<p>Hello everyone,</p>
<pre><code> I was a Chinese language analyst in the Air Force for 4 1/2 years. In short my strong suit has always been in the humanities, particularly languages where as I have no foundation in math or science. Somehow when I first started out in college I managed to get an A in math101 and 102, but I’ve forgotten everything that I learned. I am looking at going back to college and have been considering what to major in. At first I wanted to double major in Chinese and Japanese studies with the aim of one day becoming a professor and expert of the Chinese and Japanese language and culture. But now I’m trying to be more practical, I want to earn enough money to take care of my parents when they get older regardless of whether I have a wife and children. I think I would like to major in robotics engineering (maybe minor in computational linguistics?) I have a passion for learning, therefore I believe I can be just as dedicated and passionate about learning robotics engineering as I was with Chinese. Learning languages is my strong suit and its something I can do in my own time and still become an expert in Chinese and Japanese culture without the need for a degree.
Now I know math and science are essential to engineering, but like I said I don’t have a foundation in either. I think the fact that I was able to apply myself to math101 and math102 in order to earn an A shows that if I practice and immerse myself in learning math and science then I will be able to get the foundation I need and then from there will be able to do well like I have done with English and Chinese. I know that if you don’t practice a skill enough, it will perish (use it or lose it.) I’m immersed in English everyday and I try to practice Chinese everyday therefore I am more developed in these areas, but, if I had been immersed in using knowledge about math and science everyday for a long time then I think I would strong in these areas as well.
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<p>Someone told me that weaknesses are undeveloped strengths, and I do indeed believe that. The Chinese have a philosophy that developing skill in something takes hard work, dedication, and time. </p>
<pre><code>So, what I’m trying to find out is how long will it take to build my math skills and science (to where I will be on par for college level math and science) if I study everyday several hours a day? 6 months, a year, 2 years? I know it is going to take time and work and I am willing to do what it takes I am just trying to gauge how long I am looking at before I can handle these subjects in college (from lower level math and science all the way to the top.) Maybe it will help if I give you more information about how poor my math skills are…basically I can’t really do math right now without writing it down, and I’m terrible at basic skills like division, so I’m pretty sure I have to start with elementary stuff and work my way up. Thank you for your help, take care.
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<p>I would honestly sit down with Khan Academy or something of that sort with quick lessons and see which things seem very familiar to you and which you need to work on. To be “college ready” for math you’d need to be ready to start calculus, so that’ll at least set your goal post.</p>
<p>I also recommend Khan Academy. </p>
<p>As for how long it would take: it honestly just depends on how quickly you grasp math. Some people figure it out faster than others and there’s nothing you can do about that. You can still learn it as well as the best if you put in the effort though.</p>
<p>Talk with an advisor at the new college. It may not make sense for you to start over in a totally new field if your best talents lie elsewhere.</p>
<p>Hey tuxedmsk, could you tell us what kind of math those course numbers involved? (i.e. at my school, MATH111 is college algebra, 112 is precalc, 101 is pre algebra, etc.)</p>
<p>It took me about 6-8 months to get from “haven’t had a math class in years” to “finish covering basic differential and integral calculus” by studying in my spare time while working 40 hours a week. I probably did a couple hours a day.</p>
<p>Thanks to all you for your sound advice, now I can set my goal and start working towards it and I will definitely check out Khan Academy. PoppinBottles - according the website from my old community college, math101 and 102 are both considered beginning algebra ([Website</a> for Math 102 - Intermediate Algebra](<a href=“http://www.midlandstech.edu/math/henson/math102/default.html]Website”>http://www.midlandstech.edu/math/henson/math102/default.html).)
Take care everyone.</p>
<p>Ah, OK. So here is what I have: I am a non-traditional student. From absolute scratch (like, not even review: I’d never done division before), it took me about a month or two to get to a point where I was probably ready to TAKE those classes (studying for the GED, 100% out of the McGraw-Hills guide), and then another lazy two months maybe before I was ready to take college algebra, which most schools seem to consider the first college-level math class (although some schools don’t even offer anything under calc).</p>
<p>So if you are going back this fall, I think getting ready to take college algebra is doable. If you are going back in the spring, you may be able to get your algebra up to par and test out of it and take precalc.</p>
<p>If you are going to try that, I honestly wouldn’t go past that. I am actually yet to find precalc particularly useful in calc (although trig has been really useful in engineering classes), and algebra has been the weakness common to everyone I know who drops calc I. So if you want to do it on your own, I think you should give it plenty of time and get it really solid. </p>
<p>Some additional warnings: </p>
<p>1) Unless you have tons of time and there is no way for you to take a class in the spring, I would absolutely just find a way to take one then. Learning on your own is just so much slower and less efficient.</p>
<p>2) Khan is great, but you need some kind of structure or road map, and a lot of practice problems. I’d buy a text book. My college algebra text book is the best I’ve seen*, and you can have it at your door for <$8. I still have my syllabus too, which would give you a good idea of what to look at and which problems to work, and when you get stuck, THEN you can go to Khan. </p>
<p>Good luck, and PM me if you ever want my college algebra syllabus. </p>
<p>*[College</a> Algebra: An Early Functions Approach (2nd Edition): Robert F. Blitzer: 9780321587978: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/College-Algebra-Early-Functions-Approach/dp/0321587979/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374867603&sr=1-13&keywords=blitzer+college++algebra]College”>http://www.amazon.com/College-Algebra-Early-Functions-Approach/dp/0321587979/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374867603&sr=1-13&keywords=blitzer+college++algebra)</p>