Daniele Bianchi
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
AD
3.3
Overall Rating
Based on 40 Users
Easiness 3.4 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.3 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.5 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
  • Tolerates Tardiness
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
18.4%
15.4%
12.3%
9.2%
6.1%
3.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

20.2%
16.9%
13.5%
10.1%
6.7%
3.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

33.0%
27.5%
22.0%
16.5%
11.0%
5.5%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

30.3%
25.2%
20.2%
15.1%
10.1%
5.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

34.2%
28.5%
22.8%
17.1%
11.4%
5.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

29.8%
24.8%
19.8%
14.9%
9.9%
5.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (27)

2 of 3
2 of 3
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Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: A+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Jan. 27, 2022

Daniele is a great professor, super passionate about the subject. Overall the class isn't so much work but you have to stay on top of the material. Make sure you get Danny McCoy as your TA he is a lifesaver!!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 12, 2021

I may be biased because I love learning about climate change, but AOS 1 is the class you should go for if you’re looking to learn more about the environment or to satisfy a GE. The class material is really interesting, and the quizzes/homeworks are well spaced out so you have time to study. As long as you put in some effort to study, the quizzes are not that difficult. My TA was Danny, and he was hands-down the reason why I did well in this class. Prof. Bianchi moves pretty fast, so Danny’s discussion sections focus on slowing down and breaking down the material. Overall, all of the TAs and especially the professor really want you to succeed, which takes a load off your shoulders and makes the class so much more enjoyable. Definitely would take this class again!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
June 11, 2020

The other reviews I think really blow this class out of proportion. It is not the easiest class and the TA I had was also nearly useless. However, if you pay attention to all the lectures, and review the slides, and read some of the supplementary material he gives you, then you can get an A in the class without too much trouble. Just give yourself a little extra time than you normally would on a basic GE. Also if you don't understand something and the TA and Professor are unhelpful some google searching can actually bring up useful articles that can help clarify some of the content in the class. Overall I learned a lot about climate systems and the class honestly wasn't that bad.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Feb. 16, 2020

I really enjoyed this class it wasn't super hard but it does require effort to do the homework assignments but honestly it wasn't bad. His accent was a little distracting in the beginning but you get used to it, and it isn't hard to understand. Really recommend this class with Daniel McCoy as the TA, he's amazing! Helps you understand the main ideas and takeaway from class and what to expect on the tests, and can help clarify the homework problems. I really recommend this class if you want to learn more about climate change, and the best part is there's no textbook or readings, and he posts all his lecture slides.

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A+
March 13, 2019

Your success in this class lives and dies by your understanding/memory of the powerpoint slides. Coming to lectures is not entirely necessary, since he posts the slides online. However, attending the lecture helps with retention and makes last-minute cramming less stressful, so I would advise that you go anyway, especially since he's solidly engaging to listen to. I definitely thought the content was interesting, and not just brute-force memorization. You will not need to remember completely minute details, you can get a sense pretty easily about what types of stuff will be tested by what is emphasized.
The midterm and final are not hard. If you understand and remember the presentations well, they're an easy A. The homework is pretty easy and I would make absolutely sure you know how to do everything on it going into the midterm and final, since FRQs are largely based on homework, especially the ones where you have to do a bit of math. Going to discussion is unnecessary if you feel you have a good grasp on the class, but could be helpful if you don't get something.
He is a smart man who is clearly passionate about the subject, I would definitely recommend this course as a GE.

Helpful?

0 4 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A+
Dec. 27, 2018

I took this class in my first quarter at UCLA and this was by far my favorite class of the quarter. Prof. Bianchi is a really nice, sweet professor who is very passionate yet rational about the subject matter. The workload is VERY light (4 pretty easy homeworks that take about 20 mins each). To be honest, if you go to lectures and actually care about what Prof. Bianchi is talking about (which we all should), it's really hard to miss out on getting an A.

The one thing I would say is that I definitely got the impression that my TA (McCoy) was superior to the other TAs. He knew the material really well, dropped a lot of hints about what would be on the midterm and final and held review sessions for both. I went to every discussion because they were really good for reviewing the material. He's also just a super nice, normal grad student who went to school in Hawaii and is an avid surfer. You get the picture.

Also, for the midterm and final, I just reviewed all the slides and memorized the different policies and treaties and got a low A on both. I got curved to an A+. Some people I know got WAY lower scores on the midterm and final and ended up with an A- because of the curve. It's REALLY friendly and Prof. Bianchi and the TAs make that clear.

Helpful?

1 5 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 20, 2018

While coming to class isn't necessary as slides are posted online, I would recommend going. I went to all of the lectures, did the 4 homework assignments, and went to about half of the discussions and got high "A"s on both the midterm and the final without additional studying. There are no readings. The curve is very generous.

Helpful?

