College without math requirement RA liberal arts college

You don't need algebra to survive; you need basic arithmetic.

Some people have had bad teachers, but others might have dyscalculia. I have a feeling that this is more under-diagnosed than dyslexia.

 

Everyone has reasons, disabilities, and other things that lead them down the path they choose. I hope we don't get snarky on this wonderful site.

 

A few years ago I was lurking on Craigslist just to see what weirdos came out of the woodwork and what scams were filling the job section.

I found a part-time job as a helper for an autistic college student posted. The poster stated that they needed someone who would escort said student to each of his classes, take all of his notes, ensure he didn't wander out of class before the class ended (and if he did, follow him, call his parents, and ensure he was returned safely) and ensure he did not engage in socially inappropriate behavior while on campus.

I'm all about the rights of the disabled and equal education. But, at a certain point, if you can't complete the coursework (or attend classes and be assessed in any manner) then changing the requirements to fit the individual doesn't make the individual more educated, it really just cheapens the degree.

In order to get s drivers license I had to take a written and road test. If a blind man shows up and rightfully states he can take neither due to a documented medical condition, we don't award the driver's license anyway. But we do hand you a degree.

If you have a learning disability that precludes you from passing a math course then you shouldn't get the degree (if the degree program requires a math course).That doesn't mean you have no value as a human being. It doesn't mean you don't deserve an education. It means that you cannot meet the requirements for the degree program and thus cannot receive the diploma.

I'm more than willing to admit "education" is a constitutional, if not basic human, right. But I'm not willing to say that a B.A. Is a basic human right. Because that's a very slippery slope that our current educational system is presently sliding down. We award dumbed down masters degrees to people who, frankly, didn't actually earn their undergraduate degrees.

Unpopular as I'm sure my opinion is I think we need to really re-examine the role of degrees in our society if we are going to just hand them out to anyone with the tenacity to show up.

 

Before anyone jumps all over me I just wanted to clarify that I am not referring to a person shopping around for a program that fits their needs. If you can't do a single math class and find a program that doesn't require it, hey, congrats. I'm ranting about absurd levels of exceptions to a school's program.

 

I agree that we needn't get snarky. I am trying to help a good friend. He is mufti-lingual and is one of the hardest working and most deeply intellectual people I know. I actually thought that he had a BA - at least.

In the 70s and early 80s, many well respected colleges ditched the "one from column A two from column B" approach to education. After all, we have learned the basics in HS. In college, most of us want a deeper knowledge of our passions.

I attended a highly ranked private college for three years. There were no requirements beyond those of your major. I had to leave at the end of my junior year because my mom was diagnosed with cancer.

I finished college closer to home at Stony Brook University, which is part of SUNY. Whole other game. I had to take courses that did not interest me in the slightest. At Clark University - Worcester MA - I chose what interested me.

My children are attending or choosing colleges with open curriculua. My son will graduate Phi Beta Kappa. He can choose his classes and he attends a "drool school".

In Europe, this remains the norm. I'd prefer not to be a nation of dilettantes.

 

There are very intelligent people with learning disabilities in specific areas. These people could have a lot of value to a profession that requires a degree, but does not require the area of knowledge in which they struggle.

 

You don't need algebra to function in this world, that's a load of bull. You might need it for some degrees at some colleges for some majors.
(certainly not all of them, I've never taken algebra... not in high school, not for the 4 degrees in my sig line, not for a premed series, not for the extra courses I needed for grad school admission, not in my extra grad classes at Harvard....at no time has anyone one has asked me to do algebra or take a class in algebra.)

My suggestion still stands, if he needs algebra for this degree, I'd do it through one of the NJ CCs in person and transfer it back in. He'll have no trouble getting help if he needs it, and it's important he not let this stand in the way of this degree appearing on his resume this time next year. He can do it!

 

I agree. Comparing the need to read or write to algebra - or to any other form of math other than arithmetic, is absurd.

Any other options?

 

I am a bit of a math person, although I'm now moving into the Humanities and so it's less of a thing for me. As my final thought on this subject I wanted to point out that the USA, with it's insistence on a "rounded education" typically requires at least some math of it's college grads. The op has discovered this just through her difficulty in finding a program without math. At the same time, throughout the rest of the world it's quite simple to find programs with no math requirement. One way to read this thread is from that perspective. One group adhering to the American educational philosophy and another group saying essentially, "Why is this required of everyone?" much like the Commonwealth or European philosophy. While I think there's value in learning math I'm not sure that I'd insist on it. I think it's true that you can largely live without it but I think that in order to prove their point some have gone too far in declaring it's uselessness in everyday life. For example, if you wanted to carpet a six room house, each room with a different carpet at a different price, finding the total cost is an algebraic equation. It's not a big deal. We all could do it, just don't call it algebra and we'll be OK. I think math-less programs should be more plentiful, especially if there were allowed substitutes. I'd allow someone to substitute a Logic course for an Algebra course. I'd even allow a History of Math course for an Algebra course and there are any number of other pefectly good examples (personal finance for example). I hope the op finds a suitable program.

 

I'm all for a practical math requirement. It should probably include an ability to tell time with the big hand and little hand an how to balance your bank account. The ability to solve for x or y is not required for daily living. Even Harvard seems to recognize this, and an ability to perform strict algebra is not required rather you pick a half course from here or take a course that includes the mathematical reasoning requirement like economics, biology, or computer science. These Harvard kids seem to function OK in the real world after graduation General Education | Harvard College

 

Best I can tell, Brown University does not have any math requirement for its undergrad degree programs. With its "open curriculum," as they call it, you have a great deal of freedom to make your own path toward a degree. From their website:

What is the Open Curriculum? | Undergraduate Admission

 

My university's basic math requirement is a course that is basically a 9th grade high school algebra course. Most of our students get it waived on the basis of SAT/ACT scores, high school grades, or a waiver exam.

I would suggest that it is unlikely that anyone admitted to Harvard or Brown would be unacquainted with 9th grade algebra. Ditto for anyone attending a European university. I can't imagine how anyone could be successful in a college-level chemistry, economics, computer science, or biology course without basic algebra skills.

Some schools have a higher level math requirement: a course in college algebra that has a prerequisite of two years of high school algebra. I would agree that this might be overkill for many majors.

 

Also, having an applied math course (like Mathematics for Computer Science majors or Mathematics for Finance majors) is not the same as not having a math requirement.

 

Brown and Wesleyan have no algebra requirements. Among many other top schools.

 

People who say "you never need algebra in everyday life" appear to not understand what algebra actually is.

 

Well, I think that's a huge load of fertilizer.

 

Then I'll clarify what, I think, everyone actually means when they say that:

"Most people have no meaningful application for an algebraic education in their everyday lives."

 

I'm not even sure that's true. Steve's example was a good one. Finding unit price at the grocery store. 10 oz. for $0.89. But the large economy size is 25 oz. for $2.25. Which is the better deal? It's just solving for x with x = price per oz. We do algebra all the time and it's no big deal (as long as we don't call it algebra).

 

So, as a non-algebra completer who also happens to be a culinary arts instructor, this is taught in my class as "culinary math." I teach this as finding the UNIT COST when APC (as purchased cost) is given. Add in that sometimes ounce means volume and other times it means weight, but that's for another day. My students would be required to find the cost per ounce of each container (.89 / 10 = .089/oz) and (2.25 /25 = .090/oz). I don't think that's algebra, I'd categorize this as arithmetic.

EDIT: I want to add that this class (Culinary Math) eats culinary students, chews them up, and spits them out. This class IS THE BRICK WALL that keeps many, many cooks from becoming chefs who hold degrees.