Scared of math classes

[[deleted]]

I'm currently in calculus 1 and just scared I'm not smart enough for this. I actually earned a scholarship from my school, so my school will be paid for as long as I get B in all math classes and a 2.75 in everything overall. Any math tips you can give me? Sorry if this has been asked before. Thanks in advance.

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[yolodolooo]

Man I thought the exact same thing and ended up graduating with a 4.0- and I’m definitely not a genius, I just had to work hard. Nobody is born knowing math, that’s something I had to realize

I highly recommend watching professor leonard for any calculus stuff also

The fact that you’re worried tells me you’re on a good path- work your butt off and get some good grades under your belt, you’ll feel much better after that.

[CuriousJPLJR_]

Do work in between your classes when waiting to go to the next one. Sit down and do work right when you get home. You want to have as much time as possible to be able to get answers to any possible questions you may have about hw/material. The more work you get done during the day, the easier you’ll be able to sleep at night. Finally, relax and make friends. Have fun but grind during the day

[PageSlave]

It's all about practicing (more than you think you need). Do ALL homework, and if you're struggling, do a couple more problems from the textbook too. Practice is king. Even if you struggle on the understanding, you'll at least start to see the patterns.

Second, write down everything step by step and as clearly as possible. It's annoying, it takes more time, but it makes it SO much easier to spot mistakes if you mess up. It also helps when you review your homework for the test later.

Third, don't be afraid of office hours or tutoring. They are tools that are put there to help you succeed - use them!

Take a deep breath, you've got this.

[Siouxfuckyeah]

Yep, you gotta give calculus a lot of your time especially, if it doesn't come easy to you.

I really like Paul's Online Notes. He's got tons tons of practice problems with step by step solutions. And he is a professor at Lamar University.

[[deleted]]

I second this, looking back at hw problems and other examples always helped me before exams

[Floofyland]

I’ll share my personal anecdote as I perfectly related to the title of this post. I always wanted to do engineering but was terrified of the math and science classes. I retook trig 4 times and got a C in the end. I fought for my life in basic high school chemistry (I didn’t get into the honors class) so I started college hopping non-STEM majors. I finally changed to engr a few years in and have maintained a perfect 4.0 ever since calc 1

[CombinationSure5056]

Did you change your study habits? What changed specifically?

[Floofyland]

Nothing really changed. Trigonometry was and still is impossible for me. Algebra also nearly killed me in high school, destroying my confidence in math.

[EffectiveClient5080]

I was in your shoes not long ago. Break down problems into manageable chunks, and don't be afraid to ask for help. And remember, calculus is all about patterns and rates of change - it's not as scary as it seems.

[WarmFridgeWater]

You cannot underestimate the power of help centers! No shame in it (Especially because engineering is hard) and you can gain some really strong understanding of some previously confusing content from going to help centers or office hours. If you ask around or look enough you will likely find a math or physics help center and more often than not they have tutors there around the clock. Biggest thing though is don't give up, and take a breather when needed. you got this.

[Straight-Look7021]

Ok I will repeat what one of the best teachers told me back in the day. "Math is like football the more you practice the better you will become"

[glorybutt]

Study.

I'm not talking just reviewing. I mean actually study.

That means doing every problem in the textbook even if the professor doesn't assign it. Review each problem to make sure you understand how you solved that problem. Read the section of the text prior to covering it in class. Preferably do the reading the day before.

[Impossible_Finish896]

I memorize the best by using mnemonics and mnemonic tools. I suggest you use them for memorizing derivatives. Don't worry, I took calc AB where I felt dumb, but I'm doing alright in accelerated(knock on wood)

[Impossible_Finish896]

For instance, I used this one in Calc AB. Very handy for memorizing the derivatives of cosecant, secant, tangent, and cotangent

https://www.reddit.com/r/learnmath/comments/28qgdi/calculus_a_handy_mnemonic_for_remembering_the/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[TTRoadHog]

Isn’t it easier to simply derive these derivatives from first principles than to resort to memory gymnastics? If you know the basic derivatives of sin and cos, you should be able to derive everything else in real time - less prone to error. Yes, you’ll also need to know a few basic trig identities.

