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- Alan Garfinkel
- LIFESCI 40
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Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
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I really enjoyed this class, and I am grateful that Stats 13 was filled lol. Don't worry if this happens to you because you will be okay of you take this class! I will say, lectures and homework and super relevant for success in this class. As long as you do the assignments and attend lecture, you will do great in the class! Dr. Garfinkel was a very nice professor to have this quarter. He has great lectures and was always super engaging. He held a very long final review session that was super helpful! However, I didn't find his office hours super helpful for homework/assignments because it was more of a discussion on topic or concepts. Don't be afraid to say "Hi" though! I found going to the TA and LA more helpful for homework or problem-solving sessions. When they said they were reducing the workload by 30% they meant it - thankfully. That being said, the class does require you to put effort in as I found the homework was graded quite harshly. However, I would say that the homework was similar to the weekly quizzes and exams.
So, i see you have come searching for answers after having a pretty bad enrollment time, and not being able to enroll into Stats 13. HAHA, I was once you BUT, do not fear, this class is pretty fun and interesting, and not as bad as the LS 30A/B classes.Honestly, this class was pretty fun. You have labs every week similar to the LS 30A/B ones only the coding is much condensed and more easier now, and they are graded on competition. Contrary to LS 30, the labs are worth less. You have weekly homework assignments due which are lengthy and code heavy based on your labs, but pretty easy as well, only you have to put much more thought into it, but if you are taking notes in class and actively attending PSS sessions, you should be good. They're also helpful for exams. Had I gotten 2 more points on the data analysis and one more point on the final i probably would have ended off with an A. Oh and one time i got to class late, and there was seriously one iclicker question, and i missed it, so i got a zero for participation that day apart from the two other abscesses they allow/drop after I had meticulously planned those absences, so don't be late and do all the clickers they're important. I also, after everything, emailed them after an announcement went out saying to email them to see our final to see if we could maybe get points back and they just...didn't...answer me back...but overall the professor, he's an amazing professor. You can tell he is extremely passionate about teaching this course. His office hours are also pretty interesting and cool. If you can, take it with this professor, he is pretty funny, and everyone agrees he is a sassy person "stats withs sass". Insightful course and trust I also felt like I was taking a risk with this course after not getting into Stats 13, but I learned a lot and it was fun so 10/10 (besides them not rounding my 89% to a 90 could have helped my GPA smh(my self confidence)). Also the exams were not rough at all, just pay attention to detail in the questions. The actual concepts are easy to grasp if you are consistent in going to problem solving sessions if you have questions and TA/Professor office hours. Also, do the PSS worksheets. You'll come to realize that each statistical method follows a pattern. Just don't be discouraged, this class is great.
This class is a must-take for anyone going into healthcare, scientific research, etc!! It's a relatively easy class if you pay attention and use your resources. The coding aspect is the most difficult part of the class (Python based simulations) but they help you build a really great foundation and they start from beginner level so anyone can succeed, even with very little coding experience. It is so worth it, because you can use the skill of Python to get into labs and actually be able to carry out useful simulations to perform data analysis for your future PI. The class is full of so many mind-blowing concepts that will really open your eyes to the world of data analysis in scientific research and the problems with traditional statistics, and it will totally change your perception of medical discoveries and research. Hands down would take this class again and would easily choose this over Stats 13 for premed or prehealth.
Prof. Garfinkel is amazing, has such fun energy in class and will not sugarcoat the concepts that he teaches. He is engaging, and if you have to miss a lecture they are always bruin-casted. The teaching staff is super committed to helping students succeed and they are very accommodating to extenuating circumstances. The grading scheme is pretty generous and most students seem to do well in the class.
