Going to college for many is the first step to adult life and the first taste of complete freedom. Okay, maybe not independence at its fullest, as we are still dependent on our parents, at least for money if nothing else, but it’s still something that can be overwhelming for someone not prepared for all the things that college brings. We all heard that college is the place to have fun, and while that is true, it is firstly a place with so many options, and that is exactly why many students find it challenging to combine both having fun and going to classes and learning.
No matter where at what college someone chooses nor what their major is, there will always be some classes that are pretty interesting, but vice versa, there will be some classes that many find difficult and tedious. When that happens, one can find it tough to have patience and concentration to keep up, meaning that they will fall behind, which can only cause further problems. In order to avoid that, there are several things to do, especially for those classes that the majority of students find very confusing and complicated, and yes, we are talking about statistics. Namely, 41% of students are dropping classes, and in the majority of cases, that class is statistics. And to avoid that, there are some things that one can do to make it all easier. The first thing is to understand that statistics is not a branch of mathematics, and even though these two are linked, along with logic, it is a science of collecting and analyzing numerical data in large quantities. With this out of the way, we can now dedicate more time to how to make learning statistics easier for college students, so let’s take a look at some tricks and tips.
1. Attend classes and be ready
Let’s start from the basics, as you need to be prepared for every class you take, no matter how difficult or not you find they are. First, bring books, paper for taking notes, taking quizzes and tests, and that’s just the beginning. In order to learn statistics, one needs to follow the class, to understand every step, every detail the teacher is talking about, as even one small, tiniest miscalculation or mistake can later be even more complicated to fix. That is why so many students find statistics as one of the hardest classes, along with mathematics, but that is an even more reason to be prepared, follow the class, do your homework, and not skip any lesson.
2. Learn phrases and terms
It can be substantial to be well equipped with all the terminology used in this class, as you will more likely understand better all the things mentioned during class. That would not only make studying much more effective, but it would also make you learn the basic concepts on which statistics stand, and once you do that, everything else will be much get in place as you will only upgrade that knowledge. One can learn most often used phrases and terms even on their own to enhance their knowledge even further, and who knows, once you get it, you may actually fall in love with the statistics.
3. Practice makes it perfect
We all heard this phrase many times before, and even though one may think it is just a saying, it’s actually much more than that. Truth be told, practice really makes it perfect, and applying statistics in your everyday life can do wonders for your final grade. Practice is definitely the best way to learn anything, and the more challenging you find something to understand, the more practice you need. Of course, when in college, it may seem like there simply isn’t enough time for everything, but once you get around and start planning your time, there will surely be some of it rest for practice, and we are not talking about doing the homework or writing some essay.
4. Look for some software to make it easier
Luckily for us, we live in a digital world where most of the things we do are based online, and since that’s the case, technology, along with the Internet, is where we can find many solutions for our problems.
Yes, the Internet is not only for fun, and specifically for this issue, finding statistical software to make learning easier could be of great help. Although our parents or grandparents didn’t have this option, they are right about at least one thing – some things are way easier for us than they were for them. But, that aside, good software where one can perform statistic functions, try things out, and, once again, practice will make everything about statistics much easier.
5. Form or join study groups
It is yet another way to make something difficult more manageable. By forming a studying group, or joining one, you can not only see how others look at some problem, as you can also learn much more by sharing ideas and thoughts. Working in groups is beneficial for many reasons and so many things, and what better way to solve something you find unsolvable than by exchanging ideas and solving some problem with your classmates. What many studies have shown is that people working and studying together have much better results. That is why everyone should at least consider joining one.
Summing up
More than 70% of students have anxiety over math or statistics, and if you find it hard to comprehend and keep up with the class, there is no shame in that as there are some things you can do. Although these are just five tips everyone can use, they are the most important ones, and following them can make studying statistics in college much less stressful. But, if you need even more advice on how to manage all the statistics-related things, there are some great and trustworthy websites like “Boffinstatisticshelp” that can be of great help, and where you can let experts deal with your statistical problems.
