Korinne Smith, an undergraduate in the College of Business, shares how her remarkable academic successes started with the support of the Department of Mathematics.
She writes:
I have struggled in math class my whole life. Throughout high school, it was incredibly frustrating and discouraging to feel like I was always behind in my math skills, and I feared this experience would follow me into college.
Freshman year, I had to start at the bottom in Math 100A—but that was exactly what I needed to build my confidence as a student and get me on track to succeed in the rest of my classes.
A New Approach and Mindset
My Math 100A instructor, Sara Mueller, was amazing—she encouraged me and taught me different strategies to study and practice the material.
I applied these techniques to my other classes and ended that semester with a 4.0 GPA! I was so proud of myself for getting my first-ever A in a math class and felt a sense of academic confidence I never had.
Second semester, I finally made it to Math 101, and I had the pleasure of being in Anjana Bhandari's class. Math 101 was more challenging than Math 100A, but Anjana modeled a positive attitude and outlook on life that I really admired, which encouraged me more than she knows. She taught me that "math is like a relationship," and you have to dedicate the same amount of time and effort that you would to learning math as you would to a relationship with a friend or significant other.
Anjana also introduced me to the UNL Math Resource Center, which has grown to be my favorite academic resource on campus. I wish everyone realized how helpful and convenient it is! The MRC staff are all extremely smart and kind, and they helped me get my second math class A in Math 101!
Life-changing Support
As I take on my final required math class at UNL, I feel so fortunate that the Department of Mathematics staff care so much about my success. Every single instructor or staff member I've interacted with has been helpful and made a positive impact on my learning.
It genuinely has changed my life to be a student here. I have achieved academic accomplishments I never dreamed I would, and it all started with the Department of Mathematics.
Before I came to UNL, I believed that I just "wasn't good at math," but the UNL Math Department taught me that I just wasn't good at math yet, and I would get better with more practice, and I did. They changed my mindset about learning as a whole, and I never would have gotten straight As in all my classes if I didn't learn how to apply myself in math class first.
As a student at UNL, it isn't embarrassing to ask a question in math class or go to the MRC because everyone you interact with each step of the way is happy to help you learn. That is what made the difference for me, and that is why I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to be a student here. I get to do my homework, I get to go to class, I get to go to the MRC whenever I want. I am so grateful that I have found that in the UNL Department of Mathematics.
