Originally Posted by Rexanglorum
The only "F" got was in precalc in college and the only "D" I got was in stats. I am smart enough to cruise through all of my humanities and social science courses and get mostly "B's" and "A's." Unfortunately, I am not a genius in the sense that I cannot pass a math class without a lot of effort.
So, to the OP, if you have been in the habit of getting by and getting good grades based on smarts and doing only what is assigned and graded, you will have to make a quick adjustment in order to not fail math. It was humbling how poorly I did in those math classes and even when I repeated those courses, I worked hard and did not get A's. I also had the same results in Calculus and in my Economic Stats classes to follow (although advanced stats did prove to be some what interesting, especially as far as math classes go).
When you are used to cruising through HS and most college classes, it can get ugly quickly if you do not start to truly study. Also, what I also found in my two bad experiences with college math is that there is no catching up in college (usually at least). In high school, I could ease my way into the class and needed no sense of urgency. With 10 or 15 week terms, ruthless professors and few opportunities for major extra credit, you have to be focused and on top things right out of the gate.