Question for parents of college students

[dmann]

I took the algebra class the summer after I graduated HS and before I left for college. I took the geometry class the following summer after completing my Freshman year.

DM

[microchip]

Heh, me a sophomore also, and a math major...

The placement tests we had to take for math were online, so it was basically a free-for-all as far as notes. Similarly, Colorado State does the same. Some math is required, but there's a slew of "math for liberal arts" type classes.

The Calc AP exams do not give you formulas. The only AP exam that I know of that does give you formulas is Physics.

I would not expect a cheat sheet. The only things you could use a cheat sheet for are mostly trig identities, everything else you should know off the top of your head.
Long live math!

[graylocks]

rgG wrote:
According to my daughter, a sophomore at UGA, when she took the mandatory math placement exam at orientation, there were no formulas given. In contrast to the SAT, the placement exam is more heavily weighted on pre-cal and Algebra II. She said the placement test was much harder than the SAT. She, an advertising and Spanish major, was able to exempt her required math courses; a source of great joy and relief for everyone.

your daughter was a Woodward Academy grad - i would have expected no less! your daughter's assessment of the test is exactly what i'm worried about though i'm hoping he can at least test into the required math course as opposed to a learn-this-stuff-you-should-have-had-in HS course.

a high percentage of GA public school grads cannot test into the first level of college courses in math or english. english for my son i am not the least bit worried about; he's taking AP courses this year.

[Grace62]

http://www.math.uga.edu/~curr/Entering.html

Don't know if this will help, but this is how UGA handles incoming freshmen and math.

About the pricey SAT prep courses; it might be more effective in terms of time and money to get a private tutor (where I live they charge around $40-50/hour) and have them focus on exactly what your son needs in order to get his best possible math SAT score. They will give him a complete sample test, evaluate the test, and do focused tutoring. Where I live the high school math instruction is excellent, but parents wanting kids to get into competitive schools still pay for the prep, it's just become standard.
For my son it paid off, because he took Algebra and Geometry in middle school, and that is the focus of the SAT.
(Unless the one-on-one is uncomfortable for the student, it is for some. Then group tutoring might be better.)

I'm a fan of students at least attempting Calculus at the college level, regardless of major. A lot of non-math majors require it, and I find that the teaching in college is superior to what is usually offered in high school (the teach to the test AP Calculus course often leaves something to be desired.) So, your son may not like math simply because the instruction has been ineffective. He shouldn't give up this early.

I just asked my son about formulas (he's a rising senior, just finished Pre-Calc.) He says that understanding the concept is far more important than memorizing formulas, and sometimes they get formulas, sometimes not. If your son's school is never requiring the kids to learn formulas, they are doing a disservice.

[graylocks]

Grace62 wrote:
If your son's school is never requiring the kids to learn formulas, they are doing a disservice.

Welcome to Georgia Public mis-Education...

thanks for the other info/comments.

[Ombligo]

You may also want to see what calculator is used during testing. Most of the time programmable and advance calcs are not allowed. The last math test I took (for Florida State Teachers Accreditation. ) was a basic four function plus sq. root.

As for a cheat sheet, we were told what formulas may have been on the test ahead of time. I memorized them all and the first thing I did upon starting the test was to write them all down on my allotted scrap paper.

Now what is scary is I'm currently certified to teach through Calculus by the state. I have never had a math class beyond Elementary Algebra during my first semester of college and that was in 1980! I have no clue how to even simplify an algebraic equation. The state may think I can teach it but I would never consider teaching a math course beyond sixth grade.

I'm also certified for AP Science but have not had a science class since 9th grade in 1977. Once again I will not teach those subjects by choice. It isn't fair to the students.

I just test very well. (scored 1250 on my SAT's, in the 96th percentile or better on everything but clerical on the ASVAB and was fifth highest in my county on the state test we had then. Yet I was generally a c-b student in most subjects (though I never studied or read the books, so I'm sure I could have done a bit better with effort)

[Grateful11]

I've got 2 in college on academic scholarships so I'll throw this question at them if they can stop playing
Starcraft 2 long enough.

They said they both took placement test before starting their freshman year and there were absolutely
no cheat sheets for the placement test or for what they had to go through to get their scholarships.

OT: I know my oldest, starting Senior this year double major in Pre-Med and Biology, really had to jump
through some hoops to get his scholarship which was highest one they give at $17K per year for
tuition. My youngest, majoring in IT, a starting Junior this fall received about $9K a year from the college
and the rest for both them is in various scholarships (Milton Rose being one), grants and small loans.
My youngest has MD and gets a fair amount from local Vocational Rehab. Both attend Pfeiffer University.

Some of you might remember this:

http://forums.macresource.com/read.php?1...msg-253276

As you can tell I'm very proud of my both of our sons.

My youngest scored something over 1100 on the SAT and my oldest scored 1360, this was on the two
original sections not the new written portion that many colleges don't even look at.

[Grace62]

Grateful11 wrote:


As you can tell I'm very proud of my both of our sons.

You should be! Congrats to them and good wishes for a successful future.

[bfd]

SAT even allows calculators these days. As mentioned earlier, it's more about how and when the various fomulae are used/derived than how well they've been memorized.

As for understanding the underlying concepts, NCLB has made that a practical impossibility for many students and teachers over the last decade. The drive to "proficiency" has driven most conceptual learning right out the classroom door. Kids who understand the concepts have likely put them together on their own.

Georgia is one of the better states in that respect, at least there's still some understanding that in math conceptual understanding is just as important as the procedural variety. You have some world-class math ed brains at UGA.

[Grace62]

graylocks wrote:
[quote=Grace62]
If your son's school is never requiring the kids to learn formulas, they are doing a disservice.

Welcome to Georgia Public mis-Education...

thanks for the other info/comments.

Your complaints could have come from parents all over the country, Georgia isn't alone.

Ombligo, your comment is kind of scary! How can you be certified to teach Calculus when you've never taken it!?! What state is THAT?

When I hear these things it makes me appreciate my kids' (public) schools very much. Not perfect, but doing a great job on many levels.