Which statistics course?

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

My school has two stat courses - Elementary Statistics and Statistics with Applications

The Statistics with Applications course says this: "An introduction to statistics for students who have taken at least one course in calculus. Focuses on learning statistical concepts and inference through investigations. Topics include, but are not limited to, exploratory graphics, sampling methods, randomization, hypothesis tests, confidence intervals, and probability distributions. A statistical software package will be used."

Do you think it would be necessary to take or can I just take Elementary? I'm also taking Orgo and Bio in the same semester so I would prefer to have an easier stats class..

Take elementary.

Originally Posted by JohnnyRomanes

Take elementary.

Exactly. Bright yellow book with excel...good luck

yeah It should work.

Elementary, my dear Watson.

Take Applied if you want to use it to help with organizing data and publishing data (from research) AND if you could get an A in it.

Otherwise, Elementary, for the A.

The applied statistics will be more of a math class (possibly probability theory proofs, if it is like the one I teach) than an overview of statistics and what you can use them for. Take the elementary unless you want to know the theoretical stuff behind statistics.

You should know that some medical schools now require statistics as a pre-req and I know at least one school that won't accept elementary statistics.

I had to re-take an applied stats course to matriculate even though I already had taken elementary. This probably isn't true across the board, just letting you know.

Originally Posted by Morsetlis

Take Applied if you want to use it to help with organizing data and publishing data (from research) AND if you could get an A in it.

Otherwise, Elementary, for the A.

Why... your computer does all the math for you when you're doing research.

Originally Posted by Tipsy McStagger

You should know that some medical schools now require statistics as a pre-req and I know at least one school that won't accept elementary statistics.

I had to re-take an applied stats course to matriculate even though I already had taken elementary. This probably isn't true across the board, just letting you know.

No school requires a calculus based statistics course... yet.

Originally Posted by serenade

No school requires a calculus based statistics course... yet.

Or probably ever. Most of the premeds struggle enough with plain calculus and plain statistics. Calculus based statistics would be a bloodbath and frankly unnecessary. Not to mention that many schools don't offer calculus-based statistics except at a very sophisticated level.

Stats is cool. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Originally Posted by Narmerguy

Or probably ever. Most of the premeds struggle enough with plain calculus and plain statistics. Calculus based statistics would be a bloodbath and frankly unnecessary. Not to mention that many schools don't offer calculus-based statistics except at a very sophisticated level.

Stats is cool. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Would it just be simply a stat class where you learn to derive statistical tests? Or do you guys focus on statistical tests for systems that are parabolar or curveliner, etc?

Statistics is cool, but I feel like the class is flawed in that you quickly and easily forget how to even do the most basic statistical tests like calculating a standard deviation unless you have a calculator or excel/SPSS/Statpro on hand.

Originally Posted by serenade

No school requires a calculus based statistics course... yet.

All I'm saying is I called UT San Antonio and they specifically told me over the phone elementary statistics would not be accepted as the stats requirement...

Originally Posted by serenade

Why... your computer does all the math for you when you're doing research.

But who tells the computer what to do?

I'd have been much dumber in my representation of research data had I not taken the Stats course.

Originally Posted by Morsetlis

But who tells the computer what to do?

I'd have been much dumber in my representation of research data had I not taken the Stats course.

The undergraduates do.

But yah, stat helps understanding data.

I have taken courses probably similar to both of these and the one described, stats w/ application, is probably not necessary if you just want a basic overview. My Prob and Stats class was based in calculus and we had proofs and derivations and all kinds of stuff that I will never use. The elementary one will introduce you to the different tests, how to use them, how to get excel to do them for you (that's what is really important lol), and how to interpret them. That is all you really need. None of the extra stuff will be of much use.

Originally Posted by DAPI

I have taken courses probably similar to both of these and the one described, stats w/ application, is probably not necessary if you just want a basic overview. My Prob and Stats class was based in calculus and we had proofs and derivations and all kinds of stuff that I will never use. The elementary one will introduce you to the different tests, how to use them, how to get excel to do them for you (that's what is really important lol), and how to interpret them. That is all you really need. None of the extra stuff will be of much use.

I read this entirely in Roger The Alien's voice....

Originally Posted by serenade

I read this entirely in Roger The Alien's voice....

I'm glad. I wish everyone would read my comments that way

Originally Posted by Narmerguy

Or probably ever. Most of the premeds struggle enough with plain calculus and plain statistics. Calculus based statistics would be a bloodbath and frankly unnecessary. Not to mention that many schools don't offer calculus-based statistics except at a very sophisticated level.

Stats is cool. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Calculus based statistics, just sounds horrible...

Originally Posted by Koosalagoosagoo

Calculus based statistics, just sounds horrible...

I think it would be understandably miserable for anyone that doesn't enjoy stats/calculus. I actually happen to enjoy both, but I don't think this level of detail is useful for most people going to med school.

Originally Posted by serenade

Would it just be simply a stat class where you learn to derive statistical tests? Or do you guys focus on statistical tests for systems that are parabolar or curveliner, etc?

Statistics is cool, but I feel like the class is flawed in that you quickly and easily forget how to even do the most basic statistical tests like calculating a standard deviation unless you have a calculator or excel/SPSS/Statpro on hand.

Yeah, a lot of derivation of statistical tests and modelling. My experience has been that they also involve a lot of linear algebra as well. I personally think knowing how to calculate a standard deviation is less important than understanding how to use and think about standard deviations (what does it mean that the standard deviation is so large in this study, how can I adjust my experiment to lower the standard deviation, how can I use standard deviations to compare two different samples, etc). This is the information that strikes me as relevant to a career full of lots of rapidly changing science.

Originally Posted by Narmerguy

I think it would be understandably miserable for anyone that doesn't enjoy stats/calculus. I actually happen to enjoy both, but I don't think this level of detail is useful for most people going to med school.


Yeah, a lot of derivation of statistical tests and modelling. My experience has been that they also involve a lot of linear algebra as well. I personally think knowing how to calculate a standard deviation is less important than understanding how to use and think about standard deviations (what does it mean that the standard deviation is so large in this study, how can I adjust my experiment to lower the standard deviation, how can I use standard deviations to compare two different samples, etc). This is the information that strikes me as relevant to a career full of lots of rapidly changing science.

Good luck finding the bolded in a math based stats class. Probably best to take a biology or psycology or some similar sciency class that has a ton of stats integrated into it.

Originally Posted by DAPI

Good luck finding the bolded in a math based stats class. Probably best to take a biology or psycology or some similar sciency class that has a ton of stats integrated into it.

Well that's why I don't particularly think it's useful for most people to take the math-based versions because typically we don't intuitively see the connections between the calculations of a Standard Deviation and how they can use that to inform how they design their experiments (and of course the Stats professors probably don't bother making those connections). I don't know, Standard Deviation is one of those foundations of basic statistics. I wish people understood how to interpret it better and use it in their daily lives. Perhaps that's unrealistic.

I would just take a course with a lot of stats in it already, like Psychology.