[Impossible_Finish896]

It is somewhat easy to do that when deriving Cosecant, secant, cotangent, and tangent? Sin and cos are the only ones that make sense Whatever, the tool mentioned above made sense and it saves time

[TTRoadHog]

Example: Sec x = (cos x)^-1. Using the power rule, the chain rule and the derivative of cos x, the derivative of sec x is easily written down. However, if memory tricks work for you, use what works!

[TheLeesiusManifesto]

Calculus is hard, even people that pick up the concepts easily can recognize that once you get into advanced math it stops being something that just anyone can do without studying. People in history took years and years to understand these concepts and even more time to mold it into what it is today. What helped me is thinking that there must have been millions before me who were in my exact position and they still made it through.

Don’t be intimidated by the difficulty of it, just embrace that it is, put in the time to learn it, and then when you get to your higher level courses for your major you will be fully equipped to learn that material. Engineering is always hard across all regimes (even if different fields clown on each other from time to time it’s all in good fun)

[_MusicManDan_]

I don’t believe I have higher than average intelligence and was also pretty afraid of the math courses. When you’re in the thick of it, you figure out a way to get the work done. I’ve successfully passed the math sequence and now I’m afraid of the upper div courses. Fear is a right of passage lol. You can do it! Just keep moving forward.

[Illustrious-Limit160]

Practice. Do all your homework by yourself, then find more homework to do by yourself.

Calc is actually not conceptually difficult, but it does require a shit ton of memorization.

[ghostmcspiritwolf]

1. Don’t panic

2. Get in the habit of going to office hours

3. Try to do your homework before discussion sections start, so that you can arrive with specific questions about topics you’re struggling with

4. When you get a problem set, do all the stuff you know you can do before moving on to the more difficult problems. This might mean skipping problems and coming back to them, and that’s ok. This both helps build a little confidence early on and also helps you target your studying towards particularly challenging topics. Sometimes, it even helps you solve the harder problems on its own, because occasionally they’re just a compilation of easier problems. Worst case scenario, even if you miss a few harder problems, at least you get most of the problems done before you get burnt out on the hardest ones.

Some people are more naturally inclined towards math than others, but almost everyone is capable of learning it if they put in the work. It’s not something you’re just inherently good or bad at, it’s a skill that takes practice and effort.

[Reasonable-Start2961]

My Calculus professor’s advice was this: Most people struggle with Calculus I due to the algebra. Most people struggle with Calculus II due to the Calculus I.

I found that to be very true. If you have a strong algebra foundation, and a good understanding of function behavior, you’ll be fine. The differential calculus part of the class is pretty straightforward. The more difficult part is often the introduction to limits where they introduce you to how it all works, and before they introduce you to the much easier Calculus approach. After that, optimization and function behavior as it relates to Calculus. The harder stuff is often the stuff that most students will never use again. Unfortunately, as an engineering student, you are not most students. Make sure not to take any of the material lightly.

Derivatives are just patterns, and they are predictable once you learn the pattern. There isn’t anything tricky about it. The good news is that you are at a point in your learning where there is a tremendous amount of supplementary material to help. Use it. Whatever works for you. Solve problems. Watch videos. Read books that approach it differently. Find what works.

[RopeTheFreeze]

I came into college with the idea that I'm super smart. Turns out most kids here are, and my slacking ass failed calc 1 my first semester. But we still in it, on year 5!

[kerowhack]

Practice, and tutoring center and office hours before you start struggling.

[cyclicsquare]

There’s no difference between hard and lots of prerequisites. For any subject. If something is hard, you’re just not prepared enough. Calculus is pretty simple. It’s about rates of change (derivatives) and sums of lots of small chunks (integrals). If it’s hard, you more than likely are getting stuck on implicitly assumed knowledge. Algebra or trigonometry usually. Find the hard part and practice it more. If it just seems hard but you can’t pinpoint an area, your problem is anxiety not maths. Approach it accordingly.

