What is taking a College Statistics Class like? What should I know?

Knowing a little Calculus never hurt, but not necessary. However, you should have a good grasp on Algebra.

Main thing is probably probability as well as Range, Median, Mode, Mean, etc.

Good grasps on these and you should be fine.

Calculus? Algebra? Completely unnecessary unless you’re taking econometrics. Usually that’s not where people start.

The math for statistics is trivially easy. If you know how to add and divide, you are fine. But mostly people use software for that, since you have to do it a gazillion times.

If this is a beginning class, that’s all you need. Basic math skills. If it is a more advanced class, then you need to have taken a beginning class.

You’ll learn everything you need to know in the class. Nothing you need to know.

The class will introduce you to basic statistical concepts such as calculating averages. It will then build on these to get you to more complex concepts like standard deviation and t-tests.

The important thing to do, I think, is to build yourself a spreadsheet so you can see how things work on your screen. I found that by doing that, I understood the math in reality, not theory. It meant more then. You can do something as simple as as ten by five cell array of numbers. That’s all you need to see what is happening.

I don’t know why statistics has such a reputation. It is really the simplest thing, operationally speaking. Yet people get so scared of it. Really, if you worry about the idea of what you are doing and why you are doing it, you’ll be fine.

I made an “A’ in algebra and jr high mathematics is super easy for me. But Statistics? OMG. It was crazy for me and I’ll admit a nightmare I never grasped. I never took calculus. I am reassured that @wundayetta says it has a reputation so I guess I’m not alone . It just felt like I was in a classroom full of genuises.

It’s not hard in comparison to any college level math courses. Don’t worry.

It is easy. The math, like wundayatta says is very basic. The hardest part was learning how to use my graphing calculator.

The “bell shaped curve” on the blackboard haunted me day and night. And when he explained it it made matters worse. At least algebra one and two were fun and challenging.

Oh. @Aster reminds me. You also have to know how to count.

@Aster Stats has a reputation, but it is undeserved. Maybe it’s too simple. Everyone thinks it’s hard, so when it turns out to be simple, they think there must be something they’re missing.

Honest. All it is is counting, adding and dividing. I don’t think there is any subtracting or multiplication, even.

Hell. You do statistics all the time without even knowing it. All these questions where we talk about the “normal” person? Well, we probably all have an idea of what normal is, and we got that idea by observing people and counting (intuitively) how many are like this or like that, and then dividing by the number of people. That’s an average. That’s how we decide what a normal person does. It’s stats. Except it happens automatically.

This kind of intuitive understanding of a situation is called estimating. It’s how we predict what will happen next.

As with all stats, our estimate of what will happen in the future can be thrown off by a lot of things. We might have counted wrong. We might be basing our guess based on the behavior of our friends, which may not resemble the behavior of the people in the next neighborhood at all. We may be looking at the wrong thing when we predict the future. Our estimate may be based on hand speed when foot speed is what we need.

But you know what? This is all common sense. You know when you’re being bullshitted. So trust your nose. If the numbers seem wrong, follow it up.

But also, realize that all you are doing with stats is confirming (or disconfirming) your hunches using real counts. Stats are intuitive, unless you get hung up in your preconceptions about it. Stats are down to earth. Real. About real people. Not at all like calculus.

Couldn’t handle stats. lol

Have energy drinks. It was the only class in college where it was so boring my eyes would roll as I tried to stay awake.

It’s trivially easy, and I’m no math wiz.

Mine were boring as hell but not that hard, as long as you show up, pay attention, and do the reading.

I had a hard time with my stats classes. Here’s how I survived: I got myself a “stats buddy.” We would get together every week to work on our assignments together.

…....Mathway…that is all.