i just received a letter from my community college here in ga that i was being denied admission because of a new admission requirement. i am 47 years old and scored a 19 on the math compass portion of the test. i was never told it was anything other than a placement test. but they are denying me admission because i needed a 20! here is the actual response..
**** state college has new admission requirements for fall 2012 that require applicants to meet minimum compass scores and exempt at least one learning support. the minimum score needed on the math compass is 20. based on your current score, you would not be admissible to a degree program at *** state. you can choose to retake the math portion of the compass in hopes of bringing up your score by at least one point or you can choose to change your major to a certificate program.
my response was:
i appreciate your reply and it appears i have no other choice but to attempt the compass again. however, i would like to say that for adults such as myself returning to school, not having had any math classes for thirty years it is very discouraging not to be allowed admission or even given the opportunity to attend a support learning class. it is especially discouraging since i attended auburn university at montgomery and am a former student in good academic standing as of 2004 there. i received a 4.0 gpa my last three semesters there and had an overall 3.32 gpa. it is disheartening to be denied admission to dalton state based upon 1 point in a subject i have not used nor received education for in three decades. i was not told that i would be required to score a minimum on the exam and believed it to be a placement test and since it was my desire to start from the basics in math classes i did not attempt to learn enough to "get by" on the compass because i wanted to be placed according to what i really remember in math.
i would appreciate if you would forward this to whomever it may concern. i believe the new standards may adversely affect the confidence of older students returning to college. i know it certainly has for me. if the college is interested in attracting older students who are mature and truly want to learn perhaps they should reevaluate this particular standard as it is entirely possible to be weak in math but very strong in other academic areas as is reflected by my transcript and act scores. perhaps an answer would be to have a compass support class for adult students like myself who are mathematically weak but have a very strong desire to complete their educations not in a certificate program but in a degree program.
this is so incredibly discouraging to me. i don't want to cram and get by and then wind up struggling in a math class. talk about shaking someone's confidence.... i know it probably is hard to understand if you get math and are good at it but for some of us, it's a huge hurdle in front of what we truly want out of life.
I tried to message you back Hoosier but I'm new and it wouldn't let me yet. Thank you for writing and yes, I have discovered the Khan website..it is GREAT! I also have my college student daughter helping me out and I bought the complete idiots guide to algebra. haha My problem is that I have to retake the test on July 18th so I am having to pick and chooose what to try to learn before then since I can't cram the whole book in my head in that time frame. I just want a high enough score for the remedial classes so I can start from scratch. And Sarah the math classes they offer in the non degree program are not the classes I need for a degree program. I don't want to waste time on them. I need intro, intermediate and college algebra. I too don't recall much algebra in high school and I graduated in 1983 so this is a BIG challenge for me. It's a crazy policy but I'm determined to do it. Prayers are appreciated!
I'm sorry this happened to you, it's just a bump and some time. I hope that you will continue and overcome this detour and make the admission in the future. I'm praying for you! Don't give up!
Can you be admitted by applying to a certificate program, take remedial math courses, and then change your major to a degree program? The letter you received sounds like you CAN be admitted at this time, just not in a degree program until you raise your math score.
I went back to school as an older student. I ended up having to take learning support math, which took me a semester but I did learn a lot. However, if you can't take a learning support math, then you really have to learn on your own to pass the compass. Put the hours in and you'll do it.
Actually I sent the same letter to the Board of Regents and got a very encouraging, personal response that confirmed the fact that I am not alone in this dilemma and they thanked me for sharing my personal experience with the new policy with them. I have spoken with several math teachers who say that it is not right to deny someone admission to the REMEDIAL programs at a community college, this is what they are for. The reason they put the new policy in place is that 70 % of people who enroll in the remedial classes do not graduate but agreed that this percentage is probably different among the older student population. I was very upset at first but now I'm just determined and praying for strength and clarity to understand and learn what I need to learn. I still plan on taking the remedial classes no matter what I score on the math compass because I want to have the strongest foundation possible so that I can achieve my goal.
