I hope this is the right place to post this. This isn't so much a math problem but more of a request for some advice.

I've decided I want to go back to college to get a math degree. I was always good at math but never really pursued it. The problem is my math is rusty. I know that if I were to go back right now I would get a slow start and have to remember all kinds of simple stuff again. I feel like this would really hinder my progress. I want to be able to go in and hit the ground running to get the maximum benefit from the education.

I've done some google searches but haven't quite found exactly what I was hoping to find. Basically I want something like worksheets with problems you might do while in school, (with answers so I can check my work and assure myself I understand what I'm doing), that cover the various topics you would learn during a normal class. Just a simple quick overview. I know I could get some textbooks but I feel these would be overkill since I already know how to do the stuff I just really need to get back in the right frame of mind and have the tricks of the trade come back to me. Textbooks can also be quite pricey and I'm not sure if I'll have the cash to fork out for them. Kind of embarrassing to admit but I would like to start from high school level again just to get a refresher. Algebra, Geometry, Trig, and basic Calc. I'm sure once I get back into the swing of it it's all going to come back to me though. Does such a thing exist on the internet for free (or even for a reasonable price), or will I have to pay for full priced text books?

Thanks!

to brush up, you can get cheap textbooks. old editions can come pretty cheap.

also be aware that there are tons of places you can brush up on the internet. hang out on this forum for a while, for instance. try to answer problems or watch others answer problems, then try to answer similar ones.

there are also resources like youtube, which has tons of math tutorial videos. you can also check MIT OpenCourseware. so you can essentially go through entire lectures of entire classes (complete with syllabuses, lecture notes and homeworks) online before going to school to see them.

see if you can borrow textbooks from libraries or something.

if you want to get back on your feet with math, why not start out with some low level math classes and work your way up? is money an issue there too? are you eligible for financial aid?

you can also sign up on the SAT website, and have SAT math problems sent to your inbox. you attempt them, and then you are shown the solutions with explanations, and any tricks that you might need to know. so yeah, there are tons of free online resources you can use. but getting your hands on some textbooks (you might even be able to get those free) and working through them is probably the best way

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If you need to be refreshed, I'd say the best place to go would be khanacademy.com. He covers a lot of general topics for math and he isn't a snooze.

As far as worksheets go, I'd just google search study guides. There are plenty of ways to get textbooks online, but I don't think using many share resources online are legal, haha. I know for a fact there's a plethora of information on those sites where you download bitorrents. Tons of eBooks.

MIT's open courseware kind of sucks to be honest. If you're interested in doing College Algebra though with worksheets and all that, the University of Utah or whatever has open courseware that lets you review and work problems for College Algebra. There's a program if you want to run through it called xyAlgebra that'll help you review your basic algebra skills quickly and efficiently.

Trigonometry I'd say pick up the Trigonometry for Dummies book. Good review right there. Any Schaum's outline does you some good too. If you're low on cash I'd suggest scouting libraries.

I have a great website for you though since you're interested in practicing problems. You can pick what you want to do as well.

MU Math Tests Homepage

It'll generate random problems and you can select what topic you want it from and how many problems you want to be displayed. It'll also go over your answers after you're done with it and explain why you missed so and so or why you got it right as well, I'm pretty sure.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'll definitely look into each of them and see which one(s) best fit my needs!