Statistics Class

[Ava]

I am in a rut with my classes.
I am now 41 and have been going to classes since 2007.
First a GED, then an Associates, a Bachelors, and now I'm studying for an MBA.
Honestly; I am tired and bored of going to night school and I want my life back.

If everything goes well I'll graduate in December 2014 and that will be it for me.
I plan to sit for the CPA exam, but I can study at home on my own time for that. I don't want more classes after a day of work, and I don't want more group projects. I'm tired.

This week I don't have classes; we are finally on spring break. So, I'm relaxing a bit and thinking about it.

The main issue I have right now is my Statistics class. I am doing so bad that I'm afraid I may fail it.
We had our first test; I studied during the weekend, and took one day off work to study more. I got 58 over 100. That's after three days of study. The teacher is tough, he's Eastern European with a heavy accent that makes difficult to understand him sometimes. He goes over the stuff really fast.
Last Wednesday we had the second test; I'll be surprised if I get more than a 10 over 100.
I panicked and couldn't do it. My mind went blank. I hadn't studied much for it.
I was under a lot of stress and time constraints because I started working a new job within the same company two days before, and I also had mid terms for my other classes.
Now I don't know what to do.
Fortunately this class is offered during summer, so worst case scenario I'll retake it.
It's a pre-req. for other classes I need to take.
There's already another summer class I need to take and my mother is coming to visit. I don't want to spend the whole summer in classes.
Plus, if I withdraw I have to give money back to Fin Aid. because I would become a part-time student.
Sometimes I think I should have kept my old job that I could do with my eyes closed; with a manager that I had already trained to my ways. It was easier to study with that job and that manager. The 50 minutes commute was killing me, though.
What to do?

[bean29]

Ava have you thought about looking for a tutor. I was looking for a math tutor for my HS student and several teachers listed Stats as a course they tutor. I am close to UW-Milwaukee and Marquette University though.

[Ava]

Yes, bean. I thought about it. My school offers free tutoring, but it's during the day when I'm working. 
This is not the first time I've struggled with a class, but being a working, "non-traditional" student, I've always have to sort things on my own.
I don't want to withdraw. It would be really bad to get a D or an F, and it would bring my GPA way down. I also don't want to go to classes all summer.
The only worry about the GPA is that I need a 3.00 to remain in the program. Other than that, I don't really care since I've been working for a while. In my experience, after the first job employers don't ask about the GPA.

[Jake 48]

Hang in there, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Prayers for success and  -hug-just because

[Deleted]

Talk to the school about a withdrawal waiver (no grade). Some schools allow one per year. You have circumstance of new job that they may consider. Get a tutor to explain it to you so when you re-take in the summer you will understand it better.

Stop making excuses to not finish or work harder. You are too close to give it up. Make your plan for success.

[Ava]

Mar 15, 2014 19:37:51 GMT -5 @lillylake said:

Talk to the school about a withdrawal waiver (no grade). Some schools allow one per year. You have circumstance of new job that they may consider. Get a tutor to explain it to you so when you re-take in the summer you will understand it better.

Stop making excuses to not finish or work harder. You are too close to give it up. Make your plan for success.

Thanks for responding.
I know I am making some excuses but I also feel I have real problems; like a new job that is much more demanding.
I am also tired of long days and night classes. I've been doing this for many years.
No, I'm not giving up. I will finish this in December. Even if I have to take summer Statistics.
Should I talk to the professor before applying for a waiver? He will know better than anyone else if I have a chance of getting a C in his class.
I am a little afraid of him, by  the way. 

[Ava]

Mar 15, 2014 19:34:28 GMT -5 Jake 48 said:

Hang in there, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Prayers for success and  -hug-just because

Thanks, Jake

[ken a.k.a OMK]

Talk to the professor, you have nothing to lose. If he's any good he will be more interested in you learning the subject then in how long it takes you. I think you have many valid issues to discuss with him. Don't be afraid.

[busymom]

Ava, I mentioned this on another thread, but back when I was in college, I had a tough course that the professor really wasn't putting any effort into teaching. (His time was totally into writing a book.)  I believe the majority of the class flunked the midterm, & instead of considering that it was his lack of teaching that was causing trouble, he b#tched out the entire class. I dropped his class (and lost the money I'd paid for it), & took it again the next semester with a different prof. I still had to work hard at it, but scored an "A". Sometimes whoever is teaching a class, even with the same textbook, makes all the difference. Go ahead & drop it, if the prof won't help, or tries to put the problem on you. Just because someone is smart, doesn't mean they can teach.   Good luck!

[taz157]

Mar 15, 2014 20:39:14 GMT -5 ken a.k.a OMK said:

Talk to the professor, you have nothing to lose. If he's any good he will be more interested in you learning the subject then in how long it takes you. I think you have many valid issues to discuss with him. Don't be afraid.

Good luck! You can do it! Several posters and I are rooting for you!

[taz157]

Like busy said, sometimes a different professor helps too. 