I thought the content learned and Alan was a good professor who genuinely wanted to teach but I have several issues with this class. For people deciding whether to take this or Stats 13 I would have taken Stats 13, if given the option. My biggest issue overall with this class was the Data Analysis assignment. This is an assignment worth 20% of your grade, it is assigned Monday of finals week and is due Friday of finals week, on top of the final you have to take in this class. I thought it was quite unfair and stressful to assign such a project on the most stressful week of the quarter on top of their already difficult and content-heavy final, not to mention they graded the data analysis assignment so harshly it dropped my grade from an A to an A minus even though I scored well on the final and midterm. They sell you on the class that they made it easier, but it is still so content-dense, the homework takes so long, and they grade them so harshly. The average on most homework was almost always below 90%, and most other students in the class I talked to would agree that they spent over four hours each week on the homework to get docked points for the smallest errors that they could find.
I think the content we learned was applicable to the real world, and it was interesting to be able to code statistical tests. Alan overall was a good passionate professor, although there were other people on his team who took away from his valuable teachings.
this class was not that bad if you put in the work. it was interesting because it was super applicable to life sciences and healthcare research. i felt the homework was hard and went to office hours weekly to get help on it. it was graded harshly at first with the graders taking points off on every small error but the instructor adapted halfway through the quarter and they graded more nicely. midterm and final were not too bad and they were similar to the practice exams they provided.
I went into this class nervous since originally I was going to take Stats 13 but that filled up (a lot of people were in this situation). However, this class ended up being the best math course I've ever taken. Professor Garfinkel is an engaging lecturer and is incredibly passionate about this course. His love for the subject is infectious and I couldn't help but enjoy the class.
Pros:
The labs are easy and are a lot easier that LS30A/LS30B. I was able to finish each one within the 2 hour lab period.
The TAs are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. I love them so much!
There are tons of accessible office hours and PSS for help on homework/class material.
I scored the best I've ever scored on a final exam in this class!
Cons:
The homework can be a bit confusing. I found myself often asking for help. (the graders were really tough in the beginning but got more relaxed later on)
The data analysis assignment worth a lot of your grade and is due right when everyone is panicked and moving out for the summer.
TLDR: Take LS40! You'll never forget to visualize the data :)
Dr. Garfinkel was a great professor with a lot of passion on his new method of teaching statistics. While Stats 10 or Stats 13 may have been easier classes to take, I think you can learn something more valuable with this class (problem with the generally accepted concepts of statistics).
Both the midterm and final were reasonable and fair exams. You are allowed a double-sided flashcard cheat sheet for the final. Our midterm was online and open note due to the protests so it may be different in the future.
The only con with this class is that you really need to be careful with the homeworks. They have graders that are quite strict and homework is graded on correctness. But as long as you put in the work everything should be okay :)
I'll be completely honest, I only took this class because there were a ton of seats available and Stats 13 completely filled up during my enrollment time. Although I wasn't great at coding in LS30A/B, which made me hesitant to take this course, they've completely reorganized the structure of this class from previous quarters which has made it a lot more manageable. The labs are graded on completion, homework is graded on accuracy but is fairly straightforward and consists of both coding and conceptual questions (they are a little stringent on points for homework so I would recommend attending office hours), and the midterm/final were just like the practice exams. In addition to a final exam, we have a data analysis assignment (which is basically a coding final) but we could use all of our notes and had around a 5-day window to complete the assignment, which made it fairly easy. Overall, I would recommend this class even if coding isn't your strong suit. Garfinkel is a super engaging professor and the class is fairly easy.
Garfinkel is a great, engaging professor and you can tell he is really passionate about the subject. His lectures were interesting and as long as you pay attention, you will be successful. The labs were coding on CoCalc and they were helpful for understanding the content of the class. There was one homework per week and they were somewhat long, but doable. I recommend this class with professor Garfinkel. The workload is not too bad, the content was interesting, and if you go to lecture you will do well. Also, I had never taken a stats class before this and did well, so prior knowledge is not necessary.
Dr. Garfinkel was a really great professor and I really enjoyed this class. It's not really a standard statistics class, but more of an overview of some problems modern science has with statistics + alternative statistical methods to help address said problems. Overall, a great class, and one of the handful of classes I've taken so far that really made me glad that I came to UCLA.
