What are the Maths/Stats like in BESS

2tel1 · 09-02-2008 6:40pm #1

Hi there,

Just wondering how difficult the Maths and Stats are in the BESS course in Trinity. I want to study it next year as a mature student, but as I haven't done maths in about 3 years, even though I was OK at them, I've forgotten it all.

Would you recommend a little course in maths to brush up on my knowledge? Are maths dropped after second year.

Note: I would most be trying to avoid a maths/stats route (I have heard that the maths in economics are complex)

manicmonoliths · 09-02-2008 8:29pm

Well Maths and Stats is compulsory in 1st year but not in 2nd year unless you want to continue with Economics or single honours Business Studies.

In my experience, I'm in JF BESS at the moment but talking to some mature students I know, most seem to find it tough.

For me I find the Maths easy, but Stats is no walk in the park! Stats gets very complicated very fast! I myself got an A1 in Leaving Cert Maths, I found the Maths a doddle and Stats a major pain!

There is help if you need it though, there's a maths helproom offered that's on everyday where you can bring any maths or stats problem and they'll help you out. Also you'll have a Teaching Assistant on hand to help you if you need it.

Don't let the Maths put you off doing BESS, it's a really enjoyable course.

If you have any other questions about JF BESS feel free to PM me or just fire away here or in the BESS Thread.

2tel1 · 09-02-2008 11:44pm

That's great, thanks a lot. Would you recommend a course to brush up?

Could you post a like to the kind of stuff they ask, maybe an exam paper?

What kind of direction can you go without maths in second year?

manicmonoliths · 10-02-2008 11:25am

Here's a link to the Maths website:
http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/staff/cnewman/JFmaths.htm

If you have a look at the Term Test and the PowerPoint slides you should get a fair idea of what the course is all about.

You probably wouldn't need to do a pre-course in Maths, in BESS it's taught from the basics, as long as you can add, subtract, multiply and divide you should be able to get on fine.

If you don't do Maths in second year, you wont be able to do any of the following:

Any Economics degree
Single Honours Business Studies
(You could do Joint Honours Business and Politics/ Business and Sociology)

So degrees you would be open to are:
Business-Sociology
Business-Politics
Sociology
Politics
Sociology-Politics

Don't go in assuming the Maths is going to be too tough though! If you pay attention in the lectures and do the homework, there's no reason you shouldn't do well.

There are plenty of people in the course who haven't done Maths in years. There are other Mature Students and also International Students who come from a country where Maths isn't compulsory. A lot of students from the UK didn't sit Maths for their A-Levels for example.

Students who have done Maths before don't have that big of an advantage. I heard loads of students who took Higher Level Maths for the Leaving Cert failed the Christmas Exam, while those with no experience got 70% +.

So there's no reason to worry about it. Don't let it stop you from doing BESS.

ShoulderChip · 11-02-2008 11:49am

if you are doing maths in college,
the easiest way of doing it in the country is through BESS, so don't worry about it.
I wont offend anyone by calling it micky mouse.

2tel1 · 11-02-2008 12:34pm

manicmonoliths wrote: »

Here's a link to the Maths website:
http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/staff/cnewman/JFmaths.htm

If you have a look at the Term Test and the PowerPoint slides you should get a fair idea of what the course is all about.

You probably wouldn't need to do a pre-course in Maths, in BESS it's taught from the basics, as long as you can add, subtract, multiply and divide you should be able to get on fine.

If you don't do Maths in second year, you wont be able to do any of the following:

Any Economics degree
Single Honours Business Studies
(You could do Joint Honours Business and Politics/ Business and Sociology)

So degrees you would be open to are:
Business-Sociology
Business-Politics
Sociology
Politics
Sociology-Politics

Don't go in assuming the Maths is going to be too tough though! If you pay attention in the lectures and do the homework, there's no reason you shouldn't do well.

There are plenty of people in the course who haven't done Maths in years. There are other Mature Students and also International Students who come from a country where Maths isn't compulsory. A lot of students from the UK didn't sit Maths for their A-Levels for example.

Students who have done Maths before don't have that big of an advantage. I heard loads of students who took Higher Level Maths for the Leaving Cert failed the Christmas Exam, while those with no experience got 70% +.

So there's no reason to worry about it. Don't let it stop you from doing BESS.

