Professor
Eric Hester
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - I enjoyed Professor Hester's class, but I do understand some of the criticisms others have shared. The homework was very challenging, but it was good practice for the exams. I also didn't find the professor's online notes very helpful (although I didn't rely on them much of the time because the textbook was a pretty good resource). But aside from that, Professor Hester was genuinely very helpful. He's very eager to help, and every lecture, he insisted that everyone ask questions. In fact, as part of every homework assignment, he wanted us to ask a question, even if only tangentially related to the course. I found this helpful for two reasons: i) this was a good opportunity to ask big-picture questions about the course or just random math questions, and ii) it was a great way to get general advice for things like succeeding in the course, or even advice for pursuing graduate studies. Some general advice for anyone who wants to take this class: - There's a lot of overlap with Math 142. I took 134 and 142 the same quarter, and it made absorbing material feel much easier. - Read the textbook. Prof Hester's lectures follow the textbook pretty closely. On top of that, the textbook is also written pretty well (although the version I got through Inclusive Access had some weird typos, so you may want a different online version to compare with). - Know how to do the homework problems. If you know how to do the hw, then you'll be prepared for the exams. This class isn't proof-based, so there are only so many types of problems that can be asked. - Ask questions. As discussed above, Prof Hester cares about his students, so he's always happy to take questions
Winter 2024 - I enjoyed Professor Hester's class, but I do understand some of the criticisms others have shared. The homework was very challenging, but it was good practice for the exams. I also didn't find the professor's online notes very helpful (although I didn't rely on them much of the time because the textbook was a pretty good resource). But aside from that, Professor Hester was genuinely very helpful. He's very eager to help, and every lecture, he insisted that everyone ask questions. In fact, as part of every homework assignment, he wanted us to ask a question, even if only tangentially related to the course. I found this helpful for two reasons: i) this was a good opportunity to ask big-picture questions about the course or just random math questions, and ii) it was a great way to get general advice for things like succeeding in the course, or even advice for pursuing graduate studies. Some general advice for anyone who wants to take this class: - There's a lot of overlap with Math 142. I took 134 and 142 the same quarter, and it made absorbing material feel much easier. - Read the textbook. Prof Hester's lectures follow the textbook pretty closely. On top of that, the textbook is also written pretty well (although the version I got through Inclusive Access had some weird typos, so you may want a different online version to compare with). - Know how to do the homework problems. If you know how to do the hw, then you'll be prepared for the exams. This class isn't proof-based, so there are only so many types of problems that can be asked. - Ask questions. As discussed above, Prof Hester cares about his students, so he's always happy to take questions
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2023 - This class was a lot more difficult than I originally anticipated, and I believe that the class felt the same way considering the lower averages for the two midterms. The professor made sure to answer any and all questions, but in doing so he would fail to finish his planned lecture. Towards the end of the quarter, it became almost required to attend the office hours to finish the rest of the lecture. While the homework itself wasn't too long, it didn't give a good idea of how the exams would go. There needed to be more practice questions that followed the same format as the exam. I had to reread a lot of the questions to understand what was being asked of me. Some exam questions were freebies as long as you included the right definitions and theorems on the cheat sheet. That was the main use of the cheat sheet since most of it came down to applying what was covered in lecture and homework assignments.
Fall 2023 - This class was a lot more difficult than I originally anticipated, and I believe that the class felt the same way considering the lower averages for the two midterms. The professor made sure to answer any and all questions, but in doing so he would fail to finish his planned lecture. Towards the end of the quarter, it became almost required to attend the office hours to finish the rest of the lecture. While the homework itself wasn't too long, it didn't give a good idea of how the exams would go. There needed to be more practice questions that followed the same format as the exam. I had to reread a lot of the questions to understand what was being asked of me. Some exam questions were freebies as long as you included the right definitions and theorems on the cheat sheet. That was the main use of the cheat sheet since most of it came down to applying what was covered in lecture and homework assignments.