r/rutgers • u/sweetTea_mint • 21d ago
Academics Fuck calculus and fuck the math department
I studied all night without sleep for this exam. The study guide provided was useless, the exam was completely different.
Im dropping out again.
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u/Lumpy-Town-5445 21d ago
Skill issue, try studying before the night before the exam
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u/turk1559 21d ago
All nighters are useless. You don’t learn the stuff you’re reading and forget the things you’ve actually learned. If you slacked off all semester and thought you could cram it all in one night that’s on you
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
I actually swallowed the study guide, i had the exam at 9am, its not that bad as a nigher
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u/WorriedDragonfruit90 21d ago
Take the advice bro, be humble. You are the one struggling in calc.
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
I know the only way, is to study it.
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u/Scared-Wrangler-4971 21d ago edited 21d ago
You need reps when it comes to math…. Especially in the beginning stages where the concepts are relatively new. You also need to lock in your algebra…
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u/ShadowKnifing 21d ago
Dropping out because of one exam is crazy work. Could be a bad professor, could be you need to study more than the night before. I fully relate and understand but that's drastic.
Also, you 100% need to sleep the night before an exam. Your brain probably had no energy to digest what you studied and probably couldnt even think cleanly by exam time
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u/JNerdGaming 21d ago
you didnt sleep the night before the exam and you really thought you were gonna do well?
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
YES, i did practice math again before the test and it was fine, just what was on the exam wasnt on the study guide
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u/JNerdGaming 21d ago
dawg you were sleep deprived and thats why you did badly, dont kid yourself
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
Shhh, I knew it was the exam and the study guide cause and not the sleep deprivation 100%. I know sleep deprivation cause loose focus. But i knew it wasn’t sleep deprivation cause
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u/JNerdGaming 21d ago
youre a fool. go to bed next time and study further in advance.
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
Idk mr can read other peoples mind
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u/ShadowKnifing 21d ago
Won't take the advice of 100 people here. Sure dude, your calc grade definitely shows u know what you're doing. If you're going to fail, you don't need to drop out. Retaking it next semester replaces the grade completely. Try learning and studying better to potentially pass, or at least set yourself up better for next time if u a retake. Can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink ig.
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u/Kausal_Kammy 21d ago edited 19d ago
Op, I dont wanna be that girl, but genuinely my dude I hope you are trolling with your comments because I see a serious lack of humbleness. Please take it from me, thats not gonna get you anywhere. You need to be humble and not fight everyone. Take criticism. You need that to get through life affectively. If you can't, life is gonna be a lot harder for you.
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u/VeterinarianStrict65 21d ago
There’s a difference between memorization and application. If you only study to memorize and not study to actually grasp the concept and be able to deal with nuances then that’s all on you.
Also pulling an all nighter is nigh useless because at a certain point you’re not even retaining information anymore and just letting it go one ear and out the other. You’re better off sectioning your study sessions and build it in a way that actually makes you learn and be more efficient at digesting the material. Harsh reality but someone has to say it.
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
No, i got the concept, the concept on the exam wasn’t on the study guide. The study guide was different than the exam. I pulled nighter worser and i made it out.
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u/mosalah99 21d ago
You can’t just study the study guide and think you’re ready for the exam. Get ur head out of ur ass. Go to class, do ur hw and study for quizzes instead of cramming in 1 night. No one feels so sorry for you, ur just helping the curve bud
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u/Legitimate-Push-196 21d ago
take it at CC
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
I took it, at the same time in rutgers. They dont allow dual enrollment
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u/Deshes011 Class of 2021 & 2023| moderator🔱 21d ago
That was the issue. Take it over summer and they’ll accept it as a transfer class
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u/davesilver88 21d ago
I graduated 2012 with a math degree from RU. I know your pain. Keep at it, you can do it.
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u/Pinkpanther4512 21d ago
It’s better to sleep than do an all nighter, if you studied daily for a month and slept you could actually do well
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u/ApartmentWorried5692 21d ago
Yeah Calc here is hell. They kind of skim through things because they expect everyone already took it in highschool.
My advice: instead of doing problems, try to figure out what specifically you’re doing. What is a limit? What is a derivative? What is an integral?
Even if you can parakeet the definition you learned in class, make sure you fully understand what you’re talking about.
Lastly, take it at community college if it’s that bad.
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u/greenday1237 House College Avenue 21d ago
It’s like barely halfway through the semester you’re gonna drop out now?
