Professor
Liam Watson
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Most Helpful Review
Let me begin my evaluation by stating that I got an A in Watson's class. If you are thinking about taking Watson, be prepared for someone who has very well organized lecture material and great ways of explaining concepts. Students say he is not approachable, but I never went to office hours any way so I guess I wouldn't know. What I do know is that he answered everyone's questions during class and that as long as you payed attention, you would understand. FORMULA FOR SUCCESS: 1. Notes- Watson gives some pretty distinct hints on what he will be testing on, write that shit down. I remember a huge proof he did in the first week of class, then referred back to later on, and hinted that it might be good to know it, so I memorized it before the test. It was the last problem (most points) and it threw everyone off, throwing me above the curve. 2. Studying - do the problems in the book, all of them. There are only a limited amount of problem types he assigns for hmwk, do all of the books examples of those. Watson's test are really fair. Nothing was ever like "never seen this shit before" Encourage yourself to gain a firm understanding on not only the process, but the proofs and reasoning behind what you are learning.
Let me begin my evaluation by stating that I got an A in Watson's class. If you are thinking about taking Watson, be prepared for someone who has very well organized lecture material and great ways of explaining concepts. Students say he is not approachable, but I never went to office hours any way so I guess I wouldn't know. What I do know is that he answered everyone's questions during class and that as long as you payed attention, you would understand. FORMULA FOR SUCCESS: 1. Notes- Watson gives some pretty distinct hints on what he will be testing on, write that shit down. I remember a huge proof he did in the first week of class, then referred back to later on, and hinted that it might be good to know it, so I memorized it before the test. It was the last problem (most points) and it threw everyone off, throwing me above the curve. 2. Studying - do the problems in the book, all of them. There are only a limited amount of problem types he assigns for hmwk, do all of the books examples of those. Watson's test are really fair. Nothing was ever like "never seen this shit before" Encourage yourself to gain a firm understanding on not only the process, but the proofs and reasoning behind what you are learning.
Most Helpful Review
Watson's lectures contained many proofs and explanations of concepts. In addition, he would sometimes explain certain concepts in great detail and not explain others at all (implicit differentiation). A good professor, but his personality and his office hours could be improved upon.
Watson's lectures contained many proofs and explanations of concepts. In addition, he would sometimes explain certain concepts in great detail and not explain others at all (implicit differentiation). A good professor, but his personality and his office hours could be improved upon.
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Most Helpful Review
Watson was pretty douchey, but after having taken some other math classes in comparison he was ok. The homework was difficult and often involved concepts not discussed in lecture, but his tests were very fair. Although they definitely were a bit of a time crunch, if you understood the material there was no reason not to do well. I got an 84 on midterm 1, a 90 on midterm 2, and a 92 on the final and got an A overall so his grading was pretty fair.
Watson was pretty douchey, but after having taken some other math classes in comparison he was ok. The homework was difficult and often involved concepts not discussed in lecture, but his tests were very fair. Although they definitely were a bit of a time crunch, if you understood the material there was no reason not to do well. I got an 84 on midterm 1, a 90 on midterm 2, and a 92 on the final and got an A overall so his grading was pretty fair.
Most Helpful Review
Great professor for optimization: really organized and logical so as long as you're paying attention you won't get lost. He tends to do more of the abstract in class, but the homeworks are half practical. It makes some of the problems tough, but go to office hours and he'll figure out where you're confused and guide you until you get it. His tests are very straightforward. Challenging, but no surprises. I think 5 problems on the midterm and 10 or 12 on the final. Everything on both the midterm and the final were things gone over and emphasized in class. Definitely one of the better math professors at UCLA.
Great professor for optimization: really organized and logical so as long as you're paying attention you won't get lost. He tends to do more of the abstract in class, but the homeworks are half practical. It makes some of the problems tough, but go to office hours and he'll figure out where you're confused and guide you until you get it. His tests are very straightforward. Challenging, but no surprises. I think 5 problems on the midterm and 10 or 12 on the final. Everything on both the midterm and the final were things gone over and emphasized in class. Definitely one of the better math professors at UCLA.
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