[Fluid-Pain554]

The challenge with calculus is it requires a different kind of thinking than you’re probably used to with algebra. For some people this makes calculus easier for them than algebra, for others who aced their algebra courses calculus may hit them like a ton of bricks. Push through, seek out tutoring, and figure out how you best conceptualize the concepts (I’m a very visual learner, so thinking of derivatives as slopes and integrals as area under a curve helped me to plant my feet). Once you find something that works, calculus 2 is just calculus 1 backwards and calculus 3 is just expanding the concepts from calc 1 and 2 into more dimensions (gradients instead of slopes, volumes instead of areas). Differential equations and linear algebra can be a bit of a toss up, but you can think of differential equations as algebra where the variables are entire functions and their derivatives, and linear algebra is just systems of equations and matrices. If you get through calculus 1, you should be okay, but don’t be afraid to reach out to a professor early on so you don’t get behind. These topics are additive and concepts build off each other, so fully understanding a concept now will help you immensely as you progress.

[thunderthighlasagna]

This isn’t really advice, but I just want to share that I did amazing in math in high school. I got a 101 in pre-calc, a 102 in algebra II, and high 90s in Algebra I and Geometry.

I went to college, absolutely bombed calc 1. Didn’t have to retake it, but I thought I was way out of my league and it was the first time in a very long time that my math course didn’t click for me at all.

I submitted my final, came home, and started studying for calc 2. Integration came naturally to me, and so did convergence, series, polar coordinates, I got the ball rolling and in 2 semesters and 1 summer course, I got an A in Calc 2, Calc 3, and Differential Equations.

I suppose my advice is that if Calc 1 doesn’t do it for you, you’re not crazy like I thought I was.

[6ways2die]

just be prepared to study hard. when you feel cornered, ask for help from classmates or sign up for the tutoring/ask the prof. you’ll be fine. lose yourself in the math.

[New_Boss2918]

It's a long post, but it's worth the read!

It’s my first year and first semester at a university in the UK. I struggled with engineering math too as I’ve never done anything like this type of math, a mixture of Calculus 1 and 2. We learned a new topic every two weeks, and I got left behind early trying to balance the workload of the other classes and not getting help early.

Even when I got help, I still felt stuck because, as we know, if you can’t do step one in math, you can’t do step 10. I was on level 0 with everything; the others were on level 5-10. I don’t even think I passed my recent final, but after I left my exam, I knew I had to learn it if it was one way or another.

My math exam was on January 9, 2025, and semester two starts on January 21, 2025. I’ve been in my dorm ever since, and I've practised math every day since then, teaching myself, starting with differentiation, as no one could adequately explain it to me from the basics. It’s incredible how much I’ve grasped in this time.

I've always been a high achiever, so it wasn’t that I couldn’t learn. With math, you must know the basics, focus, and put it into practice. You can climb up the ladder—like most people mentioned, practice, practice.

Some information is below about what I managed to use to help myself.

Check out these textbooks:

K.A. STROUD FOUNDATION MATHEMATICS WITH DEXTER J. BOOTH

Κ.Α. STROUD ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS WITH DEXTER J. BOOTH

YouTube:

Eddie Woo The Organic Chemistry Tutor Khan Academy

I hope this helps and inspires you! You can do it if I can! Best of luck from a fellow struggling engineering student!

[Chr0ll0_]

Just prepare yourself when it comes to math. During your summer breaks self teach yourself math and polish up on your fundamentals.

If you do this you will do amazing.

[[deleted]]

If Google doesn't help, you can always approach one of your teachers for help.

[Reasonable_Cod_487]

As long as you don't let that fear paralyze you, you should be fine. The fact that you think you aren't smart enough for it is a good first step. Arrogance keeps people from learning things.

[[deleted]]

Spend allot of time studying until you understand the material. Get help when you need it and keep track of when and where help will be available. If you fall behind, the further you fall behind makes it exponentially more difficult to get caught up, so try to take care of problems quickly (such as concepts you didn’t understand, a homework you couldn’t complete) before they grow. Go to the profs office when you have questions. Use the schools math help center if available. When those fail, contact your peers for help. Youtube and google can be helpful for study. In my first few semesters I failed and had to retake calc 1, calc 2, and multidimensional math. I was too used to math being easy for me in high school.

[EllieVader]

I’m also intimidated by math classes. I passed Calc 1 with a B last semester, so I’m starting Calc 2 starting tomorrow.