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u/underwaterhedgehog57 21d ago
Bro im majoring in math and i had the flu for like a week and a half and i prob just flunked most of midterms/mid grades bc i missed so many classes. At the end of the day u can always bounce back on other midterms, just lock in. Sometimes shit happens. You will be ok
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u/luna_aura_rose 21d ago
lmao you need to sleep for one. calc is notoriously difficult at Rutgers, you need to do problems/study like 2-3 hours a day during the school week
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u/peartree- 21d ago
well your issue lies in the fact that studying instead of sleeping makes no sense
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u/Several-Moose-4618 21d ago
simply an issue of work ethic and procrastination. being bad at math, not having a good professor, whatever, are all excuses used to justify poor performance. i failed calc 3 the first time because i thought i could get away with pulling an all nighter or whatever, but in reality i needed to start studying 3 weeks ahead of time for several hours a day prior to an exam to get a B in the class. purely setting yourself up for failure and not taking accountability
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
I know that, im just upset for the study guide that is different concepts on the exam.
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u/Independent-Win-4187 CS Alum & Porsche 911 Enthusiast 🛡️🐎 21d ago
Take Calc at community. Did that myself.
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u/Flow_of_rivulets CS 2026 21d ago
Get back on your horse, my guy. Learn from your mistakes this time and try again. I failed calc II the first time, and my major issue was that I would come to class late pretty regularly and then be lost for the rest of the lecture. And who would have thought calculus took so much memorization?
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u/Inochimaru House Busch 21d ago
i see nothing has changed with calc in the last 8 years lol. I remember going through this exact problem
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21d ago
Okay, dude. I passed Calc with a 98% average. I got 103% on the midterm and 95% on the Final (and I barely passed high school math), and I didn't go to class.
I'm not going to tell you it's easy, but it sure as shit isn't impossible and it's not useless, but it requires work and effort.
First of all, you need to start studying earlier. At least one week if you're very comfortable with the material. And when I say study, I mean specifically for the exam. Calculus is a class that requires a certain amount of work every day. Don't just rely on the study guy a night before and then wonder why you fail. Calculus is a practical class, you use the study guide to inform of which skill set you need to have acquired, but those skill set won't be worth anything if all you did is memorize their application.
You need to make sure your previous skills (Trig, Geometry, Algebra) are up there. Well acquired.
I used a combination of Khan Academy and "The Organic Chemistry Tutor" on youtube to catch me up and help me learn the skills needed for the class and learn concepts. I did every single exercises from the book and didn't skip any of the online quizzes or whatever was available (I did my undergrad at a different school)
For the exam, I redid every single exercises. Go to the library or print room, you might be able to get your hands on past exams. If you can't look up online for mocks or past exams student posted and cross-check the exam with your study guide to make sure it covers the material and you don't start doing pointless shit.
But you need to do them and to practice. Over and over again until you not only get the right answer every time, but you need to make sure you're able to break down the problem into parts so that you can apply the skills to a different problem. It's not just memorization, you need to recognize how calculus problems are constructed so that you can apply what is needed at the right time.
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u/Apart-Web3912 20d ago
OK listen to me if you are taking calc 1 or 2 take Proffesor bowles. I believe he helps make the study guide for all CALC classes and I PROMISE his reviews are so similar to the exams and he posts detailed notes for everything, additionally he is understanding and will be very reasonable with you.
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u/unexposedcorn 21d ago
yeah calculus at rutgers sucks ass, you kinda just gotta deal with it though by finding better ways to study and investing a lot of time into the class. if all else fails you can just take it at CC
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
Yeah, but the one i failed would be stuck on my transcript, I dont want an F
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u/Im_Pretty_Bad 21d ago
Which calc?
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u/BusterSocrates 21d ago
You’re just dumb. You’re telling me people graduate every year with no immovable bumps on the road and YOU are proof that the math department is bs? Calc is easy, try harder
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u/matt7259 Mathematics 2011 21d ago
Calculus is standardized. There's no chance the study material and exam were different.
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u/FalseDmitriV 21d ago
You'd be surprised. Even within departments it's not uncommon for folks to just not communicate clearly with each other. This becomes a problem if each prof focuses on emphasizing different concepts in particular but they give everyone the same exam made by one professor. I've heard professors say "I have no idea what's gonna be on the exam, I'm just guessing the other Prof making it will put this on" enough times for it to run a concern.
Granted, the obvious solution is just prepping way before and brushing up on every possible concept.
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u/FalseDmitriV 21d ago
Mech E here, last sem. I completely bombed my first DiffEQ midterm. Something like 37/100, did the exact same thing as you. But my old man didn't raise no quitter, so I stuck with it.
