Consumer Math vs. Advanced Math Courses by Cecilia

Consumer Math vs. Advanced Math Courses by Cecilia - September 2023 Scholarship Essay

Each Sunday afternoon, I swallow the sobs that are trying to break through from the bottom of my throat. The question plays repeatedly in my mind as I am riding to my math tutor’s house: Why am I required to take these advanced honors math courses when I am not going to use them in my entire lifetime?

Consumer math is very important to use in a lifetime as it can teach practical skills, such as balancing a checkbook, managing a budget, and saving for retirement. However, there are certain advanced math courses, such as Algebra and Geometry that are simply not practical for everyday life.

Currently, my school requires all students to take Algebra Honors, Geometry Honors, Algebra II Honors, and Pre-Calculus Honors. After speaking with several people about how much they use these advanced math courses as part of their jobs, I have come to the conclusion that most of these courses are not used at all. I have interviewed my mother, uncle, and grandfather who are all Certified Public Accountants, and they have all said they do not use these advanced math classes as part of their careers in accounting.
I believe that focusing on consumer mathematics with fundamentals like learning how to create a budget, manage credit cards, balance a checkbook, and understand mortgages would be a much more useful course to take and would apply to everyday life.

In my situation, I plan to major in performing arts in college and become a dance choreographer and instructor for my own dance company one day. I understand the need for basic consumer math to assist me with preparing and maintaining a budget and other record-keeping functions; however, in the line of work I am interested in, I would not need to utilize the advanced math requirements, such as Algebra and Geometry.

Some people may say that you will automatically pick up those fundamentals such as balancing a checkbook based upon real life experiences. They say that a separate class is not needed for those fundamentals since they are basic, and most people just learn them as a part of encountering the challenges of record-keeping. However, I believe that these fundamental consumer math functions should be taught as a course. It would make the student more proficient in the basics once they are faced with the real-life challenges of preparing a budget or paying their mortgage.

In summary, allowing schools to offer consumer math as a replacement option to advanced math courses would be a prudent decision by my school. It would allow students like me to become more knowledgeable about the practical record-keeping items that we will be faced with on a day-to-day basis.