Farid Mesghali
Department of Electrical Engineering
AD
2.3
Overall Rating
Based on 34 Users
Easiness 1.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 2.1 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 2.2 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Tough Tests
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
14.9%
12.4%
9.9%
7.5%
5.0%
2.5%
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.

18.5%
15.4%
12.3%
9.2%
6.2%
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.

28.2%
23.5%
18.8%
14.1%
9.4%
4.7%
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.

21.7%
18.1%
14.5%
10.9%
7.2%
3.6%
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.

16.9%
14.1%
11.3%
8.5%
5.6%
2.8%
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.

16.9%
14.1%
11.3%
8.5%
5.6%
2.8%
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.

21.2%
17.6%
14.1%
10.6%
7.1%
3.5%
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.

18.9%
15.8%
12.6%
9.5%
6.3%
3.2%
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.

19.0%
15.9%
12.7%
9.5%
6.3%
3.2%
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.

20.0%
16.7%
13.3%
10.0%
6.7%
3.3%
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.

13.8%
11.5%
9.2%
6.9%
4.6%
2.3%
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.

23.2%
19.3%
15.4%
11.6%
7.7%
3.9%
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.

16.5%
13.8%
11.0%
8.3%
5.5%
2.8%
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.

28.6%
23.8%
19.0%
14.3%
9.5%
4.8%
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.

19.6%
16.4%
13.1%
9.8%
6.5%
3.3%
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.

20.7%
17.2%
13.8%
10.3%
6.9%
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.

19.3%
16.0%
12.8%
9.6%
6.4%
3.2%
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.

22.2%
18.5%
14.8%
11.1%
7.4%
3.7%
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.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (27)

2 of 3
2 of 3
Add your review...
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: C-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Jan. 13, 2023

Honestly... where do I even begin?

This class was an absolute horrid experience. So the break down was
Homework 10%
2 Midterms 50%
Final 40%

You get one cheat sheet that they collect at the end of your exam so save a copy. The class was beyond difficult. He goes over about 9-12 slides worth of information then pushes you at the deep end to fend for yourself on the homeworks and midterms. The first midterm was so difficult the average was a 50%. They spared no grace in partial credit. The second midterm was a bit better as it was familiar to the homeworks just to give you a false sense of hope until finals. He also does this thing to check your ID IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ALREADY TIME CRUNCHED EXAM. I just don't understand why not ask before we walk in the door or something... 15 minutes per problem so good luck unless it is second nature to you, it will be hard. Some of the exam caliber problems are nothing like you see in the homework/discussion. I'm not sure of the final grades but I remember leaving that hall hearing classmates ask each other if they even managed to finish the exam. No solutions for midterm after grades are released so you're stuck there not knowing how to improve.

I will admit this man is a funny man like he would say 'if you see this, something is fishy you got to find the fish' then go to the exam only to see a whole aquarium on your paper.... He has a quirky personality but doesn't gloss over the fact that he uses one slide to explain a whole concept and just shows the tip of the ice berg.

The worst class ever. Save yourself the misery and skip this prof.

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 23, 2022

Professor Mesghali is very much a traditional professor. His exams are hard, but he does curve. Definitely go to discussion! My TA was super helpful. Complete lots of practice problems, don't just read over concepts, so that you know how to approach harder problems you may encounter on the exams. If you're a non-EE student, you're not alone, this class is mostly for non-EE majors. Definitely participate in lectures! The professor asks questions during lecture, and it's helpful to try to think on your feet. It's a difficult class, but not more difficult than any other engineering class, and the professor is very similar to other traditional professors I've had in the past. You'll do great!

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: NR
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 12, 2022

This class is one of the worst classes I've ever taken at UCLA. Mesghali made this class unnecessarily difficult for the students. Pardon my language. Honest opinion tho.

1. Lectures
8am. No recordings. He knows that people won't show up if he records the class but the truth is more than 50% of the people never showed up in class cuz that's how bad his lectures are. I didn't know the class is actually quite big until our first midterm.
He uses slides but you can't see shit cuz the writing is small and all over the place. Sometimes I use my phone camera to enlarge the slides but I still can't see shit. He doesn't do the questions and write down the equations as he explains the problems. He pre-writes all the solutions on the ppt slides, uses ppt white blocks to cover them, and deletes the block after he explains (not really) the solutions. Messy solutions. You'll get lost easily. Several times in class I have the urge to tell him please upgrade your technology and use ipad + goodnotes.

