Worried about College Algebra and Chemistry

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

Published

hi,

i'd appreciate some honest advice about college algebra and chemistry. i failed my first college algebra exam and made a d on the second exam. i plan to meet with an academic to drop the course and get a w while i can. i studied hard for both exams, and thought i'd do reasonably well, especially on the second one. i took two remedial math courses prior to college algebra with the same professor and made bs. i always study from my professor's review the day it's available, which is a week before the scheduled exam, and my brother has been kind enough to tutor me. i've never missed class or turned in incomplete homework; i've purchased a tutoring resource and have gone to the math lab for assistance. but i've had serious issues with math ever since i was a little kid, and i couldn't finish algebra 1 or chemistry in high school. i've always had learning difficulties, though i've never been officially tested. word problems, graphing, and conversions are nightmares for me and i have trouble deciding what to write in my notes during lectures, as well as reading directions.

i have as in my other classes, even in honors anatomy, though i'm studying constantly and am overextended. so my question is: how important is it for nurses to have a solid understanding of math and chemistry? how much do you actually need for nursing school and your job? i feel like a failure, was overwhelmed even during the first week of school, and i'm not sure i can handle the rigor of a nursing program. i'm also beginning to wonder if i have the right "mind" for nursing, and if perhaps that's why i was so indecisive about it in the first place. i have so much trouble interpreting fast paced information and dealing with unknowns, especially under stress. sorry it's such a long post and thanks for reading.

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I am not a math person at all. I took two levels of remedial math plus College Algebra 1 and 2 and Statistics all online and got A's and B's in all of them. It was a lot of work, and it was the same problems over and over (felt tedious at times), but it really got through to me. Plus it was all open book except for the midterm and final which were on campus, but the school provided practice exams for those. Maybe checking with your school to see if they offer the classes online would be an option? Maybe self-study is more your thing? For all my classes, the book was online plus there were tons of videos and even a walk through of each problem if you aren't getting it. So for each problem, I could click on the book and see exactly where in the book it tells how to solve it, plus watch a video, plus have the computer walk me through how to solve it. Each chapter would have several sections with 10-30 problems per section that had to be solved, so it was a lot of practice. I still had access to the math lab and my instructer through office hours and email.

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i'm willing to look into online courses, and i think part of my problem was that i was taxed with my anatomy course. i feel extremely pressured to perform well in this class because of the science gpa. i have a high a, but science doesn't come easily for me either. i'm thinking of purchasing an independent college algebra course and working through it on my own, possibly with a tutor. then i’m thinking i should take the course again by itself with a different instructor. i guess at this point, my confidence is really low and i'm worried i won't pass the class a second time around even after taking it alone. chemistry and statistics are other concerns for me as well. i'm very good at memorization, but i struggle with abstract concepts with a lot of complex sequencing. thanks for your response.

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Specializes in Public Health.

stats and chem 1 are not as difficult as they seem....just know the rules and apply them. maybe you should look into taking math 120 online at my school CSN (college of southern nevada)....class will cost about $150 and the book is $20. Its a great class that will really prepare you for stats and chem without too much stress.

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I have thought about taking a lower chem course before I take general chem, but I don't have any experience taking online college courses. It seems like some students either love or hate them. I guess I'm discouraged because I feel like I was given a false sense of security by the remedial courses. I'm also wondering if maybe I should get officially tested for a learning disability. But I'm not sure how I could even begin to pay for it and even if it would do much good in the long run. My parents have told me they're afraid nursing schools might even use it against me. So as far as that issue goes, I'm not sure what would be the best thing. Thanks.

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