I've posted this question in the past but the majority of responses I got were from people who love math and compared this particular subject to calculus. This wasn't much help to me, as I'm great with basic algebra, but intimidated by/not great at math beyond that point.
For those of us who aren't particularly fans of math, how was your experience with statistics?
When I read things like "well it was easier than calculus," it terrifies me because by no means would I ever attempt to take calculus.
I'm not expecting my class to be easy, and I'm willing to seek some tutoring to try to get as high of a grade as possible, but I would just like to know what the experience was for people like myself who aren't great with advanced math.
While I'm one of those folks that enjoy math I hope my advice is still helpful for you. First of all, I consider statistics to be a basic and critical foundation for working in modern medicine, just like Chemistry or Anatomy, so I would advise you to take the class very seriously and to think about how it might apply to nursing. Things like normal distributions and standard deviations are very helpful concepts to have. Second, there are LOTS of great resources out there to help with learning basic statistics. One of the best, and one I used just before taking my required stats class, is the open course offered through Carnegie Mellon. Here's the link: https://oli.cmu.edu/learn-with-oli/see-our-free-open-courses/ I found this course to be far superior to the class I actually had through my school in termsof how clearly things are explained. I highly recommend it. Another GREAT resource is Khan Academy. You just have to find the particular topic you need explanation on. Mr Khan gives extremely clear explanations of how the math works. Best of luck to you!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful post. I will definitely utilize the sources you included. I was actually surprised when I heard a few months ago that statistics is so crucial to the medical field, but it makes sense. I will definitely take it seriously. Thanks again :)
Thank you for being completely honest! I'm starting with basic algebra as well and to know that you got an A with the same background is oh so encouraging!!!!
Statistics can be hard if you don't put time and effort into it. I went home everyday and practiced the given problems a couple times (takes like 1-1.5 hours) and that was enough for me to get an A. Take good notes and memorize the various formulas.
Before the tests I would go over ALL of the practice problems of the chapters that the test would be over and it helped immensely.
The problems can look EXTREMELY confusing sometimes, but it's a 99.9% chance that it's something very simple. Going to the teacher is nice as they give you shortcuts.
I've posted this question in the past but the majority of responses I got were from people who love math and compared this particular subject to calculus. This wasn't much help to me, as I'm great with basic algebra, but intimidated by/not great at math beyond that point.
For those of us who aren't particularly fans of math, how was your experience with statistics?
When I read things like "well it was easier than calculus," it terrifies me because by no means would I ever attempt to take calculus.
I'm not expecting my class to be easy, and I'm willing to seek some tutoring to try to get as high of a grade as possible, but I would just like to know what the experience was for people like myself who aren't great with advanced math.
Thanks in advance!
Thank you so much for starting this post! I am graduating high school in 2 weeks and then I'm taking stats at a community college over the summer. I'm attending a 4 year university next year but I'm so horrible at math that I just wanted to get it over with this summer!! I'm an extremely hard worker but math just never seems to click :)
Thank you so much for starting this post! I am graduating high school in 2 weeks and then I'm taking stats at a community college over the summer. I'm attending a 4 year university next year but I'm so horrible at math that I just wanted to get it over with this summer!! I'm an extremely hard worker but math just never seems to click :)
I'm glad this was helpful for you, too! Good luck! :)
My reply might come a little bit too late but i have one interesting suggestion for you. I Am taking stats now and i am using an interesting tool provided by pearson called statcrunch... It makes my life much much easier and i actually enjoy taking this class. There are some youtube videos on how to use statcruch and you can also ask your instructor about how to use it. Furthermore, i rented a TI 83 calculator ( it' s about 150$ to buy it) but it' s amazing.Good luck!!
Make sure you are taking a "live" class with a good instructor. There is a ton of evidence that online classes are NOT recommended for anyone who does not have a good background in higher-level math. The real key to success is an instructor who makes the class come alive - using real-life examples to make it relevant for students.
I had my instructor from last semester tell me this. I am not all that great at math. I had to take some remedial classes. I had a great instructor last semester who has really gotten me into algebra. I did very well in his class and am taking algebra II right now and have over a 100% in the class. I have been contemplating whether or not to take college algebra online this summer. I am going away a bit and my school has an attendance policy. I spoke with my old professor this morning and he told me not to do it online. He said some classes are ok online but not math. He said for the way I learn, I need to person to person instruction. He said talk to the dept chair about my trip this summer, (he is my current algebra instructor) and I should be fine to take it in person. I am going to take his advice and take it in person if they will let me.
I have not yet started college so I haven't taken statistics yet, however I agree that for math classes you need a good teacher. When I took geometry and algebra2 in high school I barely past with C's and D's but when I took pre calculus which consisted of all the things I didn't understand from both classes plus trig, I made an A one semester and a high B because I had a teacher who actually explained and showed different ways to do things instead of just doing things by the book. He also made it fun, well a fun as math can get.
Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
I attempted stats but then I dropped it. My local community college only offered it online, even the tutoring with the teacher was online. It was really difficult for me so I decided to try again later with a face-to-face class.
mmcc01
79 Posts
Thank you so much for your thoughtful post. I will definitely utilize the sources you included. I was actually surprised when I heard a few months ago that statistics is so crucial to the medical field, but it makes sense. I will definitely take it seriously. Thanks again :)