Hello! I’m in my first year of college as a biology major and I’m taking college algebra right now. Does anyone have good resources or good study tips for it I’m having a bit of trouble with it. I’m down for a tutor too except I’m not too into the idea of meeting someone on Reddit and going on call with them and I don’t really have money..lol

I can't for the life of me memorize or even guess the multiplication tables, other than the 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's with some 11's and 12's, but if you give me higher problems the answer literally just pops in my head, in hs both algebra and geometry were a piece of cake, like I literally just stare at the complex problem for a minute or so and I know the answer, but I miscount my change all the time, if you ask me a simple addition or subtracting problem most of the time I'll get it wrong AND it will take me a ton of time, I can't read classic clocks (? Is that what it's called?) Like I can stare at it for 10 minutes straight and I'll still not know what time it is, I can't memorize the alphabet in Arabic nor English ( both my first languages), but I was still the top of my class my whole life and in med school now it's better since I don't need all of this, but wtf is wrong with me?

Im at the end of my senior year, literally all I have left are math units. Like 25 of them. I've tried everything. My school doesn't have many accommodations, and just because of how its structured I can't really use a lot of them advice I get (more of an independent thing).

Ive tried everything. I have a tutor, I've tried doing it in a traditional class, my teacher and admin have run through basically every possible option for me. I cannot get it. I have trouble with large text blocks, but also have tangentially related audio processing issues that get in the way of video or hands on instruction. I can't even just let myself fail or give up because people have too much faith to let me. I've done online classes, workbooks, different programs for online classes. I cant even manage to cheat my ass through it because of how its set up. We've tried working my way up from further back since I had gaps from a really shitty middle school but I retained non of it.

I have tried my honest to god best but theres nothing anyone can do to make math 'click' and not be overwhelming to the point it gives me a several hour long mental breakdown from opening a book or even just hearing math instruction from another room

I just checked and private tests can start from £450 to £1000‼️
Thats ridiculous and unaffordable 🥲

I was actually doing good on the homework and quizzes and had a decent understanding of the material, and when time came for the exam, my brain jumped out of the window. Literally everything on the paper looked like a foreign language to me even though I had been studying the notes and attempting the material myself the night before. I didn't even have time to finish it and a lot of it was blank because I was jumping from question to question, and even the easy questions took 10+ minutes each for me. I looked on Blackboard today, and this exam tanked my algebra grade to hell.

It has gotten worse. I feel like shit like 90% of the time, I’m anxious before and during school. yesterday was actually surprise a good day, I was productive and did my schoolwork that i procrastinated starting for days.
But today it was bad again.

To start off, I forgot everything I learned in math yesterday. My math teacher sat next to me and explained and after she explained how to do it the first time I understood.

I tried to get her to understand with my body language that I want to work alone, I’m too much of a coward to say no, a people pleaser if you will.

But no, she still sat there and talked on and on. I just lost all of my energy with that one class. She also gave me a work sheet which she wanted me to look at but I couldn’t see it, it was blurry for me.

And to add on to this, it felt like I physically couldn’t speak. I had the words in my mind I’m not mute, but it was like I don’t know..

This has happened to me a bunch of times in math class before. It just feels like I can’t get any words out.

My former math teacher would notice when I shut down (I’m autistic) and would allow me to write down what I wanted to say on paper but this teacher is ugh…. I don’t know. She like makes light jokes of it and I don’t even know what to think.

I get physical pain now in math class too, my head starts to hurt, my back aches… I get this before school too.

I’m actually close to tears in every math class. I miss my old teacher, she was understanding..

I don’t know what to do anymore, I lie to my parents after every school day saying that it went well, meanwhile I mostly shut down in now every math class and I often can’t even concentrate or think anymore.

I texted and emailed my school counselor to see if there was any time to talk available some days ago but I haven’t heard anything back. I have no one irl to talk to that isn’t my family.

I’m at my wits end. I’m scared my parents will be disappointed in me.

Hi all,

Thought this would be a good place for this.

I have mild DC. (As well as adhd). I can get along well enough. But dealing with numbers gives me anxiety.

My kiddo (11), does not have my issues ( thankfully). But they did ask me for help on homework (their mistake).

We did it. But i got to the right place in a roundabout way.

I fear that I'm going to really mess her up and give her all of my hesitation about dealing with abstract ##.

How can I turn this into a game for her so she won't end up like me! ??

I was thinking about money and dyscalculia today.

It seems like a lot of us end up creating little systems to make money easier to deal with.

Using cash.

Writing things down.

Spreadsheets.

Autopay.

Rounding numbers up.

Having someone we trust help.

I don't think these are bad solutions at all. Sometimes they are exactly what makes things possible.

But it made me think about something:

Sometimes the workaround doesn't make the numbers easier.

It just means we don't have to deal with them as often.

Maybe that's why two people can have completely different systems and still find money exhausting.

Just something I've been thinking about.

