Easily one of the all around best professors I've had at UCLA! Passionate about the material and genuinely cares for students. His class is very organized and structured, with weekly/bimonthly assignments (homework/quizzes/labs) and very detailed and helpful slides that he posts. Definitely a great lecturer too; he doesn't just read from the slides, and he adds silly humor throughout. He not only cares for students' learning and mastery fo the subject, but also about our well being, mental health, etc. Homework isn't turned in (everyone gets full 5%), two midterms, one final, labs, and online quizzes. Don't have to go to lab/discussion if you download Fathom for labs. Definitely recommend!!

If you are even remotely considering taking stats 10....

TAKE IT WITH PROF MICHAEL

"No grade in any class, including this one, is more important than your physical well-being, your mental well-being, and your integrity. Take time to rest, eat, exercise, go for a walk, hang out with friends, speak to a counselor, or whatever it takes to take care of yourself. It might not feel like it, but you are not alone. Be mindful of others’ struggles as well."

This is an excerpt from his syllabus. I have never met in all my years as a student a more caring and underestanding teacher. In addition to being just a genuinely good human being in the sea of coldness that typically comes from math professors, he is actually an amazing teacher, very clear and thorough in his explanations.

Contrary to prior quarters, this class has been changed and made far more difficult than it used to be. There were two midterms and a final all of which were multiple choice and written. The exams were difficult and tested minute details of R, but the curve made up for them. Nonetheless, studying for the exams was difficult seeing as though we’d receive homework assignments due the same day as exams only to be postponed at the last minute after students have spent all week doing them instead of studying do to their length. The homework assignments were lengthy, time consuming, and difficult, but if you put the time into it you will genuinely get a lot out of them. You will actually gain a lot of knowledge in R from this class and you will be more prepared for 102A than students from previous quarters were if you are able to invest the time into the class. The TA Jake is not as bad as others depict him to be. He extended his office hours almost every week an assignment was due. His office hours were the most helpful of all the TAs, so definitely take advantage of it. As for the professor, he genuinely cares and only real downside about this class is the time you need to spend on homework assignments and the group projects. I definitely don’t recommend taking this class unless you’re a stats major/minor or considering becoming one. Also, if you do take this class try to take a lighter course load as this class will take up a lot of your time especially if you do not have prior programming knowledge.

this class is nice, and the professor is wonderful. i'm not sure how the class was before when most bad reviews were but my ta was amazing. homework is graded on effort, tests and overall grades are curved up (around half the people get an a/a- when averages on midterms and exams are around 80). this class is amazing. i think some people might find it hard if they never coded before but the class is not daunting at all imo, we use campuswire so just post ur question there anonymously. get a study group or have contact of a friend if u get stuck on homework. all homeworks automatically have a 24hr extension so thats really nice. for an intro coding class, its really nice imo (cough cough cs 31). the class isnt an easy a and you'll have to study, but this class didn't give me a lot of stress and i hope most classes are this caring.

To start off, Mike is an amazing professor and the most dedicated and hard working teacher I've ever had. He really really cares about his students. He'll respond to emails instantly at any time of day and has lots of office hours availability. This is a tough class though. The work load is quite heavy. Coding homework every week that usually takes like five hours (obviously depends on how good you are). The exams test for a deep knowledge of the material and how code functions. The averages on the midterms were 50-60% and very time pressured. Final seems to have been about the same, though not at all time pressured. Obviously the class is scaled at the end. It seems like the top 25-30% got As and the median grade was a B. Prior understanding of CS stuff probably helps a lot in this class but even without it you can do pretty well if you put the work in. I've never taken a CS and pulled out an A- after being barely above average on the midterms. The exam multiple choice is based heavily on the lecture notes so have those down really well. Exams are way harder than the practice ones he gives you.

Mike says he cares about our wellbeing, but I'd say that's complete bs. Here I sit at 3 am still doing his homework. He gives 8 questions each week and they're impossible to solve without wanting to die every single second. The TA Jake Kramer is an absolute asshole that delights in seeing his students fail. Avoid at all costs.

Prof. states multiple times to let him worry about your grade and you just worry about learning. At first, I was apprehensive but by the end, you should believe him. If you are worried about grades do not worry he curves his midterms and final very generously. Super organized class with clear lectures and clearer notes (his notes even have a table of contents). I really felt like I learned a lot and was never stressed about my grade. If you need to take Stats20 take it with Prof. Tsiang.

This class was such a nightmare! So much heavy, unnecessarily difficult workload that takes up what should be used as study time! The exams test on minute details that you can't really study for. The last two weeks were a complete disaster! A self study chapter, a homework assignment, and a final project all assigned in Week 9 with barely enough time to study for the final. And the worst part about the class is the professor saying crap like "Your mental health is more important than your grades" which baffles me because this class is the source of mental health problems. The only good thing about this class is the curve, but everything else was just bad.

Stats 20 with Mike was a grueling experience, but one which I would wholeheartedly have again, as I believed that I learned a solid amount with regards to programming as well as R itself. I came into this class with no programming experience whatsoever, but Mike easily guided me through the lectures while also pausing for questions if the class had any questions.

Mike also provides an extensive amount of office hours and is always willing to help guide the students with the homework and answer any clarifying questions as well. I went to virtually every single office hour and felt like I received a good understanding of the goals of this class.

Now, the tests--both the midterms as well as the final--are difficult, but in the end, Mike tends to curve the class, so the absolute number you see is not the actual end result of the grade. The midterms were primarily difficult due to the time constraints--only 45 minutes--while the final was more difficult on a conceptual level than time-restrictive.

Overall, this class was enjoyable for me, and I disagree with claims that one needs prior programming experience to do well in this class. I believe that as long as you focus on learning and understanding the material, instead of the grade, and give an effort for the class, you will do relatively well in Mike's Stats 20.

TL;DR: Waffles, not grades.

Mike is awesome; he really wants you to succeed. He is very approachable outside of class. The material of the class is difficult, but the class itself is well organized. The tests build on the HWs, which build on the notes. Do not worry about your grade even if your raw scores are low, as the curve is very generous.