My Ashford University Experience : failure

Don’t Let Fear of Math Sabotage Your Education

Cajun — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:51:00 GMT

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.

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Week 5 Grades In: I’m starting to get ticked

Cajun — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:03:00 GMT

This week's grades are in and I'm starting to wonder. I scored barely a 92 percent on my assignment and received and a 90 percent on my discussion. The killer is that I am dragging the bottom of the barrel on the class averages. There are only six of us in the whole class so I know that when I'm lower than the class average, I'm the butt end of things.

The really infuriating part is that I have not one single time been dinged on content, not once. I'm getting niggled on small grammatical errors but losing significant points because of it. I think I'm still making an "A" for the class but being dead last in this course is frankly starting to rub me the wrong way. That has not happened once in my academic career that I can think of and to be frank I'm getting concerned. Maybe it's just that I haven't figured out how this professor ticks or maybe it's just my time to drag the bottom or perhaps I'm getting fatigued or perhaps it's that I'm in a class with five other people who have survived what I have survived to get there and every single one of them is as sharp as a tack.

I have no idea, it's probably a combination of all those factors but I'm starting to worry. I'm a competitive type of guy and coming in last on anything does not sit well with me.

This is week six, the final week and the final paper will consist of 25 percent of my grade. Suffice to say striking out here will cost me my 4.0 GPA so the pressure is on. In the grand scheme of things losing a 4.0 GPA is not the end of the world, but to survive all of the quantitative hell that I have gone through, to work so hard to get those "A's" only to blow it on my electives would be a supreme disappointment to say the very least. Maybe I should have focused on Human Resources? Organizational Leadership really isn't even a profession necessarily even though I am passionate about leadership. I'm just very disappointed in myself right now and how my grades have been. Maybe I can pull it out just in the nick of time this week. Either way wish me luck.

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Fear Failure? Here’s a list of some notable failures in history

Cajun — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:29:00 GMT

When I first started my MBA program I was terrified of the mathematics portion. In fact on my very first quantitative methods exam I made a 30%. That’s a 30% out of a 100%. I felt so crappy and so much like a failure I actually discussed dropping out of the program with my wife in lieu of simply settling for an MSM degree which didn’t include any sort of mathematics at all. As it turns out that would have been a huge mistake as I am almost complete with my program and as of this writing still maintaining a 4.0 GPA. I simply knuckled down, studied hard and did my best which as it turns out, was good enough in this case. But just in case you are like I was and fear failure I’ve compiled a list of some people who have experienced some decisive failures in life but who eventually pulled through to do something worth while.

So as promised in the forums I present Cajun’s list of notable failures in history:

1.) Thomas Edison. One of the world’s greatest inventors has seen plenty of failure as he pretty much experimented by having an idea, failing at that idea until he succeeded once. We don’t know anything about the 1000’s of times he was wrong, except for what is reported perhaps on wikipedia about him being fired for spilling acid on the desk of his boss but he eventually succeeded in many of his goals.

2.) Abraham Lincoln. One of the greatest Presidents and leaders the United States has ever known, was not too talented on picking quality generals during the Civil War. Not only that but when he was elected multiple states seceded from the United States of America. Talk about a rough crowd. Though Lincoln was probably one of the least popular Presidents in history during the time of his tenure in office, history remembers him fondly.

3.) Albert Einstein. That’s right, one of the smartest men who ever lived failed when he tested to enter the Federal Polytechnic School in Zurich, Switzerland. He couldn’t make it past the entrance exam due to poor language skills, etc. I sincerely doubt this was his only failure however this was the only academic failure that I know of. Eventually however he was lauded as one of the greatest minds of all time.

4.) Saint Peter. One of my favorite Apostles in the Bible had a bit of a problem in running off at the mouth, losing his temper and a surge of faith followed quickly by a lack of faith. I can relate. However Saint Peter was eventually called the rock upon which the church would be built by Jesus himself, despite his notable and repeated failures. Not bad, eh?

5.) Mickey Mantle. For those of you who are sports fans, you may already know that Mickey Mantle struck out more than any batter in baseball until another notable failure, Reggie Jackson. However as we all know, things turned out well for him (and Reggie) eventually.

So are you still afraid of failure? If you are then look at it like this, if you fail at least you’re in good company.

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10 Traps, Pitfalls and Shortcomings of Earning a Degree Online Part II (6-10)

Cajun — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:56:00 GMT

This is part II of a two part series. (Click to view part I.)

