To take calculus or not?

[wvjules]

Ok I am currently in my 4th semester back at school. I'm only going part time. Each semester I am taking 6-7 hours, including last summer. I am registered for calculus for this upcoming summer. I want to take it as the ONLY class because I suck at math and calculus scares the beejeezus out of me. Now I'm thinking I just really want to take the summer off and enjoy myself. Then the logical part of me thinks that I shouldn't waste a full semester by not taking a class.

I hate to say I'm getting burnt out after only a year and a half but I kind of am. I don't want to quit college again because of burn out. So to take calculus or not this summer is the question. There are good pros for each argument. The summer semester runs 05/16/11 - 08/10/11. Then fall starts back up again on 8/22/11. Each day my decision leans in a different direction.

 

[dngnb8]

more education is always good education. I took Calc in High School and I am glad I did

 

[IdesOmarch]

It depends on what you want to do, if you want to go into engineering or a medical field most definitely. If you are wanting to become a Political Scientist, probably not.

 

[wvjules]

Oh, I should mention that calculus is a required course so I will have to take it at some point. The question is to take it over the summer or to take the summer off and enjoy not being in school.

 

[shortbun]

Calculus is a good summer class. You can sit outside with a glass of lemonade, under a tree and do problems. You HAVE to stay current in Calc. I took all four math courses required for my finance major one right after another with not much else as I was going part time. That was 3 calculus and one statistics. Tough. My goal was a B average which was criteria for the masters programs at most schools. I managed it but I had to get a tutor starting midway into the 2nd class because I couldn't even understand the TA who was my instructor. My tutor was this wonderful Indian man who would tutor me in his kitchen while he cooked. When class was done, we ate. OMG, I gained about 10lbs before those classes were done and I had developed a passionate love for Indian food!
Go for it but know that you can't wait another year to take the next class or you will have lost your building blocks for it. Math is like that!

 

[wvjules]

Thankfully it will be my last math class.

 

[cepmom]

I'm facing the same dilemma...take a summer class or not? I have to take Statistics and our summer semester is 5/31 - 6/30 so it's a lot in a short period of time. On one hand I want to take the summer off, then on the other I feel like I should just get it over with. Then I think, I really need to get an A in this class so maybe I should take it in the fall, regular length semester instead of cramming it in 4 weeks. I'm sorry...I really wasn't very helpful was I??

 

[wvjules]

cepmom, I'm taking statistics now and somehow I'm currently getting a B. lol It was another class that I was dreading.

We do have 2 summer sessions but a lot of the courses span both sessions so it is almost the length of a full semester. I would NOT even attempt to take calculus over the summer if it were crammed in to a month. lol I did have 2 additional classes (one for each summer session) but dropped them because I would have been nuts by the end of summer and I wanted to concentrate on calculus.

*sigh* If I only finished college 15 years ago.....

 

[cepmom]

cepmom, I'm taking statistics now and somehow I'm currently getting a B. lol It was another class that I was dreading.

We do have 2 summer sessions but a lot of the courses span both sessions so it is almost the length of a full semester. I would NOT even attempt to take calculus over the summer if it were crammed in to a month. lol I did have 2 additional classes (one for each summer session) but dropped them because I would have been nuts by the end of summer and I wanted to concentrate on calculus.

*sigh* If I only finished college 15 years ago.....

I hear ya...I'm back to school for the third time at age 40. Would have been a lot smarter to finish the first time (on Mom's dime I might add )

I'm dreading Stats too...I had taken Algebra 1 and 2 back in 1994 at another school which my current school transferred as "Intermediate Algebra and Trigonometry" but the program I want to get into requires Stats or higher .

I am currently fighting them to transfer those 2 Algebra classes as a "College Algebra" which would fulfill my requirements, but they are not making it easy for me

 

[wvjules]

I hear ya...I'm back to school for the third time at age 40. Would have been a lot smarter to finish the first time (on Mom's dime I might add )I'm dreading Stats too...I had taken Algebra 1 and 2 back in 1994 at another school which my current school transferred as "Intermediate Algebra and Trigonometry" but the program I want to get into requires Stats or higher .

I am currently fighting them to transfer those 2 Algebra classes as a "College Algebra" which would fulfill my requirements, but they are not making it easy for me

OMG, are you me?

 

[cepmom]

OMG, are you me?

if anything, it's a good motivation for my kids to do it right the first time! They are always complaining about me haivng to study instead of taking them somewhere fun ...they tell me " UGH! why didn't you finish school when you were 18??!!"

 

[cabanafrau]

Take it. Truthfully you know deep down that you're hesitating because you're dreading the class. If you let yourself off the hook w/ the burnout excuse on this, you're only piling that into all that you need to go forward and finish your degree.

Get it done. Get the monkey off your back. Once you do you'll be motivated to keep going & finish the degree.

 

[wvjules]

Take it. Truthfully you know deep down that you're hesitating because you're dreading the class. If you let yourself off the hook w/ the burnout excuse on this, you're only piling that into all that you need to go forward and finish your degree.

Get it done. Get the monkey off your back. Once you do you'll be motivated to keep going & finish the degree.

See I knew that coming to the DIS was a good idea. That is exactly what I needed to hear and you are exactly right.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Calculus only made sense to me when I could relate a formula to what I was also doing in Physics at the time.

 

[Spoodleink]

See I knew that coming to the DIS was a good idea. That is exactly what I needed to hear and you are exactly right.

Do you know the professor you're going to have ? My calc professor was awesome and I know I would not have done as well with an other teacher. The only reason I could see delaying it would be to have a different teacher. If that isn't going to make a difference I say just get it over and done with.

 

[LuvOrlando]

OK I might be a fly in the ointment but I need to take calculus and refresh and I want no part of it over the summer. These intensive classes require a great deal of work, which is fine but I'm not into giving up all the fun outside to devote 2 hours a night to put in what I know I need to put in to get an A. Working is fine as long as everyone is out of my hair but giving up all the lazy evenings in front of a fire-pit, hanging out with my kids who are home from school, drifting through a wasteful 4th of July weekend and just sitting around watching the fireflies blink 'cause I wanna is just not something I'm willing to do. Maybe I'm a bad influence but calculus will still be there in September so that is when I'm going to take it.

 

[princessnoelly]

I tried 4 times before I passed it! I then took business calc. and I think got a passing grade out of sympathy!

In my defense two of the times I dropped it because it was taught by a TA that I couldn't understand! If I can't understand you when you ask what my name and major is- how will I understand when you talk math to me!

I'd say go for it! DO IT! DO IT! You'll be great at since it will be your only class.

 

[wvjules]

Oh, I should also add to this...it is ONLINE! I've actually had this same professor for two previous math classes and really like how he does things so I'm hopeful.

Fortunately, we have no summer vacations planned. Maybe a long weekend here or ther but that is it. And 90% of those will be to DBF's lakehouse which is like a second home. It might not be too bad sitting out on the front porch doing homework. (I love sitting on that front porch!)