I really enjoyed this class, and I am grateful that Stats 13 was filled lol. Don't worry if this happens to you because you will be okay of you take this class! I will say, lectures and homework and super relevant for success in this class. As long as you do the assignments and attend lecture, you will do great in the class! Dr. Garfinkel was a very nice professor to have this quarter. He has great lectures and was always super engaging. He held a very long final review session that was super helpful! However, I didn't find his office hours super helpful for homework/assignments because it was more of a discussion on topic or concepts. Don't be afraid to say "Hi" though! I found going to the TA and LA more helpful for homework or problem-solving sessions. When they said they were reducing the workload by 30% they meant it - thankfully. That being said, the class does require you to put effort in as I found the homework was graded quite harshly. However, I would say that the homework was similar to the weekly quizzes and exams.
So, i see you have come searching for answers after having a pretty bad enrollment time, and not being able to enroll into Stats 13. HAHA, I was once you BUT, do not fear, this class is pretty fun and interesting, and not as bad as the LS 30A/B classes.Honestly, this class was pretty fun. You have labs every week similar to the LS 30A/B ones only the coding is much condensed and more easier now, and they are graded on competition. Contrary to LS 30, the labs are worth less. You have weekly homework assignments due which are lengthy and code heavy based on your labs, but pretty easy as well, only you have to put much more thought into it, but if you are taking notes in class and actively attending PSS sessions, you should be good. They're also helpful for exams. Had I gotten 2 more points on the data analysis and one more point on the final i probably would have ended off with an A. Oh and one time i got to class late, and there was seriously one iclicker question, and i missed it, so i got a zero for participation that day apart from the two other abscesses they allow/drop after I had meticulously planned those absences, so don't be late and do all the clickers they're important. I also, after everything, emailed them after an announcement went out saying to email them to see our final to see if we could maybe get points back and they just...didn't...answer me back...but overall the professor, he's an amazing professor. You can tell he is extremely passionate about teaching this course. His office hours are also pretty interesting and cool. If you can, take it with this professor, he is pretty funny, and everyone agrees he is a sassy person "stats withs sass". Insightful course and trust I also felt like I was taking a risk with this course after not getting into Stats 13, but I learned a lot and it was fun so 10/10 (besides them not rounding my 89% to a 90 could have helped my GPA smh(my self confidence)). Also the exams were not rough at all, just pay attention to detail in the questions. The actual concepts are easy to grasp if you are consistent in going to problem solving sessions if you have questions and TA/Professor office hours. Also, do the PSS worksheets. You'll come to realize that each statistical method follows a pattern. Just don't be discouraged, this class is great.
This class is a must-take for anyone going into healthcare, scientific research, etc!! It's a relatively easy class if you pay attention and use your resources. The coding aspect is the most difficult part of the class (Python based simulations) but they help you build a really great foundation and they start from beginner level so anyone can succeed, even with very little coding experience. It is so worth it, because you can use the skill of Python to get into labs and actually be able to carry out useful simulations to perform data analysis for your future PI. The class is full of so many mind-blowing concepts that will really open your eyes to the world of data analysis in scientific research and the problems with traditional statistics, and it will totally change your perception of medical discoveries and research. Hands down would take this class again and would easily choose this over Stats 13 for premed or prehealth.
Prof. Garfinkel is amazing, has such fun energy in class and will not sugarcoat the concepts that he teaches. He is engaging, and if you have to miss a lecture they are always bruin-casted. The teaching staff is super committed to helping students succeed and they are very accommodating to extenuating circumstances. The grading scheme is pretty generous and most students seem to do well in the class.
