and you are unsure if after the cruve that will get you a B or even an A.

 

[VAgirl]

First off, isnt calculus based physics(the harder physics series) required for vet schools? as opposed to non-calc based physics(the easier series)?

The majority of the schools that I applied to required physics with lab, but it didn't have to be calculus based physics. It would be important to check each school's requirement (and possibly call them, since sometimes the printed requirements are out of date). Don't assume what you're taking is ok without checking. It would be awful to have to take something over or not be considered at all because you weren't careful enough the first time.

 

[168135]

Well, I just flunked my first semester of pre-cal.... which is FUNNY is because technically I passed it TWICE in high school.

I'm checking my schedule now... I'm going to see if I can take stats next semester (because I definately can't/will not take the second semester of pre-cal) and see if I can do calculus during the summer at community college so I won't be behind. I'm going to go on ratemyprofessor to see what the two stats profs are like.

Now how am I going to explain that to vet school?

 

[david594]

If you passed it twice in high school why did you take it again in college?

Pre-calc is not a hard course and over the course of your next 4-5 years you will encounter harder courses with much more difficult material and worse professors.

I wouldn't worry about trying to explain that to vet schools, you have 4 years to do much better.

 

[168135]

If you passed it twice in high school why did you take it again in college?

I had to take a calculus readiness test, and they suggested that I take pre-cal instead of calculus. I just went with it because I figured that it would be a review... and it was... until the second midterm and the final. I passed every single assignment and his first "oops, too easy!" midterm... and yet ended up with a 42. I admit, I could have put more time preparing for the midterm/exam, but that is difficult to do when the professor leads you on.

But only one stats course is offered next semster, and it is the professor with the worst ratings on ratemyprof that teachers it. I emailed my advisor... I'm just wondering if I should take that risk. I don't think that I have a choice.

My biology and my anthro/soc marks are in the 80s. I passed Chemistry with a 60, so I'm confused where to go with that. I know I need to put more time into Chemistry and get a tutor. I'm a goal setter... I'm going to aim for an 85, and try to get that into the Bs. My Bs, I'm aiming for As. I just don't know what to do about math :S

And it is stats... I don't know what stats is, so I can't really prepare myself over the break, unless someone wants to give me an idea to what it is all about, because I'm willing to.

 

[cyrille104]

It's starting to sound like you just need to buckle down and do the work. I don't know what else anyone here can say. If you took pre-cal twice in high school and passed it, there's no reason you should have failed the readiness test and then the entire course. If you really want to get into vet school, you need to do what it takes to get As, no matter how difficult it is. Not only to put on your application, but to prepare yourself for the amount of work you're going to be doing in vet school.

 

[2short4life]

If you think you are REALLY good at Math and deserve a better grade, go for winter/summer classes at a community college. Where I am from, a math class in Winter is 4 weeks and Summer is 8 weeks. It's your decision.

 

[ri23]

I admit, I could have put more time preparing for the midterm/exam, but that is difficult to do when the professor leads you on.

The most important thing to do is to take ownership of your own mistakes. You chose the school that had a limited number of classes offered, and you didn't prepare well enough for the test. If you blame others for not doing well you won't improve and you certainly won't be preparing yourself for vet school.

 

[168135]

I'm not going to let another idiot professor get the best of me next semester.

I just feel stupid...

I'll play dirty if I have to. If he is going to be an idiot about giving me help, I'll just go and introduce myself to the other stats professor. And get a tutor that is more available.
I'm just frusterated. This is the second bomb to hit me on my Christmas vacation, and I'm hoping that there isn't going to be another one.

I was talking to a friend of mine who was in my class, and apparently this prof got rid of our second midterm mark, which only five people passed, and "played around" with the percentages so that it was too everyone's "advantage". If our final was worth 85% of our mark and he didn't tell us, I'm going to be upset. I got a 75 on my first midterm and probably averaged a 75 on my assignments.

Just ignore me! I'm just letting off some steam.

I'll try harder next semester. I've never failed anything in my life. My lowest mark in anything was a 71 and that was in guitar