Summary: In comparison to Math 131A, I took Math 115A with a different instructor last quarter and while I found MATH 115A a lot easier, I think I learned far less and much less about proof writing. Additionally, the Math 115A lectures were much less clear. So while Math 131A with Professor Forlano may be harder, it may be worth it. Overall, I think it was a great introduction to real analysis

Pros: Lectures are clear and intuitive and the professor is pretty nice about clarifying topics or offering help (Note: The professor does go fast (which I think is common in the math department) so you can get lost. I typically used to take down notes while he was talking and review them later on to make sure I understood what was said). Homework load is relatively light, especially later in the quarter. Midterm/Final average is relatively low so, if the class is graded on a curve, it’s easier to do better (i.e. small mistakes don’t have as much an impact on your final grade). There are also two grading schemes where the lowest midterm can be dropped and the homework/final scores are upweighted, but I think most students used this scheme anyway because their homework/final scores were far better. There was an extra credit hw assignment (worth 7% of the overall grade) to boost grades with three hard (but doable) problems. I also felt I learned a lot about rigorous proof writing (this is emphasized in lecture as well as homework/exam grading). Grades are on a straight scale (90 is an A-/A, 80 is a B-/B, etc.) though these can be lowered depending on class performance.

Cons: The exams are pretty challenging (mt1=59%,mt2=49%,final=64%) and doing well on them can be very dependent on your time management during the exams. For the first two midterms we didn’t have a notesheet and had to memorize everything which can be a pain (for the final, we were allowed a notesheet). The practice problems for the exam are ridiculously hard though, to a lesser degree, are reflective of exam problem difficulty. We also don't go over problem-solving strategies for exam problems which is another important aspect of doing well on timed exams. I think in past class offerings the average GPA was ~2.7 and that was probably the case this quarter. While there isn’t too much homework, the problems can be tricky and require some thought (this isn’t necessarily a con, tbh).

I really loved his lectures, he explained everything very clearly (his accent will honestly help you pay attention, everyone loves an Australian accent), responded positively to questions, and was overall super helpful. He's teaching a class that a lot of people have a hard time with, so I can't fault him for the difficulty of the exams, but they were tough. Averages of the midterms were 48% and 58%. The average of the final was 63%. There were two grading schemes, but it's likely everyone had to use one that was 20% highest midterm, 30% homework, and 50% final. After the first midterm's low average, he said that was normal, and that luckily we have a grading scheme that drops a midterm. After the second midterm's low average, he made the final homework extra credit (up to 7% on top of the grading schemes, pretty huge boost to our grades). He also allowed us a cheat sheet for the final, which was very helpful, there are a lot of definitions you need to remember. The questions on all of the exams were honestly pretty fair, and I think the grading was generous, we were probably just all a bit rusty coming off of online unproctored 24 hour exams straight into 50 minute in person exams (for the midterms) and 3 hours for the final. The homeworks were pretty long, but you only had to do a small subset of the questions. I doubt very many people did all of the homework (we're all lazy), and I think if you actually did the whole homeworks you would get a ton more practice than your classmates and be way ahead of the curve. Some proofs from homework are also very helpful to reference during exams or future homework assignments.

Because I had a time conflict with another class, I was never able to go to Forlano's lectures live, but I watched them in my own time and although they weren't the most interesting, Forlano was pretty good at explaining difficult concepts and giving examples accordingly. His class was very organized which I appreciated (lectures, homeworks, exams, and exam scores were all posted on time and quickly) and he is very patient in answering students' questions and making sure they understand concepts. Overall, I would take his class again!

Homeworks: 25%, 9 total, lowest 2 dropped, due every week. He would give us a set of 15-20 problems, but only about 5 were assigned and the rest were just for review. He would also post answers for these problems after the due date which was nice
Quizzes: 14.5%, 3 total, 90 minutes to complete on Gradescope. The quizzes each had three computational problems that were pretty similar to homework and weren't too challenging, but he did say that they were supposed to take about 30 minutes and I think most people used all 90 to complete it
Exams: 15% each midterm, 30% final, 24 hours to complete. The first midterm was pretty easy as it was exactly the stuff we practice in class, the second one was definitely harder but not too bad. The final was about twice as long as the midterms and felt pretty long and difficult, but still doable given the amount of time you get

this class is SIGNIFICANTLY harder than other professors' 170e courses. unnecessarily difficult, horrible grading.

