Statistics...how did you survive?

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Jul 15, 2005

:chuckle I am taking this course in the fall also. And am also scared. The only thing that is giving me any hope is that people tell me all the time that people that like math hate Stats and people that like english like stats and do well... I hate math have a 3.0 in it and LOVE english with a 4.0, so I hope what every one is telling me is true. I know it is going to be hard, but I hope it is better than this stinking algebra classes i was taking before!

katwoman7755 · Jul 15, 2005

Easy---- didnt have to take Sadistics.
Rj

Can't imagine there's a BSN program out there that you don't have to have stats for...yeah...didn't have to have them for ASN...but definitely for BSN. It catches up with you if you continue to pursue your education, so you might as well do it at some point.

katwoman7755 · Jul 15, 2005

Would you mind posting a link to some of these sites? Tks... :)

http://www.cvgs.k12.va.us/DIGSTATS/

http://www-psych.nmsu.edu/regression/home.html

http://linkage.rockefeller.edu/wli/glossary/stat.html#n

http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/pa765/statnote.htm

plus...like I said...if you just google whatever your doing....say correlation or whatever...lots of helpful things pop up...that's really how I found these.

kathryn

Nikki422 · Jul 16, 2005

Like most everyone else..This class was not a strong point for me! I took it online this past Spring, wow was that ever a HUGE mistake! :uhoh21: The whole teaching it to myself idea didn't go over so well! I made a B, somehow, by the skin of my teeth. I think I ended the semester with a 79%..eeek. It was a 4 credit class at my college, so the thought of my first collegiate C was terrifying!

I suggest you invest in a graphing calculator! I purchased a TI-83 plus at target at the beginning of the semester, it was expensive, about $90ish, but..If I didn't have it, I would have been totally screwed! I didn't use the resources, ie the tutoring options my school had to offer, so I reccommend those!

Good Luck!!

grannynurse FNP student · Jul 16, 2005

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. :uhoh21:

With the help of my boyfriend :rolleyes: who had a PhD in Physics

He was a life saver. :rotfl:

Grannynurse :balloons:

SLH522 · Jul 16, 2005

Mind if I borrow him? :chuckle

With the help of my boyfriend who had a PhD in Physics
He was a life saver. :rotfl:
Grannynurse :balloons:

purplemania, BSN, RN · Jul 16, 2005

I dreaded it also then learned it was more about words than numbers. You will probably be given the formulas, and will not be required to memorize them. You will need to know when and how to apply them, however. Statistics turned out to be sorta fun, like working puzzles. You might find out about a tutor in case you get bogged down. The purpose is to teach you to problem solve by first identifying the problem and knowing which direction to take. Also, when you evaluate articles you will know how to interpret the findings to determine if the conclusions should be applied to your own personal nursing practice. Good luck!

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Jul 16, 2005

I loved my statistics class.

It was a real eye opener in how the media presents studies and polls, etc.

But I'm a political junkie and insight into how the process works is right up my area of interest.

I also understand it's a bit esoteric for most. Good luck and muddle through.

~faith,

Timothy.

grannynurse FNP student · Jul 17, 2005

Mind if I borrow him? :chuckle

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

Grannynurse :balloons:

Gennaver, MSN · Jul 17, 2005

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. :uhoh21:

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 · Jul 17, 2005

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 · Jul 18, 2005

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. :stone