Fear of math. It’s something I see time and time again on discussion forums, blogs, when speaking with people in person or even when considering my own MBA. For some people fear of math isn’t the problem but instead it could be a fear of writing research papers, a fear of grammar or a fear of large and complex reading assignments, but the single most common fear I see is that of mathematics. Perhaps it is because of the exacting nature of mathematics, there is a right and a wrong answer, and frequently there is no room for discussion or argumentation. One either knows the answer or they do not, it’s generally that simple. Thus the fear bug hits. Many of us may carry over this fear due to our poor scholastic performance in mathematics at one of our public schools. Perhaps your past performance now results in anxiety about mathematics in college?
Fear however is of itself a problem for a student that is separate from whatever is causing the fear and must be dealt with accordingly. If you are somewhat afraid when you first enroll in school, receive your materials or sit for your first exam then guess what? Welcome to the group because we all go through that at some point or another. Many of us also dread mathematics, just as you do right now. Personally if I had known how much math was going to be involved in the Ashford MBA program there would have been no way I would have chosen Ashford, my fear of mathematics had that much power over my life. But guess what? I overcame my fear, made straight A’s in the very classes I so dreaded and ultimately am a better person for it. I now feel that if I wanted to get a PhD or DBA it’s merely a matter of desire, not will power, not intelligence. If I want it I know I can get it because I have been tested to the extreme and found myself succeeding through it all. This MBA has built up my confidence level and shown me what I am capable of more than I could ever have anticipated and I am a better human being for it. How foolish then would it have been then for me to allow fear to dictate my choices to me?
It’s very liberating overcoming your fear. It changes your perspective and sometimes the only way to do so is to face your fear and push through it. So here are some tips for overcoming your fear of mathematics (or whatever else, academically speaking).
First, don’t panic. If you work yourself up into a frenzy you will not be objective. If you are in panic mode right now, calm down, slow down and do whatever it is you do to get into a place of calm.
Approach the problem rationally and in an organized manner. This means that you need to have a plan. What do you want to do? A chapter a week? More? Less? Break down your deadlines into small manageable chunks. Don’t read a chapter a week, look at it more like 10 pages a day. Methodically work through things, don’t look up or look ahead, simply keep to your daily routine and keep at it one day at a time. Make a schedule and stick to it.
You fear math? Join the club. But you can do this, you’ve learned difficult things in the past. You learned to walk, talk, drive, perhaps you can even operate the advanced functions or your cell phone or even program a clock on the microwave. The point is that you have demonstrated that you can learn new things that are completely alien to you.
Work through example problems in the book as they are given. Check your work against the text and try to understand how they arrive at the data shown for each step in any equation. Break it down into small manageable chunks and paraphrase in your own words what you are doing in your notes. Review these notes the next day before going on. Even if you don’t understand the equation at least then you will have a specific question for a tutor or instructor which is important and will open helpful dialogue. Be sure to write down each question you have until you finish the chapter. You may find that you answer your own question.
Read the chapter summaries. These are great refreshers.
Keep your notes for quick references.
If you need additional help or equations check Wikipedia. I found multiple helpful formulas and explanations there.
Consult books other than your textbook. There are tons of workbooks for algebra, finance, calculus, statistics, etc. out there for you to consult. I personally like the Complete Idiots Guide and Dummies books but there are far more available than just those. Sometimes seeing the same problem with a differently worded explanation results in a “eureka” moment.
Don’t work tired, hungry, angry, frustrated, depressed, etc. You need to clear your mind, sometimes a change of atmosphere is necessary. You’ll be surprised at where you discover you learn best. For example I learned Quantitative Methods and Managerial Accounting and Finance in a Waffle House dining room during the wee hours of the morning, like between 1 and 4AM four nights a week. It was tough but it worked.
Don’t let yourself feel overwhelmed. If you start to feel overwhelmed you need to take a break, do something unrelated for a little while and then come back to it fresh and with focus. By the way the focus should be on the little picture and not the big picture at the time.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help but always be specific in your requests. There are several online tutoring services available, Google them and shop around. There may be one for you. Likewise you may know or be able to find a private tutor in your area. I came this close (-) to hiring a tutor before studying at all hours of the night at Waffle House.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking this will be anything other than hard work. It will be hard work so expect to work hard. Don’t let the feeling of hard work shock you into thinking you are in over your head.
Don’t give up if you fail at first. Remember it is a process and you will not be perfect the first go round.
That’s about it for now. I hope this helps.