Math is Not a Porcupine: Life Lessons from Calculus by Betty

Math is Not a Porcupine: Life Lessons from Calculus by Betty - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Math has run in my family for generations: my grandfather was a geometry teacher, my father is an engineer, and my mom is an expert at mental math when she’s out shopping. Unfortunately, this did not make me a mathematical prodigy; I have to learn just like everybody else. Throughout my high school years, intimidating instructors would get frustrated when I failed to understand a problem right away; my confidence in algebra plummeted. I approached the class the way one would approach a porcupine: cautiously, slowly, and carrying a big stick. When I had to take calculus in college, I put it off until my last semester of undergrad. Luckily, my professor encouraged his students to pursue math and learn how to use it in everyday life; he taught me that no one, not even a math teacher, understands everything right away.
My professor emphasized that people aren’t born experts in their fields, no matter how confident they seem in their jobs. A few weeks into the course, I stopped by during my professor’s office hours to ask questions about some homework problems. After he explained calculus rules to me, I expressed my frustration. “I need to do so many problems before I actually understand how to do this. Math has always been extremely tough for me.” Instead of brushing off my concerns and telling me to go study some more, he explained that he was not a math genius either. “I didn’t know this stuff when I was born. I had to go to school and learn all of this, just like you. That’s why when I do example problems in class, I don’t do them in advance---I do them with students so that they can see that I have to think about the problems and work them out.” This advice seems obvious, but sometimes in life, the simplest things are the hardest to figure out. My attitude towards math (and other difficult subjects) changed into a positive one and even motivated me to enjoy calculus a little bit. I walked out of office hours with the mentality that I can do anything that I set my mind to.
In my college calculus class, I did not only learn how to solve derivatives and integrals; I also learned the importance of not being too hard on myself. With the end of the semester slowly creeping around the corner, I was struggling to maintain my grade in the course. I was at a high C, and I wanted to get a B in the class overall. I felt slightly ashamed when I had to ask my professor for help. I had taken calculus in high school; why was I having problems in a subject that I had taken before? I thought that taking the class a second time around would be easy. My teacher then explained that math is hard, and if it were easy, we would all be mathematicians. Those words helped me realize that it was okay to ask for help and okay to be confused. My professor taught me that there was nothing wrong with not understanding difficult concepts.
The lesson that I learned from my calculus teacher has helped me overcome obstacles in numerous aspects of my life and will help me be successful in the future. I will soon begin my journey of becoming a pharmacist. People have told me that pharmacy school is extremely difficult, but that I will get through it. I’m excited to overcome new challenges because I have more satisfaction when I achieve something with hard work. I now feel empowered to learn new things and gain knowledge about an unfamiliar world.
My college math professor taught me that I shouldn’t get discouraged from learning due to a few setbacks; getting an education is difficult and I need to push through the challenges. At the end of the day, his simple lesson has given me the encouragement I need to be successful in higher education. I don’t yet have the knowledge to write a good book or be a good pharmacist, but with a little bit of determination and a lot of hard work, I can turn my dreams into a reality.