If you remotely like mathematics, do not take this class. This class is not math. It's basically memorization of some random concepts centering around modeling systems. Professor V doesn't seem to have a strong understanding of the material herself, and the textbook is not the most clear. However, the tests are pretty damn easy, especially if you go to TA office hours and study the practice tests rigorously. I regret entering this series because I actually kind of like math and this class bares no resemblance to a math course. If that's what you want though, go for it!

This class wasn't too bad. Like many others said, it's mostly conceptual with not many actual calculations. The concepts are not difficult to understand, especially if you've taken calc before. The coding is super easy (I'd never done any kind of programming before).

The textbook is available for free, which Venugopal gives out in a pdf. The class does require a clicker, but it's not used in every lecture.

Dr. V isn't the most clear lecturer but it's not too hard to pick up on the ideas on your own. The midterm and final were pretty easy, and she offers two grading schemes in case you bomb the midterm. Overall, I would recommend this class with Dr. V. It's very doable.

Don't take the LS30 series! In the case that you want to change your major out of the life sciences, this is a horrible choice as it won't transfer over. You'll have to take an actual math class - I think it's always better to have options. This series honestly felt like a waste of time. I wasn't learning anything other than how to take the exam.

If you do take this class though, Venugopal is alright. The TAs/LAs are pretty helpful. The coding labs can be a bit confusing, but there are resources to help you. The class is an easy A to say in the least, with very doable exams with a degree of self-studying.

Very confusing lectures. I found it pointless to attend class if it weren't for the stupid clicker questions. The TA's are very knowledgeable and are better for help with the material than Sharmila. The class was very easy, especially if you have a background in calc. The coding labs suck but most TA's will give you the answers at office hours.

I had her for LS30b and I honestly didn't find her class to be that difficult, and I loved how the homework didn't have to be turned in. The quizzes were really easy and straightforward. She got into too much unnecessary detail during class, but it just shows how passionate she is about the material. The concepts themselves are not that difficult.

Venogupal is a very nice person and I'm sure she is very smart but in my opinion this is not the class for her to be teaching. She contradicted herself in lectures and left the class more confused after class than before. The tests ended up being fair and she gives out a good number of As but I don't think I learned a single useful thing with her in 30A or B. I would highly recommend a different professor.

This class was a hit or miss for a lot of people. I'm not sure if it was just the circumstances that UCLA went through during this quarter (strikes, protests, etc.), but I felt like this class was poorly organized and confusing. Professor V is a kind, wonderful human being, and I find her endearing and sweet, but me and my friends felt like her lectures were unclear and oftentimes a waste of time. The thing I found most useful for my learning in this class was watching the videos by Dr. Alan Garfinkel during my free time. Professor V linked these videos on BruinLearn and on her slides, but since it wasn't graded I don't think a lot of people watched them. If you're going to take this class, I highly recommend watching these videos because it helped me prepare for the exams and complete the (ridiculously confusing) homeworks.
We had two midterms, and I did well on both, so I did not have to take the final, which was definitely a plus. As long as you put in the work, explore the given resources, and show Professor V you are eager to learn, I'm sure this class is manageable.

I think I skipped the majority of the lectures for this class. Dr. V is very kind but puts very minimal effort into her teaching. Lectures were so repetitive because she would essentially word for word read the textbook and only use examples that could be found in it. This was one of my first classes at UCLA and showed me why it is so important to read Bruinwalk!

The course content is fairly simple especially if you have taken calculus before. I highly recommend reading the textbook as it is full of useful examples and was way more helpful to me than the lectures/ learning team support. Dr. V kind of forces you to lean on the textbook, GitHub videos, and TAs.

My other tip is become friends with people in your labs. They are definitely manageable but get increasingly difficult as the quarter progresses, so support is key!

Selling old LS30A graded coded labs at a cheap price! Makes the class much more bearable. Email me at *************

I was skeptical going into LS 40 because I had heard that the class was new and disorganized. It is true that there isn't much of a textbook, and it's clear that material is still being developed. However, I really enjoyed this class. Professor V is very accommodating, and she adjusted well to online learning. She was very empathetic towards her students and understood the stress we were under due to COVID during spring quarter. She even adjusted the final for us. Stats can be boring but she tried her best to make lecture engaging, and really listened to our questions to help us understand. She also posted her slides, which are very clear and well done. Personally, I enjoyed the coding aspects of this class a lot, and thought that the coding lined up really nicely with the course material (unlike the LS 30 series). The material is very relevant to modern technology and I hope to apply it in the future. Overall I would highly recommend this class, especially since its easier to enroll in than Stats 13.