2. Homeworks
The homework problems are long, repetitive, and no where similar in difficulty to the midterms and final. The only good thing about the homeworks is that you are forced to at least have basic understanding of what is going on each week.

3. Exams
Midterm 1 the mean is around 60/120. Midterm 2 the mean was around 90/120. I don't know about finals but holy that final was hard af.
Mesghali allows one cheat sheet for each exam. He takes away your cheat sheet after every exam. I suggest putting some formulas and practice problems on your cheat sheet. For every midterm/final review, Mesghali will tell you what each question is about (ex: Q1 is basic KVL KCL... which turned out to be a hard af KVL KCL question lol). No practice exams. Also Mesghali disturbs you during the exams by asking for your student ID and making you sign on an attendance sheet. If you want to use the restroom during the exam, it's one person at a time and the TA follows you to the restroom just in case you do anything fishy. For the final, Mesghali asks us to put our bags in the front of the room like some highschool SAT shit. Oh also, Mesghali does not release midterm solutions so we are forced to go to OHs if we have any problems with it. The TAs won't show you the solutions either. Sometimes I wonder if Mesghali cares about student learning at all or if he's just having fun torturing us.

4. Discussions
The TAs are pretty good. The discussion sessions are pretty useful but the TAs don't post material (practice problem solutions) for discussion. They basically expect you to go to discussion.

5. Conclusion
Shit class. Shabby af. Avoid at all costs. Learned nothing and I hate EE more now. Thanks Mesghali for letting me know I'm not built for EE.

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 9, 2022

You might have to take this class for your major but if you have the chance, don't take it with him. His lectures are the most useless thing ever, he basically tells you to study the textbook if you don't understand the material. I don't get why he spends 2 hours going over 6 slides (with problems already worked out) and STILL say he doesn't have enough time to go over the concepts. Homework problems do not go over the questions that are given on the tests either. One of my biggest gripes is that he does not give solutions to the midterms or even past midterms/finals. He says that telling us what is on the test should suffice as a substitute; it sucks that we have to beg our TAs to give us answers to what we missed on a test.

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Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: NR
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 17, 2021

It is ridiculous how much time he waste in class. We are two and a half quarters into online courses and you would think professors would work out the logistics of teaching online. They had two and a half quarters to listen to other students' feedback on how they can improve teaching online. But I do not understand how and why it takes him the entirety of the class time to barely go over 4-5 Powerpoint slides. His accent is hard to understand at times, however, most of the time he would waste time by suddenly jumping to another idea he wants to talk about, which makes it extremely hard to follow him and he would ask trivial questions just to get a response instead of asking relevant questions. Homework assignments are heavy with repetitive questions and in retrospect, feels pointless after have taken the exam. Yes, he does go over what type of questions the midterm and final will cover, but they are more complex circuits than the ones he goes over in class and in homework. Exams are extremely distracting because he has you take a selfie on the day of the exam, have you upload it along with another picture of your I.D., and have everyone's web cam be spot lighted to make sure you are taking the exam. I do believe he means cares for the well-being of his students but, his lectures could be, and should be, more organized and efficient.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Oct. 28, 2020

Mesghali is a little hard to understand, but he gets the point across and the lectures are clear enough. He basically tells you exactly what each problem on the test will cover, so you can prepare very well. The tests were definitely hard as other reviewers said, but he tells you whats on it so it's easy enough to prepare well. Definitely learn how to setup your calculator to solve linear systems of equations (I used RREF on matrices) and that will help with the time constraint.

A lot of the other commenters said Mesghali was very unaccommodating. While he did make fewer accommodations than other professors for the final, he changed the grading scheme so that your best test is weighted as much as the final, and the other two tests as much as the midterm. This resulted in what I believe was his highest distribution for this class. I appreciated that he preserved the integrity of the course and held students accountable for learning the material.

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2020
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.
July 12, 2020

I took this class online during the coronavirus situation. Exams were difficult and you have to work fast to get through them. Lectures were all prerecorded and extremely shortened. Lectures that are supposed to be about 3.5 hours were shortened to 1 hour or less. He covers only the bare essentials to get by on the homework and tests. For me, this wasn't actually that bad, and what was covered in lecture would be enough to get through 90% of the homework. The professor has a bit of an accent and can be hard to understand, but he teaches in a very concise and direct manner.

