Where to take Statistic course?

[angelis1004]

Hey everyone,

I am a non-traditional student and planning to apply medical school in next year of June. It has been almost 8 years since I graduated from college. I was a biology major so I took biology, chem, biochem, genetics, calculus etc., except Statistics. It looks like a lot of medical schools now require Statistics as part of pre-requisite. Since this is the only class that I need to take, I was wondering if it is okay to take this class online. Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

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[Forever Geebs]

Yes. It is perfectly fine to take statistics online. Be sure that it's offered through your school's math department as some schools are very particular about that and will not accept statistics taught in a different department.

 

[rdyotz]

Invest in MSAR, not all schools will allow online classes for prereqs. That said, I believe most do allow, at least on a case by case basis, online stats classes, but it's matter to research each school to be sure.

 

[Magus5454]

Invest in MSAR, not all schools will allow online classes for prereqs. That said, I believe most do allow, at least on a case by case basis, online stats classes, but it's matter to research each school to be sure.

My school didn't differentiate on transcripts which were online. My stats class over the summer was online, but hw had to be turned in and tests were in person.

 

[tluedeke]

I was an engineer for over 20 years before applying to medical school, and spent a substantial amount of that time doing statistical work. As such, I've got strong opinions on how statistics is typically taught at the undergrad level (i.e. remarkably badly). Here's my $0.02:

• Make sure the course is not teaching you mathematical abstractions, derivations of expressions, and memorizing minutiae and formulae - which is what you're likely to get if you take one from the math department. You need to learn when to apply what method, why, and when you shouldn't be. It should be an applied course.

• Some courses get obsessed about what statistical software to use (SPSS or R or SAS or ...). It should be personal choice, and the one that least gets in the way of what you are learning.

• Consider introductory biostatistics. It is tuned more towards what you'll be needing as a health care professional.

• Taking it online is fine, but make sure it is done through a reputable institution. As other have suggested, I'd check with programs you plan to apply to, and make sure they accept online courses.

• I took mine online through UNMC (University of Nebraska Medical Center). It was superbly taught, the day-to-day mechanisms of the online course are solid, and the department/faculty are talented. I was so thrilled with it I actually considered biostat after my (awful) medical school application experience.

Good luck! It's actually a really fun class if taught the right way.