Guani Wu
Department of Statistics
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1.9
Overall Rating
Based on 12 Users
Easiness 1.8 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 1.8 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.8 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 2.4 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
23.8%
19.9%
15.9%
11.9%
7.9%
4.0%
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.

26.1%
21.7%
17.4%
13.0%
8.7%
4.3%
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.

45.2%
37.7%
30.2%
22.6%
15.1%
7.5%
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.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (8)

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Dec. 17, 2022

This class is so much more of a headache than it is worth. Somehow I would go to lectures and be more confused about various topics than just going into a topic with zero info. Like a typical Wu class, grade breakdown was 7% quizzes based on completion, 45% Homeworks (6 total, one of which was during finals week), and 48% Final. We received zero feedback after the 2nd homework before taking the final. Basically, you have no idea what you do or don't know or where you stand in the class. The final exam was also quite difficult and half of it was nothing like the previous quiz or homework questions.
I watched all of Prof Chen's 102c lectures on youtube before the final (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and finally understood the course. It's clear to me the difference in teaching between the two professors, so I would try to take this course under another professor (if possible).

Helpful?

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Feb. 17, 2023

Bro just fired him

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1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 29, 2022

I had the misfortune of taking this class with Professor Wu. His lectures are incoherent and don't make much sense at all. Reading the textbook is much more valuable than the lectures. He is mildly helpful during OH, though he was 20-30 minutes late multiple times. He is a nice guy overall and I believe he wants the best for his students, but his teaching style is better suited for graduate courses.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Nov. 28, 2022

Professor Wu is very nice, but his lectures are extremely unengaging and unclear. He recaps the previous lecture for at least 10-15 minutes every class, and then when he teaches new content, he half reads off the slides and half does some math without really explaining the big picture of when/how to use the methods being introduced.

The class is pretty challenging compared to the complexity of the content just because they are not presented very well. We did not receive ANY feedback for homework after homework 2, and none of the solutions were posted because "the exam is based heavily on the homework." Is that not the whole point of studying the homework? There is zero transparency in this class and Professor Wu's teaching model is to just lecture and assign work. There is no consideration for students' progress and whether or not the previous lessons were actually effective. The way he teaches was more suitable to an online course, since his lectures are so unclear I would've had to rewatch them multiple times just to understand the objective of the lecture.

I would have liked to look to the slides for help with homework, but the slides are equally unhelpful since they only contain the most basic algorithms and examples, but rarely information about how to apply them in different contexts. I also found the notation pretty confusing and I personally had to spend a lot of extra time watching Professor Chen's STATS 102C lectures (posted on Youtube) to understand the lecture and the intuition behind many of the sampling and integration methods. While I didn't mind the theoretical nature of the class (I found the proof based homework problems to be the easiest), I found it very difficult to understand any of the math when there was little explanation for its connection to what we were learning.

Since homework tended to be more complicated than lectures, I felt like I had to self-learn a lot using the textbook. In general, I don't recommend taking this class with Professor Wu if you have the choice, but if you find yourself with no other option, prepare yourself to dedicate a decent amount of time to just understanding the material and rereading the textbook.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: C-
June 25, 2022

Taking 102A and 102B with Wu was the worst decision I made in my three years at UCLA.

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Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: I
May 12, 2022

I took 102b with Wu 2022 spring but class is not listed so I'll say something here.

Don't take his class.

I got wrong on part of a small hw question. It got me 10% off the total hw. Prof doesn't use gradescope, so you have absolutely no idea how you got your points off. I went to ask TA for the correct solution, TA said go ask prof. I went to the prof. Prof said go ask TA.

Quizzes are also fcked up. Extremely unclear question prompt with millions of possible interpretations. Thought it's completion grade, it doesn't help to throw random garbage prompt just to waste students' time

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 2, 2023

I am honestly shocked about the current rating that this course has. Professor Wu is my favorite professor at UCLA and goes out of his way to be accommodating to his students. This course was challenging and you will need to work hard, but it is by no means impossible. Professor Wu has a more theoretical teaching style, but if you have questions and you go to office hours he will take the time to help you understand. He really is a great guy. Good luck!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 17, 2022

This can be considered as a general comment for the entire 102 series taught by Professor Wu. I had A-/A/A for 102A/B/C.

To start with, Professor Wu is a really nice person, he often jokes in class and answers whatever questions students have. Having taken three classes with him, I guarantee you that he really likes teaching, and he is in fact one of the few Professors in the Stats department who wants to teach you something...

As for the class, I have seen many negative comments on Bruinwalk, and I was also worried at first, but it turned out to me that it's an easy A as long as you pay attention in class, read through his notes, do the homework by yourself, and perhaps ask questions in OH. I got A- in 102A bc it was online and I didn't really attend the classes much...

He focuses a lot on mathematical (or theoretical part of) statistics, so you will see lots of derivations, proofs and the math heavy stuff in his class. If you don't like the theoretical part of statistics, then you probably will suffer in Wu's class, and I would highly recommend you to take Miles Chen or other professor's classes instead. However, if you plan to pursue a graduate degree in statistics or go for academia or really want to master statistics, then you have to learn these stuffs and taking Wu's class will be truly helpful. I personally likes the theoretical stuffs he taught, so I enjoyed...But if you aimed for practical application alone, then nope, it's gonna be a nightmare like the other comments have detailed.

