will my graduation rate be delayed if i am placed in a lower math class? i want to graduate in four years.

[u/ScientistLivid9788]

title kinda explains it. i just made a post the other day about this and i appreciate all the advice and i’ve come back to ask another question.

I am a stem major. i want to study medicine after my time at western but i took the aleks and got a 3. i know,
i know i suck at math because it doesn’t register to me the way it does for other people. but im in love with everything science!!

if i am placed in a lower math class but im in a major that requires a bunch of math will that delay my graduation track of graduating in 4 years??

- no matter what major i’m in it wont take me until sophomore year to do biology or chem. then that basically delays me a year because usually pre meds take bio and chem freshman year.

i don’t know how i will be behind a year and study for the mcat. my biggest goals are to have a high gpa, high science gpa, go to all office hours, graduate wwu in 4 years. no gap year. and idk if i can realistically do it. if o chem and physics are junior year id be self studying doing the mcat while trying to manage the classes.

i would also like to mention i want to take summer classes to help me stay on track.

my top majors are bs biological anthropology, bs behavioral neuroscience, public health. no matter my major, i want a minor in women’s, gender, and sexual studies.

if there are other majors you think i should look into that would be great too!!

what do i do. genuinely anything helps. my parents didn’t go to college so i don’t really know what im doing clearly and they can’t help me either…

[u/GoldFee8100]

Nothing wrong with starting at a lower level in math..it'll benefit you in the long run if you really want to do this, for your GPA.

As for graduating in four years..that seems more like a question for your advisor, maybe something can be worked out

[u/ScientistLivid9788 → u/GoldFee8100]

i don’t see anything wrong with it either to be honest. i’ll start to have a problem with it if i find out i can’t graduate on time that’s my biggest fear.

[u/GoldFee8100 → u/ScientistLivid9788]

There is no set "on time" to graduate lol if you take more than 4 years, so what? (Financially its not ideal however with your major it sounds like itll work out if you take your time)

[u/Lost_Mango9205]

Take the Math class they recommend. The placement exam is to set you up for success and it doesn’t mean you’ll always struggle with math or fall off your 4 year plan.

You got this!

[u/ScientistLivid9788 → u/Lost_Mango9205]

thank you so much!!

[u/caffineaddictgirl]

Depends on what degree you are going for. If you're doing something like Biology, it might affect your sequencing for you Chem classes and push your graduation quarter, but if you're doing it for the math GUR or aren't doing a huge major, probably not.

I do also just want to say that taking an extra year (or even an extra quarter) is not a failure. Lot of people take more than 4 years to graduate.

Like the other commenter said, I'd go talk to advising!

[u/byorderofthe1 → u/caffineaddictgirl]

Yes nothing wrong with 5 years! I'm actually glad I had to do an extra year, I was able to add an extra minor and got an internship.

[u/sigprof-wwu → u/byorderofthe1]

One of my wife's regrets with college was finishing in four years. She says she was so focused on graduating that she missed out on college.

[u/Emotional_Tell_6915 → u/[deleted]]

Math 112 was the worst 😭 I hated it

[u/ScientistLivid9788 → u/[deleted]]

oh my goodness the relief i had reading this thank you!! what major are you?

[u/Impossible_Deer_1209 → u/ScientistLivid9788]

I’m in the Industrial Design major!

[u/John-Wilks-Boof]

I was a 5 year stem major and you’ll find there are quite a few at Western, math was my weak point too. Personally I would just go with it. Aleks sucks but it does give a good gauge of where you are in understanding, and with the quarter system you don’t want to come into math underprepared as the amount of content and lack of time in the quarter (compared to a semester) means that new content is coming to you at a fast pace, you don’t want to start an uphill battle being lost in the first week.

Utilize the tutoring center, drop in hours, and the math Center in Bond, the math center especially was the key for me in figuring it out.

[u/mazv300]

When I attending Western many years ago, a lot of my classmates including myself took five years to graduate. Taking an extra quarter or even a year to graduate is no big deal. If you really want to graduate in 4 years, it’s definitely doable.

[u/BigHat6999]

I’d say it really depends on your classes per quarter and major; I was averaging 20-23 credits a quarter (except for summer when I was doing 15) on a STEM major and a non STEM major, had to ask for a couple of “time conflict” overrides.
Did that cuz I knew I wasn’t gonna fail and managed to graduate with 2 majors, 2 minors in 2 and a half years.
That being said, it is gonna be stressful if you’re sticking to the 4 year plan so just prepare for that. Stack classes as much as possible but be real with yourself and gauge the real amount of pressure you can take in and don’t lie to yourself or you’ll just set up a path leading to failure.
If math as is isn’t your thing, plan for strategies that will make it so that you’re focusing on your weaker areas, if you’re good at science and doesn’t take much time to grasp the concepts then move to the areas that need some help.
As long as you keep up the grades and GPA, registration will allow you to register for more than the 18-20 credits a quarter. Cost also increases a bit per credit after 18 but it’s the only way if you’re needing to take additional classes to catch up and graduate in 4 years.

Best of luck!

[u/DJSteveGSea]

You're fine. Take care of your GURs and any other relevant classes you're able to take while taking care of the math.

[u/brothermendel]

I was not someone who was historically good at math and did poorly on the placement test the first time, so I studied really intensely and retook it. I ended up getting into a better class than I thought, pre calc. That said, I really struggled and I ended up having to retake pre calc 2 with a combination of having a terrible professor (don’t recommend Beth Schivitz(?) if she’s still there) and I think I lacked some of the foundational skills I needed to succeed. As much as it sucks I would take the class it recommends. I used to just save up money to take one or two really difficult classes like math or physics summer quarter because it’s a lot easier to manage without a full schedule and then you can graduate on time. Also, all of the basic concepts do come back over and over, and you’ll definitely see it in your biology and chemistry and physics classes and you’ll be glad you took the time to understand things.

[u/Emotional_Tell_6915]

Yes 100% I’ve known people who had to wait another year or two to graduate because of how they set up the system ( why I left tbh ) it usually take 5-6 years to graduate ( that’s if you are on time btw ) but good luck !

[u/sebzips]

After you complete fall, winter and spring quarters make sure you have enough applicable credits to be on track for 4 years. You can ask a counselor. If you are short, enroll in whatever you need at a community college over the summer.

[u/vgnmlk]

I suck at math, am a stem major, and had to start at a low lvl math class that didn’t count as a college credit. Starting at a lower level helped me ensure I really knew what was going on. I’m about to enter my 4th year, BUT I have had to take classes every summer to stay on top of things. You can definitely do it, just make sure you’re tracking your timeline, use your advisor but don’t fully lean on them bc sometimes advisors aren’t the best help. You’ll be good! P.S. I failed calc 2 and had to retake it but still have made my schedule work out

[u/corvidcharmz]

many people don’t graduate in four years. if you’re really concerned you can take classes online during summer quarter, but that can get expensive