College without math requirement RA liberal arts college

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Afterhours, Mar 18, 2015.

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  1. Afterhours

    Afterhours Member

    A friend of mine is interested in completing his B.A. at a regionally accredited college. Not proprietary. He has 120 credits. He first had an associates degree and returned to a well known local state university to finish his B.A. He has a 3.5 average. He can't pass algebra and is looking for a college without a math requirement that is connected to a brick and mortar institution. Any ideas?
     
  2. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    I don't know about not having a math requirement, but many schools will allow you to use courses such as math for liberal arts majors, math for business majors, math for education majors, etc. Some will also let you use a statistics course, and some statistics courses in social science departments focus more on concepts than calculations.
     
  3. GoodYellowDogs

    GoodYellowDogs New Member

    If money is not an issue, he could take Everyday Math (or something like that) at Excelsior. I used it for my math class. It's very doable. I had tried and failed at everything, but got a B+ in that class. It's online and you can choose 8 weeks or 15 weeks.
     
  4. Afterhours

    Afterhours Member

    I'll tell him about the Every Day math at Excelsior. I think Rutgers wants it to be Algebra, though.

    Are there any other colleges that he can complete within a year that do not require Algebra? He is attempting to obtain his BA from Rutgers University.

    However, he is so frustrated now that he is open to transferring, even if it means one more year.

    State Universities are sticklers for distribution requirements. I know. I hold a BA from Stony Brook University.
     
  5. lawrenceq

    lawrenceq Member

    I'd just suck it up and get it done. Use Khan Academy, a tutor and whatever it takes to get it done.
     
  6. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    I think I would seek approval to bring the Algebra in from another institution and go knock it out. All of these have online College Algebra that he can work through at his own pace:

    Mathematics-Independent Study in Idaho-University of Idaho
    Math > Division of Extended Studies > Colorado State University-Pueblo
    Online Course Catalog - BYU Independent Study

    He might also be able to CLEP or DSST the requirement.

    Failing that, transfer everything to TESC finish there, there are many "easier" math courses that would take care of the requirement at TESC, its a well worn path...they are also in NJ.

    There appear to be other math that would meet the requirement at Rutgers, will Math for Liberal Arts not work? I do feel his pain, math kept me from a degree fro some 20 years:

    http://catalogs.rutgers.edu/generated/nb-ug_0507/pg20909.html

    1. One course in college-level mathematics. This requirement may be satisfied by (a) placing into first-term calculus on the Rutgers Math Placement Test; or (b) passing one of the following:

    01:640:103 Topics in Mathematics for the Liberal Arts

    01:640:104 Elementary Combinatorics and Probability

    01:640:105 Introduction to Linear Mathematics

    01:640:112 Precalculus II

    01:640:115 Precalculus College Mathematics

    2. One additional course selected from the following:

    a. a second course from among those listed above

    b. 01:640:135 Calculus I (or higher level calculus course)

    c. 01:070:335 Analysis of Archaeological Data

    d. 01:070:395 Archaeological Data

    e. 04:192:300 Communication Research

    f. 05:300:350 Education and Computers

    g. 01:377:275 Statistical Approaches to Exercise Science

    h. 01:450:319 Quantitative Methods in Geography

    i. 01:450:320 Spatial Data Analysis

    j. 01:450:330 Geographical Methods

    k. 01:730:201 Introduction to Logic

    l. 01:790:300 Intro to Political Science Methods

    m. 01:830:200 Quantitative Methods in Psychology

    n. 10:832:241 Computer Applications in Health Research

    o. 01:920:311 Intro to Social Research

    p. 01:920:312 Computer Analysis of Social Science Data

    q. 10:975:205 Basic Statistical Methods for Urban Studies and Community Health

    r. subject 198 all courses in Computer Science

    s. subject 960 all courses in Statistics
     
  7. dclawman

    dclawman New Member

    I would recommend straighterline for College Algebra.

    You may also be interested in Fort Hays. General Education - Fort Hays State University
    According to the site, the General Studies degree does not require a math course...
     
  8. Afterhours

    Afterhours Member

    Thank you rebel and declawman. I'll pass this on to him.

    I'll pass this on to him. He is not a slacker or an anti-intellectual by any means. His talents lie elsewhere. It really isn't a matter of "bucking up" or "sucking it up" - if he could he would. He is an older learner and never was good at algebra.

    I am glad there are some other options.

    Thanks, Guys!
     
  9. rebel100

    rebel100 New Member

    I finally used straighterline to fill this requirement. I doubt Rutgers will take SL, but I know TESC would...if he has everything else TESC could be just the Math and a simple Capstone class to finish up. Whats his BA in? I love TESC, but it would suck to be three credits shy of a Rutgers degree and not finish it...spend money on a tutor, take the easiest math that will satisfy the requirement, spend days and days in the math lab till you conquer it...if this really is the only thing holding him up I urge he really exhaust all the possibilities at the original school.
     
