Taran Stadanlick, 26, a nursing major, from Levittown, said, math stresses her out.

“If you get less than a 90 percent you have to be in a math final. If you score less than a 90 percent there you fail and have to repeat nursing. Talk about pressure. It is overwhelming and I sometimes draw blanks because of my nerves” Stadanlick said.

Does your head start spinning and heart start pounding as you look at the numbers in front of you in math class? Do you break out into a sweat and your mind goes blank? If so, you probably are suffering from math anxiety.

This can cripple a student’s dreams of graduating with the degree they had always thought they would attain. There are many students out there who just don’t “get it” when it comes to math. For some students the subject of math comes easily and they find it enjoyable while others agonize over the simple word algebra.

There is a book Defeating Math Anxiety that details the reason people suffer anxiety when faced with mathematics.

It stems back from our early learning experiences in the classroom with teachers, sometimes not teaching us properly, and also with students not studying properly. Study habits for math are critical because if you don’t master the beginning steps you will not be able to conquer the steps further along.

That doesn’t seem to be the problem with English, History, and other subjects.

Melissa Fleishman, journalism major from Philadelphia said, “I can deal with it, but nothing more than algebra, no calculus. That is like a different language.”

Math is a universal language. That is what makes it so crucial for those of us that fear it to conquer it.

Dr Klein of the Physics Dept. said “The fear of math is fractophobia. It is the fear of fractions from not being taught right in third grade.”

Bill Kerins, 21, from Southampton, chose journalism as his major because “I didn’t like math so I looked for the subject with the least math required.”

Students often change their college major to avoid math. Imagine that. Students are changing career paths because of the fear of numbers.

That fear controls their future. It holds them back. Self-esteem goes out the door. The tutoring center is there to help. Take advantage of it, it’s free. Don’t let the numbers deter you from your dream.

Then you have the occasional student that isn’t afraid of numbers.

“I love math. Although, when I had calculus and didn’t know it, the teacher gave me anxiety because of her teaching style” said Chris Daccardi, 39, chemistry major, from Langhorne. In his case it isn’t math itself, but the way it was being taught.

Mathematics Professor Klicka shows a video describing all the stress that students feel. The video also clears up the misconception that males are naturally better at math than females.

She said that students often show physical signs of stress and that the body handles frustration differently. The most important thing to do is “acknowledge it and work with it,” Klicka said.

Over the course of her 38 years of teaching she has developed different techniques to help the students in different ways. “One helpful strategy is to start with what you know” Klicka said. For a student to be successful they have to lower their anxiety.

She makes herself very available to her students that need extra assistance and takes her class to the tutoring center on the first day so that they can see what is available to them and to let them know that it is ok to need extra help.

She wants her students to succeed and do their best. She keeps books in her office specifically about overcoming math anxiety for her students that may need it.

“But, they have to come to me for the help” Klicka said. Students often are afraid to ask for help.