I thought the content learned and Alan was a good professor who genuinely wanted to teach but I have several issues with this class. For people deciding whether to take this or Stats 13 I would have taken Stats 13, if given the option. My biggest issue overall with this class was the Data Analysis assignment. This is an assignment worth 20% of your grade, it is assigned Monday of finals week and is due Friday of finals week, on top of the final you have to take in this class. I thought it was quite unfair and stressful to assign such a project on the most stressful week of the quarter on top of their already difficult and content-heavy final, not to mention they graded the data analysis assignment so harshly it dropped my grade from an A to an A minus even though I scored well on the final and midterm. They sell you on the class that they made it easier, but it is still so content-dense, the homework takes so long, and they grade them so harshly. The average on most homework was almost always below 90%, and most other students in the class I talked to would agree that they spent over four hours each week on the homework to get docked points for the smallest errors that they could find.
I think the content we learned was applicable to the real world, and it was interesting to be able to code statistical tests. Alan overall was a good passionate professor, although there were other people on his team who took away from his valuable teachings.
this class was not that bad if you put in the work. it was interesting because it was super applicable to life sciences and healthcare research. i felt the homework was hard and went to office hours weekly to get help on it. it was graded harshly at first with the graders taking points off on every small error but the instructor adapted halfway through the quarter and they graded more nicely. midterm and final were not too bad and they were similar to the practice exams they provided.
I went into this class nervous since originally I was going to take Stats 13 but that filled up (a lot of people were in this situation). However, this class ended up being the best math course I've ever taken. Professor Garfinkel is an engaging lecturer and is incredibly passionate about this course. His love for the subject is infectious and I couldn't help but enjoy the class.
Pros:
The labs are easy and are a lot easier that LS30A/LS30B. I was able to finish each one within the 2 hour lab period.
The TAs are incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. I love them so much!
There are tons of accessible office hours and PSS for help on homework/class material.
I scored the best I've ever scored on a final exam in this class!
Cons:
The homework can be a bit confusing. I found myself often asking for help. (the graders were really tough in the beginning but got more relaxed later on)
The data analysis assignment worth a lot of your grade and is due right when everyone is panicked and moving out for the summer.
TLDR: Take LS40! You'll never forget to visualize the data :)
Dr. Garfinkel was a great professor with a lot of passion on his new method of teaching statistics. While Stats 10 or Stats 13 may have been easier classes to take, I think you can learn something more valuable with this class (problem with the generally accepted concepts of statistics).
Both the midterm and final were reasonable and fair exams. You are allowed a double-sided flashcard cheat sheet for the final. Our midterm was online and open note due to the protests so it may be different in the future.
The only con with this class is that you really need to be careful with the homeworks. They have graders that are quite strict and homework is graded on correctness. But as long as you put in the work everything should be okay :)
I'll be completely honest, I only took this class because there were a ton of seats available and Stats 13 completely filled up during my enrollment time. Although I wasn't great at coding in LS30A/B, which made me hesitant to take this course, they've completely reorganized the structure of this class from previous quarters which has made it a lot more manageable. The labs are graded on completion, homework is graded on accuracy but is fairly straightforward and consists of both coding and conceptual questions (they are a little stringent on points for homework so I would recommend attending office hours), and the midterm/final were just like the practice exams. In addition to a final exam, we have a data analysis assignment (which is basically a coding final) but we could use all of our notes and had around a 5-day window to complete the assignment, which made it fairly easy. Overall, I would recommend this class even if coding isn't your strong suit. Garfinkel is a super engaging professor and the class is fairly easy.
Garfinkel is a great, engaging professor and you can tell he is really passionate about the subject. His lectures were interesting and as long as you pay attention, you will be successful. The labs were coding on CoCalc and they were helpful for understanding the content of the class. There was one homework per week and they were somewhat long, but doable. I recommend this class with professor Garfinkel. The workload is not too bad, the content was interesting, and if you go to lecture you will do well. Also, I had never taken a stats class before this and did well, so prior knowledge is not necessary.
Dr. Garfinkel was a really great professor and I really enjoyed this class. It's not really a standard statistics class, but more of an overview of some problems modern science has with statistics + alternative statistical methods to help address said problems. Overall, a great class, and one of the handful of classes I've taken so far that really made me glad that I came to UCLA.
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