Grad school math anxiety!!

[Tale]

Hi Everybody......

I am a senior 2 months away from graduating and ideally I would like to go to graduate school for clinical psychology, developmental or counseling psychology..However I feel crippled by the fear that I will not be able to cope with the statistics required in a graduate program. My GPA is 3.9 and I am a fairly competent, hardworking student but math is not my forte and it is quite honestly a struggle. I am also planning to take an year out to sort out some personal matters, and will be even more rusty as a result. Also I do not have any hands on research experience. I have only taken algebra, the requisite stats course and research methods in my undergraduate program, (and remember very little of it, quite honestly) is this enough? Will there be some preliminary training / stats courses or do you just get chucked into the deep end. Is it possible to take undergrad stats classes while enrolled in a grad program to brush up???........I am terribly worried about this and would appreciate any advice you guys may have to offer. Thank You!!.....

[Behavioral]

You take intermediate stats in most experimental doctoral programs (i.e., regression, ANOVA, SEM, etc.), which isn't too bad.

I know a lot of schools do allow students to audit undergrad courses if the student chooses to.

[I-O Prospects]

You have to look at taking a year off as a chance to move in the opposite direction; sieze the opportunity to get better at stats/math.

I felt as if I were in the same boat as you when I was in my undergrad and masters.

www.khanacademy.com <--- a bunch of youtube videos here. Hundreds. Stats, tons of math, history, etc.

^^^^^^^ Graduate of MIT. Great at explaining things. Start for the beginning and work your way down to an appropriate level. I seriously doubt you'll need to study diff. eq. for any non-math based program. I will be using his help to study for my GRE the second go-round.

Edited October 10, 2011 by I-O Prospects

[Tale]

Hi...Thank you for replying. I am really worried about this and would like to know if you can pick up the required knowledge as you go along? I don't want to get to grad school and find myself completely out of my depth as it is a big investment....Anybody out there with experiences of a similar nature? Can it be done???....

Thank you guys...I am kind off freaking out about this whole situation. : /

[sonicmascis]

I also have some problems with math and stats, but am willing to study and work hard and get to PhD. It's basically intermediate level math, so I don't think it's really far from understandable.

[honkycat1]

its for the most part, applied statistics. the theoretical understanding can vary from program to program. Some program will be heavy on theoretical understanding, meaning probability theories, some programs will be more applied meaning, knowing how to run different analyses without understanding the nuts and bolts of those tests. I would say Clinical, developmental are not ones that you have to worry too much about quantitative sophistication...

[lewin]

"I would say Clinical, developmental are not ones that you have to worry too much about quantitative sophistication... "

Maybe, maybe not. The clinicians in our department do a lot of dyadic and longitudinal analysis using exceptionally complicated models. They are constantly developing new methodologies too.

[Ameonna]

As a Master's student in Clinical Psychology, I took Quantitative Analysis as a required course. It was a class of about 17 students, and nearly all of them were in danger of failing except for myself and one other student. We ended up doing a lot of study groups together and helping each other out. Those who understood the material well actually acted as tutors to the students who were having trouble. Even though I was one of the tutors, I learned a lot from my classmates and by helping them through their work; it really cemented my own knowledge, and as far as I know, everyone in the class managed to at least squeak by.

My point is that chances are VERY good that you will not be the only one in your graduate program who struggles with math. Get to know your classmates, and be sure to ask your professors for extra help, as well; I know the professor I had for QA was more than willing to help out as long as we showed that we were trying the assignments and struggling, not just going to her for all the answers. As long as you are willing to try your best and work hard, and accept help when you need it, you'll do fine.

As an aside, I struggled with math for most of my life. It was only recently that I realized that I had a talent for applied math (especially statistics). I'll be applying for my Ph.D. in Quantitative Psychology for the Fall. Don't EVER sell yourself short because you've struggled with math in the past.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Ameonna

[Mr. Tea]

I would say that you have to know almost no stats when you start your PhD. Your first year you will take a stats course that will get you up to speed. If you have a hard time with math/stats then this will probably be your hardest course, but that is true of many bright and motivated graduate students.

[Behavioral]

And compared to other fields, Psychology seems to attract more students who are more-than-capable researchers, but are scared of math/stats -- you'll definitely get support from your cohort and will probably be able to study and prepare for exams together.