Math Trouble? Here’s Where to Get Help

If you start feeling anxious every time you see an equation, you’re not alone. Three in 10 Americans (29 percent) report having trouble with math. Women are more likely than men to report having difficulty with math. And college-age Americans, aged 18-24, are more likely than older adults to report trouble with math.

The bottom line: Plenty of people feel uncomfortable doing math. There are many resources that can help you with math anxiety, both on campus and off. Here are three you can explore right away.

Schedule time with your professors.

When I was in college, I had a very hard time with statistics. As a sociology major, statistics were an integral part of

my studies, so it was important that I had a good foundation to continue analyzing social science data. About three-quarters of the way through the course, I realized that my statistics grades were dragging down my GPA. I wish I had gone to my professor sooner.

Instead of hitting him up during his office hours, when any student could come in and interrupt, I scheduled an hour with my professor three days each week for the remainder of the semester. I saw my grades improve almost immediately. My professor taught me tips and tricks for not only solving statistics formulas, but for dealing with my anxiety with math. I suggest you take advantage of your professor’s time as much as possible. They know the material better than anyone.

Get to know the girl who always has her hand raised.

There’s a reason that girl always has the right answer: She gets it. If you feel like someone understands a concept better than you, and it’s a concept you’re interested in mastering, get to know that person. Go sit next to that girl. Start a conversation. Start a study group.

The advantage of learning from your fellow students rather than from your professor is that they speak your language. Sometimes, professors can get bogged down in their own jargon and industry “speak” you might not understand at first glance. They may also assume that you know preliminary concepts when you may not. Studying with other students makes it easier to understand concepts because you communicate in the same ways.

Find a tutor, either in person or online.

A tutor can be your greatest line of defense against math anxiety and failing test grades. This person has an objective viewpoint of your work, and has probably had great success in their experience with math.

If an in-person tutor doesn’t fit your schedule or your budget – they can get pricey – consider an online tutor with a website like SolutionInn. With a database of more than 1 million frequently-asked questions and tutors from around the world in hundreds of subjects, SolutionInn is an on-demand solution that’s also affordable for a student’s budget. Just submit your math question on the portal and you’ll be connected with a tutor who can help at a budget you can afford.