Customer Reviews

Biostatistics: How It Works

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is the worst textbook that I have ever used for a class, hands down. I am currently taking biostatistics with Selvin at U.C. Berkeley and this book is completely unhelpful. The proofs in the book are useless and the concepts explained in the book are convoluted and confusing. There are much better statistics textbooks out there. I definitely don't recommend this text for any biostatistics course.

I am also currently taking a statistics course with Selvin at Berkeley. I took another stats course before this and despite everyone RAVING about how fabulous that class was, I found it made my head spin. Everytime I felt I understood a concept was like an epiphany, unfortunately it would quickly diminish due to more complicated examples and statistical theory.

Selvin's book (as well as class) has erased the mystery for me. I find the book thorough with clearly explained concepts and multitudes of relevant examples. Probability, smobability. Linear regression, no problem.

I'm giving the book 4 stars because of the editorial mistakes, otherwise I'd have given it 5 all the way.

This text is very unhelpful and tends to cause confusion. The examples constantly refer the reader back to prior examples several chapters earlier without giving a page number and sometimes without informing the reader that it is continuing with a prior example. Steps are left out of examples. Concepts are introduced in an order that is not conducive to learning. Problems and examples are given that require understanding of material that is presented in subsequent chapters. I honestly have nothing positive to say about this book. If this is a required text for your class, I highly recommend buying another text to supplement Selvin and to use as a reference.

I am taking the biostatistics class at UC Berkeley and for the fist time I understand statistics (I had taken a statistics course before). This book is easy to understand and easy to follow. It explains the basics of statistics with many examples. I really like this book. Now I feel prepared to take more advanced statistics.
Like the previous review, I give it 4 stars because of editorial errors.
I totally recommend this book if you want to understand the basics of statistics.

I feel sorry for anyone using this book in a class environment. I will be using it for kindling after the class, Selvin... I hate you.