What is wrong with me? (Math rant.)

Alright, that's it. I must be an idiot. I thought I was intelligent, but clearly I am not. I can earn good grades in just about every class I take, but when it comes to Math, I still can't even do things I was supposed to be able to do in high school!

Ok, let me back up. I'm in college right now - on my 5th semester. I've clawed my way up through previous Math classes and now they've put me in calculus. I'm struggling, and I haven't even gotten to the actual calculus yet. We're currently reviewing things that should have been easy for me a long time ago - after all, I have passed all previous Math classes. But I have a secret. The only reason I even passed those classes is through sheer perseverance. I would study for hours on end the night before the test, and while the material was still fresh in my memory, get through the tests - with a B if I was lucky. A few days later, the stuff is out of my mind almost entirely. I'm doing a take home test right now - reviewing easy things like linear cost functions, marginal costs within those functions, etc. Even with my notes from class, my math book, and the internet, I still can't figure this stuff out that I should have known years ago! I honestly feel like I have some sort of mental disorder. Maybe a learning disability - I don't know. I mean, I excelled in classes like psychology, philosophy, and even interesting things like Word religions and sociology - top of my class! But when it comes to Math, I'm probably the dumbest one in the room. Isn't math generally a pretty good yardstick with which to measure how smart a person is?

I guess I'm dumb as rocks after all!

You're not dumb. Math is not my friend either.

Math doesn't come easily to me, and to do well in math in college I had to study just like you're saying. Yet I've scored extremely high on IQ tests.

I'm just saying that you're not alone, and you shouldn't let math make you feel unintelligent.

Math is stupid. Not you.

Originally posted by TheHypnoToad
You're not dumb. Math is not my friend either.

Math doesn't come easily to me, and to do well in math in college I had to study just like you're saying. Yet I've scored extremely high on IQ tests.

I'm just saying that you're not alone, and you shouldn't let math make you feel unintelligent.

Math is stupid. Not you.

Well, thank you HypnoToad. Math is stupid, not me... I'll just try to keep that in mind while I'm slamming my head against the wall.

But seriously, I see what you're saying, and I can agree. It's just really frustrating I guess to have this section of my brain that just doesn't seem to work correctly.

To me, math is like learning another language...

Thats kind of what it is.. It's the language of numbers and it's a bitch.

You're not alone man, math is and always has been my worse subject.

yeah i've never been able to with math either. there is indeed a math learning disability called dyscalculia. it's like the dyslexia for math. too bad not many ppl know about it because if it were as known as dyslexia, folks would be able to better help us folks who suck at math.

however, at english, i was a beast.

[edit on 3-2-2008 by LordInfamous]

Yep, I suck at math. Use to be good in elementary school, but from there on out, the calculator was my best friend. Math

Originally posted by Herman
A few days later, the stuff is out of my mind almost entirely.

This line explains exactly the way I am when it comes to math.

I think I have math dyslexia.

Originally posted by LordInfamous
yeah i've never been able to

with math either. there is indeed a math learning disability called dyscalculia. it's like the dyslexia for math. too bad not many ppl know about it because if it were as known as dyslexia, folks would be able to better help us folks who suck at math.

however, at english, i was a beast.

[edit on 3-2-2008 by LordInfamous]

Never mind, I guess I have dyscalculia. lol

Originally posted by LordInfamous
however, at english, i was a beast.
[edit on 3-2-2008 by LordInfamous]

Shouldn't that be "I am a beast". Or are you dead?

Just pulling ya plonker...

Math sucks and is highly over rated.

MonKey

Originally posted by ChiKeyMonKey

Originally posted by LordInfamous
however, at english, i was a beast.
[edit on 3-2-2008 by LordInfamous]

Shouldn't that be "I am a beast". Or are you dead?

Just pulling ya plonker...

Math sucks and is highly over rated.

MonKey

well i said was because that was back in my high school days. although if i were to take a vocab test at this very instant, i'd murder it. why? because i am a beast.