0 4 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: P
Dec. 14, 2018

Literally the worst class I have ever taken. Total of 4 homeworks, midterm, and final. Nobody goes to lecture, a complete waste of time since he just reads the slides. TAs are all assholes and grade the tests insanely hard. Its a GE and they grade like an upper div. They graded the midterm so tough, they would get offended that you didnt know the answer. No help on homeworks either or gave 0 feedback. My TA was at least mildly okay but would spend discussions going so far off topic where he would talk about what he’s learning in grad school and then finish with “you dont have to know this stuff”. Focuses mostly on the ocean because hes an oceanographer and will get offended if you dont understand at their level. Midterm and final review study guides were complete trash. Powerpoints of like 80 slides picked from random lectures that the TAs made when they dont know whats actually going to be on the final. Final was totally cummulative when we werent given any notice besides at the last lecture of the last class. Questions on the final and midterm werent even on the study guides. Literally avoid this class at all costs. The only good thing is the curve and the curve doesnt help much when you do awful on tests.

I usually dont think classes are that bad when I read these reviews, but just do yourself a favor and pick from the 100 other GEs offered.

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: N/A
Dec. 14, 2018

Do yourself a favor and do not take this class. The lectures are boring and redundant. The professor basically reads the words off of his slides with no further explanation. There are 4 homework that total up to 20% of your grade, and they are graded very harshly and my TA did not even explain to me why he took points off of the problems I missed. Most of the material on the homework is math based and in lecture we would be presented some formulas and there would be no explanation as to how to apply them, so basically you're on your own to learn how to do the irrelevant homeworks. The midterm was extremely difficult and not what our TA's told us to study. There was a curve but even so it is not a grade I would like to receive in a GE that I try my best to keep up with and understand. In my discussion my TA is very unenthusiastic and does a horrible job going over what we have learned in lecture, most of the class is bored and does not pay any attention because it is pointless. We did not even learn that our final exam is cumulative until Week 10, giving us a week to go over the whole quarter's lectures. This class is going to bring down my GPA and it is very disappointing because I genuinely was interested to take this class. If you read the course title and are pulled in by the word "policy," don't take this class because policy is only discussed in Week 10. Overall I sincerely regret taking this class and wish I had spent my time taking a more interesting and worthwhile GE.

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: N/A
Dec. 8, 2018

The reviews that are positive for this class are super misleading, please don't believe them. This class has got to be the most boring class ever and keep in mind, this is an INTRO class yet the prof treats it as if it was a upper-div. Avoid this class, professor, and the TAs if you can. The professor is a nice guy but it doesn't fix how he doesn't care about the students and what they are struggling in. The TAs and prof would take forever to reply and their replies were practically useless. I agree that the professor should be more clear in exams and be more responsible, like how he told us the thursday of week 10 that it would be cumulative. However, a TA said it would be less than 20% cumulative. Clearly, there is no sign of proper communication. Additionally, the TAs told us to study the wrong things for the mid-term.

Helpful?

5 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: A+
Jan. 27, 2022

Daniele is a great professor, super passionate about the subject. Overall the class isn't so much work but you have to stay on top of the material. Make sure you get Danny McCoy as your TA he is a lifesaver!!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: A
Dec. 12, 2021

I may be biased because I love learning about climate change, but AOS 1 is the class you should go for if you’re looking to learn more about the environment or to satisfy a GE. The class material is really interesting, and the quizzes/homeworks are well spaced out so you have time to study. As long as you put in some effort to study, the quizzes are not that difficult. My TA was Danny, and he was hands-down the reason why I did well in this class. Prof. Bianchi moves pretty fast, so Danny’s discussion sections focus on slowing down and breaking down the material. Overall, all of the TAs and especially the professor really want you to succeed, which takes a load off your shoulders and makes the class so much more enjoyable. Definitely would take this class again!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
June 11, 2020

The other reviews I think really blow this class out of proportion. It is not the easiest class and the TA I had was also nearly useless. However, if you pay attention to all the lectures, and review the slides, and read some of the supplementary material he gives you, then you can get an A in the class without too much trouble. Just give yourself a little extra time than you normally would on a basic GE. Also if you don't understand something and the TA and Professor are unhelpful some google searching can actually bring up useful articles that can help clarify some of the content in the class. Overall I learned a lot about climate systems and the class honestly wasn't that bad.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Feb. 16, 2020

I really enjoyed this class it wasn't super hard but it does require effort to do the homework assignments but honestly it wasn't bad. His accent was a little distracting in the beginning but you get used to it, and it isn't hard to understand. Really recommend this class with Daniel McCoy as the TA, he's amazing! Helps you understand the main ideas and takeaway from class and what to expect on the tests, and can help clarify the homework problems. I really recommend this class if you want to learn more about climate change, and the best part is there's no textbook or readings, and he posts all his lecture slides.

