Is college making you feel dumb?

ALF
Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:27:56 +0000

I am the Dean of the Math & Science Division at a community college, and what you are writing sounds very typical for many students. Yes, you may have taken AP Calc, but the fact that you got a C in it probably tells me that you are not as strong in algebra/trig as you could be. The placement test probably identified that, and placed you into a Precalc course. This does not imply that you are stupid, just that you should improve your alg/trig skills before moving onto college-level calculus.

If you are going to get a Bachelor’s degree, it really doesn’t matter what type of Associate’s degree you get, as long as it is well-designed to transfer you to where you want to go. So, check with academic advisers at Rutgers to confirm that the transferable ABA degree is the right one to prepare you for your Accounting degree.

You do NOT want to be in a non-transferable accounting degree program, unless your goal is to be a low-level bookkeeper for the rest of your life. That degree (as the name implies) is a so-called ‘terminal’ degree, because it is the end-of-the line academically, and it is designed to get students out into the workforce ASAP.

It looks like your first semester courses are exactly what a Freshman should take who intends to get a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. Confirm with Rutgers, but is sure sounds like you are heading down the right path to achieve your goals. Suck it up about the Precalc class, it will do you good, even if it is mostly review.

You are doing all the right things!