Prerequisites and not sure which ones to take in combination

[Thatguyinblue]

I'm planning on taking psychology over the summer. But once fall comes around I was planning on taking anatomy and physiology 1 and college algebra/trigonometry. I'm not too good at math and didn't do too good in statistics. Would it be a bad idea to take those two classes together for one semester. I don't want to overwhelm myself too much since it's important to get good grades on the prerequisites

[caliotter3]

If you have your doubts, then play it safe. Yes, it may take you longer by taking one "difficult" course at a time, but better to do that and get A's than to possibly do poorly and suffer the consequences.

[bitter_betsy, BSN]

It depends on if you are working or just going to school. I think 2 classes in the fall - even if difficult and NOT working is completely feasible. Also - algebra/trig is NOTHING like stats. I would rather take calculus than stats ever again. Stats shouldn't be categorized as a math class in my opinion - the logic involved in it doesn't make mathematical sense... it doesn't really make logical sense either.

As far as math goes.... You do algebra in every day life, but no one thinks about it that way. Say you are doubling a cookie recipe and need 3 eggs for 1 recipe so you need 6 eggs to double it. This is algebra in its simplest form. The great thing about algebra is there is always an answer you can check. If you put the answers back into the problem they should always work.

Khan academy is a great resource to help you for algebra. Its free and just takes time. You can start now to be prepared for fall and it may even help you make a better decision regarding your ability to handle the load in the fall.

As a side note - I homeschooled my daughter. When we got to high school, the curriculums teach sciences in the "wrong" order because kids don't learn the math skills needed to do physics and chemistry first (rather than biology where there isn't much math needed). So I sat down and taught my kid the algebraic formulas she needed in order to pass an honors physics course intended for seniors as a freshman. She started out terrified and protesting because she believed that she wasn't capable of doing it. Once she had the confidence in her skills, everything changed for her.

We don't always do a good job of reassuring our littles as they come up through school that they are capable of doing great things. Math just has a few rules to follow and once you learn those, everything else is pretty simple. There are always answers that can be checked. In theory - its a lot easier than a psychology course because algebraic answers are concrete (meaning you come up with either a right or a wrong answer that can be checked and verified).

You don't suck at math - you really don't. You just weren't brought up with math confidence. You are capable of changing that. Believe in yourself. You can do this!!