That's good info, cheers for your help

europerson · 11-02-2008 1:51pm

ShoulderChip wrote: »

if you are doing maths in college,
the easiest way of doing it in the country is through BESS, so don't worry about it.
I wont offend anyone by calling it micky mouse.

This applies only to first and second year courses in maths for BESS. Third and fourth year BESS maths courses are more mathematically sophisticated than the standard of maths on most Economics/Business degrees in Ireland. By that stage, however, they are, in most cases, optional.

2tel1 · 11-02-2008 8:54pm

Also I was reading through some of the other threads and I see where some people say some of the people are "sh!t"

How are they sh!t?

11-02-2008 9:57pm

If you can differentiate and do basic algebra, you will get a first.
Stats are basic enough.

It gets more complicated in 3rd/4th year but its quite doable.

manicmonoliths · 11-02-2008 11:39pm

I wouldn't go as far to say Maths is Mickey Mouse, some of the Stats is pretty complicated. I'm not sure what it was like in other years, but most of us find it pretty tough this year.

On the BESS people are sh!t note, there are a few BESS students, who shall we say, think rather highly of themselves. But you get people like this in any course in any university, don't let it put you off doing BESS.

Phew well that's my rant over! 99% of people in BESS are perfectly nice though.

Bartronilic · 18-02-2008 6:25pm

In first year it is extremely easy. Anyone who says otherwise was to lazy to sign up to go to the lecturer's website and look at the sample test which was identical to the test and he told us it would be identical to the test all we had to learn was the technique of the sample test and that was it.

For Stats just do the homework every week. It is so very simple but people make it out like its a nightmare.

Randomness · 18-02-2008 6:58pm

Bartronilic wrote: »

In first year it is extremely easy. Anyone who says otherwise was to lazy to sign up to go to the lecturer's website and look at the sample test which was identical to the test and he told us it would be identical to the test all we had to learn was the technique of the sample test and that was it.

For Stats just do the homework every week. It is so very simple but people make it out like its a nightmare.

i'd agree that the maths is grand and if someone found it hard a little work would go a long way.

however maybe it's a different course or something but people are definitely struggling in jf stats this year and not through lack of effort or work etc.

ShoulderChip · 18-02-2008 7:28pm

Randomness wrote: »

i'd agree that the maths is grand and if someone found it hard a little work would go a long way.

however maybe it's a different course or something but people are definitely struggling in jf stats this year and not through lack of effort or work etc.

If anyone want grinds let me know

Randomness · 18-02-2008 7:33pm

i've heard a lot of people availing of that maths helproom thing down in the hamilton and coming back saying that it was really helpful which is good to know.

manicmonoliths · 18-02-2008 8:05pm

I went to the maths helproom aswell and the guy gave me some help but I found out the next day that he was wrong about 2 of the questions. But then again I have heard good things about the helproom.

There's no laziness involved! The majority of us are making a geniune effort so please don't assume we're all being lazy here! If you're in the course and find it easy, well good for you, please don't look down on the rest of us!

I got an A in honours maths for the leaving cert and an A in applied maths, so I don't really like when I'm being treated like some lazy person who doesn't care about maths! I'm finding this stats course very difficult and it's not through a lack of effort on my part!

(phew angry rebuttal over):)

Anyway, anyone else in JF BESS should know that a group of students has met with the lecturer to discuss the problems and he has promised to make a genuine effort to make the course more interesting and more accessible.

Tricked · 20-02-2008 4:46pm

manicmonoliths wrote: »

There's no laziness involved! The majority of us are making a geniune effort so please don't assume we're all being lazy here! If you're in the course and find it easy, well good for you, please don't look down on the rest of us!

Second. It is very tough in stats, even the lecturer said he's purposely going at a fast pace, so most people are finding it hard to keep up.

As regards the help room what times are they?

Randomness · 20-02-2008 8:04pm

manicmonoliths wrote: »

There's no laziness involved! The majority of us are making a geniune effort so please don't assume we're all being lazy here! If you're in the course and find it easy, well good for you, please don't look down on the rest of us!

I got an A in honours maths for the leaving cert and an A in applied maths, so I don't really like when I'm being treated like some lazy person who doesn't care about maths! I'm finding this stats course very difficult and it's not through a lack of effort on my part!

