His lectures are completely useless since he doesn't mention what reading to do before class and his handwriting is awful. As a result, most of the class can't follow the proofs he regurgitates from the text. He rarely does examples for solving problems. He expects us to understand concepts, yet all he does it rewrite proofs.

Tests WOULD be easy IF there were no true/false concept questions which make up usually a whopping 20 points on the test and cause people to fail. Computation problems are easy enough as quizzes and homework help. Lectures are completely useless and full of useless proofs. He doesn't do example problems nor take the time to explain the concepts.

All he does is write proofs on the board and does not explain anything. You literally have to read a textbook. He has weekly quiz, which are easy as long as you did the homework. I'd say midterms and final are fair and he curves the exams. But prepare to read textbooks.

TA was more useful than the prof in terms of teaching the materials. The lectures were disorganized and didn't have many examples. The prof isn't accessible outside of class aside during one office hour. You can't really ask for help on the homework from the prof. Read the textbook to survive the class

Extremely theoretical and proof heavy, not nearly enough examples given in lecture. Grade was 25% midterm, 25% HW, and 50% final exam. His exams were pretty much nothing like the HW he assigned from the book. All based on theorems and the questions were very vague and confusing. Don't take unless you are a math major or do well with math theory

Awful

I really hoped things would turn out better, Im certain that my scores were not weighted correct. Just messaged his students today proving that he cant even set up his grading system correctly. You have control over that grading data, Simpsons Paradox doesnt matter. Follow the syllabus and grade fairly.

It was actually terrible. Final worth 50%? Are you serious? Exams were nothing like the homework. All conceptual. If hes the only 22b professor offered for that quarter, dont bother. Take it with a different professor.

Lectures are absolutely useless and feel haphazardly put together, homework is confusing, handwriting is illegible (chicken scratch is easier to read), WAY too theoretical and difficult, and it just seems like he doesn't care about students or their success at all, especially with absurd grade weighting. I would hate for my worst enemy to have him.

This is the worst math class I have ever taken in my life. He is so theoretical and his midterms are all proofs and not concrete problems. I seriously did not understand anything he says and I can barely read his handwriting. MAT 17A and MAT 17B were a breeze to me, and I spend HOURS struggling on Carlsson's homework. Please save yourself.

His lectures are confusing and his writing is awful. He explains things in a much more complicated way than need to be. This first midterm he's given us is incredibly hard and proof-heavy, even though this isn't the 21 series. The Canvas page is basically empty, and assignments are through WebWork, which sucks. I'm good at math, but not this class.

we just got our first midterm and he said it was of moderate difficulty but i can barely understand what i am reading. this class is calculus for biosci but there is no biology application anywhere. instead, we're expected to do loads and loads of proofs. if i wanted to do this, i would've signed up for 21c but i didn't. i'm in 17c for a reason.

Worst professor Ive ever had. Im pretty sure he has no idea how people learn. His handwriting is illegible and his lectures are impossible to follow. The homework is completely unrepresentative of the test material. Everything is theoretical. Please avoid this professor at all costs, especially if you struggle in math.

Awful. I've taken calc for 3 years and have never struggled until this class, purely because lectures are all theorems that do not teach the concepts and aren't legible. I've learned everything from my TA who taught the class before and even says midterms should not be based on theorems, yet our first midterm is completely conceptual. Do not take!

Lectures were hard to follow and his handwriting was horrendous. Our first midterm was largely proof-based which homework did not help with. This class is way harder than any of the other MAT17C classes.

Save yourself the trouble. One of the worst professors I have ever had, I did good in 17A and B but his handwriting is illegible and lectures are proof heavy. Everything is conceptual, and there is no application to biology anywhere. His homework doesnt reflect the tests and the lecture barely follows the book.

It is clear that Carlsson knows a LOT about math. I'm not saying that he isn't smart, I just believe he teaches as if his students have already learned the material in detail before taking his class. You've seen the other comments about the theorems being overwhelming, but I don't see why Carlsson can't deviate from his intense math nomenclature.

I wish Erik would just hear us out. Hes not a bad person nor is he uneducated. In fact, hes super smart and chill but theres an inherent disconnect between the homework and the exams, not to mention what he teaches in his lectures. We are stressed, Erik. We have jobs, too, while many of our parents have been laid off. Please listen, I beg you.

oh my god if i had known that this class was going to be THIS bad, i would have waited to take it next quarter just to not have this professor. this is the hardest math class i have ever taken- not because the material is hard but because this professor teaches in the most theoretical way and does not explain anything properly.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! WORST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!

