Statistics
Varsity Tutors offers Statistics tutoring in St. Louis, Chicago and Houston. We'll help you gain a strong understanding of the material through one-on-one tutoring at your home, a library, a café or anywhere that might convenient for you. Your Statistics tutor will work with you to identify any trouble areas, encourage you to develop your strengths, and teach you how to succeed in Statistics, so that you can appreciate this fascinating subject to the fullest and do well on your Statistics exams.
What is Statistics?
Statistics is a branch of applied mathematics which is concerned with the collection, interpretation, and presentation of numerical data. Important Statistics terms include sample, population, data set, mean, standard deviation, correlation, probability, margin of error, and hypothesis testing. Your Statistics tutor through Varsity Tutors will familiarize you with these and other important Statistics concepts.
Why study Statistics?
The origins of Statistics date back to the 1600's, when there was a growing beielf that the government should collect data about the population and the economy in order to make better policy decisions. One of the major sources of such information was a data-gathering process called a census, a process you may have heard of because it's still used to collect data today. Every ten years, in fact! By studying Statistics with a Varsity Tutors's tutor, you'll gain deeper insights into the evolution and applications of this increasingly important branch of mathematics.
Today, statistical information is all around us, presented to us daily by magazines, television, and the Internet. Some of these statistics are light-hearted, such as Internet polls on the latest fashions, and really are a matter of opinion (as their name suggests). Other statistics might have more relevance to your daily life, such as data about the weather. For example, if the chances of rain are 100%, you might choose to bring your umbrella with you if you go out, or not go out at all. Still other statistics are of more serious nature, such as statistics you might read in a brochure about your future college, crime statistics you might hear on the news, or statistics regarding the environment, education, or the economy on the Internet. Your tutor will explain these and other kinds of statistics to you so that you can recognize how statistics are used in our everyday lives.
In fact, one reason students study Statistics is to develop what is called "statistical literacy", so that they're better able to interpret such information when it affects their personal and professional lives. Statistical literacy essentially means two things: that you understand how statistical data is collected and that you maintain a healthy skepticism when it's presented to you. In other words, students with statistical literacy understand that, while there are many valuable uses for Statistics (from business to government to chemistry), there are also many ways that statistical information can be misinterpreted or even manipulated. This is an important awareness to have in a wide variety of sitations, whether you're looking at statistics about a neighborhood before you buy a house, reviewing financial data before making an investment decision, or interpreting statistics collected from scientific experiments. Without a careful evaluation of the accuracy and source of this information, and without knowing how it could be misinterpreted, you might just make a costly decision that you could have been able to avoid. Which means, the tutoring you receive from your Statistics tutor will not only pay off on your tests, it can really pay off in real life.
Another common reason to study Statistics is for the wide variety of job opportunities. If you're good with numbers, and you like making sense of data, then Statistics is a career choice you might want to explore. If so, your Statistics tutor will ensure that you have the fundamentals locked down so that you're prepared for more advanced studies in Statistics in college.
Which careers require knowledge of Statistics? The statisticians of today are employed in a vast number of fields. In fact, any field which needs to make decisions based on numerical data requires the guidance of a statistician. Since statisticians are needed in so many fields, there is no set type of or job description for a statistician. There are statisticians who assist marketing research in business, organize information for the government, help engineers construct mathematical models, assist in solving crimes, determine the risks of medicines, evalute the enviornmental impact of pollutants, and many, many more. The fields which employ statisticians range from agriculture all the way to zoology. As you can see, knowledge of Statistics makes you a more valuable member of almost any professional team, whether you get a degree in Statistics or not. Your Statistics tutor from Varsity Tutors will ensure that when you enter college, you have the strongest skills and grades in Statistics possible so that all of these Statistics-related fields and majors are open to you.
However, even if you don't plan on entering one of the careers or majors listed above, knowledge of Statistics will be extremely helpful to you if you plan on entering a career where you will work with statisticians or receive statistical reports. Managers, business owners, marketers, government officials, analysts, professors, and leaders of large institutions, along with scientists of all kinds, greatly benefit if they can appreciate the benefits and weaknesses of statistical information before making decisions based on that information. Finally, courses in Statistics are required for careers that utilize specialized Statistics (such as crime Statistics, which are used by law enforcement) or that report on Statistics, such as meteorologists, journalists, and sportscasters.
Knowledge of Statistics is a highly desirable skill in the employment world, whether you're seeking an academic appointment, looking for a job in industry or finance, or planning to start a company of your own. One-on-one Statistics tutoring with an experienced Varsity Tutors's tutor can give you the skills and understanding you need to make those goals happen.
Call us today to find out more about our Statistics tutors.
Additional Information
The Mathematics of Graphs and their Games
U.S. Census Bureau (examples of statistics in action)
What Is Statistics? What Do Statisticians Do?
Is Statistics Hard? (advice for new stat students)
The Little Handbook of Statistical Practice (a statistician's guide to stats)
Careers in Statistics: Possibilities and Opportunities (an ASA PowerPoint presentation)
Copyright © 2007-2008 Varsity Tutors LLC. Varsity Tutors and the Varsity Tutors logo are service marks of Varsity Tutors LLC.