I've formally studied stats up to calculus-based probability and I'm now brushing up on math ahead of starting Georgia Tech's OMSCS. I feel more fluent than I'v

I've formally studied stats up to calculus-based probability and I'm now brushing up on math ahead of starting Georgia Tech's OMSCS. I feel more fluent than I've ever been but the following quoted passage from the book really hits home: "Why does the book include so many exercises that cannot be solved by plugging into a formula? The reason is that few real-life statistical problems can be solved that way. Blindly plugging into statistical formulas has caused a lot of confusion. So this book takes a different approach: thinking." This applies to both math and stats. I appreciate the value in grinding pure, fundamental technique but as I'm reviewing I'm missing more real-life applications. Theory feels like a plan until real-life throws you the first punch. I'll be buying this book, thanks for the recommendation!