I have a lot of mixed feelings about this class. Did I learn statistics? Yes. Did I spend 5+ hours working on projects that weren't supposed to take that long? Yes. I felt like the TA you had for this class made a HUGE difference. My TA did not help us out AT ALL on the problem sets so I attended other sections where they would basically tell you exactly how to do it or do you it for you. It wasn't fair that other students spent an hour on their problem sets while I spent 5+ collaborating with others in my section trying to figure it all out. I also felt the final was graded very harshly. The problem sets were not graded as harshly as the final so PLEASE be extra extra thorough on the final exam. PREPARE A LOT AND WORK TOGETHER TO STUDY FOR THE MIDTERM!!! I studied over the course of 4-5 days with a few friends. Each day we would choose a few lectures, study them individually, go over each part together, and then add it to a large study guide. The last session we all came up with practice questions and we all worked together to make a huge powerpoint. This helped a lot and we all got 97% or above. The final exam was take home and was very similar to a problem set, but judging from the fact that I had gotten above 95% on all the problem sets, I thought I would be okay- I was not. I got a 75% and a bunch of my other friends in section did not do too hot as well. I've never worked harder for a class so it was disappointing. My tips: Find friends, LOTS. Ask questions in class, and if your TA sucks, just attend another section.

This class was a struggle ngl. Lectures were good, but I stopped going around week 4-5 when everyone was getting sick bc that room was stuffy af and I did not appreciate getting coughed on on all sides lol. Anyway, I fell behind bad because the lecture recordings are almost impossible to understand bc the audio is so scuffed, and Phillips uses a laser pointer in lecture that you can't see in the recording. She's a great lecturer tho and super helpful! Queen tbh. So yeah, go to lecture if you can, unless they update the recording equipment smh. I'm pretty sure Bruce Tsai isn't TAing again but just in case he is, FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE TO BE IN HIS SECTION. He's so dedicated and helpful and chill and accessible fr there is no better TA on this campus. We believe in Bruce supremacy.
The class itself had ~4 problem sets, some photo/content submissions, a midterm test, and a final problem set. Honestly, the content wasn't that difficult, it was just the issue of lectures being inaccessible that made this class difficult.

Professor Phillips is a really sweet lady who does her best to help her students out where she can. I personally found this class horrible though simply because I despise coding. The coding assignments would take me hours on end to do and I would be very frustrated overall. However, this was my first (and hopefully last) coding class ever, so if you are familiar with R or any coding program in general then I am sure you will be fine. I really do not see what this course has to do with public affairs, but if you need to take it then I would say take it with Phillips.

I took this class in Fall 2023, and it was really interesting. It’s similar to Stats 10 but with a stronger public policy focus. At the beginning of the quarter, you take a class survey, and that data is used throughout the course in your coding assignments. The class mainly covers basic statistics and coding, and you’ll use R as the coding language. I’ve heard great things about all the professors who teach this course. I had Meredith Phillips, and she was amazing—super understanding and genuinely invested in helping students grasp the material. She’s also a great connection to have if you’re interested in statistics or data analysis, as she’s very open to helping students beyond the class.

One of the most practical and interesting classes I've taken thus far at UCLA. If you are interested in data analysis as it applies to the social sciences, or are looking to take other classes that use R, this is a great introductory class. TA spends a lot of time in the beginning helping you get accustomed to the software, and for this class I'd say having a good TA makes all the difference. You also learn some basic statistics applied to public policy issues which was interesting. Prof Meredith is incredibly helpful, passionate about the subject matter, and encouraging. Would highly recommend this class with her.

Professor Phillips is the best!!! I immensely enjoyed her lecture: she was clear, to the point, and funny. I had no experience in R, and this class was an excellent start. Prof. told me that this class is more coding than STATS10 (which focuses more on stats but less coding than STATS20 (which is on R coding). I am a person who hates STEM and coding, but this class changed my perspective on that. The first half of the course focused on more basic statistics, and the second half focused on hypothesis testing and more intense coding. She gave a lot of extra credit, so I found it helpful. The class workload was reasonable, comprising four coding assignments (two big and two small), seeing data everywhere (4 links to data-related sources), (mandatory discussion) participation, midterm, and final. The midterm was in-person, focusing more on stats, while the final exam was a take-home coding project. The office hours and TAs were beneficial for explaining things in the class, so use them! Because of the quarter system, it was a pretty fast-paced class. It was packed, but I learned a lot. If you need a stats requirement, I could not say more good things, so TAKE THIS CLASS WITH PROF PHILLIPS!