(phew angry rebuttal over):)

hmmm, is this a reply to me cos i think my post came across that i understand everthing , which i don't, i was agreeing that stats is hard and saying it's great that the maths help room is there to help and that people are finding it helpful, i will defintely be taking a trip to it. hmmm, maybe cos i was making pancakes at the time, i didnt read post properly.....

Tricked wrote: »

Second. It is very tough in stats, even the lecturer said he's purposely going at a fast pace, so most people are finding it hard to keep up.

As regards the help room what times are they?

yeah he is racing along alright, the helproom is at 1p.m and 5p.m mon-thurs and 1p.m on fri in room 2.06 in the hamilton

manicmonoliths · 20-02-2008 8:09pm

Randomness wrote: »

hmmm, is this a reply to me cos i think my post came across that i understand everthing , which i don't, i was agreeing that stats is hard and saying it's great that the maths help room is there to help and that people are finding it helpful, i will defintely be taking a trip to it. hmmm, maybe cos i was making pancakes at the time, i didnt read post properly.....

Sorry, that wasn't a reply to you at all! I was refering to a comment made by a poster who seemed to be saying that 'anyone who finds Stats hard is simply lazy' Sorry if you thought it was an attack on you! I was just making a point that I've heard mixed opinions about the maths helproom and my own experience there wasn't so great!

Sorry for the confusion!

On that, did anyone follow today's lecture on continous random variables at all?

MRya · 20-04-2010 7:24pm

yes I would like grinds but need to know if its possible asap...like this week

andrew · 21-04-2010 12:06am

2tel1 wrote: »

Hi there,

Just wondering how difficult the Maths and Stats are in the BESS course in Trinity. I want to study it next year as a mature student, but as I haven't done maths in about 3 years, even though I was OK at them, I've forgotten it all.

Would you recommend a little course in maths to brush up on my knowledge? Are maths dropped after second year.

Note: I would most be trying to avoid a maths/stats route (I have heard that the maths in economics are complex)

PM me your email and I can send you all of the maths & stats lecture notes, problem sheets and answer sets from 1st Year BESS. It's last year's stuff and not this year's, but that shouldn't matter.

Who's the lecturer for Stats for 1st year BESS this year; is is still Jacco?

Anyway, Math in BESS (in first and second year at least) is fine. I did Pass for the leaving (and got an A) and havn't had much trouble with it. That said, apparently the Summer exam for EC2040 is an absolute bastard, so I might not hold the same opinion in a few months.

The Walsho · 21-04-2010 10:32am

Andrew, have a look at the date this thread (and the quote you responded to) was made. Lolz.

Loving the crazy bump from MRya.

andrew · 21-04-2010 12:56pm

haha What the ****?! Damn zombie threads .... I wonder how 2tel1 is getting on now. Given they posted in Febuary 2008, they're probably in my maths & stats class.

HideAndSeek23 · 25-04-2010 9:38am

manicmonoliths wrote: »

Here's a link to the Maths website:
http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/staff/cnewman/JFmaths.htm

If you have a look at the Term Test and the PowerPoint slides you should get a fair idea of what the course is all about.

You probably wouldn't need to do a pre-course in Maths, in BESS it's taught from the basics, as long as you can add, subtract, multiply and divide you should be able to get on fine.

If you don't do Maths in second year, you wont be able to do any of the following:

Any Economics degree
Single Honours Business Studies
(You could do Joint Honours Business and Politics/ Business and Sociology)

So degrees you would be open to are:
Business-Sociology
Business-Politics
Sociology
Politics
Sociology-Politics

Don't go in assuming the Maths is going to be too tough though! If you pay attention in the lectures and do the homework, there's no reason you shouldn't do well.

There are plenty of people in the course who haven't done Maths in years. There are other Mature Students and also International Students who come from a country where Maths isn't compulsory. A lot of students from the UK didn't sit Maths for their A-Levels for example.

Students who have done Maths before don't have that big of an advantage. I heard loads of students who took Higher Level Maths for the Leaving Cert failed the Christmas Exam, while those with no experience got 70% +.

So there's no reason to worry about it. Don't let it stop you from doing BESS.

Just to edit that slightly, im in JF BESS this year and you CAN actually do a single honours business degree without maths and stats as maths and stats arent one of the requirements.

What are the Maths/Stats like in BESS

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