6.) Technology. Technology is an inevitable part of being an online student. Using new, unfamiliar software and mastering the art of using it skillfully will become essential. If you are still carrying a pager, use a rotary phone, are afraid of a fax machine and believe scientific calculators are still over $100.00 you may need to reassess your ability to adapt quickly enough to learning via an online format.

7.) Will power. Also called grit, guts, stamina or courage. You must have the ability to get knocked down and get back up. You have to be able to motivate yourself, likely nobody else will do it for you. If you get an “F” on an assignment you really worked hard on, it’ll knock the wind out of you. But you have to get tough, work harder, be objective and keep slugging away. Nobody is likely going to be cheering you on, nobody will beg you to do the work, nobody will care if you drop out or fail other than you and possibly close relatives. It’s up to you to get it done. You have to be able to accept failure and move on. You have to be able to overcome your shortcomings and keep growing. You have to accept the fact that you are nowhere near perfect and get over yourself enough to get better. You have to have will power. Campus based students will have to have some of this but they will also have the support of a peer group and the knowledge that their friends are sharing their experience. You on the other hand are going to go it very much alone by comparison.

8.) Self -discipline. Self-discipline is not will power, but it is a close cousin. The difference between will power and self discipline is that will power is what motivates you. Will power is the voice in your head that tells you go get up and keep going when you’ve been knocked down, the thing that keeps your feet moving underneath you when you don’t think you can run anymore. Self-discipline is the fore knowledge of what you need to do, making a plan and sticking to that plan no matter what. Self-discipline is the ability to delay pleasure in the knowledge that the sacrifice will pay in the long run. Will power is the drive where self-discipline is the map. One without the other is useless. You have to be self-disciplined. You will not have the peer support or pressure to show up to class every day like your campus-based peers will have. You will not be meeting friends in study groups at night motivating you to do so. Your success and reaching goals will depend 100% on your ability to envision what needs to happen and stick to the plan.

9.) Reading comprehension. You will have to read everything you learn likely. Where your peers can sit through lectures and hear the information, you will have to read it. Where your peers can reinforce the knowledge imparted to the class through discussions, you will have to read and write about what you are learning. It is likely that you will be required to have a higher level of reading comprehension than your campus based peers because it is the primary if not the only means of communication in online learning. You likely will not have auditory reinforcement of the information like sitting through a lecture. You will not likely have the visual of seeing the information being demonstrated on a chalkboard. With rare exception all the information relayed to you will be via text and graphics, nothing more. You will have to learn to comprehend what you read. This will include skillful note taking, learning your reading comprehension limits (we all have them) and develop a means of overcoming your shortcomings. For example, I find it hard to concentrate on a text for over 30 straight minutes without a break. Otherwise I am reading, but not comprehending the text. The more precise and dry the material, the shorter my attention span is. As such I take careful, easily referenced notes and take a break of 5 to 10 minutes at least once every half-hour without fail. That is what works for me, you will have to develop a plan that works for you.

10.) Communication through writing. This is a shortcoming for many, many people. I revise reports daily as part of my official duties in the workplace and I continually see people who struggle in the area of communicating effectively in written word. You would not be alone in this struggle. I too have spent and continue to spend minutes upon hours upon years developing my writing skills. It is an art form that few people if any, ever perfect, yet one that must be mastered to a high level of competence in online learning as this will be your primary if not only means of expressing your thoughts and engaging in the communication process. You may have a way with words and wit in person, but translating this onto the page is a struggle I believe most people, myself included engage in.

Well there you have it. I hope this post does not scare you off of attempting a degree online, but there are things you need to be aware of before committing your time and money to such a momentous undertaking as earning a degree online.

I welcome any comments, questions or suggestions you may have here or email if you prefer.

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10 Traps, Pitfalls and Shortcomings of Earning a Degree Online Part I (1-5)

Cajun — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:40:00 GMT

Okay I know it seems strange for a guy who is all about distance education to write about the negative aspects of learning online, but for the sake of fairness sometimes it is necessary to look at the bad side of learning as well as the good. After all it is important to make a well-informed decision when considering going back to college. If you choose to become an online student sooner or later you will note some of the pitfalls, traps and shortcomings of learning online. Personally it is my belief that you should go into the decision informed and with fore knowledge of struggles you may face.

