Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Break Up

You know how it is. You start out feeling optimistic but as time goes by, things get more complicated. You tell yourself it'll work out—If you just try hard enough, you can get through it.

But, tragically, you realize that you're just lying to yourself.

So you break up.

Yeah, that's how it happens. Me and math? We just broke up. It wasn't an easy decision, but in the end I'm all the happier for it. I tried to work through my issues—more like problems; more like MATH problems—but it was too much, too fast, and too difficult.

I thought I'd have regrets. But you know what? I really don't. All of the stress, and all of the time I spent desperately trying to understand the lectures, the book, the notes, was completely distracting me from my other classes. You know, the ones I actually have a chance of succeeding in.

So yesterday I filed the paperwork. Math and I are officially divorced.

Good riddance, Math. I NEVER loved you!

I still have to take Business Math for my degree, but right now my plan is to take it either online or at a community college next semester. I'm cutting it close, what with next semester hopefully being my last. But the math department here at Texas A&M is just too difficult for me.

Let me put it to you this way.

We have a student counseling center here, which as a student is free to visit (Okay, it's not exactly free. We're paying for it in our tuition costs...). When you go, you check off a box next to the reason for your visit.

One of these options is "Math Anxiety."

That's right, there are so many students here ripping out their hair over math that the counseling center has made "Math Anxiety" its own category of problem.

I don't know about you, but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that if there are enough people who come in with anxiety, stress, frustration, depression over math, maybe—just maybe—A&Ms math department needs to take it down a notch.

At any rate, as soon as I handed in the paperwork to withdraw from math, it was like this huge, oppressive weight lifted off of my shoulders. Instantly my dread of going to classes, studying, doing homework dissipated. For the first time since this semester started, I'm actually looking forward to the rest of the semester instead of begging God to skip me ahead to December.

It's a good feeling.

That is all.

8 comments:

Matt Bukaty said...

Yay'z!

-dialyri

Sarah said...

I wholeheartedly agree!

Kigen said...

If you never needed it, don't take it. It's just a headache. I'm having one right now with French and I wish I had taken Spanish for the easy A. My decision looks dumb in hindsight but I wanted to learn something.

Sarah said...

Unfortunately, I DO need it. For some reason, Texas A&M requires a minimum of two math courses for an English major. Business math is pretty much the second "easiest"—the other being Logic, which I already took.

Good luck with French! I took French in high school, but it was a total joke. I went with Spanish for college, but it wasn't much easier for me. Haha. I'm not good at learning a foreign language. When I first transferred here, I started taking Greek for my foreign language. It was pretty awesome, but very difficult, so I switched to Spanish and took it online.

Samantha said...

This post is very cute and funny! I was also math stressed as an undergrad and I did just that- took a math class at community college over the summer. So much less stress and I had more one-on-one time with the teacher (since it was a smaller class). Good luck on your next math class!

Sarah said...

Thank you! I’m hoping it goes much better than this one did. SO glad to be out of that class.

We had a guest speaker in my Shakespeare class today that made me think of you! He was lecturing on our memorial library and archives. Apparently we have lots of rare books and manuscripts. It made me think of a museum and all of the really awesome artifacts they have. Definitely going to have to go check that out!

:-)

June said...

Good for you! I am glad that stressful weight is off your shoulders. Hey...wondering...can you take Nursing statistics or any other kind of statistics in the place of Math? That is what I was allowed to do. I actually made an A in the class, and trust me when I say...I don't get Math. At all! Just a thought. It is easier to grasp. Maybe an option? I was at UT and in Psychology with a minor in English...but...never hurts to ask. It is doable.
Regardless, I have confidence that it will work out for you. You made a tough decision, but you made it and I'm sure it will be for your best! Now..go on and enjoy the rest of your classes!

Sarah said...

Thank you, June! I am SO glad, too! It’s amazing how much better I feel about the rest of the semester now that I don’t have that to worry about.

I’m not sure about a class like that, I might look into that! I was allowed to take a philosophy course, Logic, as a math credit.

And thank you! I’m hopeful whatever I have to do will work out, too!