Statistics

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Specializes in ER/Emergency Behavioral Health....

So, I had to drop statistics today. Since my midterm grade was an F, I decided to withdrawal and then retake it, so now it won't hurt my GPA. I was taking this class with chemistry while working full time night shift in an ER to pay the bills.

Do any adult nursing students have any advice for this class in particular?

I'm hoping to get an acceptance letter in May, but if I don't, I'm seriously considering throwing in the towel.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

I'm wondering the same thing because I tried to take stats & had to drop it too. It's the last class I need (I don't have my RN yet but all my other pre-reqs are done). I tried taking it through a community college close by & they only offered it online!!! I would do fine with the homework (it would show me step by step how to do the work). But when it came time for a quiz, I failed it. After that one view into stats I never wanna go back! But I know I have to one day. :(

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

This is a course where the instructor will make all the difference!!! Educational research indicates that it is not recommended to take introductory Stats online unless the student has a very strong math background.

Shop around and find an instructor that is highly rated by students. A good instructor can explain concepts in a jillion different ways so that students 'get it'. They can respond to real-time questions to clarify any areas of confusion before you get completely lost.

A local CC in my area had a 'retired' petrochemical engineer who was a wizard Stats teacher... he actually made it fun and interesting by thinking up ways to apply Statistics. For instance, he had students play card games to learn about probability and permutations; arranged field trips to the DSW (major shoe store) to talk to the buyer about how they decided how many of each size to keep in stock - Bazinga! Who knew stats was so useful, right?? Sadly, he finally retired.

Don't give up. Just find a better instructor. Also, be sure to take a look at Khan Academy - free online - for help with statistics.

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go to Rate My Professors – Review Professors and Teachers, School Reviews, College Campus Ratings

Research the statistics teachers at your school and find one with a high rating.

The teacher in this class makes all the difference.

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Stats is one of those classes that to become proficient in, you need to repeatedly do all types of questions over and over again and learn how to use the Statdisk program. Stats is so difficult that many professors let you use your notes on the exams.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

First and foremost, you have to have the time to devote to the class. Make sure you do before you register so you can avoid needing to drop it later. It's all about repetition. Keep doing practice problems until you have it down. Just doing the homework once and forgetting about it will not be enough. Math is not my strong suit at all, but I made an A in Stats because I put in the work required to do so. If I can do it, so can you!

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Specializes in LAD.

It's all about the professor, how much time you can put into the course, and the textbook! I was fortunate to have an awesome professor, the time to study, and a great book (9780321871756)! Seriously, I would do homework problems that would take me 5 hours! The material is not hard if you have a competent professor cheering you along the way! It's just time consuming, so I would recommend taking the course during the summer when you don't take any other classes or take it when you have a light load!

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I fell in love with stats, partly because of my awesome professor, but also because I learned that stats tries to get as close to the truth of things. By nature, I'm always digging around for answers, so it really worked for my personality. I found that my class started a tad slow the first couple of weeks, but then jumped into some pretty heavy/deep theories. Most concepts are not something you can learn in one or two class settings (or more), and involve a TON of thinking. Often times, I'd leave class nowhere near grasping a concept, however I learned over the semester that I had to sit with the concepts for awhile. This meant I was constantly thinking about the concept/theory, even while I was going on with my day. I had several light bulb moments in this way. Also, I utilized youtube quite a bit, which helped a ton. The beauty of our class was that it was front end heavy with concepts/theories, however our professor promised us that if we put the time in early on, the concepts would soon start to stick, and the end of the semester, dare I say felt dramatically easier.

Like other's have said, you also have to practice, practice, practice. We would get some pretty difficult word problems that looked like a foreign language early on, but as we worked through the semester, the problems began to make sense. Our professor recommended that we review the problems over and over and over again! Also, don't wait until the last minute to study for a test. We'd get a study guide about 1 to 2 weeks prior, and I'd take chunks of the guide and break it down so that I was studying every night. I never waited until the night before to study, and instead reserved that time to do a once over of the studying I'd already done during the week.

Stats is a thinking, reading comprehension, memorization and math class all rolled up in one. If you can't put in the time, don't take it. Good luck!

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I LOVED my online course because I kept all my work (very neatly) in one notebook, and when it came to the quizzes I could look back and see how to work each type of problem. I could meet with my instructor if I needed too and one time a group of students met up to work hard problems. It worked for me and I got an A. I can see how this type of class format might not work for someone, but taking the quizzes this way took the anxiety away for me and I love online classes. Good luck in your nursing school journey.

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Specializes in MICU.

I'm taking a stats class right now and it's kicking my behind. I would choose calculus any day. I have an 85 in the class right which is not bad.

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I am not a math person but I loved taking stats online because I could work at my own pace. Some units were really easy for me and I flew through them and others I would spend 2-3 solid weeks trying to master. I managed to make an A, which is amazing since in the remedial 0 credit math prerequisite I had to take before stats I only earned a C. I have decided all math classes for me will be online. side note: I couldn't have done it without Khan Academy.

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And ChrisAce is so right- it takes tons of practice and repetition!

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