After I took the college placement exam, I was placed in Elementary Algebra. I felt really annoyed because Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra didn't even count toward my degree. That mean I'd be paying for them and be stuck in school longer. I now feel really grateful that I took them.

In my Elementary Algebra class we used the book listed to the right. It was actually a really good book. I decided that I wanted to learn Math for real this time, so I bought the solution manual, too, because I wanted to be able to practice at home.

I made sure to attend every single class and when I got home, I went through the book and did all the odd homework problems. I often did more than was assigned, even. When I was done, I checked my answers in the solution manual, and if I got them wrong, the solution manual told me why. If your book comes with a solution manual, I highly recommend you buy it!

I had the good luck to have an amazing teacher for elementary algebra. Most people don't get that lucky. My teacher often put problems on the board and then had us work them out. He would go around and look at our answers as we finished. This, I later learned, is a very big part of learning and understanding math.

In subsequent classes, I either had teachers who lectured for the entire class and didn't give us time to practice as we learned, or who failed to explain concepts well enough. The worst was when they assumed we knew things that I hadn't ever learned. If I only relied on my teachers to teach me, I would still feel like I did in high school about math. If you are struggling in math, you can and must help yourself.

Some options if you don't have a good algebra teacher:

• Videos
• Extra Books

I literally have 5 different Math Tutor DVD's at my house. In Elementary and Intermediate Algebra, I had access to good teachers and videos. Starting with pre-calculus, I found I needed help because I was missing information in the realm of trigonometry and geometry. The pre-calculus DVD was the first one I bought, and I very quickly ordered the other 4! Therefore, I recommend these videos for every level of math. When I watch them, I am able to pause, rewind, and try out the examples before the tutor, Jason Gibson, shows me how to do the problem. You can check out these dvds at MathTutorDVD.com

Most students take math through MyMathLab. At this point in time MyMathLab offers video segments to accompany the book. However, after Intermediate Algebra, the video segments very quickly become useless. They only explain a very small portion of what is being taught. So, if you are taking Elementary or Intermediate Algebra online, check out the video segments. Also, make sure to utilize the help option when you are doing your homework problems. I have found those to be pretty helpful.

(Oh, and, try not to get too angry when MyMathLab tells you you are incorrect for the 58^th time because you did not enter a fraction exactly how it wanted you to.)

• If you don't get a concept right away, don't give up! You can and will get it with a little practice and maybe some research. I generally find I just missed a simple rule or something when I continue to get a specific type of problem wrong. Don't get anxious or feel bad. Try to think of it as a challenge and then go conquer it!
• It is worth looking around online for videos, but they often don't tell you exactly what you want to know. I spent a lot of time looking through these. It is probably easier to get a book or video geared toward your exact class!

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