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A+
March 13, 2019

Your success in this class lives and dies by your understanding/memory of the powerpoint slides. Coming to lectures is not entirely necessary, since he posts the slides online. However, attending the lecture helps with retention and makes last-minute cramming less stressful, so I would advise that you go anyway, especially since he's solidly engaging to listen to. I definitely thought the content was interesting, and not just brute-force memorization. You will not need to remember completely minute details, you can get a sense pretty easily about what types of stuff will be tested by what is emphasized.
The midterm and final are not hard. If you understand and remember the presentations well, they're an easy A. The homework is pretty easy and I would make absolutely sure you know how to do everything on it going into the midterm and final, since FRQs are largely based on homework, especially the ones where you have to do a bit of math. Going to discussion is unnecessary if you feel you have a good grasp on the class, but could be helpful if you don't get something.
He is a smart man who is clearly passionate about the subject, I would definitely recommend this course as a GE.

Helpful?

0 4 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A+
Dec. 27, 2018

I took this class in my first quarter at UCLA and this was by far my favorite class of the quarter. Prof. Bianchi is a really nice, sweet professor who is very passionate yet rational about the subject matter. The workload is VERY light (4 pretty easy homeworks that take about 20 mins each). To be honest, if you go to lectures and actually care about what Prof. Bianchi is talking about (which we all should), it's really hard to miss out on getting an A.

The one thing I would say is that I definitely got the impression that my TA (McCoy) was superior to the other TAs. He knew the material really well, dropped a lot of hints about what would be on the midterm and final and held review sessions for both. I went to every discussion because they were really good for reviewing the material. He's also just a super nice, normal grad student who went to school in Hawaii and is an avid surfer. You get the picture.

Also, for the midterm and final, I just reviewed all the slides and memorized the different policies and treaties and got a low A on both. I got curved to an A+. Some people I know got WAY lower scores on the midterm and final and ended up with an A- because of the curve. It's REALLY friendly and Prof. Bianchi and the TAs make that clear.

Helpful?

1 5 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: A
Dec. 20, 2018

While coming to class isn't necessary as slides are posted online, I would recommend going. I went to all of the lectures, did the 4 homework assignments, and went to about half of the discussions and got high "A"s on both the midterm and the final without additional studying. There are no readings. The curve is very generous.

Helpful?

0 4 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: P
Dec. 14, 2018

Literally the worst class I have ever taken. Total of 4 homeworks, midterm, and final. Nobody goes to lecture, a complete waste of time since he just reads the slides. TAs are all assholes and grade the tests insanely hard. Its a GE and they grade like an upper div. They graded the midterm so tough, they would get offended that you didnt know the answer. No help on homeworks either or gave 0 feedback. My TA was at least mildly okay but would spend discussions going so far off topic where he would talk about what he’s learning in grad school and then finish with “you dont have to know this stuff”. Focuses mostly on the ocean because hes an oceanographer and will get offended if you dont understand at their level. Midterm and final review study guides were complete trash. Powerpoints of like 80 slides picked from random lectures that the TAs made when they dont know whats actually going to be on the final. Final was totally cummulative when we werent given any notice besides at the last lecture of the last class. Questions on the final and midterm werent even on the study guides. Literally avoid this class at all costs. The only good thing is the curve and the curve doesnt help much when you do awful on tests.

I usually dont think classes are that bad when I read these reviews, but just do yourself a favor and pick from the 100 other GEs offered.

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: N/A
Dec. 14, 2018

Do yourself a favor and do not take this class. The lectures are boring and redundant. The professor basically reads the words off of his slides with no further explanation. There are 4 homework that total up to 20% of your grade, and they are graded very harshly and my TA did not even explain to me why he took points off of the problems I missed. Most of the material on the homework is math based and in lecture we would be presented some formulas and there would be no explanation as to how to apply them, so basically you're on your own to learn how to do the irrelevant homeworks. The midterm was extremely difficult and not what our TA's told us to study. There was a curve but even so it is not a grade I would like to receive in a GE that I try my best to keep up with and understand. In my discussion my TA is very unenthusiastic and does a horrible job going over what we have learned in lecture, most of the class is bored and does not pay any attention because it is pointless. We did not even learn that our final exam is cumulative until Week 10, giving us a week to go over the whole quarter's lectures. This class is going to bring down my GPA and it is very disappointing because I genuinely was interested to take this class. If you read the course title and are pulled in by the word "policy," don't take this class because policy is only discussed in Week 10. Overall I sincerely regret taking this class and wish I had spent my time taking a more interesting and worthwhile GE.

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2018
Grade: N/A
Dec. 8, 2018

The reviews that are positive for this class are super misleading, please don't believe them. This class has got to be the most boring class ever and keep in mind, this is an INTRO class yet the prof treats it as if it was a upper-div. Avoid this class, professor, and the TAs if you can. The professor is a nice guy but it doesn't fix how he doesn't care about the students and what they are struggling in. The TAs and prof would take forever to reply and their replies were practically useless. I agree that the professor should be more clear in exams and be more responsible, like how he told us the thursday of week 10 that it would be cumulative. However, a TA said it would be less than 20% cumulative. Clearly, there is no sign of proper communication. Additionally, the TAs told us to study the wrong things for the mid-term.

Helpful?

5 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
2 of 3
3.3
Overall Rating
Based on 40 Users
Easiness 3.4 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.3 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.5 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Uses Slides
    (19)
  • Tolerates Tardiness
    (12)
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