Don't even try to contact him. You are never going to get a reply. He only posts a few things on Canvas and completely ignores emails, messages, and complaints. The tests are insanely hard, despite the actual material being easy, just explained poorly. He clearly doesn't care about his students. Worst professor ever.

Class is TERRIBLEEEEE!!!! His test are beyond difficult and puts things that we did not learn. His lectures are really hard to understand. For some reason teaches computer science in a bio calc class. Does not care for his students, never answer emails. Probably failed my midterms. Don't know why he's here.

This is not a good professor to take at UC Davis. He's very distant with his students and does not respond to emails. It's super hard to contact him. He's super theoretical and doesn't give solid examples. His tests do not match the homework and practice we're given. Overall, I would not recommend this class at all.

By far worst professor I have taken at UC Davis. This professor is very distant with the students. Lectures are very theoretical and the tests given are extremely hard to complete. Would not recommend taking this professor if you want to pass this class.

the material in the course is not difficult to pick up, however, he makes his exams extremely hard and fails to prepare you properly for it. for a calculus bioscience class, he spends too long on theory rather than going over how to learn the material. do not take.

AVOID THIS PROF AT ALL COSTS!!! IM NOT KIDDING!!! I'm really not one to complain about a bad prof bc we are in college and that's life, but this was the most heinous class I have ever taken. Week 8 and Canvas was still completely empty!!! NO grades whatsoever. Avoid this prof NO MATTER WHAT. TAKE ANYONE ELSE PLEASE

Please please please save yourself and do not take his class. The lectures are mostly proofs with few relevant examples, handwriting is often hard to read, and there are audio issues in most of the lectures he uploads. The ONLY reason I did okay on the first midterm is because I got lucky with a good TA. DO NOT TAKE

This class nearly broke me and it is because Erik does not answer his emails nor does he test on relevant material. Teaches outside the textbook. Homework and test are different. Tests, by the way, are near impossible. Lectures are not clear. COVID has messed up my life but I think this class messed up my life even more. I hate math now.

i don't know who let this man teach. our OPTIONAl final is tomorrow and we still don't know our grades. how am i supposed to decide if i'm supposed to take the final or not if i don't know my grade? he didn't tell us the grade cutoffs either after so many students have been asking him for it. never thought this would be the class tor ruin my gpa.

I did not learn a single thing in this class. Erik is the worst professor I have ever had in my whole entire life. He is uncaring and does not respond to emails. He clearly does not care for the well-being of his students. This class is the UC Davis version of hell. I wish that he would just communicate with us more and tell us what's going on.

Worst math professor I have taken. Tests were not similar to homework and things covered in lecture. Basically self-taught myself this quarter. Its finals week and I still do not know my grade in this class. Also said our final was "optional" but basically forced everyone to take it because he refused to release grade cutoffs.

In all my years, never have I experienced such a poor professor. Little to no response in emailing. Irrelevant material taught. Near impossible midterms. I swear - this class literally broke me emotionally and to pretend to be oblivious to the plight of your students is not even ok. We asked for help. Not once, twice, but many times. You didn't

Normally I dont comment on rmp but I just had to for this class. Absolute disaster of a class. I just want my tuition money back. This is what Im struggling financially for? For a terrible taught class like this only to make me cry? Ridiculous. I hope the Math department improves its lecturers. Was going to major in Math but after this I wont

In the entire 17 series, Carlsson was hands down the worst. Called the exams "interesting" and come to find out that it's because he didn't teach us how to do any of it. Homework, lectures, and exams did not correlate in any way. If it weren't for his curve, I would not have passed this course. Save yourself the stress and take another professor.

Hasn't sent out communication to students in two weeks, grades haven't been inputted or finalized, no discussion of the curve, I'm really not sure what to do here. 1.4 stars is far too generous

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS. YOUR GPA AND HOPES FOR MEDICAL SCHOOL WILL BE IN JEOPARDY BY TAKING THIS CLASS. I RECEIVED AN A OUT OF PURE LUCK. DONT TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!!!!!

Worst teacher ever. Talking random stuff in class, giving out the example tests that won't be on the real exam. And he made a lot of mistakes on the real exam

TLDR: A pedagogical nightmare. Lectures are rarely clear and are more often disorganized and confusing. Poor flow in content delivery means that not only are topics disconnected, but his explanations fall short of conveying meaningful understanding. You will fare much better by getting a textbook and self-studying to fill in all the gaps he leaves.

