CS 32 is by far one of the most important and valuable classes that you'll take at UCLA: you learn a lot about general programming, data structures, and algorithms. This is the kind of material that actually pops up in programming interviews.

As the majority of people say, you can't go wrong with either Smallberg or Carey (yes, he wants you to call him by his first name). If you actually attend lectures and try, both professors will give you a great foundation for object-oriented programming. Regardless, if I were told to retake this class I would retake it with Carey every time for two main reasons.

First, he is a brilliant lecturer. For me, there are two key attributes of a great speaker: one, they should be able to explain complex material in the simplest and most succinct terms (so that everyone can understand), and two, they should be able to engage the audience and not put people to sleep. Carey nails both of these, and you can read many of the other reviews on here to learn exactly how he achieves both. As with many of my friends, I actually wanted to attend lecture and actually regretted the times that I slept in and skipped (oops, but Carey's slides are so detailed that in theory you could use them to teach yourself this entire course with a little help from Google here and there).

Second, and above all, he really, REALLY cares about his students. He honestly wants each and every one of them to succeed. There are a laundry list of examples that I could give to support this claim: his office hours are very personal and comfortable (you'll probably end up grabbing lunch with him and after asking the two coding questions you have you'll go on a tangent and end up having a conversation about life), he prioritizes making sure everyone gets the material over finishing the lecture (and constantly asks people to "raise their hands if they understood"), and surprisingly, stresses that your GPA is almost an after-thought when companies hiring programmers look at resumes. He also sends resumes of top-performers at the end of the quarter to Symantec, where he worked for many years developing the Norton Security program.

Do these two things even matter? Yes. Carey's class for the past years (including mine) has outperformed both Smallbergs' classes on both midterms and the final. This quarter (Winter 2017) Carey's class averaged 4% better than Smallbergs' on the final.

So yeah, in conclusion if you care more about having an amazing learning experience and a better foundation for future success rather than the irrelevant details at the most pedantic levels of C++, then take Carey. You (and your GPA) won't regret it.

Carey Nachenberg is very entertaining professor. His PPTs are the best, I plan on using them to revise for interviews. CS 32 provides the fundamentals of programming, so learn them well.

I will admit, that I have zoned out many times during class (haven't been blasted by an air horn yet), and that his memes have died a long time ago, but I still encourage to take CS 32 with him. Smallberg is an amazing professor, but Carey's one of the rare ones that actually give out candy and prize tickets in class.

Midterms are fine. Largely based on concepts you implement in projects (especially the first one). The grading is better than CS 31, but still irritating. The final is a bit tougher, since Project 4 is due right before it, you may not get much time to study.
One of the TA has a great book of practice problems:
https://www.amazon.com/Data-Structures-Practice-Problems-Beginners/dp/**********

Work load increases drastically after project 2. The first 2 projects, and all of the homework is pretty okay and don't take that much time. Project 3 isn't too hard, since the spec walks you through coding it step by step. It is very time consuming and tedious though. Make sure you test it as you go! I cannot emphasize the importance of testing each feature as you code it enough. Debugging is a pain for Project 3 and 4. Project 4 is short, but much harder. I had no idea where to start when I first looked at the spec. Mull over the spec for a while, try to really understand what you have to do before coding the difficult parts. Ask UPE/friends for help figuring out what you need to do.

Many, many people in this class have prior programming experience, so the averages/medians are pretty high. I would advise you to try getting a head start over winter break, especially if your only experience is CS 31. I am not going to lie, CS 32 covers a lot of material. Carey is a great lecturer, but it doesn't stop you from forgetting stuff you learned 2 weeks ago that wasn't on the homework. On the bright side, they don't curve down (thank goodness)!

Get lunch with Carey! He's pretty entertaining and it's funny watching everyone suck up to him so they can get an interview with Symantec. (For real though, you want to get an interview with Symantec, try sitting with them during EWI, or get an A in the class and ask Carey to send them your resumé).

Good luck!

I am perhaps in the minority by saying Carey Nachenberg really isn't as great as some other reviewers here have suggested. Don't get me wrong, Carey is certainly a fine teacher and an accomplished person in general, but he is certainly not the God-like figure elevated to a realm of irrational worship.

Carey is human. His slides have mistakes. His project specs (Projects 3 and 4) are simultaneously too verbose and too underspecified (which suggests he might be a fine engineer, but not a great writer). His provided sample programs for Projects 3 and 4 both contain egregious bugs, crashes, and/or nonconformance to the spec. He is perhaps a quintessential embodiment of the idea of "good enough" that plagues our modern software engineering industry. He simultaneously espouses "object-oriented best practices" and cautions us against being overly obsessive in following these guidelines. His own programs take shortcuts at the expense of correctness. If you are a perfectionist, you will be sorely disappointed by his cavalier attitude towards matters that should be important but deemed otherwise. If you are not the kind of person who mentally estimates an ROI for everything, Carey might not be your cup of tea. For those, I heartily recommend David Smallberg instead.

