Returning to study mathematics after a break can be intimidating. Ed Southwood from the Mathematics Resources Centre (MASH) offers some tips to help you get back up to speed again.
There are many reasons why your maths skills may feel rusty: perhaps you're starting a degree that requires mathematics after a year out, or you're returning to study after some time working, or maybe you've chosen to change direction with your studies.
That GCSE or A-level in maths can feel like a distant memory, and, despite what your maths teacher may have said in school, most people don’t use maths in day-to-day life.
Because of this it’s easy for you to feel your maths skills are out of practice, which can cause stress and anxiety. Don’t worry! It can easily be put right. A little effort goes a long way to brushing up those maths skills.
Take time to practise
Maths rewards practice – the best way to learn (or relearn) maths is to practise. Take some time before your course to refresh your knowledge. The best way to do this is by actually doing some maths.
The good news is that revising mathematical topics like this is much quicker than learning them in the first place. That topic that took months to learn may only take hours to refresh.
A good resource to help here is Zero to Hero. This course is a collection of written notes, videos and interactive questions that take you from negative numbers to calculus. It is designed to be done in short, bite-sized chunks and can be dipped in and out of as needed.
Reading maths is hard!
Don’t judge the amount of work you're doing in mathematics by the quantity you’ve read, and don’t worry if it takes you 15 mins to get your head around one line of mathematics.
As languages go, mathematics is dense. The amount of meaning a few symbols on the page have can be huge.
When I read a new piece of mathematics I will often ‘play’ with the ideas expressed in the statement on a bit of paper to test that I've understood what is written. Reading and re-reading the same line of maths until it makes sense is normal.
Once you become familiar with the mathematical symbols you're looking at, they will help your understanding; however, until you become comfortable with them, they can feel like an unnecessary barrier. Persevere, use the symbols, and they will end up working with you rather than against you.
Know when to ask for help
Some struggle is good, too much is a waste of time.
Wrestling with a problem, building resilience and perseverance are excellent qualities that come from engaging with mathematics. However, spending hours (or days even!) stuck on something that is just a small part of what you need to know is inefficient.
As a student at the University of Bath, you can always reach out to the MASH team to ask for help with whatever mathematics you’re working on. Don’t feel embarrassed, we've all been there.
The MASH drop-in is there for you to come and ask your questions. If you're away from campus, we can answer your questions online too.
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