It's been a rough day...

[roomthreeseventeen]

If you do stick with business, my recommendation would be to go to office hours as much as you can. Professors love to work with students one on one, and you'll probably get a lot out of it. And if not, you'll know for sure it isn't for you.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Just offering up more support here! It can be incredibly difficult to feel so "lost" at times. But remember that you are NOT alone! I can bet that there are people in your class who feel the same as you. The fact that you want to talk to your professor is terrific! There are many people (myself included) who struggled in school or college at times and was too embarassed to talk about it with anyone. It's wonderful to see that you have the self confidence to admit it and do something about it!

I echo others' sentiments that you should do something you love! But I also think math is an important skill to have in any profession and in life in general. For that reason I say, do not give up, definitely continue to look for ways to understand it better. I happen to love math but encountered problems in trig. I just didn't understand the practical application. Sine?! What does a wave have to do with numbers? Well, once it was explained in a practical way I had an epiphany! So keep looking for that epiphany moment - you will find it!

 

[mdvlprof]

Do go to office hours. I spend most of the time amusing myself. I love it when a student comes by to ask questions. It also gives me a chance to get to know them. Then if they are on the edge for grades, I usually give students I know the benefit of the doubt.

 

[DeltaDiamond001]

Its funny - I've got a masters degree in Accounting and really don't care for math either.

That is funny! I actually love accounting. I took it for two semesters and did really well in both.

I think the reason I like and understand it is the fact that it is real life stuff. Even down to the simplest of tasks like balancing a ledger or check book, accounting is something that can be applied to everyday life. I also love the technology aspect of it.

Maybe I just have some sort of giant mental block. Every time I'm doing math homework, I think to myself, "When am I EVER going to use this in real life?!"

I can't imagine many instances where I'm going to have to simplify a radical polynomial, or prove that a rectangle is indeed, a rectangle.

Thanks so much for all the helpful responses. I'm going to check out math tutoring next week. It's actually done by teachers or math majors here, so maybe it will end up being helpful.

 

[1Grumpy9]

That is funny! I actually love accounting. I took it for two semesters and did really well in both.

I think the reason I like and understand it is the fact that it is real life stuff. Even down to the simplest of tasks like balancing a ledger or check book, accounting is something that can be applied to everyday life. I also love the technology aspect of it.

Maybe I just have some sort of giant mental block. Every time I'm doing math homework, I think to myself, "When am I EVER going to use this in real life?!"

I can't imagine many instances where I'm going to have to simplify a radical polynomial, or prove that a rectangle is indeed, a rectangle.

Thanks so much for all the helpful responses. I'm going to check out math tutoring next week. It's actually done by teachers or math majors here, so maybe it will end up being helpful.

I felt the same way about most math classes I took in college (and struggled with most) until I took a Business Math class one of my last semesters at college. That is when everything "clicked" for me with Math. It "clicked" because it was more real life situations instead of something that I would never use. I am a visual learner and to sit in a class and read a math problem, it never really clicked until the Business Math class.

I started out at a Community College and switched to a 4-year University and during that time of switching to the 4-yr University, I switched majors from Physical Therapy to Computers. After taking an Anatomy class twice and not understanding it any better the second time than the first, I thought it was time for a switch.

As everyone else has said, follow your passion and make sure you love your decision. Make sure you truly love whatever you do.

 

[DEA]

That is funny! I actually love accounting. I took it for two semesters and did really well in both.

I think the reason I like and understand it is the fact that it is real life stuff. Even down to the simplest of tasks like balancing a ledger or check book, accounting is something that can be applied to everyday life. I also love the technology aspect of it.

Maybe I just have some sort of giant mental block. Every time I'm doing math homework, I think to myself, "When am I EVER going to use this in real life?!"

I can't imagine many instances where I'm going to have to simplify a radical polynomial, or prove that a rectangle is indeed, a rectangle.

Thanks so much for all the helpful responses. I'm going to check out math tutoring next week. It's actually done by teachers or math majors here, so maybe it will end up being helpful.

This sounds familiar. I didn't get trigonometry until I had to use it to sort out force vectors in a physics class. I didn't get matrix algebra (really) until one of my grad school statistics classes. Like you, it sounds like, I need to see a practical demonstration of the mathematical concepts before it really makes sense to me.

Perhaps approaching your professor regarding the practical uses of the concepts you're learning would be a worthwhile thing. I mean, math may not be your thing, but the amount of stuff taught in the general math classes in college often bears only a tangential (heh) relationship to the stuff you would actually use in working in your chosen field, even if those classes are required. So, if you can make it through, you could continue on the course you set for yourself.

It also sounds like you are getting tied in knots by math anxiety even before you sit down to read your textbook or do a problem. Your brain definitely isn't able to turn its full attention to the problems if it is in the middle of a fight-or-flight or panic reaction. Talking to a counselor about your math anxiety may be helpful. Or, if you're not to that point yet, checking for pointers on the Internet about overcoming math anxiety may help.

Kevin's point is well taken, though: Torturing yourself seldom leads to a good outcome. If math (along with the weight of expectations set for you by your parents and yourself) is causing you so much anxiety, and the road to a BBA goes through the dark jungle/barren desert/snake-infested swamp of advanced mathematics, choosing another path is not a bad idea, whether at the same school or a different school. If it's a prestigious (and good) school, there may be good reasons to stay there, but pursue a different major.

Math is a thing. It is okay to not be good at a thing, as long as you have tried your best. Not knowing some mathematical concepts can be detrimental to your daily life, but college-level math is generally overkill for those things.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

-- Eric, who is not that great at math

 

[HubbDave]

Simon, I saw this on 60 minutes a week ago.
http://www.khanacademy.org/
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7401696n

It was an amazing story. A man was asked to help his niece with Algebra. She was in LA, he in MA. He started making simple video's and posting them to youtube. After a while, he started noticing a ton of "hits". One of those "hits" was Bill Gates who was trying to help his child with math.

Bill, along with Google, donated millions of dollars to fund "Kahn Academy". It is a non profit with the goal of providing a world class education for FREE to anyone in the world. The money made it possible to hire other people like Mr Kahn to make these video's.

This system may very well change the way math (and other subjects) are taught.

Good luck!

Kahn Academy is awesome

 

[Slapster]

Lots of great responses here, there's not much I can add except a couple of things.

You say that you "think" your father wants you to follow in his footsteps. Have you actually talked to him about how you feel? I'm the father of a college student, and ALL I want is for him to be happy in his chosen field. Maybe that's what your dad wants for you, too.

You need to give it more time than three weeks. What you're feeling may simply be homesickness, or freshman butterflies. Go out, meet some people, and you might start feeling better about the school and the business program.

I'll tell you what I tell my kids: FOLLOW YOUR BLISS. Life is short. Don't waste it doing what you think your dad wants you to do. It's your life. Live it. Make mistakes. Be passionate about your choices. Kick ***.

Good luck my friend!

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Sending good wishes and thoughts to you, Simon, as you make important decisions about your future career. Everything I could say in terms of advice has already been said over the past few days. I do want to leave you with this though...

If every morning you wake up thinking about being in a field, it's right for you. Find a way and make it happen. If you don't wake up thinking about how you could own a business, assist in the development of another, and the like, it's not for you. The passion needs to be there.