Strangely enough I can enroll in a non-degree program but the math classes available in the nondegree program are different and do not include intro, intermediate or college algebra.
I ran into the same issue when I decided to go back to school this Fall in GA and was informed of the new regents requirements. Believe me I did not want to take the test and knowing that if I did not score high enough, I could be admitted to community college?? For me it has been almost 20 years and I was afraid about taking the Compass, however for a week I brushed up and took the compass test and I tested into degree level math. I say all this to say that if you brush up you will be surprised how much all of it will come back to you. Plus with your score I would guess you were probably 1 question from meeting the minimum. You can do it!! Go to the websites that your school probably recommends and also the Compass site. In fact, I kid you not, the sample questions are similar to the actual test.
I am 46 years old and have a graduation date of 5/2013 with an ASN/RN. When I started I had to do remedial math with my prereqs due to my compass scores. Three math classes later (044, 118, 222) and approx $3000.00 spent I have completed my math obligation and am now working on dosage calculations. The truly sad part is that yes the math classess somewhat tuned me up on some level but overall they did not correlate with what I have learned and am required to know about Dimensional Analysis. DA is basic algebra in which you solve for x and pay attention to your units required! This concept was learned in Chemistry not math. Anyhow that is my experience and how I worked through it. It just took the usual patience, time & $$.
I am sorry to hear it sounds as though your school did not even allow you access at all. Keep trying, we older individuals know how to dust ourselves off and find another way.
I retook the compass today and passed into intermediate algebra. So just one learning support class and then I can get algebra behind me. I did better than I expected thanks to Khan Academy. My first try I got a 19 and my second a 34. Now I have to wait to be officially accepted before I can register for classes and I am hoping that they will let me take other classes along with the intermediate algebra. I heard from someone today that they won't allow you to take credit hour courses until you have finished all noncredit courses.
First of all, I'm sorry. This situation seems extremely frustrating and I can see where your coming from. It should have been made clear to you that the policy has changed, bottom line. Also, at the community college that I attended there were two 'non-credit' math classes and it was up to the student to decide whether or not she felt as if she needed to brush up on math skills. I wish you the best of luck, be sure you ask about all policies before applying to schools to avoid something like this happening again. I also just wanted to say that I'm sorry that so many people were attacking you on this post, you clearly stated that you were just starting out with your pre-req's and not applying to an actual nursing program. I would explore other options as far as schools go, you'll find that some schools are more supportive than others of their students...best of luck, don't give up!!!
Thanks for the encouragement and I'm definitely not down about it. It is an unfortunate policy change because I know of several people my age that would love to become nurses now but now have said they don't even want to try because they are afraid they can't get the minimum score to even get into the remedial classes that they need to be successful eventually. I'm just THRILLED that I got in and that I can get the classes I need now. I'm really not that bummed about not being able to take other courses if that's truly the case. It's just one semester. At least the door is opening and I can start on the path that will take me where I want to be. Unfortunately, this school is the only one that meets my travel time needs and so I will stick with it. :)
suzilks1
48 Posts
I tried to message you back Hoosier but I'm new and it wouldn't let me yet.
Thank you for writing and yes, I have discovered the Khan website..it is GREAT! I also have my college student daughter helping me out and I bought the complete idiots guide to algebra. haha My problem is that I have to retake the test on July 18th so I am having to pick and chooose what to try to learn before then since I can't cram the whole book in my head in that time frame. I just want a high enough score for the remedial classes so I can start from scratch. And Sarah the math classes they offer in the non degree program are not the classes I need for a degree program. I don't want to waste time on them. I need intro, intermediate and college algebra. I too don't recall much algebra in high school and I graduated in 1983 so this is a BIG challenge for me. It's a crazy policy but I'm determined to do it. Prayers are appreciated!
:)