So I (didn't) fail Calculus again...

[Hellstorm Archon]

I know that this forum is generally not used to vent personal issues, but I feel that I have to vent right now.

Last semester was the first time I hit an academic brick wall. Calculus I was absolutely miserable for me, and for whatever reason, I just couldn't understand the concepts (it didn't help that the professor made everything sound more complicated than it really was). I ended up having to self-teach myself, but it was too little, too late. I ended up with a dismal F.

Cut to a few months later, where this semester didn't seem so bad. I failed once, I have a much better understanding of the concepts, I can get through it, right? Well, the first half of the semester went swimmingly, and I got As and Bs on the first three tests, and I was doing relatively well with the homework. Then the last exam comes up, and for whatever reason, I just can't find myself to keep going, and I ended up getting a 61 on the last exam. Not too bad, since I still have a B. Then the final exam comes up, and I end up with a 48, which knocks down my average all the way down to a 67 (I need a C in order to officially pass). It appears that I'm royally screwed now, and it sucks, because I really enjoyed the classes I took which pertained to my major (Computer Science), such as Intro to C and Intro to Logic. I really don't know what to do now. Changing my major may be an obvious solution, but I really want to keep at it with CS.

What can I do at this point?

[Nevander]

The way that I always approach these situations is if it's something that I legitimately try to do and just can't, even though I've tried more than once and put forth the effort required, I choose to pursue something else. There are subjects that I know I can't do, and will never be able to understand. Just so happens advanced mathematics is one of them. My brain just doesn't work like that. I'm not a number oriented person, and my brain doesn't process numbers very well. I have trouble doing even smaller calculations that others can do on the fly, so I need a calculator most of the time. I'm not talking about stuff like 10 times 25 or 50 divide by 3 or something, I mean stuff like 456 times 67 or 921 divide by 34. My brain goes wut when I have to do that in my head. I know others can do that any time, and I'm so envious of that, but I've accepted it and have moved on. If it's something like that I can't do, I find peace in acceptance and focus on something else.

I myself even had to change my course plan from Science to Arts at my community college. There was too much math and science and I would not have been able to handle it. I failed Chemistry and Pre-Calculus both before. I re-took them of course to get a better grade, and ended up getting a B in both. I know one mistake was choosing to take the Chemistry online the first time. Math and Science just isn't my forte. Never has been, never will be. There's plenty of other things in life to do that you will enjoy more and will be glad you decided to do it instead. If there's someone behind you pushing you in that direction, it may be time to take a stand and tell them you need to follow your own path and the path they are pushing you in isn't what's best for you, and failing a class twice is proof enough for me, provided you can also prove you put forth the effort and time and still failed.

Whatever happens or whatever you decide to do, good luck.

Also, this is a great example of the problem that I have with the way majors and courses are designed. Something like game design, why does it require so much math? There are tons of things relating to game design that have zero to do with math. Someone who makes maps or levels will hardly ever need advanced math (if ever). A texture artist will never need math. And yet, it's required for that major.

[Freaklore1]

I too use a calculator since my brain doesnt have enough processing speed.

[Naniyue]

I understand your feelings all too well. I started as a Comp Sci major myself, back in the day, but after working my butt off and still only getting a very low "C" in one of my important classes, I knew it was time to change majors. Sucks, though. I would have loved to have been involved in video game development! So many ideas in my head that never see the screen . . .

Anyway, if Comp Sci is your true love, I'd say try again, but even harder! Otherwise, you could possibly minor in it and choose something else for the major.

Do you know anyone great at Calculus that may be willing to help? And with the internet nowadays, there should be more self help available than there was way back when.

Regardless, I hope you ultimately succeed! Good luck!

[Trance]

My one main piece of advice is, don't give up on the path you wanted to take unless you've exhausted all your options.

If it's at all possible to stick with it without financially ruining you, do so. (Having to take out a student loan, by the way, I would consider tantamount to financial ruin.) And seek the assistance of a tutor. My college had free on-campus student tutoring in their Learning Commons area (I was one). Not every college has that, but see if yours does. Being able to sit down one-on-one with someone who knows their stuff really makes the critical difference most of the time between grasping a concept and leaving it fuzzy and unconnected in someone's mind.