So without further ado:

1.) A feeling of detachment and/or loneliness. Often times a distance education student will not feel part of the school by which they are earning their degree. I have experienced this myself at Southwestern College. The school is a private, campus-based college with colorful newsletters highlighting student life, showcasing beautiful pictures of the campus and there was even a forum by which students could post questions to the College’s administration. However online students really didn’t really have any representation in the literature or forums of the school other than what was provided on Blackboard. To make matters worse going online to the bookstore to order a tee-shirt or something would inevitably lead to a phone call the next day stating that they cannot process your order because the bookstore didn’t update their page with current stock. Instead you had to kind of blindly guess at what they did have and didn’t have at the moment making you feel just that much more out of touch. Often times as an online student you just feel alone and detached. Kind of like you are in an individual struggle and that you will make it or lose it by your will and determination alone. Though this isn’t true at all, it may be a feeling that you experience as I did when working for years on a degree online, where there is little to no tangible gain as you progress. Especially when the school is primarily geared towards campus based students and the online college is just an extension of a greater overall mission. Ironically however upon graduation, being able to walk around a campus and meeting dozens if not over a hundred of my fellow online graduates led me to feel an unbreakable attachment and source of pride in my school that I had not previously experienced. The very fact that there was this living, breathing organization that I was now a permanent part of, that I could see and touch just led me to a sense of belonging. Meeting people that had experienced what I had experienced only bolstered the feeling of belonging. Of course the faculty and staff made sure that we graduates experienced this even to the point of lining the halls and applauding us as we walked to our seats. The very thing that can cause you to feel isolated during the process can also lead you to feeling a part of an overall larger picture upon graduation, in my case it was the campus itself that I had never seen. I arrived a stranger and left as a part of a family.

2.) Distractions. It is so easy to be distracted when you are not expected to show up to class. All of a sudden hundreds of “more important” things will pop up that you have to take care of and before you know it, you are hopelessly behind. You absolutely must be self-disciplined and be pragmatic enough to say “no” when you have to. I know that at home we often have more distractions than anywhere else. We have kids, spouses, chores, internet, television, video games, our hobbies, books we enjoy, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. You have to cut things out of your life to go to school online, period. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Look at your life, is it full? Can you cut back on anything or cut anything out altogether? If you cannot, you will not be successful online.

3.) Fatigue. I have found that the only way to stave off fatigue as an online student is to stick to a rigid schedule. If you do not, you will get behind. If you get behind by the time you catch up you will be behind on the following week’s work and it will become a exhausting cycle of stress inducing, sleep depriving and relationship busting work. Once you become fatigued as a student online it can literally take months to recover if you do not get a break between classes. Avoiding fatigue is no joke when you make this type of commitment so beware this potentially fatal pitfall. Many students who hit the wall and take a “break” never come back.

4.) A feeling of being overwhelmed. Learning new things can be exhilarating yet stressful. Wonderful and altogether overwhelming. Most of the feeling of being overwhelmed is how you react emotionally to the stress of being forced to learn something new within a predetermined time frame. I have felt it, you likely will to. After a while though you just have to learn to control your emotions and not let them control you. A feeling of being overwhelmed can spoil the experience for you, sabotage your work, destroy your schedule and quickly lead to our #1 enemy, fatigue. Find ways to relax and calm down. Learn to embrace change. That sounds kind of corny but it is against our nature (for most of us anyway) to embrace change but it is absolutely vital for you to do just that.

5.) Venting. Being an online student does not mean that you are free of the stresses that classroom students experience. But it does mean that you are likely not going to have the same sort of outlet that your campus based peers will have like standing in the hallways after class complaining about the enormity of an assignment, or how your last grade was unfair, etc. Instead you will likely complain to your spouse, who will quickly tire of it. Then you may try your friends and coworkers who will likely tire of it just as quickly. It’s not that they don’t care, it’s just that most of them cannot relate or just do not share your feelings. Sooner or later you will have to find an alternate manner of venting and “letting go” of some of the pressure that can build up. I find that forums like eLearners provide or blogging helps a lot more than I could ever explain. Once you’ve experienced what I’m talking about, this will make more sense. By the way, do not fall for the temptation of complaining on the discussion boards on Blackboard in your classes. Trust me, it will not come off like you intended.

I welcome any comments, questions or suggestions you may have here or email if you prefer. Part II (numbers 6-10) will be posted tomorrow night.

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