Is my degree plan hopeless?

greencat13
Tue, 10 Sep 2013 23:28:36 +0000

I’m working on a biology degree but struggle so much with algebra that I don’t know how I’ll get past the core math to get any degree at all. I’m good with chemistry and physics math so maybe that’s a sign that my case isn’t completely hopeless, but I just don’t understand college algebra at all. I take detailed and well organized notes, never miss a class, study for what seems like hours and have even seen tutors, but still get embarassing scores. I even studied on my own all summer long but am already falling behind.

They will test me next week for a disability in math, but I don’t know how basic accommodations like extra time during tests will help. Maybe I just haven’t found the right tutor yet. Part of the problem also seems to be that the professor shows us very easy examples in lecture but then assigns way more complicated problems in homework and on tests without showing us how to work them. There were even a couple problems on the last test that came from brand new material I’d never seen before, so I had no idea how to even start them. If I wanted to teach myself, I wouldnt have wasted my money paying for this class at all and would have long since clepped out.

I understand the material from the class underneath this one, which I did pass, so I don’t even know where to begin or why Im failing this one. It’s like there’s a major information gap in between the two classes that I’m missing and don’t know how to get to.

I feel like the butt of some joke for trying to get a science degree with math problems like these, but there’s nothing else I’m interested in. I love everything from medical research to neuroscience to particle physics, and I know Im not dumb, but that’s what it really feels like right now. Is there hope for me at all?