In the end, your grade will be decided based on a curve, so if you think you can score in the top 25% of the class, expect an A/A-. Otherwise, don't.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: NP
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
June 22, 2020

Fucking hated this class. Dude makes absolutely no effort to help out his students or try to understand any of the stuff going on right now. Proctored exams that are the hardest fucking thing ever, when the homework is already hard enough, and go way beyond what we saw in lectures. Lectures are boring as fuck and are mostly examples that are irrelevant to our homework problems or what we see on the final. I failed the class because I couldn't handle the lectures among other things, which didn't help at all the times I did watch them, and the curve was probably around a 50%, which isn't good to begin with. Fuck this class, and fuck this guy.

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0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2018
Grade: D
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Aug. 4, 2018

Very difficult class. Do not rely on lecture content - you will need to teach yourself everything using the textbook.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2018
Grade: N/A
June 11, 2018

If you don't go to class it's hard. I think it's easy.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: C-
Jan. 13, 2023

Honestly... where do I even begin?

This class was an absolute horrid experience. So the break down was
Homework 10%
2 Midterms 50%
Final 40%

You get one cheat sheet that they collect at the end of your exam so save a copy. The class was beyond difficult. He goes over about 9-12 slides worth of information then pushes you at the deep end to fend for yourself on the homeworks and midterms. The first midterm was so difficult the average was a 50%. They spared no grace in partial credit. The second midterm was a bit better as it was familiar to the homeworks just to give you a false sense of hope until finals. He also does this thing to check your ID IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ALREADY TIME CRUNCHED EXAM. I just don't understand why not ask before we walk in the door or something... 15 minutes per problem so good luck unless it is second nature to you, it will be hard. Some of the exam caliber problems are nothing like you see in the homework/discussion. I'm not sure of the final grades but I remember leaving that hall hearing classmates ask each other if they even managed to finish the exam. No solutions for midterm after grades are released so you're stuck there not knowing how to improve.

I will admit this man is a funny man like he would say 'if you see this, something is fishy you got to find the fish' then go to the exam only to see a whole aquarium on your paper.... He has a quirky personality but doesn't gloss over the fact that he uses one slide to explain a whole concept and just shows the tip of the ice berg.

The worst class ever. Save yourself the misery and skip this prof.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Dec. 23, 2022

Professor Mesghali is very much a traditional professor. His exams are hard, but he does curve. Definitely go to discussion! My TA was super helpful. Complete lots of practice problems, don't just read over concepts, so that you know how to approach harder problems you may encounter on the exams. If you're a non-EE student, you're not alone, this class is mostly for non-EE majors. Definitely participate in lectures! The professor asks questions during lecture, and it's helpful to try to think on your feet. It's a difficult class, but not more difficult than any other engineering class, and the professor is very similar to other traditional professors I've had in the past. You'll do great!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: NR
Dec. 12, 2022

This class is one of the worst classes I've ever taken at UCLA. Mesghali made this class unnecessarily difficult for the students. Pardon my language. Honest opinion tho.

1. Lectures
8am. No recordings. He knows that people won't show up if he records the class but the truth is more than 50% of the people never showed up in class cuz that's how bad his lectures are. I didn't know the class is actually quite big until our first midterm.
He uses slides but you can't see shit cuz the writing is small and all over the place. Sometimes I use my phone camera to enlarge the slides but I still can't see shit. He doesn't do the questions and write down the equations as he explains the problems. He pre-writes all the solutions on the ppt slides, uses ppt white blocks to cover them, and deletes the block after he explains (not really) the solutions. Messy solutions. You'll get lost easily. Several times in class I have the urge to tell him please upgrade your technology and use ipad + goodnotes.

2. Homeworks
The homework problems are long, repetitive, and no where similar in difficulty to the midterms and final. The only good thing about the homeworks is that you are forced to at least have basic understanding of what is going on each week.

3. Exams
Midterm 1 the mean is around 60/120. Midterm 2 the mean was around 90/120. I don't know about finals but holy that final was hard af.
Mesghali allows one cheat sheet for each exam. He takes away your cheat sheet after every exam. I suggest putting some formulas and practice problems on your cheat sheet. For every midterm/final review, Mesghali will tell you what each question is about (ex: Q1 is basic KVL KCL... which turned out to be a hard af KVL KCL question lol). No practice exams. Also Mesghali disturbs you during the exams by asking for your student ID and making you sign on an attendance sheet. If you want to use the restroom during the exam, it's one person at a time and the TA follows you to the restroom just in case you do anything fishy. For the final, Mesghali asks us to put our bags in the front of the room like some highschool SAT shit. Oh also, Mesghali does not release midterm solutions so we are forced to go to OHs if we have any problems with it. The TAs won't show you the solutions either. Sometimes I wonder if Mesghali cares about student learning at all or if he's just having fun torturing us.