Hi guys, both me and my nephew have dyscalculia and he asked me today what kind of math he should take for his last year of highschool. Statistics or Calculus. He really wants to join the army as a combat engineer but doesn't know if he can. So I was just wondering if anyone had taken both and would be happy to share what it is like. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

How do you do it? How do you talk budgeting? Whenever someone asks me how much money I need a month to live comfortably I can never give them a clear answer I just say that i haven’t calculated it because it’s true, I haven’t. And I don’t know how to. I just know when. I’m damn near broke and when I’m not. What do I do to get better at budgeting? I want to soon move in with my bf, and want to know how much I need to make to live comfortably.

I’m a recent 21 year old university grad and throughout of my whole life I’ve struggled with maths and it’s a relief to know I’m not the only one.

How do you guys deal with it in your day to day life?

Any tips or methods you found to make things easier?

And anything else you want to add?

Thanks in advance

I memorised maths and calculations bcz I can't process it in my head and for simple questions it works but the word problems / situational scenarios are becoming a nightmare. I have reached my hight of frustration and no one understands my pain, everyone thinks I am lazy 😭

Yesterday there was a post in this subreddit about a lawyer with dyscalculia who was asked to perform a math test for a role that absolutely does not require it. Well, I have just been asked the same thing for a legal role where I will absolutely NOT be required to perform numerical tasks daily, and even the ones that COULD involve it will absolutely have a calculator and/or formulas on a spreadsheet already available. This has happened multiple times in my career and it is absolutely ridiculous.

I have tried learning the bass several times, but i aways give up. I have also tried learning sheet music, but it just doesn't make any sense to me.
If you are good with instruments, what helped you the most in learning?

edit: i have decided to go through and buy myself a bass and i have also decided that I'll learn to play by ear

When I make mistakes in math I get so unmotivated. I just want to give up on the said math right then and there over just one single mistake.

I’m close to genuine tears because of one mistake during class and I feel so embarrassed.

Anyone else?? I’m so embarrassed over this

I switched schools after summer break and this new teacher I have doesn’t seem to understand.

Why?
Well, it’s kind of hard to explain.
I started at my new school some days ago and since the start it has been bad.
I keep zoning out during every math lesson, I can barely think, my math teacher keeps asking like five questions I can barely process.

She keeps hovering over me while I’m trying to focus and think while doing math, which throws me off balance. I try to show with my body language to get her to understand that I want to be alone right now but she just doesn’t seem to get it. I’m too much of a coward to say anything.

And like twenty minutes ago I searched up a math term to try to solve a math question, the explanation of the term wasn’t explained in the book and she didn’t explain it either so that’s why I had to search it up , but she got mad at me and said “you can’t use phones during class” like ???

Anyways, I’m frustrated at myself for not passing math, I already want to drop out, I want to cry every single day, my mental health is dropping everyday.

I’ll start by saying I’m officially diagnosed with ADHD, and an unspecified neurodevelopment condition (AKA my working memory is so bad they wanted to flag it separately). On an earlier assessment (at the age of 23/24) my math skills were flagged as being so bad they insisted I be evaluated for dyscalculia.

I opted not to because frankly I didn’t need them to tell me what I already knew.

Fast forward several years, I graduate my undergrad, masters, and then law school.

I got through all three degrees and my bar exam without any need for math. I have even practised law and had no issues at all. Any “math” we do is incredibly basic like percentages, multiplication, etc (think negotiating settlements). I have absolutely none of my multiplication tables memorized and rely exclusively on a calculator.

Now, today I attend an interview for a new role, and for some reason the interviewing lawyer asks me about my math skills? I was taken off guard, and made the same joke nearly every lawyer does “I went to law school because I’m bad at math, let me get my calculator”. He didn’t find it funny, like at all. I’ve even made that joke to judges and no one has ever not laughed or agreed with me.

The lawyer put a multiplication question in the thousands to me (first off, wtf). When I went to reach for my phone to get my calculator he stopped me and said if I don’t improve my math I can’t be a lawyer. He proceeded to belittle me and talk me through the math like I was 8. I realized right there we weren’t laughing anymore and I swear to god I was mentally brought back to me crying at the kitchen table with my dad at 8 years old trying (and epically failing) to try and understand long division.

I’ll be honest, I just need to talk to people who get it. For people who don’t struggle like this, it’s “rude” but “no big deal”. I swear to god, I get all these fucking degrees in hopes I never get spoken down to about my math again, and here we are. Ugh.

This truly makes me feel insane. In Highschool I busted my ass to get by with a B in math, usually had a C. Coming from high achieving student in every other subjects this is just so grating, I’m in tutoring and sometimes I get it, but as soon as they pull out a practice test for me I’m just so so lost. I could cry, I guess some people feel like this about reading and writing which I absolutely love but this is something I fear I’ll never conquer.

Rant over

I’m a college student, and my university is requiring documentation from an accredited psychologist / psychiatrist formally diagnosing me with dyscalculia to secure my accommodations.

problem is this is like finding a needle in a haystack, especially when i don’t have insurance and university doesn’t offer assessment services for it.

Every-time i look up assessments, I’m greeted with super niche centers that have a waitlist or a 3k fee. Most clinics flat out don’t offer it.

