wharton4life

I realize that Stat 101 is business-oriented. I'm wondering, however, how similar the actual material is for each course. I know Wharton lets students who get 5's on the AP Statistics exam (receiving 1 c.u. for Statistics 111) are allowed to skip Stat 101 and go straight into Stat 102. Could anyone please tell me if it is wise to skip Stat 101? Would I be missing much, in terms of course content, thus rendering me disabled whilst taking Stat 102? Thanks.

nodnard

I'm pretty sure it's very similar, just that STAT101 uses business examples to illuminate the material (i.e. stock prices, corporate profits, etc...).

mattwonder

I think everyone who gets a 5 on AP Stat skips stat 101. You won't miss much at all, and 102 will pick up where it left off. You'll be fine.

111 is for college students. 101 and 102 are for Wharton.

theoneo

Stat 101 is also relatively easy - particularly compared to 102 - although that (like always) depends on your professor. I think I skipped one too many intro classes that would have been easy A's last semester. Starting college off with a schedule less rigorous than you're used to isn't so bad.

RZA

nevermind.

wharton4life

could I use the AP Credit for Stat 111 as one of the Science and Technology requirements, and still take Stat 101 for Wharton?

tekelberry

i'm not sure if that would work since the stat department is a wharton department. it's best to use the ap credit to get out of stat 101. you'll relearn the stuff from 101 that you need in 102.

contrary to what theoneo said, most people i know, including myself, found that the material in stat102 is easier to understand than stat101.

legendofmax

about three yawns

theoneo

Well I haven't taken Stat 102 yet but I did take AP Stat in high school and that probably helped. Also, it makes a big difference if you take 101 in the fall or spring. The exams in the spring are more theoretical and involve more thinking and less math (and some people find that easier). The fall exams are much more mathy and problem-based from what I've heard.

tportem

man up and take stat 430. it's harder, more rigorous, and MUCH better than stat 101 or 111. so many wharton classes use statistics that you will def be glad you took it later on, and it will give you a big edge over the kids who took 101 in your other classes.

although the material is harder, it was the case, at least when i took it, that it had a 50% As, 50% Bs curve rather than the standard 'wharton core' curve you'll probably see in 101. that said, it was also full of M&Ters and math majors, so the competition is a little stiffer...

legendofmax

The averages for 430 tests are pretty high, really. When I took it, there would usually be a pretty sick number of 95%+'s

wharton4life

Are the topics/material in Stat 430/431 roughly the same as Stat 101/102, or different? Also, according to the course registrar, 430/431 do not have business application like 101/102. Would this be a problem at all for a Wharton student? How much would you say 430/431 (as opposed to 101/102) has helped you at Wharton?

tportem

It's hard to gauge how taking stat 430 as opposed to something else affected me, holding other things constant, but I do know that my knowledge of stat/probability is generally more complete than my friends who took 101/111. I never have and doubt I ever will have to think about moment generating functions or stuff like that in an undergraduate finance class, but I think that having the extra background has paid off.

Don't worry about 'business application.' All that means is that they go into less depth and have more examples, which are generally 'business examples'. Stat
430 covers everything in stat 101 and then some.

As for grades on the tests, that's not really a reliable measure of difficulty, as teachers can make tests as hard or as easy as they want. I think our class averages were about 75 - 80%. Ultimately, how well you do is a relative thing.