This class was a huge challenge for me. I came in with a lot of experience with computational math (i.e. solving and finding answers) and almost no experience with proofs. This is a VERY proof-heavy class, and you don't really get a run-through on how to do a formal proof in this class unless it's induction or I guess proof by cases. With that said, here is my review:

The professor is a very nice person. He is really considerate of his students, and he shows this by going above and beyond outside of class to help us. Every Thursday, he reserved the Student Math Center so he and some TA's could help students with homework and the class material. That is the main reason I passed the class. The lectures themselves are very fast-paced, and I told myself that I would just write down what he wrote down and try to understand it later. Definitely go to the lectures, even though he posts all of his lecture notes online (also really helpful). Also, try to sit in the front so you can see.

As stated before, this is a VERY proof-heavy class. Literally 90% proofs in some form. If you're not comfortable with doing proofs, this class will make you get comfortable with them real quick. For me, it was a whole new type of math, and I had so much difficulty in switching my mindset from calculus-based computations to proofs and whatever discrete math is, but I'm glad I had Professor Gehret, because he was so helpful in that case.

The TA's also really helped during section. The one I had taught in a way I didn't like at all, so I went to another's, and it was a huge improvement. Definitely know which TA is the best TA early in the quarter and go to their sections sooner rather than later.

The workload may not seem like much, as it was at most 10 questions per week, but boy does it take LONG. Some questions are extremely tough and took me the entire week to figure out, but that forced me to become familiar with the theorems and the definitions, which you really need to be familiar with for the exams. The exams call for definitions, proofs, computations (thank god), and true/false. Know the definitions verbatim, and good luck on the true/false bc you're gonna need it. The exams were waaaaaaay easier than the homework, but the homework is graded more leniently than the exams.

Overall, this was by no means an easy or chill class. If you want to pass or get a high grade, you have to out in a ton of extra effort and go to discussion, office hours, and, especially, the Student Math Center he reserves. Also, group chats help a lot. Course material aside, I would say that Gehret is a truly phenomenal professor, and I am glad to have had him. If you don't have to take this course but want to, please don't take it because it's exhausting. If you have to take it, definitely take it with Gehret, he's a great prof.

Allen is a very kind guy. He delivers very clear lectures and has well written lecture notes for you to reference after class. Homework is hard but tests are easy. He cares his students a lot. Definitely recommend!

Professor Gehret was not only a great professor, but also an even nicer person. This was the third time I took his class with all three of them being equally enjoyable. His assignments were not as hard as some people claimed as I personally enjoyed solving the problems a lot. Those problems are structured to train the students to think thoroughly about a concept and apply the theorems in a critical manner. His tests were easy with emphasis on basic concepts, so there wouldn't be any issue if students just simply read his notes. Overall, this class is a good preparation for upper-division courses, and taking this class with Professor Gehret would be enjoyable for people who like math.

It's a shame that Allen will not be teaching here anymore, but I wish him good luck on his future academic career.

If you already have a good grasp on the basics of 33A (Linear Algebra) and single-variable calculus, this class will be very easy. His lectures were pretty slow, so I had to watch his videos at 2x and was still able to write down everything. He does explain everything in the course material well and his lectures are very easy to follow. The homework is decent in difficulty, although there were a few that, at first, had me a little confused. He does weekly quizzes based on the previous week's content, which I thought was a good way to reinforce past topics and keep them fresh while new material was being covered. There were times, though, when there wasn't enough time to actually finish the quiz and thoroughly recheck the problems (you only get 40 minutes to finish and upload). His exams were very similar to the homework in style and gives a generous 6-hour time limit so they were very fair game if you did all your assignments. Outside the academics, he does have very good taste in his shirt choices.

We will miss you Allen!