[WE103] Weekend-Engagement concept. Laughing and crying: I am not very good at statistics

In 1986 I began to study Business Administration after six months in a Propaedeutic Course, in the University the subjects were very easy to understand and just by listening to the lectures I understood the respective subject.

At that time, when I was 17 years old, I was very distracted, and I began to take my studies lightly, something that years later would take its toll on me academically.

My grades were not excellent this semester, they could have been better, however, they allowed me to pass the subjects. For the whole course, it was very difficult for us the subject of Statistics, which looking at it more calmly many years later, I attribute precisely to the poor analytical skills that many students presented in mathematics, calculus and probability, occurring all because of a poor preparation in high school.

Source

Our Statistics teacher was a young woman with very good humor and she was also 4 months pregnant, I never saw her upset and she was excessively inflexible when it came to correcting exams, to tell you that only about 10% of the 35 students in the subject had regular grades that were barely enough to pass the subject.

The statistics are exact, an error that creeps into a calculation implies that the resolution of the problem was incorrect.

Without studying the subject very hard, I was among the 10% mentioned above, and I was very confident that I would pass without any effort. I would discuss with the teacher the results in front of my classmates and generally I was the wrong one, I would demonstrate mathematically on the blackboard, and she would refute me in the same way, it was very singular the way she wrote on the blackboard since it made the chalk squeak in a desperate way to the ears.

She would check how badly I had done in class and then in a way that even made me laugh she would throw what little was left of the chalk I used to write on the blackboard at me.

Fuente

One day at approximately 8:45 in the morning we were given a quick test about a class we had seen the day before. Many of us were looking at each other's faces, and some resigned themselves to take the exam, not even two minutes had passed and I had already handed it in, of course only with my signature. Three more classmates did the same and those who remained looked at us scared, nervous and laughing.

Leaving the classroom I asked my classmates why they did the same thing I did, to which they replied: it's because we didn't know the answers and no one was going to pass the exam anyway.

Immediately, we went to celebrate in a restaurant that was very close to the University the fact that they were going to give us a bad grade, however, when crossing the street and already entering the place that sold beers I felt a huge weight on my back and it was as if they were watching me, I turned and looked towards the classroom, there was my pregnant professor watching us.

We sat at the table drinking beers until approximately 1 p.m., because at 2:00 p.m. we had classes, needless to say that day we did not understand anything of what was said to us because we were under the influence of alcohol, I thank God that we were not violent people.

Fuente

In the following days the classes continued normally, until the day came to enter Statistics classes, in the delivery of notes only 3 people out of 35 had passed, so our predictions turned out to be successful.

Approximately a month and a half passed and the final exam was approaching, my grades were still bad, but they allowed me to pass the subject. The day of the final exam arrived, I had everything calculated, I only had to get 2 points to pass, I took the exam very cautiously, I knew I was not going to get a good grade but because I was so close to passing I did not pay attention to my preparation.

It was very difficult and lasted about two hours, we were all scared, that day the teacher had a bigger belly than usual. Three hours passed until the grades were posted on the bulletin board. Out of a group of 35 people only 4 people passed, me and my friends were among the other 31 students who did not pass.

At that moment when I saw the list I had a fit of laughter and at the same time I was crying, I needed only 2 points to pass and I got 1 point. Many of my classmates were certain that they would not pass because they needed more than 15 points to pass, but I with only 2 points did not pass, I laughed at the absurdity of the situation, and cried because this was going to be the only subject I would lose in the semester and therefore I had to repeat it.

Fuente

Fortunately they gave us the opportunity to appeal the next day the result of the grades. I was nervous and angry at the same time for not passing the subject, I did not know how to defend myself in front of this pregnant lady, I saw her eyes, she saw me and neither of us could stop laughing.

We immediately proceeded to review the exam methodically and my procedures were good, what happened was that I took some incorrect data and therefore the final result of the problem was wrong.

The teacher told me:

What happens here is that you did not pay attention to the problem statement, you did not analyze well the hypotheses you were given and you relied too much on the results without checking them. I advise you to pay more attention to what you are given in the future, and do not rely on the obvious, always look a little further and fail a few times until you succeed.

For having performed the correct procedures I will give you the missing point, and suddenly began to laugh, I inform you that you should study more these subjects that for you are hateful, someday you will remember me.

From that moment on, I started to take my studies more seriously, I can say that I graduated in three years since I never took school vacations and I got the fifth place in my graduation year in 1989, not getting a higher place because of the low grades of my first semester.

I really always remember that teacher, and reviewing the present publication I find that I am using many elements according to statistics, in the end I think I did learn something from that subject, in fact statistics and predictions are very important in the administrative, financial and planning and budgeting areas.

Fuente

Thank you for allowing me to remember that moment of my youth, this is my proposal to participate in the [WE103] Weekend Concept Link Here

Laughing and crying

What made you laugh or cry unexpectedly (or both)? Explain your answers, the situation, why, when and where.