Sorin Popa
Department of Mathematics
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3.7
Overall Rating
Based on 16 Users
Easiness 3.3 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.5 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.1 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.3 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Needs Textbook
  • Useful Textbooks
  • Often Funny
  • Appropriately Priced Materials
  • Would Take Again
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
17.7%
14.7%
11.8%
8.8%
5.9%
2.9%
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.

25.4%
21.1%
16.9%
12.7%
8.5%
4.2%
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 (9)

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Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
May 27, 2020

I took 31B with him 2020 winter. This guy made everything super clear and the exams are all fair. His accent doesn’t matter anymore after attending the third lecture and actually he would write down everything he said on the board. so no worry about that. Trust me you’ll definitely get good grade if you go to lectures and finish his homework.

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Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A-
Feb. 7, 2020

I retook this class after failing 31A with a different professor my fall quarter, and I found Popa's test to be significantly easier than my old professors. He makes them pretty similar to his practice exams, so study those well! Otherwise, you have a reasonable amount of homework due weekly and it's all pretty manageable.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2018
Grade: A-
Jan. 21, 2020

Hey,
I’m selling Rogawski calculus *4th edition* [PDF copy] for $15!
If interested, text me @ **********
Accepting payment by Venmo

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: A
Jan. 10, 2019

Selling Rogawski textbook, **********

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2015
Grade: B+
Feb. 26, 2017

I can honestly say Professor Popa is one of the best math professors that I've had at UCLA. He has a thick accent but is still easy to understand and has a great sense of humor. His midterms were pretty easy and the final was kind of hard but if you study in advance there's no reason you can't get an A in this class with a little elbow grease and hard work. If you are looking for an easy 31A professor look no further. He is the best in the business.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2015
Grade: A
July 19, 2016

I took this course with Professor Popa in the Fall of 2015. The grade I received was an A. There is no extra credit in this class. Overall, I really enjoy math, so the course material is very interesting to me. However, Popa isn't a very good lecturer in my opinion. His thoughts are sometimes clouded, and he gets distracted very easily (e.g. if someone asks him an off-topic question, he may spend 5-10 min talking about it). He has a very heavy accent, which wasn't too hard to understand, though others stated they had trouble understanding him at times. He has messy hand-writing, which was difficult to read at times, if you were not following along the entire time. Don't get me wrong, Professor Popa is a very nice person, and he was very funny as well; but as a lecturer, I don't think he was the best. I recommend reading out of the textbook to do the learning. His tests weren't that bad, and if you are comfortable with the homework, you should do fine. About 3-4 questions for the midterms, with sub-parts. The final was rather difficult, and lengthy (i.e. I spent the entire 3 hour period), but still managed to get an A.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2015
Grade: A-
Feb. 4, 2016

This dude has a heavy accent, however you get acclimated to it. He adds a nerdy humor in his lectures, which makes them about as engaging as you can get for Calculus. 8/10 would recommend.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2015
Grade: B+
Jan. 28, 2016

Popa's accent takes a bit to get used to, but you will get used to it by the second week. He told us that he has arthritis, and that's why his handwriting isn't that great, and believe me, IT IS messy. So it's really important to hear what he's saying so you know what he meant to write. His class doesn't move that quickly, and the homework load is typical of math, but not too bad. He's pretty clear in class but he also doesn't elaborate on stuff amazingly well. However, if you go to office hours, he's really helpful one-on-one.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 6, 2015

Popa is a good professor who clearly loves math. He goes through a lot of sample problems in lecture and his midterms and exam is fair. His teaching style is definitely geared towards those who have some prior background in calculus. Although I did not have as much of a calculus background as many people in the class, I managed to follow along for the most part.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
May 27, 2020

I took 31B with him 2020 winter. This guy made everything super clear and the exams are all fair. His accent doesn’t matter anymore after attending the third lecture and actually he would write down everything he said on the board. so no worry about that. Trust me you’ll definitely get good grade if you go to lectures and finish his homework.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A-
Feb. 7, 2020

I retook this class after failing 31A with a different professor my fall quarter, and I found Popa's test to be significantly easier than my old professors. He makes them pretty similar to his practice exams, so study those well! Otherwise, you have a reasonable amount of homework due weekly and it's all pretty manageable.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2018
Grade: A-
Jan. 21, 2020

Hey,
I’m selling Rogawski calculus *4th edition* [PDF copy] for $15!
If interested, text me @ **********
Accepting payment by Venmo

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: A
Jan. 10, 2019

Selling Rogawski textbook, **********

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2015
Grade: B+
Feb. 26, 2017

I can honestly say Professor Popa is one of the best math professors that I've had at UCLA. He has a thick accent but is still easy to understand and has a great sense of humor. His midterms were pretty easy and the final was kind of hard but if you study in advance there's no reason you can't get an A in this class with a little elbow grease and hard work. If you are looking for an easy 31A professor look no further. He is the best in the business.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2015
Grade: A
July 19, 2016

I took this course with Professor Popa in the Fall of 2015. The grade I received was an A. There is no extra credit in this class. Overall, I really enjoy math, so the course material is very interesting to me. However, Popa isn't a very good lecturer in my opinion. His thoughts are sometimes clouded, and he gets distracted very easily (e.g. if someone asks him an off-topic question, he may spend 5-10 min talking about it). He has a very heavy accent, which wasn't too hard to understand, though others stated they had trouble understanding him at times. He has messy hand-writing, which was difficult to read at times, if you were not following along the entire time. Don't get me wrong, Professor Popa is a very nice person, and he was very funny as well; but as a lecturer, I don't think he was the best. I recommend reading out of the textbook to do the learning. His tests weren't that bad, and if you are comfortable with the homework, you should do fine. About 3-4 questions for the midterms, with sub-parts. The final was rather difficult, and lengthy (i.e. I spent the entire 3 hour period), but still managed to get an A.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2015
Grade: A-
Feb. 4, 2016

This dude has a heavy accent, however you get acclimated to it. He adds a nerdy humor in his lectures, which makes them about as engaging as you can get for Calculus. 8/10 would recommend.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2015
Grade: B+
Jan. 28, 2016

Popa's accent takes a bit to get used to, but you will get used to it by the second week. He told us that he has arthritis, and that's why his handwriting isn't that great, and believe me, IT IS messy. So it's really important to hear what he's saying so you know what he meant to write. His class doesn't move that quickly, and the homework load is typical of math, but not too bad. He's pretty clear in class but he also doesn't elaborate on stuff amazingly well. However, if you go to office hours, he's really helpful one-on-one.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 6, 2015

Popa is a good professor who clearly loves math. He goes through a lot of sample problems in lecture and his midterms and exam is fair. His teaching style is definitely geared towards those who have some prior background in calculus. Although I did not have as much of a calculus background as many people in the class, I managed to follow along for the most part.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 1
3.7
Overall Rating
Based on 16 Users
Easiness 3.3 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.5 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.1 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.3 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Needs Textbook
    (6)
  • Useful Textbooks
    (6)
  • Often Funny
    (5)
  • Appropriately Priced Materials
    (4)
  • Would Take Again
    (4)
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