[Deleted]

It is natural to feel the burn out. My daughter was feeling the same way after so many years of school. But so close you just have to soldier through to get to the end! It will never hurt to talk to the professor. He might have some good ideas for you. But if you can't resolve it you some times have options with withdrawals. Go to the Graduate Student services office to find out what choices you have.

[Ava]

Mar 15, 2014 21:42:16 GMT -5 busymom said:

Ava, I mentioned this on another thread, but back when I was in college, I had a tough course that the professor really wasn't putting any effort into teaching. (His time was totally into writing a book.)  I believe the majority of the class flunked the midterm, & instead of considering that it was his lack of teaching that was causing trouble, he b#tched out the entire class. I dropped his class (and lost the money I'd paid for it), & took it again the next semester with a different prof. I still had to work hard at it, but scored an "A". Sometimes whoever is teaching a class, even with the same textbook, makes all the difference. Go ahead & drop it, if the prof won't help, or tries to put the problem on you. Just because someone is smart, doesn't mean they can teach.   Good luck!

I wish; the same professor is teaching the summer class. He basically has a monopoly on Statistics in this school.
Still, by summer I wish I have this new job more under control, and therefore I will be better able to concentrate on the class. Besides that, I would be taking Statistics as my only class (it's a five week course). Paying again for the class would be a bummer, but with just one more semester to go, I have to finish.
I think I'll talk to him next class, and explain my situation.
If he thinks I should withdraw and retake during summer I'll do just that.
I hope I still have a chance, though.
I'll know in a couple of weeks when I see him again.
I'll have to prepare for this; for some reason I find the man intimidating.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Do you know anyone in the class?  Can you work with them?  Have you asked the professor for help?

As someone who has taken the stats class during the summer, doing it in 5 weeks is way tougher because you really don't have time to take a breath and you have to stay on top of things all the time.  I took it as a refresher class and still had to scramble, fortunately I was waiting for OSHA to ok our lab to be able to work so was twiddling my thumbs during the day.  

There are also a lot of online resources you can look for to help you out too.

[Ava]

I talk to people in the class. Some are struggling, others are doing OK.
It's an individual effort. We are only evaluated on our test results.
I don't see any of my classmates taking hours of their week to tutor me just because.
That doesn't happen. We are all adults, have jobs, families, other classes, etc.
I will talk to the professor the next class.

I know a 5 week class is very intensive, but at least I won't have other classes at the same time. My mother will be here, and even though I would rather spend time with her than go to class, she can be a great help to me by having the house clean and food on the table.
Let's see what the professor has to say. I could e-mail him but I think it's better to have a face-to-face with him.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I'm not suggesting that other students tutor you, but work with other students.  I used to start my homework in my Data Mining class with another student after class (both of us had full time jobs on the side, and part time class schedules).  By doing this, it really helped and usually took less than an hour after class.

As I said, there are a lot of sites online that go through statistical principles.  I went looking for them when I left class a little confused.  Normally, explaining something lightly different makes a world of difference.

[zibazinski]

TALK to the prof, seriously! DD had all As in stats then bombed a test but got a 100 in chem 2 test that same day. She freaked and wanted to withdraw from stats. I told her to go talk to prof. It wasnt like she had been failing all a long. But a one off. Sure enough, he said he'd either drop it if she continued her grades the way they were or if she got another low one, he'd give her another exam. When I say she'd did poorly, she got a 20 so that's pretty bad.    Profs want you to do well, it looks well or them, too. If people fail their class it does reflect on them. DFs son in law was fired from his college teaching job after two semesters because too many people dropped or did poorly. They all weren't stupid, he's just a jerk.

[alabamagal]

Just went through a similar thing with DS. His problem was Accounting 3.  He has a 3.7 gpa, but this class was tough for him and he didn't like the professor at all. He dropped it and went to 12 hours, so didn't affect financial aid. Also he is changing from accounting to finance, so didn't need the class.

Most everyone has some topic that is tough for them. You just have to figure out the best way to get through it. Talk to the prof.  Can you drop the class and try some independent study. Go through free online classes to get the topic down, and then take the class.

[TheOtherMe]

I found Stat a difficult course both as an undergrad and in grad school.  I was able to muddle through it as an undergrad but lived in the professor's office in grad school getting help from him.  Our course book was the book he was writing.  

Please speak to the professor for advice and do not give up.  You are too close to being done with this.  You have accomplished so much in your life.  

[Ava]

Mar 16, 2014 11:43:48 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I found Stat a difficult course both as an undergrad and in grad school.  I was able to muddle through it as an undergrad but lived in the professor's office in grad school getting help from him.  Our course book was the book he was writing.  

Please speak to the professor for advice and do not give up.  You are too close to being done with this.  You have accomplished so much in your life.  

Thanks to you and all other posters responding!
I won't give up. I have to graduate

We have classes again on March 26. I'll talk to the professor in person then.
He'll either advise me to drop the class, or to try to make it to the end. If he tells me to drop, then I'll see him during summer.
I hope he gives me some hope to go on.

This particular professor has sort of a monopoly in Statistics in the school. He's been there forever, he's tenured, etc. He has a bad reputation for people dropping his class or getting bad grades. Everybody says :"If you are an A student, expect a C in his class."
I'll talk to him on the 26th and take it from there.

