Cajun:

This same kind of fear almost prevented me from enrolling in my MBA program.  I will tell you one thing, math is my weakest area and still is, but we often make our fears out to be much bigger than they should be.  Don't be afraid to be challenged as a person.  Sometimes failure is part of growth.  Truth be told my first math test in my MBA program I made a 30 on.  But I worked hard, studied, challenged myself and pulled the final grade into an "A".  It's all part of education, being challenged beyond our comfort zones.  It's a way to grow as a person as well.

Thanks Cajun,

I will try to remember what you said "Don't be afraid to be challenged as a person.  Sometimes failure is part of growth."  A friend of mine gave me the same type of advice, "You never should be afraid to step outside your comfort zone, it's the only way you'll learn and grow".  I guess I forgot that advice, but you brought back good memories for me of the friend who said it over a year ago.  Thank you for the smile.

Cajun:

Glad I could help.  I'll be posting a blog on some notable failures soon...they eventually got it right but only after some serious miscalculations.  For example, Thomas Edison, Mickey Mantle, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill are amongst this group as well as pretty much anyone who has ever made any contribution to mankind.  So if you drop the ball, you're in good company.

Cajun,

I read your blog tonight on the "notable failures".  It was a great posting.

Thanks for giving us all a "bright side" to not getting things right the first time.

I have read on other groups that this program, by McGraw-Hill (I think), called Aleks, is suppose to be a wonderful tutorial.  There is a small montly fee (around $20.00). I was looking around for help for my husband, but we haven't tried it yet.  If anyone does try it, please report back on it.

Thanks!!

http://www.aleks.com/highered/math

Well I finally got my Math courses.  I almost started crying when I saw the pages [:'(].  It all looks like a foriegn language.  I'm really concerned about this section. Are there any help forums on this site that could help me.  I was never good in math and got out of High school back in the day with just General Math. Now it's a different story. I got the books last Thursday 7/3 and I have not picked it up since. Man this is crazy...  HELP!!!!

CIS program

Start date 3/08

your2smart:

Well I finally got my Math courses.  I almost started crying when I saw the pages [:'(].  It all looks like a foriegn language.  I'm really concerned about this section. Are there any help forums on this site that could help me.  I was never good in math and got out of High school back in the day with just General Math. Now it's a different story. I got the books last Thursday 7/3 and I have not picked it up since. Man this is crazy...  HELP!!!!

I know this isn't what you're looking for here, but this is an example of why I think that for a lot of people there are some subjects they should take in a classroom and transfer, even if they're in an online program.  Math comes up a lot.  I think it's one of those subjects where people need to ask a series of clarifying questions to understand it, and that's really slow with an asynchronous environment.

Anyway, I can definitely tell you that it's extremely unlikely to help you if you don't pick the books up at all.  Do you have an instructor you can contact for help? Also, if it's that confusing, is it possible that the course has prerequisites that you haven't fulfilled yet?

-=Steve=-

First...in the words of Douglas Adams "Don't panic".  If you psych yourself up you very well may be mentally blocking yourself from learning this stuff.  So let's make a game plan.

First pick up 1 book and your study guide.  Read 1 chapter, do the example problems along in the chapter, follow the step by step and check your work against the book as you go along.  Keep doing it until a light bulb goes off.  Even if you never have that light bulb moment you should at least be left with specific questions.

Second, if left with specific questions write them down and continue to finish the chapter.  You may answer your own questions as you go but repeat steps 1 and 2 as needed.  If not, ask the "specific" questions you have.  You can even hire an online tutor or maybe find a face to face tutor locally.  Wikipedia also helps to break things down every once in a while.

Third, when you do get something, paraphrase what you have just learned in writing in your notes to be quick referenced later.  This will help you cement what you just learned into your brain.

Fourth, before starting chapter 2 make sure you briefly review your notes and do so every time you start a new chapter. 

Whatever you do take your time, set yourself a work schedule and goal and take things 1 chapter at a time.  DO NOT LOOK  AHEAD IN THE BOOK it'll only make things more difficult and serve no purpose.  Do not work on more than one math subject at a time if possible.  It'll only start to confuse you.  You can do this.