Oak Park High School

"If you plan on this course being much work, then it will be fun.  However, if you hope this course will be a lot of fun, then it will be ALOT of work."  MM

  


1.  Attend spring meeting with other students who are considering signing up for next year's AP Statistics course.

     This is what you would have seen/heard IF you had come to the AP Spring Meeting:

2.  Ask yourself "Why am I taking this rigorous course?"  If you have no good answer for this question (besides "my mother is making me take AP Stats") and are merely running away from Calculus, or hoping to sit next to the pretty girl from your last year's math class 95 minutes every other day, or just because you heard about the delightful smell of great coffee and the intoxicating sound of old school Blues from last year's seniors, then please reconsider this course of action. 

3.  Recognize that AP Statistics is a rigorous, challenging course.  It is similar to climbing a mountainous peak of 14,000+ foot elevation. AP Mathematics exams are difficult!  The CollegeBoard AP Statistics examination is more difficult than an Introductory Statistics final exam at nearly any University.  This has been widely agreed upon by many teachers who instruct at both high school and University levels (including this instructor).  Furthermore, our block schedule, over-commitment to many resume building classes & extracurriculars by sleep-deprived well intentioned teens, a myriad of springtime activities, and that you got your acceptance letter into your dream University... all make it very challenging to put in the required hours of study outside of class.  The California pass rate is nearly always ≈ 56%

In class: out of class work ratio is 1:3... like at a rigorous University.

4. Understand that Statistics is a combination of math, English, research methods, and the Sciences (both traditional and social sciences).  It is defined as the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data.  Do you like to read and write?  Can you articulate in small and whole group settings?  Will you make a positive contribution to each class by being engaged in the conversation?  If not, perhaps now is not the time for you to learn Statistics.  (But you will learn it at some point in your life).  

5. Requirements:

Be positive (even when you don't feel like it). 

Squash Senioritis seeds...in Spring when you have an acceptance letter into your dream school, but our course increases in intensity). 

Do the HW everyday. 

Discuss/Compare HW with teammates B4 turning into instructor. 

Understand that the work may spill past the bell 3-5 mins for AP students.  All students should be in the room, comparing HW with teammates 3-4 mins B4 the starting bell.  

6.  If you aspire to stretch and grow; if you thirst to learn how to make wise decisions, and be critical thinkers; if you need to genuinely learn (and despise those who merely point chase): well then, this class is for you!

   

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9.  Explore my website.  Read what is there for statistics students. Especially "How to Pass the AP Exam."

     Check out the names of previous stat gurus.  Say to yourself "If those people could do it, so can I."

10. Buy a shirt like this one, and wear it on exam days!