32B alone is already pretty hard, but Forlano doesn't really help because He tends to mumble in lectures, making them a lot less engaging and hard to follow. He talks in such a monotonous way that makes you dizzy after a few minutes. Anyways, I am not super good at math myself, and Forlano's class was far from being enjoyable for me.

Avoid at all costs

Taking his class requires efforts, strength, and determination. You can learn a lot, and you will surely gain a lot. However, considering it as an easy-A class is definitely wrong unless you are a genius. The prof goes through every concept at a fast pace with no rest, and plenty of HW and exams will push you forward. Thus, save time and then you can do well. Otherwise, gaining a satisfactory grade is of great difficulty.

PLEASE, WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT TAKE MATH 32B WITH FORLANO!!! I MEAN IT. Whatever score he currently has on Bruinwalk, IT IS TOO HIGH!!! Even if his score were to be ⅕ stars, it is still too high. I’m being completely serious. Although he seems like a decent guy, and I wish no ill will upon this man, Forlano has to be one of my least favorite math professors/teachers I have EVER taken.

Let’s start with his lectures. I can assure you that watching paint dry or grass grow would be a better use of your time and will contribute more to your life than attending Forlano’s lectures. In all fairness, he was instructing decently the first two weeks. Although he may have taught a little too fast, it was at least comprehensive. But once we hit Week 3, that is when Forlano cranked up the difficulty to 11, and things just got MUCH worse. In every lecture, he was teaching new topics at a neck-breaking pace. He tried cramming so much information into one lecture that it was just infuriating to sit through. And his writing. It was like trying to decipher hieroglyphics. Why does a “c” look like an “s”? Why does a “u” look like an “h”? Why does the triangle look like a circle?!? There were instances when he couldn't read his own handwriting! Literal preschoolers have more legible handwriting than Forlano. And what’s worse is that multivariable calculus relies on drawings to develop a better understanding of the material. But with Forlano, you’re at a complete and utter loss.

Onto his homework. They're honestly pretty brutal. Again, the first two weeks of assignments were not bad. But afterward, they just got more and more cumbersome. Granted, he assigns a decent amount of problems (ranging from 5-8), but the amount of work that goes into each problem is so time-consuming. There isn’t much else to say, just that they’re pretty annoying.

So for the exams, the first midterm wasn’t too bad. While the concepts were pretty complex, they were problems we tackled before in previous homework or class problems (except for a particular one that was a total enigma). But overall, it was fine. The second midterm is a different story. I have not met a single person that did well on that exam. And the final was on par with the second midterm (while maybe not as unfair, the number of questions made completion more taxing).

Now, I know some of you may have read this and still thought, “Oh, he doesn’t seem too bad compare to other professors.” But the thing is, I cannot even put into words how much I dislike his class. I can write an entire book about why I did not like this class, but I still feel like that wouldn’t be enough. Whether it be the lectures, exams, homework, or discussion sections, I never felt like I learned anything. Despite how much you’d try to catch up as a student, trying to learn from Forlano was a combination of not learning anything at all and feeling constantly behind. I’m tired, if you’ve reached this far you’re also probably tired, so I’ll just leave you with this: just don’t. Don’t take Forlano. If you take any other professor, then you’ll be fine.

quizzes were tough due to the time constraint, but I was able to do well on the midterms and final due to it being 24 hours, although the second midterm and final took me well over 6 hours. Forlano is a super nice guy. His lectures were very hard for me to get through, but looking back, he is very good at explaining concepts and drawing. Class is hard, but I would recommend it.

Forlano is a very reasonable professor, and I would definitely take him again if given the chance. His explanations are very helpful, but they definitely take a bit to click. For example, almost every integration technique we learned in this class was introduced with the concept of Riemann sums, which seems trivial when first introduced. Looking back though I feel taking everything from a very base level of understanding made the very difficult-to-grasp topics a lot more digestible than how I have seen other profs attempt to explain them. At the end of the day, math 32B is going to be pretty damn difficult no matter who your professor is, and I think Forlano was solid.