If two failures in one course means that that course's tuition goes way up, well, you may not be able to afford to take it again. In that case, you may be forced to switch majors.

Ultimately, though, this is advice from a person on the internet who knows next to nothing about your school or your particular situation. Don't just consult people on an internet message board about this. This is really important, life-affecting stuff. Talk to a guidance counselor for your school. Their whole purpose is to help students who are struggling with their path in college, and they would know better than any of us what would be a wise course for your situation.

[DoomRater]

See one of the most awesome things about this community is it's full of people who know when we can help with a question and are willing to tell you where to go when we don't or can't help.

Calculus is one of those things where my mind didn't get it at all when I looked through the math book. Understanding that there's a lot more to Calculus than just rote memorization is where the whole higher math thing started to kick me in the face. I couldn't approach it the same way I always have for math. It's like getting how complex numbers can do dirty heading rotations with only multiplication (doing it cleanly means using sine and cosine scaling) or how FOIL really is the standard algorithm, just repackaged sideways. Calculus is realizing how equations are related, and using that knowledge to simplify your life and calculations a lot. It's essentially creative thinking for math, the exact opposite of what I'd learned all the way up to Trig.

[Coraline]

Trig was a lot easier than Calculus (which I still do not understand fully..), especially since I never took classes for them (just took online courses to better understand my source port)..

[DoomRater]

I didn't even realize this existed: http://betterexplained.com/calculus/

This might reinforce some of the intro concepts of Calculus.

[Hellstorm Archon]

Ok, so there might be light at the end of the tunnel after all.

Since the class I'm taking is online, the final exam is remotely proctored. Given that, there were actually a lot of students having a hard time just getting in, as the exam required a password, and some ended up locked out of the exam. As a result, my professor just reopened the availability of the exam, meaning I could take it again.

So what did I do?
I practiced, and I practiced, and I practiced my ass off. Also, it helps that I finally bought a calculator (a more basic one, which the professor allowed).
When I retook the exam today, I ended up doing much better this time around. In fact, I actually did better than I thought I would. Only thing is, the original attempt has already been recorded, meaning my grade didn't go up all that much. This is very likely to change soon, as this new attempt was basically the same as the original exam, albeit with some slightly different questions. As a result, she should hopefully take in the attempt with the highest score. If not, I'll see if I can email my professor to see what's happened.

I'm not out of the woods just yet, but I'm not in despair anymore. Thank you all for the helpful advice.

[Nevander]

As a result, she should hopefully take in the attempt with the highest score. If not, I'll see if I can email my professor to see what's happened.

All the classes I ever took at my community college, the instructor always took the higher grade, so I'd be shocked if yours didn't. She might average the two though, that's another possibility, but hopefully it will be the higher one.

[Hellstorm Archon]

As a result, she should hopefully take in the attempt with the highest score. If not, I'll see if I can email my professor to see what's happened.

All the classes I ever took at my community college, the instructor always took the higher grade, so I'd be shocked if yours didn't. She might average the two though, that's another possibility, but hopefully it will be the higher one.

What usually happens is that since a normal exam can be taken twice, the higher of the two grades will be taken. However, the issue here is that my original exam and my more recent attempt are supposedly two different final exams, and yet are the same final exam. Apparently, it's already been averaged out by the application, but this shouldn't be the case, because in normal cases, the higher of the two grades is taken into the record, because they're essentially the same exam, just with slightly different questions.

[Redfox123]

I too use a calculator since my brain doesnt have enough processing speed.

same
only 1.5 ghz for my brain

[Hellstorm Archon]

So I emailed my professor yesterday asking to clarify the grading, and I never got an answer. She was responsive when it came to answering questions, but apparently not here.

What should I do at this point?

[Nevander]

I'd wait a little while longer, at least a couple days (if you can). She might be very busy or something and isn't ignoring your email on purpose.

[Erenussocrates]

DW you are not alone, I will probably fail at Numerical Analysis for Engineers this semester