Statistics Prereq Class - Advice Needed!

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Aug 16, 2010

I was a psych major in undergrad and I took Psychological Statistics as part of my coursework requirements. Thankfully most all the nursing schools I am applying to have said that it fulfills the stats requirement, so I am happy about that (esp. since I got a good grade too). One school I was considering requires stats within the last 7 years and I opted to eliminate that school from my list of applications, it was not worth taking it over for one school when all the others don't place a time restriction on this one (understandably have time limits on natural sciences, but I am not worried about those as I took them within the past year).

Even though both classes you mentioned are substantially the same in the concepts they teach, the psych one is taught as applied to that field. UNLESS you are sure that you will be considering a career in psych nursing, in your shoes I would opt to take the Math 119 because then you don't have to worry about whether or not the schools will accept it, as that one would be.

As for taking stats online, this was not an option when I was an undergrad (ahem, dating myself ). But if you have a good history of taking classes online and/or you are pretty good with math, I would definitely take it online. I have taken other classes online (nutrition, algebra) and find there is less pressure in studying for the tests, since I can take them during a particular window of days as opposed to a specific day/time. That's just me though. You're already taking 2 challenging science classes in person. I would gather stats online would relieve your load a tad.

Good luck to you!

Sand_Dollar, BSN · Aug 17, 2010

I took Stats online through ccconline last semester (along with 5 other classes). I took the math stats, so I can't say anything about the psych one. I would recommend taking the math because there is less room for debate when it comes to a pre-requisite being 'acceptable'.

I really liked taking the class online. We took an initial algebra test and the teacher said if we didn't get about a 50%, then we needed to refresh our math skills. Luckily I had the same prof for algebra the semester previously and aced his test. This initial test wasn't part of our final marks, but rather was used for extra credit. For every unit we got to choose a question to post to the group (we had to 'substantially' respond to two others for full marks) and we got another question for 5 points extra credit. Each test you got two tries on. I would take the first one early, work out all the problems and then do the second attempt about a week later. I ended the class with a 97 and really enjoyed it. I could have gotten higher but I didn't bother responding to the other posts for full marks.

I hope that gives you a little bit on insight into an online stats class. Good luck which ever way you choose to go!!

~SD

Tleelove · Aug 17, 2010

I took it the math one online. I did not do well, only class I ever received a C in I believe. But I am terrible at math. At the time my kids were really little and I was trying to cram as many prereqs in as I could. If you do well in math then it shouldn't be a problem. I guess it depends on the course as well. I definitely was not able to try 2 times as the poster above me. I would have loved that and probably done so much better. Tests were done at a testing center and most of the grade was based on the tests (a small part were online quizzes).

I ended up not needing the class anyways since I opted to stay at the CC instead of transferring :rolleyes: Tortured myself for nothing.

FLDoula · Aug 17, 2010

I took stats online at my school over the summer semester. It was a 12 week course instead of 16. It was a 'hybrid' class that is now being taught in my school. I had 2 hours of in class lecture once a week and the rest was online on mymathlab. It got a 94 in the class. I'm not great at math...but found stats to be a math I actually enjoyed. :up: Good luck!

SDBella82 · Aug 18, 2010

Thanks everyone! Your posts really helped clarify the difference between the two classes. I'll definitely take the Math Stats class (instead of the Psych Stats). :) Since I wasn't sure if there was a difference between the two classes, it hadn't even occurred to me that the Psych Stats class might not transfer. I'm so glad that I asked for advice before registering!

As for taking Stats online... I use to be really good at Math (took pre-calc in college); however, I haven't taken a Math class since then, which was 10 years ago!! I've also never taken a class online. It's these two reasons that I'm a little apprehensive about taking Stats online... I'm starting to think that maybe I should take Nutrition or Psycholoy online first to get use to taking classes online, and then attempt online Stats. What do you think? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Aug 19, 2010

As for taking Stats online... I use to be really good at Math (took pre-calc in college); however, I haven't taken a Math class since then, which was 10 years ago!! I've also never taken a class online. It's these two reasons that I'm a little apprehensive about taking Stats online... I'm starting to think that maybe I should take Nutrition or Psycholoy online first to get use to taking classes online, and then attempt online Stats. What do you think? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Since you have never taken a class online, I would recommend taking the most basic of courses as your first one when you do. Nutrition and psych are both fine options. My online nutrition class was not only pretty straightforward, it was also fun. If you are comfortable navigating around a message board like allnurses.com, you are ready to navigate an online class. All you really need to decide is whether you have the diligence to check in to your class online at least every other day to keep up with postings and assignments and deadlines. You seem like a bright cookie, I don't get the impression you would have a problem :smokin:

My first online class was College Algebra with Trigonometry about 4 years ago, and that was a bold move for me. But I was confident because I am strong in math, always was and I did well despite not having taken any other math in about 15 years before that. In your case, perhaps taking stats face2face would be best. However, if you're curious about taking it online perhaps you could talk to the prof that teaches the online class and he or she can give you a preview on the computer of what it could be like for you. Then you can make up your mind as to whether you will be able to handle it.