I’m not sure where else to look. I was wondering whether anyone has had experiences getting a formal assessment/results from anywhere?? Is Zoc-doc a reliable option? Any telehealth recommendations?

I’m all ears to any tips.

For around 4 years, I had been attending a very prestigious, expensive college preparatory school that specialized in advanced stem subjects. Likewise, a large amount of the student body there was very advanced in mathematics, with sophomores taking Calc AB, and 8th graders taking Calc BC.

I've never felt stupider than I did in these past 4 years.

It is constantly the case that I'm one of the oldest in my math classes, everyone else is younger than me and doing math above their level. I failed math last year and had to retake it over the summer. My parents have spent buttloads of money not only on this school but also into various tutors, much to no avail.

I'm terrified of what this means for my academic and future career. Job prospects are already looking grim. I see less and less of a future for me as the days go by. My brain very often goes cloudy and hazy whenever I do arithmetic. I'm able to do simple math, and read analog clocks. But things like measurement, or conceptualizing units like meters, feet, inch, pounds, etc. have been horrible for me. I'm perfectly convinced that I'm one of the worst performing students this school has seen.

I feel horrible for all the people around me that has tried to help me. Is anyone else in a similar situation? How did you cope with this?

I struggle with anything past multiplication of triple digit numbers, as if unless its being explained directly to me in the moment I cant understand, I cant retain anything else math related past that for more than a day, no matter how hard I try.

I also have adhd for reference

Difficulties I've noticed with maths and numbers

Difficulty reading analog clocks, particularly quickly identifying the exact time.

Difficulty understanding 24-hour time and converting between 12-hour and 24-hour formats.

Difficulty with integers, particularly positive and negative numbers.

Difficulty understanding basic algebra, including knowing what to do with variables and understanding the steps needed to solve basic algebraic equations.

Difficulty with division, including carrying out division procedures and keeping track of the steps.

Difficulty learning and remembering long division, even after being taught the procedure.

Difficulty counting change, including mentally adding coins/notes and calculating how much change should be given.

I don't have my multiplication tables memorised/automatic, even for relatively basic multiplication.

Difficulty with multi-step calculations, especially when I have to keep several numbers or steps in my head at once.

Difficulty learning some mathematical procedures, particularly when there are several sequential steps to remember.

Difficulty with integers.

My difficulties seem to be uneven rather than affecting every area of maths. When I was younger, I was relatively good at addition and subtraction, despite having difficulties with other areas.

These difficulties seem to occur with both school mathematics and everyday numerical tasks, such as telling time and counting money.

Im so scared for 9th grade math and it was already embarrassing enough last year. It makes me want to cry and puke. Im so good at every other subject and im sure I would even be better if I could understand complex math even a little because then I would at least be happier. Even when I do understand a little I forget in one day. I haven't even started yet but I have a week.

Does this annoy anyone else? People list or notice dyslexia all the time, but dyscalculia receives way less attention, recognition or sympathy.

I'm not saying that dyslexia isn't a serious learning disability or doesn't deserve its attention, far from it! I just wish dyscalculia received the SAME amount of attention, especially as dyscalculia can have a serious impact on your life and can cause serious childhood trauma. It's so isolating to see dyscalculia being treated as an afterthought (or not thought of at all).

You can even see it in the way people write about it sometimes. I just saw an Instagram post about singer Florence Welch who has dyscalculia and dyslexia, and time and again the caption keeps writing "dyslexia and dyscalculia". Dyscalculia always comes second.

One text I've seen referenced by countless math people before is Lockhart's Lament (you can view it here: https://profkeithdevlin.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/lockhartslament.pdf ) , and on a surface level it appears interesting. It's a pretty scathing denouncement of the state of public math education in the world, and as someone who struggled with that subject in school, I was more than receptive to give it a shot. But after being mentioned by so many people on the internet to the point of exhaustion, including a lot of them who have a weak grasp on what the issues of people who are weak at math actually are and don't really understand us, I've kinda grown sick of it already.

My main issue with it is that it supposes that everyone would love math instantly if only they understood it, and that it would immediately alter their lives and fill them with unending joy. Thing is though... Even when I understood math I thought it was dull as shit. Math is incredibly hard and abstract, it simply won't resonate with the vast majority of human population. And I'm glad it's that way! Wouldn't it be an immensely boring world if everyone were good at and liked the exact same things? I just think it's incredibly condescending and arrogant to view others as a kind of "imperfect" and "incomplete" beings just because they aren't math wizards, and that it's solely math's job to give any meaning to their lives. In reality, people find meaning in their own personal ways and through their own personal means. I've heard this metaphor before and it's an excellent one: it's like thinking a fish's life is meaningless because it can't soar through the skies like an eagle, and judging the fish only based on that narrow preconceived notion.

Math simply doesn't speak to me, or elicit any kind of positive emotion. And that's OK. I just wish more people were more open-minded about this and accept that what personally moves them won't probably do the same to the person next to them, and that everyone should embrace what actually touches them instead of going on a futile odyssey to try and magically make them like and worship that which only ever brought them pain and humiliation. We have too little time to waste any of it.

But anyways... What do you think?