<p>Preenrollment is just around the corner and I need to know which statistics course to take. All of my other premed friends are taking PAM 210 because their advisors told them it is easier than MATH 171. However, does anyone (norcalguy?) know if PAM 210 will be calculated into the BCPM GPA?</p>
<p>Any more info between the two would be great.</p>
<p>I'm sure it's fine and I'm sure, being a stats class, it will be factored into your BPCM GPA. However, I still think you should take Math 171 because:</p>
<p>a) It's easy. Attending every single lecture gives you an autonomic half grade bump in your final grade. So if you scored A- in all your HW/tests but attended every class, you get an A on your transcript.</p>
<p>b) While PAM or ILR stats will probably satisfy the stats requirements (and maybe even math requirements) for most med schools, why take the risk that some school you apply to in 2 years won't accept it? With statistics in the math department, you are guaranteed to have it be accepted by med schools for both math and stats credit.</p>
<p>c) One of my best friends took Math 171 with me. She can barely add two digit numbers together (she almost cried when we did mass spec in orgo and she had to add molecular masses without a calculator). She ended up with an A+ (and an easy A+ by her own admission) in the class.</p>
<p>Sorry, that was supposed to be "automatic" not "autonomic" in my previous post. Damn that histology prelim!</p>
<p>So just to make sure: you're saying that I would be running the risk that some med schools will not accept a stats class outside the math major. Would you be able to give me at least one example so that I can make my decision without any doubts?</p>
<p>Also, just out of curiosity, which professor or instructor did you have?</p>
<p>Thanks norcalguy =]</p>
<p>I had Professor Hwang. There are a lot of instructors for Math 171 so I'm not sure if every professor had the 1/2 grade bump policy. </p>
<p>Med schools want a stats class that teaches you the basics of stats because that will prove to be very useful later on when you're a doctor (for example, when you're evaluating the results of clinical trials). Many specialized stats class are TOO specialized. They don't teach you every facet of stats that you need to know, only what is useful in their field (for example, ILR stats, PAM stats, econometrics, etc. would all emphasize different aspects of stats while totally neglecting other aspects). Only math stats teaches you all of the basic components of introductory stats that you will need.</p>
<p>Would you be able to provide me with at least one med school that would not accept stats outside of the math department? This would really help me decide. I understand what you're saying but I want something concrete to base my choice on since I would be taking a different path from many of the other premeds.</p>
<p>I don't know the specific stats requirements for individual schools nor will I be checking since it doesn't concern me haha However, I do know that this is a commonly asked question and the consensus is that med schools prefer statistics in the math department. If a med school doesn't think your PAM stats has enough math, they can refuse to accept it for math credit (and thus it won't be a part of your BPCM GPA) or even for stats credit or you might be asked to justify it during your interview. The median for both classes is a B+ so I'm not sure why you think one is easier than the other. I've actually heard that ILR stats is the easiest among all of the stats classes. That's the one I actually tried to sign up for (but didn't get). However, in hindsight, I'm glad I took Math 171.</p>
<p>I guess you're right. It would be very difficult to justify during an interview why I took a statistics course outside of my college.</p>
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It would be very difficult to justify during an interview why I took a statistics course outside of my college.
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<p>Try "Several of my friends said that the professor for that course is a really good teacher, and they were right."</p>
<p>What more justification would you need?</p>
<p>The justification isn't why you took a stats course outside of your college but rather why your stats course is broad enough to satisfy the med schools' stats requirements. After reading the course description for PAM 210, however, I do think it's probably okay.</p>