Checking Out The Math Skills Center

Previously I have written about asking for help while at Carleton, and this term is no different! This time asking for help looks like going to the Math Skills Center, a resource on campus that I have yet to take advantage of.

Why take math?

This term I am taking Calculus, my first math class at Carleton. To be honest, math has not always been my favorite subject, because it does not come very easily to me (I always like to tell my friends that I love math when it makes sense… alas it feels like it doesn’t happen very often). Now, you may be asking “Hannah, if you don’t like math, why are you taking it”? Well you see, I need it for my major, as well as the physics class I am going to take in the spring (also for my major).

This class specifically I didn’t expect to be too bad because I had already taken AP AB and BC calculus in high school. That being said, it has been three years since I have really done math, besides what I have needed for my various geology courses. So naturally I had a bit of a rough time getting back into things when I haven’t thought about derivatives or even trigonometry for awhile. Now that we are nearing the end of the term, I am happy to say that things are going well, but I didn’t get there all on my own!

How is it different at Carleton?

I will say, Carleton’s terms go fast. While thats great because we pack so much in, I learn a lot, and its hard to get bored when things fly by, it does sometimes make it harder to learn things that don’t always click right away without putting in a little more work. Personally I struggle a bit to memorize concepts without a lot of repetition, so I have found the trimester system to make things such as learning languages, or in this term’s case–math, to be a bit more difficult because we move on from topics so quickly.

Not to worry, that just means sometimes I have to work a bit more to get a grasp on things on my own time, which works just fine (because that is how life works anyway). For me that looks like going to the Math Skills Center (MSC) and working with other students, tutors, and Russ–the MSC supervisor.

The other thing I have come to learn about Carleton is you don’t just learn the how, you learn the why. Turns out a lot of high school math taught me how to do problems, but here you are taught to understand why we do what we do, and how it all works.

How does the MSC work?

You just swipe your one card and walk in! The MSC is great because it was a lot of hours that it is open, which is awesome especially because sometimes you can’t make it to your professors office hours, or you need help after the regular 9-5 workday. Most days during the weekdays it is open from 8:30am – 11pm, and it is open for multiple hours on Saturday and Sunday too. You can begin with asking questions or you can just sit there and do your homework and ask for help if questions arise. It’s nice because everyone is all struggling a little bit together, and it is so great when you figure things out!

The first couple times I needed help I was a bit nervous to go in, but once I did I felt a bit silly for not going and asking sooner! In fact, it is one of my favorite places to do homework, and sometimes I stay there even after I have finished my math, and I keep working on other things. It is infinitely better to ask for help instead of trying to understand why you don’t understand for 40 minutes. Like a lot of aspects of Carleton it is a collaborative space, built to help you learn, and I am quite grateful for it!

Hannah is a junior majoring in Geology and minoring in Classics. As a Minnesotan she considers herself somewhat of an expert on MN winters. At Carleton, she fills her schedule with writing for the Admissions blog, working as a CCCE Communications Fellow, doing geology research and TAing geology classes, and increasing voter engagement on campus. When Hannah isn’t in class, she can be found tossing a frisbee with Syzygy, crocheting, reading, walking and skiing in the Arb, thrifting, and hanging out with her besties. Meet the other bloggers!