  10. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    He should locate an acceptable community college transfer option in NJ. Community colleges specialize in tutoring and helping. He'll have DAILY access to tutors, and if this were the only thing standing in my way, I'd be living in the tutor center. Universities have less motivation to provide the resources, so he needs to take this at the CC level. There should be a list of CCs that transfer into his degree, he might have to see his advisor. He can do this over the summer, and he'll be good to go!
     
  11. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Yeah, it kind of is a matter of "sucking it up." I was a philosophy major when I started my college journey. I was terrible at math. Currently I, as you put it so eloquently, have talents which "lie elsewhere." But I stopped being afraid of math once I decided math wasn't my enemy and decided to try to learn it in a pressure free environment.

    I flew through a good chunk of Kahn Academy before I realized that I had very little reason to hate math, math can be fun and all of my issues with math up until that point had been with how it was taught rather than me simply not being a "math guy."

    There are people who take to math easily. I had a classmate in high school who ate the stuff up. We had a terrible teacher. It didn't matter. He would spend hours in the library teaching himself until he was acing exams. Not so much for me.

    Flash forward to college and that same friend pulled a "C" in English Composition and nearly failed (the mandatory for all students) Intro to Philosophy course. Both were courses that I breezed through.

    Did my friend give up on the humanities? No. It irritated him that he could do linear algebra but couldn't write a letter. So, he studied his butt off. He got tutoring. He practiced. He retook both courses and got it done.

    I'm not saying this because I think your friend is full of beans or because I want to become the DI motivational speaker. I'm saying this because "he was never good at algebra" isn't an excuse not to take an algebra course. As a matter of fact, that's kind of the reason why you should take an algebra course so that you can get good at algebra.

    Get a tutor. Go on Kahn Academy. Practice. Don't go into the study of algebra saying "Well, I'm gonna suck at this" but rather with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

    Now that I've probably pissed off everyone who hates doing math, I'll stop.
     
  12. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I'm one of those people who was just good at math. It just makes sense to me. I can just see it. At the same time, I know lots of people who don't like math. My impression, without being any kind of expert, is that they've convinced themselves they're not good at it and so they enter each new math opportunity with 2 strikes against themselves. They've already prepared themselves to strike out. That's OK with me too. I'm not trying to change people. I will say, however, that there is some value in being able to solve problems with multiple variables. That's just one description of life, solving problems with multiple variables. That's all algebra is, nothing more.
     
  13. GeeBee

    GeeBee Member

    I'm no expert either, but I know exactly when I decided that I was "bad at math." It was in 10th grade, when I got my first Geometry exam back. I had failed, miserably. What's worse, before seeing the graded test, I was convinced I had aced it. I struggled through and managed to pass the class, but just barely.

    Years later, I found myself in a job that required the use of statistics. I got interested in how that stuff worked, and got frustrated trying to teach myself. With much trepidation, I signed up for a night class in pre-calculus at the local community college. I was astounded that I made an "A" in the course, and it wasn't at all difficult.

    I'll be graduating Magna Cum Laude in May with a BA in Mathematical Sciences.

    In retrospect, I think the problem was that I had a really crappy teacher for that geometry class. But I let that bad experience convince me that I was no good at math. As it turns out, I'm quite good at math.
     
  14. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    I think many of us self-labeled "bad mathers" can tie things back to a crappy teacher. My 11th grade trig teacher didn't know how to do trig. I'm not being a wise guy here. She admitted that she never took trig in college (I went to a Catholic school and she just had an undergrad in "Education" with no subject area). Her grading system worked like this:

    Tests were 10% of your grade
    Your notebook was 90%

    If you wrote down everything she wrote on the blackboard verbatim you were guaranteed a 90 (B+). I learned nothing. My tests were a joke. I never came close to understanding what the lessons were about.

    But I walked away with a B+, so it was all cool, right?

    I've only recently begun focusing on rebuilding my math education. I don't need it for work. I feel like I need to do it for myself and to set a positive example for my kids.

    My advice to people wanting to skip math classes? Just take the flippin' class and learn something.
     
  15. lawrenceq

    lawrenceq Member

    You nailed it.
     
  16. GoodYellowDogs

    GoodYellowDogs New Member



    Just a FYI, the class has geometry, algebra, stats, etc. in it.
     
  17. Warpnow

    Warpnow Member

    Why would you want a degree from a school that doesn't require math?

    A liberal arts degree without knowing basic algebra is like getting a math degree without being able to read. Both are equally absurd. Algebra is a basic skill you will use all throughout your life. He needs to learn it.
     
  18. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Geesh....someone always has to poke the bear.
     
  19. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    This reminds me of the movie Peggy Sue Got Married, in which a wife and mother wakes up one day back in high school twenty or so years before. There's even a short scene that touches on your theory on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3eKzmozvrI
     
  20. Afterhours

    Afterhours Member

    Some people are so judgmental. Remediation is not an option. There are engineers who can't write. And colleges lighten their load accordingly.

    There are also people who are average at everything. This man is average at nothing.

    I find it sad that some people never obtain degrees because of a deficiency in something that most people never use. Such as math. Especially algebra.
    It's so arbitrary.

    Many of the better colleges have no distribution requirements.
     

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