Hi guys! I am about to apply start application for phd in zoology/biology/psychology related science, and although expecting a Merit in my MSc and a 2:1 at undergrad, my stats is letting me down, I know how to run all the stats and report them, I just don’t know when to use them, unless directed, and I feeling when applying to do these PhD’s that I am kinda lying to them. The problem I found with stats is that it was ALOT to take in, in such a small amount of time/ plus I am dyslexic, and found is difficult to transfer what I learned to different situations unless directed, HOWEVER when it came to the more specialised statistics I excelled in it (i.e. what I used in my masters dissertation). Right now I am trying to gain as much experience as possible before applying again, as this was the recommendation I got from the two previous PhD’s I applied for, I got shortlisted for both. Basically I am concerned that the stats grades is going to cripple my chances of doing a PhD. Help?

anyone?

Don't worry, it should be fine as long as you demonstrate you can manage stats during your PhD.:-)

To be honest stats is not my strong point even though I managed a 1st in that module for my BSc! I am always unsure of what test is best particularly for more indepth analysis. However, in my PhD I have also excelled in the stats specific for my experimental work so I think that this is what you need to focus on. You have managed your stats for your masters so this is important to highlight in your application. There is no harm in consulting a statistician for advice and then develope the tests for your work. At the end of the day we are not all statisticians (what a fun place that would be lol) and they are there to help us all. The PhD journey is all about learning the research techniques and implementing them in a research project, you would be expected to learn these qualities along the way.

Hey Jonny! I'm final year in a psychology PhD, and my stuff is pretty stats-heavy! It is hard to get to grips with it, but I think as long as you can demonstrate a reasonable understanding, you will be okay. It is okay to still be learning about stats during your PhD, it's part of the process. BSc and MSc degrees can only teach you so much, and if you haven't had chance to apply stats in a context then it can be hard to remember what you've learnt. The other thing I would say is that my supervisor is actually not from a psych background, and is pretty weak in statistics- all of her quantitative papers have the stats done by one of the departmental statisticians, yet despite this weakness she is world-reknowned for her work. You don't have to be an expert at every single little thing you do- just try to sort out the basics and I think you'll be fine! Best of luck with it, KB