[edit on 3-2-2008 by LordInfamous]

Numbers in general hurt my head...1+4=outch! I could never "get into" the whole numbers game. Death be to numbers!

Yeah maths' a nightmare! Recalling primary school when first learning Algebra - I would cry because I didn't understand it. I never understood why a + would be a - on the other side of the equation! I was just told to 'follow the rules' when it came to maths, but never excelled in it, unless i knew 'why' those rules were in place - and when that happened, it became quite easy.

I still remember my Stepfather - brilliant at numbers, quick basic functions of numbers in his head - but when it came to Algebra, he would shake his head and say "How can letters be used for maths, maths are for numbers, not letters". In highschool I would try to explain that it was for representing an 'unknown' number - like a tag, I told him to replace the "letter" with a "fruit" because it was the same concept..... he still never got it though

Thx

You are no such thing Herman and it saddens me to see you say you think you are dumb simply because you don't "get" math/numbers.

Alot of people just don't, I being one of them, and all these good people who have posted here. I used to have to actually study math too, everything else was absorbed so easily as I learned it, just not numbers. They don't make any sense to me and I see no real reason for them really.

It's as simple as this - There are number people and there are word people. We are word people

There. Feel better dahlin

reply to post by ChiKeyMonKey


OVER RATED??? Ahem, sorry. Nothing personal. But math is probably one of the most widely used fields. You know math great, you have a job. Pretty much.

Personally though, I can get math. I can get it. Really...
Well... after a whole lot of curses and heavy eye lids.

By the way OP, which hand do you use, out of curiosity.

[question: does OP mean Original Post? Thanks]

Would the 'hand' question be relevant to which side of the brain is more dominant? Right handedness I think means Left Brain is more active - in use for logic, analytical, mathematical type processing, where the Right Brain, indicates a more creative, imaginative, philosophical type of thinking.

Thx

reply to post by Im a Marty


Yes. I was getting at that. And while I try not to determine one's capabilities by such things, it can and does influence one's tendencies. It is simply a different way of thinking about things.

The amount of left handers in my family is... a lot. And strange they are all teachers.

But please: do not blame issues wholly on things such as left or right handedness!

PS: Math can be fun!

PS: Nothing is wrong with you.

: )

[edit on 4/2/2008 by Nyorai]

Thanks for the warm replies, guys. It's just so frustrating to see my GPA being lowered because of something like this, and it feels like it's completely out of my hands! I mean, if not for Math, my GPA would easily be above 3.5, but instead it will probably be somewhere in the low 3's. It doesn't seem like a big difference, but to work so hard at something and have it just smack you around every time gets pretty annoying. I'm definitely a word person haha.


Nyorai - I'm a righty.

reply to post by Herman



Have you considered being tutored on the area's you struggle with ? Might be worth looking into, a couple of nights a week might help you to get a grasp on what you're failing to understand.

Just a suggestion

Originally posted by ImJaded
reply to post by Herman

 

Have you considered being tutored on the area's you struggle with ? Might be worth looking into, a couple of nights a week might help you to get a grasp on what you're failing to understand.

Just a suggestion

Well, the things that I don't understand are things that have been taught to me numerous times. That's what makes me feel like I have some sort of disability. The problem will look easy at first, or it will make complete sense to me when it's being explained, but when I try to do it on my own a day later I can barely get started. I have trouble with problems that I know are easy - it's like a mental block. I'm just going to have to study like crazy the night before tests, and try to earn brownie points from the teacher. That's the only way a passing grade is happening for me in this class haha.

For some reason math appears to be extremely difficult to some people with a high IQ. I believe it is pretty much because with high iq you propably don't get and immediately learn something if you are not told why something is like it is. Such things aren't teached and told in lower levels of education. Proving something right becomes important at higher levels only, and that's the level well above average people need.

Sadly, you'll have to learn basics at lower levels to even understand higher level education.