Has any math major ever been in a situation where you fail one math class but do excellent another math class. For example maybe got by in MA225 but got by with an A + in MA 407.

4/17/2007 12:44:14 PM

no

4/17/2007 12:45:52 PM

I failed 242 the first time and got an A+ the second time. I got a C in 341 and an A in 401

[Edited on April 17, 2007 at 12:49 PM. Reason : i had a thing for the girl next to me in 401 so i was motivated to actually show up and do well]

4/17/2007 12:48:17 PM

I spoke with the dean of the math department before when i was thinking about becoming a math professor. he said that since i obviously did well in my calc classes, MA 225 would be a good indication of whether or not a math prof. would be good since it is a totally different type of math class.
point is, different types of math class will def show your strenghts and weaknesses

4/17/2007 3:21:02 PM

225 is where potential math majors learn to do proofs. If you struggled with it, but did well in 400-level proof-based courses (407, 425, etc.) then you probably learned more in 225 than you were able to show at the time.

4/17/2007 5:30:39 PM

I got a C or something like that in Diff EQ I but then got a an A in Diff EQ II

4/17/2007 7:28:23 PM

i bearly got a B in english 100, and with the same teacher for 101 got like an A+

4/17/2007 8:02:25 PM

Doing poorly in math comes from three main sources in my view,

i.) you're stupid
ii.) you're lazy
iii.) you don't have needed prerequisite knowledge

Now there is not much we can do to help you with i.). Parental policies like required homework and/or attendance can help with ii.), but only so much. Finally we come to iii.), this is the easiest to remedy. I know I have fit iii.) before, in one class I still got an A because the prof. help fill me in on some background I was sadly lacking. In another case I ended up with a B- because the professor assumed we had way more knowledge then most of us had, looking back I really wish I had waited for another professor... oh well.

[Edited on April 17, 2007 at 8:39 PM. Reason : gammar.]

4/17/2007 8:39:01 PM

I got a C+ in 505 cos that class is boring as hell, although amazingly easy and not real math, but have gotten A's in every other math class that I've taken. Well, complex analysis i got a B+ in, but that was boring too. Oh yeah, and I'll probably get a B in 515 because, well, it's boring too. I see a pattern here...

Yes, you can do poorly when you are unmotivated. However, if you do poorly beacuse you didnt grasp the concepts but you genuinely tried to do well, then that area of math isn't your thing.

4/17/2007 10:04:05 PM

Quote :

"225 is where potential math majors learn to do proofs. If you struggled with it, but did well in 400-level proof-based courses (407, 425, etc.) then you probably learned more in 225 than you were able to show at the time."

ding ding. I often find that I really "learn" something the semester after I take the class and the knowledge is reinforced through continual use.

4/18/2007 12:33:42 AM

I'm in 407 now and took 225 a year ago. I got an A- in 225 and I'm getting an A+ in 407 (my lowest grade is a 99). I think they're both easy, and they're both the same. SO MA 225 is a good reflection of your 407 grade. But not necessarily. I also think MA 407 is a whole lot more interesting than 225. If you have Sandra Paur for 225, I wouldn't give up yet. She's the devil and INSANELY hard. Plus I wouldn't sweet 407 to much, it's really not bad at all. Stitzinger is teaching it next semester and he's really good. Szanto is teaching 407H, her class is easy but she's a horrible teacher. You wont learn a damn thing. Hope this helps.

[Edited on April 18, 2007 at 7:53 AM. Reason : ]

4/18/2007 7:53:00 AM