Boring classes

These are the classes to avoid at Williams. You can only take 32 classes while you're here, so take interesting classes and stay away from those below. If it is the professor, rather than the subject matter itself, that makes the class boring, please make a note to that effect -- keeping in mind the bounds of courtesy and discretion, and the fact that the best place for comments of professors' abilities is Factrak.

Psychology 201

Psych stats is a much more hands-on way to learn statistics than Stat 201, because you have to calculate standard deviations, sums of squared error, etc. by hand, so that you really know where the numbers come from. But this means that the class spends a lot of time adding and subtracting and working out the arithmetic details, rather than learning about the concepts. It's required for the psych major -- and don't let it discourage you from doing the major and taking all the other interesting courses -- but just don't get your hopes up.

Statistics 201

The subject is important, and the material can be interesting at times, but much too much emphasis is on learning to use the software (JMP) and interpreting computer output, which is not interesting. This is mainly a technical class, not exactly an integral part of your liberal arts education.

• Dissent: Stat 201 with Professor Botts is most assuredly not all about software or data output. In fact, there was almost none of that in Botts' 201 section this semester. While it isn't exactly earth-shattering, high-concept, abstract math, it is by no means a technical course.

Also, if you happen to have taken AP Statistics in high school, then STAT 201 will literally be about 95% review for you.

If you're taking Stat 201 now, just be glad you didn't take it while Professor Racz was around in 03-04. Then, it made for a semester of mindnumbing intellectually-insulting drudgery.

Economics 110

Charts and graphs, charts and graphs, charts and graphs...

And some elementary arithmetic too.