Didn't take calculus in high school and now I feel behind...

intparent
Mon, 23 Oct 2017 03:48:38 +0000

Lots of students re-take calc in college for various reasons. Some of them are there for the easy A, too, since they already took it. It doesn’t even sound like you took pre-calc, and you had a 2 year hiatus from related math. So… your struggles are understandable. I have a few questions:

Is it too late to drop? Guessing it is at this point, but just asking.

Why are you taking this class? Is it a requirement for your major or post-graduation plans? Do you plan to take more math after it? What are the implications of a bad grade in this one class?

How bad is your grade right now? I ask because I flunked my calc midterm first semester of college. I studied my tail off for the rest of the semester. Made flashcards of every nuance of every concept, every weird homework problem, etc. Carried the darned things all over campus -- studied them while in line at the cafeteria, etc. I aced the final, and ended up with a B+ in the class. But I wasn't completely floundering -- just hadn't done a great job of REALLY nailing the studying and memorization for the first semester.

I agree that a chat with your academic advisor ASAP also is a good idea.