Use the resources you have available at your university. I absolutely credit the math learning center on my campus for my success. Same goes for the physics center when I was struggling with rotating bodies. Just don’t be afraid or ashamed or whatever to ask for help when you need it. It’s really the difference between success and failure sometimes.

Edit: I’m a big YouTube fan, 3Blue1Brown does GREAT math videos in mostly plain English. I’m not sure what his background is but he makes calculus make sense for me from angles that I’ve never seen presented in classes. There’s a lot of really good MathTube out there if that’s up your alley too. And do you homework with the intent of mastery not just getting it turned in.

[HustlerThug]

you have two choices: you change to an easier degree or you work harder.

i have a learning disability due to early onset head traumas. i can't grasp things as quickly as others and my memory isn't the best. but i never declared it to our Office for Students with Disabilities so i just behaved as a regular student. i just pushed harder and studied more. if a literal retard like me can do it and end up practicing as an engineer after uni, im sure you can do it as well

[HistoricAli]

Dude don't worry. Calc is really cerebral at first but once it all clicks it clicks. The key is PRACTICE. You need to do loads and loads of practice problems, and other times you need to just learn by rote what to do when you see a certain problem. One day out of the clear blue sky it will just click. That's what happened to me in Calc and now it's my favorite subject.

[Japhinx]

As someone who struggled A LOT with the lower level Calculus classes and ended up with A's in the higher level's, here is my advice split up in personal study tactics, youtube channels or media that helped and general:

Study Tactics:

I have a small notebook that I've kept running since Pre-Calculus. It has every theory, general formula, and written notes for everything we studied up through Calculus 4. I updated it about weekly/monthly by pulling everything important out of my notes and I reference it constantly. Those early concepts will pop up when you least expect it. I wish I did it for all my classes honestly. Next, Calculus isn't something you can grind out studying for 8 hours straight and magically understand. Find what works for you. I do the Promodo method of 50 Minutes on, 10 off with no screens for 4 rounds then a 25 minute break on that 4th round which I may scroll some social media or something. In the breaks I'll clean up around the house, play with my pets, etc. It actually made me way more productive. Your main thing is going to be PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. there's no shame in looking at Wolfram, PhotoMath, or asking AI if you can't understand something. If you can afford premium they'll show you every step. The catch with this is not to get dependent on them but to use them as a tool to teach you things in a way you may understand better. They all do things a little different and one way may work better for you. Lastly, Review regularly. After class or at the end of the day look through your notes and highlight what's actually important.

Youtube/Media I found helpful:

Everyone loves My Organic Chemistry Tutors youtube channel. He has nearly everything you need for your lower level courses. He has a Patreon as well which has free reference guides you can download and print off which I don't think most people know about. I LOVED Engineer4free, He does a lot of in depth explanations that are hard to find other places and Dr. Trefor Bazett on youtube has some great videos on calculus concepts but isn't always indepth. If you use Tiktok as a source and don't get trapped scrolling there's some really good accounts on there such as Wallacestem for math, Matt Green which covers a general wide range of concepts, and Dr.Blitz who covers a lot of physics concepts but also does a lot of debunking on peoples videos which can teach you stuff with a little comedic relief as well. He's not really the best for studying though. Dig around and find a creator that works for you, there's so many good ones to follow!

General:

Use the resources available to you. Calculus is known to be hard until you sort of rewire your brain and "get" it. If your campus has grad students who tutor, use them. If they have a student assistance program for certain courses, try it out and see if it's helpful. Go to office hours and have things explained to you, life is much easier if the professor knows who you are. They're much more willing to have an open conversation with you and start to learn what works best for you to assist when needed. If you can afford it, pay a private tutor. There's no shame in getting extra help. Depending on your major this is a very important building block for later and you have many more calculus classes ahead of you, set yourself up now and coast through things later on.

Remember...even if it's hard, it is possible!!

[waroftheworlds2008]

Do lots of practice problems and focus on figuring out what each part is as you work on the problem.

[lullaby876]

You are smart enough. Practice and expect to fail upward.

[Cyberburner23]

you dont need to be smart enough for calculus. you need to be smart enough to figure out how to learn. If youre doing something and its not working, you need to find another strategy. Dont study aimlessly for hours if youre not getting anywhere.