Statistics play an important role in the real world. Whether its economics, the medical field, a government related career, or even sports, statistics will always be there. 

”I think looking at the world around us we make more sense of what’s happening and become a critical observer of news, especially statistical information that we are given,” AP Statistics teacher Catharina Beussen said. “Being able to critically analyze how valuable the information is…don’t take everything at face value.”

AP Statistics is an Advanced Placement college-level course where students get to explore a variety of different databases in the world. Students are introduced to concepts in collecting data and analyzing it further. 

Students discover probability, types of graphs, what curves mean, and correlations. “[Statistics is] the art and science of collecting, organizing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data,” Beussen said. “So done properly, statistics could help us get clear answers from the world around us.”

Lizeth Ortiz Calleja is a Class of 2025 alumna who passed the test with a 4 last May. She currently attends Yale University, although she is going this year as undeclared she plans on taking political science and economic majors. Statistics play a huge role in political science when having to interpret problems. “Interpretation feels like I’m able to not only solve a math problem, but be able to solve it in the context I solve it,” Ortiz said. “I’m able to analyze data better and understand which graphs work best.”

For some students, this decision of picking this class can be a bit scary. But students can benefit from taking this class, in many fields.

Things like exploring data, planning and conducting a study, anticipating patterns, and statistical inference all correspond back to majors like STEM, economics, or any healthcare major. “My desired major is a Masters of Science in Nursing,” Nadine Garcia-Martinez said. “It is my understanding that statistics is everywhere and that some of the skills I have learned in the class so far will benefit me in the future…when working in a Medical setting or while conducting medical research.”

This class is pretty fast-paced, but the classwork and homework aren’t too complicated. When they are, students can attend tutorials. “Almost everyday we learn a new lesson in the unit,” senior Kayden Posecion said. “This class is not difficult in learning the topics but hard because missing a question can really impact your grade…learning the topics shouldn’t be hard, you just need to ask questions when needed.”

The class isn’t like any other normal math class. In this class you don’t need advanced math like pre-calc. “This math class is different from other math classes because it’s not so much of formulas and algebra,” Posecion said. “But more of using logic and thinking more than other math classes.”

Beussen strongly supports teamwork and believes that it is beneficial. ”I think it’s a life skill, when you grow up and end up in a company or a business you end up having a job. No one does their work on an island they collaborate with as well,” Beussen said. “Learning that skill in high school is beneficial…when you go into college you form study groups…You won’t be able to work yourself through those 4-5 years without working with each other.” 

Working in teams can be awkward for people who have a hard time communicating, but in this class it is necessary. ”Working in groups helps me socialize and being able to understand the subject more by asking those in my groups or having it explained by others if I don’t understand something,” Richard Yeh-Nah said. “It helps me build a bigger understanding of stats and having a bond with those in class.”

Beussen’s grading system is different from other teachers. For AP Stats,an 85% or higher is  an A, 84-75% a B, 74-65% a C, 64-55%a D, and less than a 54% an F.

According to Beussen’s syllabus, you’re expected to spend approximately 2 hours of study time outside of class for every one hour in class. “That is a recommendation set by colleges,” she said. “Since AP Statistics is a college level course I follow the same as the college’s outline.”

The second semester runs differently than the first semester. Besussen says that during Saturday mornings in spring she meets with the class to work on old AP exams to prepare students and maybe restore some of the older skills learned.  

While giving up roughly eight Saturdays might seem excessive, Beussen has proven that these methods work. “The last couple of years has been around 77% [the pass rate on the AP test],” she said. “We had a very high success rate last year. We had a higher passing rate than the state and globally.” 

Ortiz had no regrets about giving up those Saturdays. “Being able to practice taking the exam multiple times with a time limit really helped me with managing my time for each question more efficiently,” she said.

Belinda Lopez is also a Class of 2025 alumna, and like Ortiz she passed the test with a 4 last May. She currently attends UC San Diego, pursuing a major in political science. “The best thing about AP stats is that you can apply it to many different things,” she said. 

If you decide to take this class your chances of getting into college gradually increase due to the positive impact you gain from your academic profile. ”Introductory statistics is a mandatory general ed class,” Beussen said. “Having completed this course during high school shows colleges that you are not afraid to put in the time and effort to pass a college level course. This is greatly appreciated by colleges.”

AP Stats, like any class, can have its ups and it can have its downs. It all depends on the student and their dedication to really trying to understand the subject. “I do consider this class to be difficult, but it is an enjoyable and valuable subject to learn,” Garcia said.