4. Discussions
The TAs are pretty good. The discussion sessions are pretty useful but the TAs don't post material (practice problem solutions) for discussion. They basically expect you to go to discussion.

5. Conclusion
Shit class. Shabby af. Avoid at all costs. Learned nothing and I hate EE more now. Thanks Mesghali for letting me know I'm not built for EE.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Dec. 9, 2022

You might have to take this class for your major but if you have the chance, don't take it with him. His lectures are the most useless thing ever, he basically tells you to study the textbook if you don't understand the material. I don't get why he spends 2 hours going over 6 slides (with problems already worked out) and STILL say he doesn't have enough time to go over the concepts. Homework problems do not go over the questions that are given on the tests either. One of my biggest gripes is that he does not give solutions to the midterms or even past midterms/finals. He says that telling us what is on the test should suffice as a substitute; it sucks that we have to beg our TAs to give us answers to what we missed on a test.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: NR
March 17, 2021

It is ridiculous how much time he waste in class. We are two and a half quarters into online courses and you would think professors would work out the logistics of teaching online. They had two and a half quarters to listen to other students' feedback on how they can improve teaching online. But I do not understand how and why it takes him the entirety of the class time to barely go over 4-5 Powerpoint slides. His accent is hard to understand at times, however, most of the time he would waste time by suddenly jumping to another idea he wants to talk about, which makes it extremely hard to follow him and he would ask trivial questions just to get a response instead of asking relevant questions. Homework assignments are heavy with repetitive questions and in retrospect, feels pointless after have taken the exam. Yes, he does go over what type of questions the midterm and final will cover, but they are more complex circuits than the ones he goes over in class and in homework. Exams are extremely distracting because he has you take a selfie on the day of the exam, have you upload it along with another picture of your I.D., and have everyone's web cam be spot lighted to make sure you are taking the exam. I do believe he means cares for the well-being of his students but, his lectures could be, and should be, more organized and efficient.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: A
Oct. 28, 2020

Mesghali is a little hard to understand, but he gets the point across and the lectures are clear enough. He basically tells you exactly what each problem on the test will cover, so you can prepare very well. The tests were definitely hard as other reviewers said, but he tells you whats on it so it's easy enough to prepare well. Definitely learn how to setup your calculator to solve linear systems of equations (I used RREF on matrices) and that will help with the time constraint.

A lot of the other commenters said Mesghali was very unaccommodating. While he did make fewer accommodations than other professors for the final, he changed the grading scheme so that your best test is weighted as much as the final, and the other two tests as much as the midterm. This resulted in what I believe was his highest distribution for this class. I appreciated that he preserved the integrity of the course and held students accountable for learning the material.

Helpful?

0 1 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: Spring 2020
Grade: A
July 12, 2020

I took this class online during the coronavirus situation. Exams were difficult and you have to work fast to get through them. Lectures were all prerecorded and extremely shortened. Lectures that are supposed to be about 3.5 hours were shortened to 1 hour or less. He covers only the bare essentials to get by on the homework and tests. For me, this wasn't actually that bad, and what was covered in lecture would be enough to get through 90% of the homework. The professor has a bit of an accent and can be hard to understand, but he teaches in a very concise and direct manner.

In the end, your grade will be decided based on a curve, so if you think you can score in the top 25% of the class, expect an A/A-. Otherwise, don't.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2020
Grade: NP
June 22, 2020

Fucking hated this class. Dude makes absolutely no effort to help out his students or try to understand any of the stuff going on right now. Proctored exams that are the hardest fucking thing ever, when the homework is already hard enough, and go way beyond what we saw in lectures. Lectures are boring as fuck and are mostly examples that are irrelevant to our homework problems or what we see on the final. I failed the class because I couldn't handle the lectures among other things, which didn't help at all the times I did watch them, and the curve was probably around a 50%, which isn't good to begin with. Fuck this class, and fuck this guy.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2018
Grade: D
Aug. 4, 2018

Very difficult class. Do not rely on lecture content - you will need to teach yourself everything using the textbook.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2018
Grade: N/A
June 11, 2018

If you don't go to class it's hard. I think it's easy.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
2 of 3
2.3
Overall Rating
Based on 34 Users
Easiness 1.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 2.1 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 2.2 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Tough Tests
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