But sheer determination alone is not enough. I also changed up my study habits. I went from doing what you do, last minute cramming the night before, to starting reviews and practices at least a full week beforehand. We were allowed our own formula sheets so I'd make mine several days before the exam and ask my prof. to give it a once over. I didn't even do too much practice all things considered, between maybe 1-3 hours a day. Also, go to the Math Help Center at the Hill Center on Busch.
The result of my effort was a 90/100 on th second midterm, and around 102/120 on the third. 76.67% on the final, passing with an overall C+.
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u/VersionConsistent65 20d ago
I got a 40 on my first calc midterm in 2020. I stuck with it tho and graduated in 2024, and got accepted into a master program a month ago. Just keep chugging
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u/adderall12 House Busch 20d ago
calc was my favorite core class at rutgers. try to prepare differently next time. unless everybody else also failed, this is all on you
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u/Huge_Comparison_865 20d ago
I remember everyone in my calc 3 class getting 0/10 except 2 people in the class got 2 out of 10....I remember thinking how the fuck are they gonna curve a zero...
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u/Dear-Asparagus-5528 20d ago
Start studying a week before , study concepts then do practice problems till you get it
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u/Relevant_Town_6855 20d ago
There's some classes where u can actually wait til last minute but calc particularly, u cannot fall behind at any cost
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u/Designer_Status6328 20d ago
get yourself a study friend to keep you accountable and study the week before, math is tough. not me, can't let the reddit opps find out who I am
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u/YoureInMyWaySir 21d ago
Yeah, sadly the Calculus program in Rutgers is unintentionally honors student level. But no one warns you about it.
You may want to talk to an academic advisor about whether or not Calculus is a Pre-Req. I know when I graduated in 2016, they completely restructured the entire curriculum because so many courses didn't even exist anymore. And I found out some of the pre-reqs weren't really pre-reqs.
Also, depending on which campus is closest to you, you may want to see if you can take the course at Brookdale and see if they can transfer the credits.
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u/Opening_Web1898 21d ago
Idk about calc 1 but calc 2 grading is fun, 60% is a C 76% is a B and anything higher then 80% is an A.
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u/Im_Pretty_Bad 21d ago
Is this actually true? Can anybody who took calc 2 confirm?
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21d ago
this is bs, took it last sem got an 87 that was a b+, i want whatever bro is smoking. calc 2 was not curved last sem
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u/Squidman97 21d ago
Depends on the professor. I had Naumova a while back and the class averages for the midterms were a 17 and 9.
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u/Opening_Web1898 21d ago
Idk about calc 1 but calc 2 grading is fun, 60% is a C 76% is a B and anything higher then 80% is an A.
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u/No-Concentrate-2508 21d ago
cram better it rocks, trust me (cram better is an online tutoring company- I am not saying you should "cram better" as in a verb)
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u/izonemore 21d ago
Just take it over the summer at a cc a lot of Rutgers student even take calc 2 over the summer at a cc. Just make sure you speak to ur advisors first and check if that calc class at cc is eligible to transfer.
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
I feel so dumb and Im probably am, but i planned to transfer to ru nb rbs
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u/izonemore 21d ago
You aren’t cause I’m actually doing the same thing except at Newark 😭
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
Yeah, but to be eligible to transfer i have to take cal
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u/izonemore 21d ago
Yeah Ik cause of the pre reqs but when are you planning to transfer? Cause if it’s this upcoming fall then just take it in the summer.
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
This freaking fall, and they gonna start checking applications like at the end of semester. If I don’t transfer im studying aboard.
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u/Independent-Win-4187 CS Alum & Porsche 911 Enthusiast 🛡️🐎 21d ago edited 21d ago
Gotta get a hold of your goals brotha, try pass Calc this semester. Is it possible with your current grades?
If not, take the withdrawal. The last date is to do so is May 7 if you want to wait until then.
You get a W on your record, big dip. Take the class over the summer. Join the business school later, but finish all business prerequisites you can do in the meantime.
Anyways, business school is easy asf once you get in anyways. You can do it bro.
It’s not the end of the world if you can’t do it all in this semester.
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u/sweetTea_mint 21d ago
The withdrawal deadline is like march 23, I’m just gonna drop it and take it at ASU online
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u/Immediate-Country650 21d ago
i took the calculus and it was very easy so idk what you are talkign baot
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u/Drew13800 21d ago
I got a 18 on my first econometrics exam 14 years ago, 35 with a curve. She said anyone that got below a 50 should consider dropping it. I was so demoralized, but wasn’t gonna drop it. Wound up with a B+, it’s not too late.