In general, I feel like the stats department divides into two tracks (application and theoretical) based on professors. Christou, Wu, etc. are extremely theoretical based; whereas Miles Chen, Lew, Mike, etc. favor application of statistics. (just some personal opinions...)hope helps

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: N/A
Dec. 17, 2022

This class is so much more of a headache than it is worth. Somehow I would go to lectures and be more confused about various topics than just going into a topic with zero info. Like a typical Wu class, grade breakdown was 7% quizzes based on completion, 45% Homeworks (6 total, one of which was during finals week), and 48% Final. We received zero feedback after the 2nd homework before taking the final. Basically, you have no idea what you do or don't know or where you stand in the class. The final exam was also quite difficult and half of it was nothing like the previous quiz or homework questions.
I watched all of Prof Chen's 102c lectures on youtube before the final (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) and finally understood the course. It's clear to me the difference in teaching between the two professors, so I would try to take this course under another professor (if possible).

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Feb. 17, 2023

Bro just fired him

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Dec. 29, 2022

I had the misfortune of taking this class with Professor Wu. His lectures are incoherent and don't make much sense at all. Reading the textbook is much more valuable than the lectures. He is mildly helpful during OH, though he was 20-30 minutes late multiple times. He is a nice guy overall and I believe he wants the best for his students, but his teaching style is better suited for graduate courses.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: B+
Nov. 28, 2022

Professor Wu is very nice, but his lectures are extremely unengaging and unclear. He recaps the previous lecture for at least 10-15 minutes every class, and then when he teaches new content, he half reads off the slides and half does some math without really explaining the big picture of when/how to use the methods being introduced.

The class is pretty challenging compared to the complexity of the content just because they are not presented very well. We did not receive ANY feedback for homework after homework 2, and none of the solutions were posted because "the exam is based heavily on the homework." Is that not the whole point of studying the homework? There is zero transparency in this class and Professor Wu's teaching model is to just lecture and assign work. There is no consideration for students' progress and whether or not the previous lessons were actually effective. The way he teaches was more suitable to an online course, since his lectures are so unclear I would've had to rewatch them multiple times just to understand the objective of the lecture.

I would have liked to look to the slides for help with homework, but the slides are equally unhelpful since they only contain the most basic algorithms and examples, but rarely information about how to apply them in different contexts. I also found the notation pretty confusing and I personally had to spend a lot of extra time watching Professor Chen's STATS 102C lectures (posted on Youtube) to understand the lecture and the intuition behind many of the sampling and integration methods. While I didn't mind the theoretical nature of the class (I found the proof based homework problems to be the easiest), I found it very difficult to understand any of the math when there was little explanation for its connection to what we were learning.

Since homework tended to be more complicated than lectures, I felt like I had to self-learn a lot using the textbook. In general, I don't recommend taking this class with Professor Wu if you have the choice, but if you find yourself with no other option, prepare yourself to dedicate a decent amount of time to just understanding the material and rereading the textbook.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: C-
June 25, 2022

Taking 102A and 102B with Wu was the worst decision I made in my three years at UCLA.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: I
May 12, 2022

I took 102b with Wu 2022 spring but class is not listed so I'll say something here.

Don't take his class.

I got wrong on part of a small hw question. It got me 10% off the total hw. Prof doesn't use gradescope, so you have absolutely no idea how you got your points off. I went to ask TA for the correct solution, TA said go ask prof. I went to the prof. Prof said go ask TA.

Quizzes are also fcked up. Extremely unclear question prompt with millions of possible interpretations. Thought it's completion grade, it doesn't help to throw random garbage prompt just to waste students' time

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 2, 2023

I am honestly shocked about the current rating that this course has. Professor Wu is my favorite professor at UCLA and goes out of his way to be accommodating to his students. This course was challenging and you will need to work hard, but it is by no means impossible. Professor Wu has a more theoretical teaching style, but if you have questions and you go to office hours he will take the time to help you understand. He really is a great guy. Good luck!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A
Dec. 17, 2022

This can be considered as a general comment for the entire 102 series taught by Professor Wu. I had A-/A/A for 102A/B/C.

To start with, Professor Wu is a really nice person, he often jokes in class and answers whatever questions students have. Having taken three classes with him, I guarantee you that he really likes teaching, and he is in fact one of the few Professors in the Stats department who wants to teach you something...

As for the class, I have seen many negative comments on Bruinwalk, and I was also worried at first, but it turned out to me that it's an easy A as long as you pay attention in class, read through his notes, do the homework by yourself, and perhaps ask questions in OH. I got A- in 102A bc it was online and I didn't really attend the classes much...

He focuses a lot on mathematical (or theoretical part of) statistics, so you will see lots of derivations, proofs and the math heavy stuff in his class. If you don't like the theoretical part of statistics, then you probably will suffer in Wu's class, and I would highly recommend you to take Miles Chen or other professor's classes instead. However, if you plan to pursue a graduate degree in statistics or go for academia or really want to master statistics, then you have to learn these stuffs and taking Wu's class will be truly helpful. I personally likes the theoretical stuffs he taught, so I enjoyed...But if you aimed for practical application alone, then nope, it's gonna be a nightmare like the other comments have detailed.

In general, I feel like the stats department divides into two tracks (application and theoretical) based on professors. Christou, Wu, etc. are extremely theoretical based; whereas Miles Chen, Lew, Mike, etc. favor application of statistics. (just some personal opinions...)hope helps

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 1
1.9
Overall Rating
Based on 12 Users
Easiness 1.8 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 1.8 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.8 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 2.4 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

There are no relevant tags for this professor yet.

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