<p>I had never had any struggle in math until I reached multivariable calculus. I honestly had an absolutely horrible teacher who did not care about the class and who did not really care. She was a physics PhD wanting to teach physics and could only find a job teaching math. Her teaching was very hard to follow, she often found that when she did example problems, she made a mistake somewhere and never attempted to correct it (so no one ever saw how to do the problems correctly). We never had any idea of what to expect on tests and quizzes, and she never appropriately answered questions.</p>
<p>As a result, I used resources such as Khan Academy, PatrickJMT, and Paul’s Notes to help me through it. I ended up getting the highest grade in the class (a high B, but she never curved anything), but I continued to teach myself multivariable calculus so that I could tutor and further strengthen my understanding.</p>
<p>I want to somehow incorporate this into a personal statement, but I don’t want to come across as whining because I didn’t get an A (which I know it probably sounds like in this thread XD)</p>
<p>Any ideas/suggestions?</p>
<p>I just wouldn’t go there at all… if you do tutor in multivariable calculus, you might find a way to mention the specific math levels you tutor in and include it. It does indicate that you have grasped the material.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m trying to incorporate this as an example to show what I do when I struggle. I just suck it up and do the very best that I can, and I’m not just doing all of this for a grade, I genuinely enjoy learning. I feel this is the best example that I have of a struggle, but I just don’t see how I can explain the struggle without sounding like I’m whining or fudging the details, I suppose.</p>
<p>Speaking negatively and blaming the teacher for a lower grade would reflect poorly on you. Don’t do it.</p>
<p>Here is my suggestion of how to tell admissions without the negativity, a short version.</p>
<p>Ms. ___, my multivariable calculus teacher, has a PhD in physics but sadly could only find a job teaching us math. Although I never struggled in math, because her teaching was so hard to follow, I along with our entire class had difficulty understanding the concepts. So I took matters into my own hands, I used resources such as Khan Academy, PatrickJMT, and Paul’s Notes to help me through it. When I ended up getting a high B, the highest grade in the class, I patted myself in the back.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. Good luck!</p>