need help?
Probability and statistics
A community
As a research mathematician and statistician, one thing I've learned to lean on while brainstorming on a problem is the hive-mind. :) So, if you ever feel completely stuck on a problem, try to rely on the collective wisdom! You are not alone. It is extremely common to get `stuck' when thinking about a new concept (such as an algebraic variety! or a new random variable!) - so, ask your classmates, not only your professor! Visit the course Slack channel often, even if just to throw out a half-baked idea, start an example and pose a question `now what?'. Let yourself be surprised by how creative you are, as a collective!
Inspired? Motivated? Post an answer to someone else's question! (And earn participation points while doing it.)
... where do I begin?!
Not sure how to best use your time studying? Feeling like you are falling behind? Overwhelmed by the number and type of things you have to pay attention to because? Generally stressed??
I hear you. Please feel free to reach out. If you'd rather not talk, or still aren't sure even what you would say, please consider these tips:
A typical weekly schedule for our course can be found on our course schedule page - see if it helps you stay focus on a subset of tasks each day as you go through this learning experience.
Some tips for learning online:
Penn State World Campus blog has this very useful site for how to approach online learning;
Times Higher Education has this list of tips.
Help with writing up assignments
To improve your mathematical writing quickly, start by writing draft solutions to homework early. A day or two later after you have had time to forget what you wrote, read it. If it doesn’t make sense or convince you, rewrite it. Writing a solution requires saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Be intellectually honest. Intellectual dishonesty includes: 1) stating a “reason” without understanding its relevance. 2) Claiming a conclusion when you know you haven’t proved it. 3) Giving an example and claiming you have proved the statement for all instances.
(This text borrowed from Prof. Kaul, IIT Applied Math)
Help @MathCenter
Mathematics graduate students who are TAs hold office hours in our department's TA office hour room RE-129.
Any TA can help with any course they have some knowledge about, when they are not busy with students in their assigned courses. Make sure you use this great resource!
Help with typing math: TeX, etc.
You are encouraged to type your assignments. You can access LaTeX in the computer labs; more information and help can be found on the web with a simple search. Note: for Macs, I recommend TeXShop. You can also simply use Overleaf, which means you do not install anything on your computer, but work on the cloud instead.