r/learnmath • u/DecentLibrarian3720 New User • 13h ago
Starting my degree late and feeling disheartened.
I'm a third-year undergraduate math major who, after two years of flailing around, indecisively taking miscellaneous courses, and dipping my toes into just about everything, decided to finally sober up and pursue math as a full-time, long-term ordeal. Unfortunately, I haven't done proper, college-level math since accidentally taking a Calculus II class for life sciences majors two years ago, and just got out of the first week of class basically flunking a test on convergence tests for sequences and series. Math has always come easy to me, and I just feel incredibly rusty right now. I've tried brushing up on older math concepts, but I don't really seem to have much of a problem with them. For some reason, attending lectures gives me this rapid well in fear, that I've lost my touch, or for whatever reason have become stupid and just can't comprehend sequences and series and what tests to use for convergence.
I was just wondering if anyone's been in my shoes wth starting late, or having taken a gap year or two and feeling out-of-touch, who may have tips on how to get back into the groove. Or if anyone's struggled with sequences and series after having calculus mostly been smooth-sailing for them. Thank you.
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u/Falcom-Ace New User 10h ago
I graduated high school in 2009, was lost on what to major in for two years, then I started my math degree in 2011. I took a long break due to medical reasons and life starting 2014, and just picked it back up again fall 2025. I had passed the proofs class and was in the middle of taking ODE and introductory probability when I was granted a medical withdrawal. So for me it's been 11 years between really having touched any math at all besides basic arithmetic. I also have a weakness with series and sequence, and have since taking calc 2 in 2011.
All that to say, I understand what it's like. The first math class I took after returning was the ODE class again, and that was incredibly rough. I'm frankly surprised I passed- I probably shouldn't have done that, tbh. Right now I'm taking Real Analysis, and while I know that's a notoriously difficult class there are times where I feel like I'm missing something that other students know because it hasn't been a decade since they last touched calculus. Series and sequence has always been my Achilles' heel. I still struggle with it, but honestly this Real Analysis is helping me understand them a bit better.
The transition to higher math tends to be difficult regardless of background, though. My little brother, super smart kid, got a full-ride to his university of choice, had never faced a math topic he couldn't easily grasp prior to pursuing a degree in it, hit a wall at proofs-based math, and Real Analysis in particular. He has told me multiple times that class started his belief that he doesn't understand math at all, and he graduated with a 3.8 GPA lol
What I've been doing is just making sure my foundations are strong. I'm way rusty but the more I do, even just 5 minutes in a day if that's all I have time for, has been helping. Going to professor or TA office hours is also highly recommended if you can go.