As a BS you need to take any one of STOR435/535/BIOS650. As a BA you need to take any one of STOR155/STOR435/STOR535/BIOS650/PYSC210/EMES520.
STOR435
This course is mathematical/theoretical. Proofs may be taught in class, but proofs aren't tested. Many students say that this was the hardest course for them (after MATH521 if you are also a MATH major). Few students say that this was an easy course for them. If you want this course to be easy for you start preparing for this course 2 semesters back. Take one year of preparation before taking this course. For me, this course felt like the Leetcode of Probability/Statistics. This is an important course, it gives you the foundational knowledge for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, etc. This course is difficult whichever instructor you take it with.
The below is from Professor Shankar Bhamidi's syllabus.
Is this class hard?
Only if you make it hard. Spend 30 mins-1 hour every day going over the material taught in class and come to office hours if you have any questions. Do not wait till the day before an exam. The material in the course requires time outside of class to think and digest and then apply it by doing HW problems.How does the difficulty of the material progress?
The first few lectures tend to be easy (combinatorics/counting). However, the intensity of the course ramps up and it is very easy to be left behind!Reasons for doing poorly in the course
- Not keeping up with the course. A vague understanding of the course material will not help in solving problems. If you wait just before the exams you will do poorly.
- Not doing enough problems. The only way to learn the subject is by DOING. Learning how to bike analogy.
- Calculus: A conceptual understanding of Calculus is essential, especially for the 2nd half of the course. If you think that is your weakness, start brushing up/reviewing now!
- Conceptual understanding is important: The tests will not just be a rehash of homework problems/practice test problems. There will be new questions. Whenever you do a problem, ask yourself, what concepts did you use, and what did you learn instead of rushing off to the next question.
- Not having fun!
Public proof that STOR435 can be hard.
Content
The content is similar even with different instructors.
Textbook
Almost all books are hard to read and understand, the two good books I found are
- A First Course in Probability by Sheldon Ross
- Probability and Random Processes by Geoffrey Grimmett
Video Playlist
There are no good video playlists available. See if you like the ones below.
- Harvard's STAT110
- Khan Academy Probability Videos
As a CS Major, there is a Probability for CS Video Playlist by Stanford (which I am a big fan of).
STOR535
This is the data science version of Probability. There is a programming component to this course. The difficulty of this course depends on the instructor. This course can be easier than STOR435.
BIOS650
This is a very easy course, no need to worry.
Which is easier amongst STOR435/535/BIOS650?
BIOS650 is the easiest. But if you want a solid foundation in probability and want to learn/specialize in AI/ML I suggest taking STOR435/535.
STOR155
The difficulty of this course depends on the instructor you are taking it with. Some students have said that this was a hard course, while some have said that it was easy.
Content
- Data Analysis
- Correlation and Regression
- Sampling and Experimental Design
- Basic Probability
- Random Variables
- Expected Values
- Normal and Binomial Distributions
- Hypothesis Testing and Confidence Intervals
- Means
- Proportions
- Regression Parameters
The content is similar even with different instructors.
Textbook
Introduction to the Practice of Statistics by Moore
Video Playlist
Check the Study Strategy.