[Ava]

Mar 16, 2014 12:59:21 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

Have you checked out you tube or other sites for videos on how to do statistics?  You might be able to find better instructors online, for free, for specific concepts.

I once had a calculus teacher who was Russian and had taught in Rio De Janeiro for the previous decade.  His accent was interesting. -faint-He also liked to lecture facing the wall.

Sounds similar to my professor

I'm  going to check YouTube.
I had a Chemistry class at the C.C. that was beating me. I bought a Princeton Review Chemistry book and passed with a C.

I'll check YouTube right now.
I still need to talk to the professor; I'm not even sure I still have a fighting chance.

[Deleted]

have you looked beyond the free tutoring offered by the school?  I'm sure there are plenty of places that offer tutoring, you're just going to have to pay for it.  I wouldn't drop the class if it's going to mean retaking it with the same teacher plus losing some financial aid. 

[Ava]

Mar 16, 2014 13:18:19 GMT -5 @singlemominmd said:

have you looked beyond the free tutoring offered by the school?  I'm sure there are plenty of places that offer tutoring, you're just going to have to pay for it.  I wouldn't drop the class if it's going to mean retaking it with the same teacher plus losing some financial aid. 

No, I haven't looked beyond the school.
I have some time constraints because I work M-F 8:30 to 5:00 and attend classes three nights a week.
Maybe I'll google it and see if there are any Statisitc classes nearby?
My problem is twofold; on one side I have burnout, new job, stress, time constraints.
On the other side; I really find Statistics very challenging.

[Ava]

The average tutor charges $50 an hour.
I have zero desire to pay that sort of amount to someone for classes.
I'll try the You Tube tutors first.
There's quite a few in YouTube. Khan Academy seems to be pretty good.

[Jaguar]

I just found whole one hour + classes on Statistics on YouTube.

www.youtube.com/results?search_query=statistics%20class&sm=1

[Deleted]

Mar 16, 2014 13:49:45 GMT -5 Ava said:

The average tutor charges $50 an hour.
I have zero desire to pay that sort of amount to someone for classes.
I'll try the You Tube tutors first.
There's quite a few in YouTube. Khan Academy seems to be pretty good.

and how much is it going to cost if you fail the class or have to drop and have to retake it?  seems like a few hours with a tutor would be well worth it.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I was going to say the same thing as SMinM--$50-$150 to pass the class now is far more efficient than taking it again. 
Also, your classmates might appreciate $25 per hour for their help. One of them might really need the money. 

I was also going to suggest KA. 

Good luck! Perseverance is essential in this situation. 

[Ava]

Yes, I understand $50 an hour may be less than reimbursing Fin. Aid. and retaking the class on my own dime. But we are not talking about three or four hours here; I would really need a lot of time to catch up. 
The professor goes FAST and is geared to finish all the chapters by the end of the semester.

About paying a fellow student; I'm not confident they understand the subject well enough to teach it. We are all, to different degrees, struggling with this.

This is what I've decided to do;

1- Talk to the professor on my next class
2- If he thinks I still have a chance, start studying for the next test right away. Study from book, YouTube, etc.
3- Reassess after the third test and before the final. Have another conversation with the professor.

Does this plan sound good?

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

This is why I suggest o you o WORK with another student.  Two heads are better than one and many times each of you use the other person to inure things out.  You do not exchange money.

If you think he is going fast now, can you imagine how fast he is going to go in 5 weeks?

One final suggestion.....do your homework problems IMMEDIATELY after class.  I used to spend Sunday on stats, but that was too long after class.  If I started working immediately after class (same premise of working with another student afterwards), it tends to solidify the principles in your brain.

My stats classes (I've got about 21 graduate hours in it) always ran until 6-9.  I either got home or worked on it until midnight, and I was at work by 7 the next morning.

[Ava]

Mar 16, 2014 15:06:22 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

This is why I suggest o you o WORK with another student.  Two heads are better than one and many times each of you use the other person to inure things out.  You do not exchange money.

If you think he is going fast now, can you imagine how fast he is going to go in 5 weeks?

One final suggestion.....do your homework problems IMMEDIATELY after class.  I used to spend Sunday on stats, but that was too long after class.  If I started working immediately after class (same premise of working with another student afterwards), it tends to solidify the principles in your brain.

My stats classes (I've got about 21 graduate hours in it) always ran until 6-9.  I either got home or worked on it until midnight, and I was at work by 7 the next morning.

You are right that I should work on it right away. I try to catch up during the weekend and it's not working.
I don't see any benefits, and really not much chance, of working with another classmate.
May have worked if started from the beginning. Like I said; people have their own lives and don't want to meet. It's difficult to meet with teammates in classes where you have group projects. Nobody wants to meet for a class where you are only graded through individual tests.
Taking the class in a 5 week format is frightening; but like I said; I'll have support from my mom therefore focusing only on the class & I won't be learning a new job like I am now.
I want to pass this time instead of retaking the class; but I have to check with the professor if there's still a chance for me.