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The Future Senior year ? and then college

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

I am a high school junior with a learning disibility and ADD and at this time am schueheling my classes for my senior year. I have the choice of taking math or not. Which is my weekest subjest and I have not even taken even anything close to pre algerbra yet. I tryed a higher level for three weeks at the begining of this school year and got all stresed out becasue it was too hard for me and I am one to try my harderst at everything !!!!!
I will probley just be going to community college and even if I took math again. I will have to take remedial math in college. I want to major in fashion merchendising. My dad first went to the one I would go to Brookdale CC. Most other colleges are out of the question since I would never be able to do good on SAT since I have not even has that high level a math at all. Landmark is also a school I am also looking at but the money is the big thing ???? Know of any schools like Landmark but not as much money ??
I know I might be asking a big question ??????????????????????

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 03/14/2002 - 4:07 AM

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Hi I am in my first year of College too. I am going to a community college and I think that is the easiest and cheapest way to go and transfer later.
About your math question I would take the math class for your senior year in high school. Even though your not good at math it will help you in college. College math is hard and you won’t regreat taking a math class your senior year. If you take math your senior year it will help you in math at your college that you want to go to. Since you know you have trouble in math you can get a tutor and maybe your teacher can help. Math is kind of thing that you don’t skip a year of doing it. You will forget the concepts and it is really hard to catch up in college. I know from my own experiences.
Hope this helps.
Good Luck you will do fine!
Jesus Freak

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/15/2002 - 3:16 PM

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The biggest problem w/ math is that classes tend to go too fast — they “have to finish the book.” Well, if that’s too fast for a person then everything runs together and just gets more confusing.

Is there any way you can take a self-paced program? If it’s in the “special ed” category you can set your own goals. If they tell you it can’t be done tell ‘em you’re part of the IEP team and explain your goals. Just how horrible are your math skills? Do you know your times tables… can you do basic addition and subtraction? If not, it’s best to be totally honest with yourself and work on those. There are adult education materials that you can use that won’t be insulting and stupid.

The next step up would be fractions, decimals & percents — and if you’re stuck there, if all you did all year was work on those until you got ‘em, you’d be a better person for it and all of algebra would make a lot more sense when you got there.

Do you know a teacher who’d sort of “sponsor” an independent study in it? Having the initiative to do that is the kind of thing that lets college admission people and potential employers see that you are a “self-starter” with initiative.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/15/2002 - 3:17 PM

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… if you need help setting up something, you’ve got an online resource here ;)

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/15/2002 - 7:38 PM

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In my vocational school which I go to for comerical art half day which this is my first year and I will also go next year also. I get 20 credits total: Five (5) in applied math, five (5) in applied science, and ten (10) credits for comerical art. The math is realted to the comerical art field. ex printers point size 72 points= 1 inch and word problems/business,tax,income.
At my regular high school which this year junior year I go to half day. I am also taking a math classes. Don’t realy nedd the HS credit but for the experience. This week I had scheduling with my guidence counceler and she wanted me to take Algebra 1-1 since I will probly be going to to community college. Ya I told my special services case manager that and I remind her as I did my guidnece counceler I all ready tryed a harder math and Algebra 1-1 would just stretch me out. Algebra 1-1 is a class which tend not to go too fast — they but they realy do “have to finish the book.” Well, YA it would be too confusing and stressful to take that class.

A self-paced program? yes if you mean on your own, I am in the “special ed” category. My IEP is on wednesday and me and my parents will bring this topic up. My math skills are ok Iknow your times tables up to 10 can you do basic addition and subtraction? yes
What are some adult education materials that I can use that won’t be insulting and stupid. Because my mom is a teacher, now she teaches pre school but she used to teach middle school and bring home math things to keep me on top of every thing.

Yes I am on fractions, decimals & percents are something I haven’t done yat.or” an independent study in it? Having the initiative to do that is the kind of thing that lets college admission people
and potential employers see that you are a “self-starter” with initiative.

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 03/15/2002 - 10:20 PM

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You can probably find a copy of The K&W Guide to Colleges for Learning Different Students at your local library. That will give you some names and costs of other colleges.

But for my money, I’d go to the neighborhood community college for a year or two first. You might even be able to land a part-time job in your area of interest at a local department store or get some experience in retail merchandising that would look good on your resume.

If you go to a site at www.fairtest.org, you’ll find a list of colleges that do not require the SATS for admission.

Good luck.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 03/17/2002 - 12:50 AM

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I don’t know if this is how they do things everywhere, but here in CHampaign, Illinois, you would take a placement test in English and Math. We have a bunch of courses that are “pre-college” — Math 094, 095, 098 and 099. Some people don’t place well enough for Math 094 and they take something called “Transition” math — which sounds like about where you would be.

THe biggest problem in all of this is that the people who know how to teach math to folks with LDs are few & far between. Between now & next year you might want to at least be able to do the “basic fractions” problems at

http://www.aaamath.com/fra.html

and if you learn and learn well that you really do have to have a common denomeinator to add fractions you’ll be ahead of lots of college students I know.

(The “denominator” is called that because all it really does is *name* the size of the fraction — so you can’t add fractions of different sizes. You can change their names just like you can change dimes to nickels.)

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 03/17/2002 - 9:01 PM

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I would go to the neighborhood community college in Monmouth County, New Jersery where I live Brookdale Community College http://www.brookdale.cc.nj.us/bcc.htm for a year or two first. Ya that is true that I might even be able to land a part-time job in my area of interest at a local department store or get some experience in retail merchandising that would
look good on my resume. Right now I go to vocational school for comerical art half day and through that program I will be able to posibily get a job. I would major in A.A.S Marketing or Fashion Merchandising. I will have to take a placement test Accuplacer which provides information about your level of accomplishment in the writing, reading and mathematics skills that are necessary for success in college next school year and becasue of being LD and with the documation I have I will be able to have it untimed and use a caculator. They have a bunch of courses that are
“pre-college”developmental course(s).— just like was given as an example Math 094, 095, 098 and 099.
Ya even in high school I can see as I get older that the biggest problem in all of this is that the people who know how to teach math to folks with LDs are few & far between. Ya they are special ed certified but then they don’t know math that well or the opposite they are a regular math teacher who doesn’t know how to work with LD students. The “basic fractions” problems at http://www.aaamath.com/fra.html are easy that is the type of math I have been doing recently . I have worked on problems with a common denominator and to add fractions in the math class I had
last year a little and the one I am in this year a lot .

I have a copy of The K&W Guide to Colleges for Learning Different Students. I would get services from the Disability Services Office (DSO) which assists students with disabilities to access the many resources at Brookdale.
Thanks for all the advice. I will post again. I have my IEP this wednesday and all of this will be discused then but I just wanted some other people opion. Other then my parents, case manager, teachers or the school social worker, psychologist etc

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 03/19/2002 - 9:46 PM

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It’s good to hear ideas from outside.

And if you have questions about the math itself, just ask!

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 03/27/2002 - 1:07 AM

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I had my IEP last week and it was decited that with my applyed
math in my Comerical Art Vicational next year also. That it is not necercary. Because even if I did take math at my regualar high school next school year that when I went to take the Brookdale Community College Placement Test in the spring My case manager is trying to get so I will have the acomondation of using a caculator that I will still have to take remedial math. Which is not college credit. So my case manager says that there is no reason to have a stressful senior year, but a fun one indead !!!!

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