The most redeeming quality is perhaps that he is a nice and kind person. His office hours are very helpful; he awards plenty of extra credit; he replies to emails within hours; he relaxes requirements in the spec. Carey is a nice friend to have and a nice person to know. But if you are a perfectionist like me, you should avoid Carey's sugar-coated CS32 and opt for David instead.

First, he uses slides that have pictures, animations, and examples. These are all available on his personal Weebly website, so it's even better.
Second, his lectures are very engaging. Not only are the slides informative, but he makes sure to keep everyone intrigued by having off-topic-but-related material. It's nice and fun, and it kept me listening.
Third, he states in his first lecture that he cares more about us learning the material than finishing the lecture on time. That is also true, although he rarely goes over the lecture time even with a lot of questions.
Fourth, he gives out raffles for asking good questions and answering his questions, which, at the end of the year, you can exchange for "special" prizes (which I won't reveal).
These are just four reasons why he's better than Smallberg. Smallberg is a good teacher, but Nachenberg is a god in CS 32.

Finally, he and Smallberg teach this class, but the exams are created by Smallberg and taken by everyone. Furthermore, grades are done by professor, which means an A in Smallberg's class might mean a C in Smallberg's. A big perk of this is that it doesn't matter which lecture you go to, and I highly recommend going to Nachenberg's over Smallberg's.

Outstanding professor. Brilliant lectures. Memorable, valuable projects. Do whatever it takes to take this class.

The tests and projects are quite difficult and time consuming, but very reasonable.

This is the most valuable class I'v ever taken.

Slides are posted online, and you don't need the textbook.

There are plenty of posts regarding Carey and his class experience (he's great!), so I won't dive further into those topics.

Many people say that this class is a ton of work. I agree to a large extent, but this large workload only applies to the last 4 or 5 weeks, when projects 3 and 4 are assigned. The workload for the first half of the class is reasonable.

Make sure to get a good grasp of the material, as it is very useful for pretty much all computer science applications.

Carey Nachenburg (you'll get to know him as "Carey") is one of the Top 5 professors at UCLA, hands-down. CS 32 is the most useful class you will take at UCLA as a CS major. Do yourself a favor, and take it with Carey.

Some highlights:

* Crystal-clear slides with diagrams everywhere. He'll even print out handouts in advance and give them to you in class for annotation so that you don't have to frantically write things down.

* Treats (I won't spoil what kind) and prize tickets for those who ask and answer questions.

* A genuine enthusiasm for building a passion for CS and what we can do with it among his students.

* His office hours are invaluable for guided practice and clarifying questions.

Some advice:

* The textbook is useless. Ignore it.

* See Forney's notes and practice problems: http://web.cs.ucla.edu/~forns/classes/winter-2014/cs-32/cs-32.html

* See my notes as well if you'd like if you'd like longer explanations of what's covered on the slides: https://kycode.me/CS-32/

* Go to UPE and TBP tutoring in Boelter 6266. Many people there have taken CS 32 and can help you past the inevitable struggles. Don't spend more than 30 minutes on a problem if you are not making substantive progress; ask for help!

* Those who get an A/A+ in the class are likely to get an interview with Symantec for a summer internship. Remember: you go to school because you care about having a career and a wonderful life. Don't let school steal your soul.

Carey is awesome! He is so concerned about student learning and engagement. It is refreshing to see a professor so focused on improving his teaching and style--he constantly asks students for feedback on his lectures and slides. Carey's help and kindness goes beyond his class, and many many students stay friends with him throughout their UCLA career. I would 110% recommend him as a professor and mentor.

Regarding the class, it is the same material, exams and projects for both Smallberg and Nachenberg. Both are fantastic lecturers. Project 3 will take you some time, but it is broken up into two parts. Do a lot of practice problems for the midterms, and try to take good notes and keep Carey's slides. This information is crucial for recruiting and technical interviews. Overall, I thought the class was really interesting and pretty easy. I got 100% on my midterm as a non-engineering student and an overall A in the class.

Carey is awesome! We're very lucky to be taught by a professor that has strong industry experience (he's one of Symantec Corporation's most senior engineer).
GO TO OFFICE HOURS! They are so worth it! Carey really wants you to understand the material and often gives practice problems in OH. In class, don't be afraid to ask questions. Carey wants you to be the best professor possible, so he welcomes clarifications and suggestions.
He's a great mentor, so try to get to know him outside of class (he goes to Ackerman for lunch after OH with his students).
Definitely one of the best professors at UCLA. His slides are a godsend when you're preparing for internship interviews!

Carey is the professor you wish you had for every class. The only bummer is that your first class with him will also be your last.