[grannynurse FNP student]

Originally Posted by SLH522

Mind if I borrow him?

I'll ask him. He teaches in Brooklyn. You live near by, I hope

Grannynurse

[Gennaver]

Originally Posted by SLH522

I'm really dreading statistics. I'm not mathmatically-minded and I just bought a book on beginning statistics to try to get a leg-up with it. We really don't have any pre-requisite for it, either.

Whoa boy.

Hi,
Luckily for you statistics is not really like math. The only similarity is that you will be using some formulas.

Best advice that I can think of is to remember that you do not need to wrap your mind around this, all that you really need to do is pay attention to knowing which formula to plug in at which time. Just remember which formula produces which product.

Oh, that and remember to use order of operations on your calculator so you get the answer you are looking for. I really type out the ()() to separate because there are times that you are going to divide a number by a number which is in itself going to be divided by a square root. Then, occasionally when you are all done with that you will have to square the whole thing.

It really isn't math, just order of operations and calculators.

However, it is indeed numbers and it seems to go quickly and some days you will walk out of class not knowing what the heck is happening. This is normal. Just keep taking notes so that you write down which formula is for which product.

Good luck,
Gen

[Momto3andNurse2B]

I hate to say it, but I'm a math geek, so I'm with Timothy...I loved statistics.

I would definitely advise that you do LOTS of practice problems...the most important and sometimes most difficult thing in statistics is determining which formula to use. Practice will help with that. Also, as someone else said, make sure you are really familiar with how to use your calculator. After the first two weeks or so, my instructor had little patience with anyone who was having trouble with that.

Most importantly, if you are having trouble get help. If you have a math lab with tutors, take advantage of it. Get to your professor during office hours and make sure you understand the concepts...that is what you pay them for!

[SLH522]

Thanks for the pointers!

And Timothy, I really enjoyed reading your stories on the ghost story thread!

Grannynurse...I guess I live too far away. Shucks.

[grannynurse FNP student]

Originally Posted by SLH522

Thanks for the pointers!

And Timothy, I really enjoyed reading your stories on the ghost story thread!

Grannynurse...I guess I live too far away. Shucks.

Sorry

Grannynurse

[Chaoticdreams33]

I am not that awesome at math either, but as others have said it really isn't like your reg. algebra based courses like calc or trig. Be glad you don't have to take them,... yet anyway.
I found it to be very easy. An easy A. Don't worry about it, just do it like you would any other course.

[SLH522]

Originally Posted by Chaoticdreams33

I am not that awesome at math either, but as others have said it really isn't like your reg. algebra based courses like calc or trig. Be glad you don't have to take them,... yet anyway.
I found it to be very easy. An easy A. Don't worry about it, just do it like you would any other course.

Thank you...I will! I think curtailing the worrying will be a real problem for me...but I'm going to make an honest effort not to.

[ftr_bb_catchr]

Originally Posted by JessicaGmz

See I have a math phobia myself. I was going to pick up stats in January (to work on BSN prereqs) while doing clinicals. I hear it is not a fun class either. I am going to "risk it". Best of luck to you too

I'm doing that this semester (fall)... and I'm taking it online so I hope it's bearable. I've taken Calculus but that was a l..o..n..g time ago. Maybe we should start a Stats support group!

[RN_Jen]

I have to agree with everyone who said statistics isn't really like math. I was awful with math, but got a B in my statistics course. It really IS just plugging in numbers and following the formulas. If you are math phobic, find out if your program will accept a course in behavioral statistics (that's what I took), which is a psyc course. Maybe, psychologically, telling yourself you're taking a psyc course and not a math course will ease some of the anxiety.