• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Life / Academics / It’s Not You Calculus, It’s Me

It’s Not You Calculus, It’s Me

October 27, 2015 //  by Crystal Nguyen

Shares11FacebookTweet

Fresh out of high school, I thought I had avoided the dreaded “Calculus II” class. I was on track to take it senior year, but decided against it–you know, because calculus is the worst thing to ever happen to the world. Although I was undecided on my major, I figured I would just lean toward biology. At least it would allow my parents to find some measure of comfort in the irresolute prospect of me having a stable income.

Much to my dismay, the prerequisites for the major forced me to face the worst of my fears. I could only ignore the existence of integrals for so long before they came back to haunt me in college.

Mumbling words of regret for not taking AP Calculus, I anxiously scrolled through an abundance of ratemyprofessor.com reviews at my local community college. With my luck, all the forgiving or red-hot chili pepper worthy calculus professors had a jam-packed wait list by the time my enrollment date came around.

The class I was cornered into taking was only twice a week, which I tried convincing myself wasn’t so bad. That is, if I disregarded the fact that each session was a grueling four hours of listening to painful lectures and tapping away listlessly at a graphing calculator.

Let’s just say my performance in that class wasn’t exactly the best representation of my academic potential. Within one semester, I experienced all the trials and tribulations of a stereotypical struggling college student, down to the coffee–extra shot–running through my veins. I found myself skipping classes to cram for a few extra hours before beginning my calculus professor’s dreaded 14-page test packets. Despite the last ditch effort, I was immediately stumped on the first test question.

To be frank, I was miserable. As a full-time student, “Calculus II” was a second job (on top of the real one I already had) because of the studying time required outside of class. I turned down my friends’ offers to go out at night, broke out with acne under stress and even broke out in tears while driving home from school one night after being quite positive that I bombed a test. Because I always set high standards for myself, I began setting the bar low in that class so that I wouldn’t be as disappointed.

I couldn’t pinpoint what I was doing wrong, so I made up excuses. I whined about everything that gave my professor his 2.5 overall grade on ratemyprofessor.com, including his quick-paced and unorganized lectures and his significant grade deductions for having phones on the desk or coming in one second late. Not to mention his tendency to murmur “um” every two words. I mean, take an English class, man.

It wasn’t until I wistfully watched a few of my fellow classmates indiscreetly rejoice upon receiving their test scores that my feelings of resentment towards my professor were shifted to myself. I asked myself why I was trying to force something that wasn’t meant to be. If I was barely able to stand a “Calculus II” community college course, there was no way I would enjoy med school. I decided it was time to cease being a victim and do some soul-searching.

I dropped “Calculus II” with a “W” on my transcript, but recognized that not every failure counts as a loss. That following semester, I switched to an English major and joined my college’s newspaper. I worked my way up to the position of managing editor by staying receptive to learning new ways of improving my writing. With some encouragement from my journalism professor, I submitted my newfound portfolio to the county press club for a scholarship opportunity. Why not? I had nothing to lose but my nonexistent ego (big shout out to “Calculus II”).

Don’t get me wrong; I was shocked and humbled upon receiving the $2,500 grand prize. My bank account surely thanked me. But this wasn’t nearly as rewarding as the rush of covering breaking news stories or receiving appreciative emails from the various voices I brought recognition to in my profile features.

Looking back at that “Calculus II” class I never completed, I can now forgive myself for breaking my back over those never-ending integrals in my textbook, which might I add costed a hefty $300. I can also forgive my calculus professor for a crime he never committed, though I still firmly contest that four-hour math lectures should be illegal. In the end, I believe that if I choose to pursue what I enjoy, I may never have to work a day in my life. At least, I think that’s how the saying goes.

Shares11FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Academics Long Reads

About Crystal Nguyen

Crystal is a junior at UCLA studying English. She hopes to someday live at a studio apartment in the city with a corgi and a fridge always stocked with ice cream.

You May Also Like

CM’s Top 10 Best Pharmacy Schools in the Nation

10 Insanely Hard Classes to Avoid at Penn State

It’s Okay If Your Grades Fall Behind During a Pandemic

student typing on laptop

The Key to Surviving an Online Math Class in 2020

guy online

The Transition to Online Classes: A New Struggle or a Desirable Change? 

College Magazine’s Guide to the Engineering Major

smiling graduate

Redefining Success as a Freshman in College

Top 10 Hermione Granger Approved Colleges for Bookworms

20 Notable UConn Alumni Who Changed the World

10 Most-Loved Professors at the University of Florida

red stoplight

Reflections of a Nervous Post-Graduate

https://unsplash.com/photos/Z-ceDRi9fVU

Is There Such a Thing as Being Too Ambitious in College?

10 Invaluable Skills You Get from Learning and Working Virtually

Virtual Learning

Class Etiquette 101: The Unspoken Rules of Zoom

future teacher

CM’s Ultimate Guide to the English Education Major

How to Study for a Test When Your Roommates are Pregaming

online acting classes

The Show Must Go On: 10 Tips for Success in Online Acting Classes

aesthetic books

15 School Supplies English Majors Literature-lly Need This Fall 

tips for online classes

10 Tips for Acing Your Remote Classes This Semester

girl in graduation cap and gown standing with her back to the camera

Go Grad! 10 Ways to Beat the Graduate School Scaries

From Computer Science to Journalism: Why I Switched Majors

someone studying

To Take or Not To Take Morning Classes: That is the Question

Undergraduate Research 101

high school english teacher

“To be, or not to be”—How to Become an English Teacher

Previous Post: « Chronically Ill and Cast Away: Living My Life Around Crohn’s Disease
Next Post: Relationship Ghouls: 15 Halloween Costumes for Couples »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

Chill Colleges
2978

CM’s Top 10 Most Chill Colleges in the Country

climate change protest
309

Top 10 Colleges Where You Can Make A Difference in the Climate Crisis

food buffet
304

Top 10 Colleges with the Most Delicious On and Off Campus Food Options

69

The 10 Best Organizations You Should Donate To in 2021

34

College Magazine’s Top 10 Schools for Aspiring Linguists

Featured Chapter: UCLA

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.