You could honestly get through this whole class by self-studying, because Carlsson's lectures are basically useless. For midterms and the final, just make sure you look over his homework problems and then you'll be fine. Curve also saves.

Professor Carlsson is extremely smart, but a terrible teacher. Lectures were terribly disorganized, with no powerpoint or handout to refer to. Your grade is comprised of 2 midterms and a final. Luckily you can do well in this class if you are good at self-studying. Make sure to do a lot of practice problems, and get to know your TA very well.

You have to learn everything by yourself because you cannot understand his lectures. His progress is slow and hard. I don't understand why he cannot illustrate things clearly. 22A begins to be abstract, so be prepared. Learn everything by yourself please. No homework graded by the way, which makes you unwilling to do it.

Although I did end up with a decent grade, the lectures were unclear and really slow. It was better to read the textbook or just look up how to do the work. The grade is only based on the exams, and the homework didn't help. The class was taught more abstractly than for a lower-division math class. He does have a large curve though.

I don't understand why this professor recommends another textbook. (not Gilbert) He doesn't use this book actually, and this book is really terrible. He doesn't have notes on Canvas. The classroom is embarrassing, it's hard to concentrate.

I missed some classes, and don't know where to catch. The material is not hard. If you take his class and study well, then you are really good at study.

Dr. Carlsson is one of the worst professors I've had at this university. His lectures are terrible. He is a sloppy writer and speaks in only abstract math terms. He could at least come up with analogies, but no. He also doesn't even post grades on canvas. Emailing him won't do anything. He doesn't respond.

Professor Carlson is a really smart guy who knows his stuff but he cannot explain combinatorics in a coherent manner to save his life. My grade is a result of the lenient curve and the TAs- Joseph Pappe was goated this quarter.

Very conceptual, difficult class that is exam heavy. He is not a great lecturer, as he just writes down formulas and derives them without explaining their significance. It was hard to read his writing as he used the chalkboard. The curve is good, and through review sessions and Youtube, you can do well, but do not recommend taking MAT 22A with him.

Worst teacher I've ever had. His lectures were some of the most confusing lectures I've ever had. Google and the book carried me because I didn't learn a single thing from this dude.

Bro is a professional yapper

just run, he is the worst math teacher, same with Posnett in the CS department

This professor approached every lecture as if everyone had already mastered the material and just wanted to learn the proof. The practice exam and the midterm had maybe a 20 percent similarity. There is a heavy emphasis on understanding vocabulary and theorems without any numerical applications. Medians for midterms: 68% and 48%.

id rather eat a poo than take this prof. literally the worst i've seen year round. how does a 3 unit class have an avg of 44% lol. thank goodness we got 2 textbooks since his lectures are Sisyphean. bro talk like squid ward. curve good tho

Hilariously horrendous. Did not think it was possible to leave a lecture more confused than when I walked in. Avoid him at all costs. If you can't avoid him, don't even go to lecture, just use YouTube. Smirks at the class after spouting nonsense, It's like he takes pride in being confusing.

Genuinely just awful lecturer. Speaks in abstract math terms first day and self studied ever since coming ahead of the curve. His practice and hw are awful, putting stuff in review for final that wasn't even in scope and not tested. Solutions are wack. If you can self study well use this curve to your advantage, otherwise steer clear.

I prefer to die but not choosing this professor

Read the textbook. That's the only way to actually do well in his class. He is very unorganized and often forgets to post the assignment on canvas for weekly homework. He also put in final grades in OASIS before posting the final scores anywhere. Avoid this guy.

took him last year because he was the only available professor! his lectures were incoherent and didn't follow a clear schedule/outline, so I ended up just self-learning everything. the only plus was that everyone was equally lost so the curve was really good !

pick a god and start praying

Worst lecturer you could possibly have. Just yaps about the love of his life being these mathematical proofs that have nothing to do with lin alg. Makes lin alg as hard as he can like he enjoys it. But honestly as long you as you read the book, you should perform reasonably well on the midterms/final to have the curve help you. FAT CURVE he gives.

I tried my best to understand Carlsson's lectures, but no matter what, I honestly left more confused than I started. 22A material itself wasn't too hard and thus was not the worst to self study, but that is what it came down to. On the bright side, he is caring and brings great energy to the room, and he curves really well, curving 70's to A's.

Lectures are unbelievably confusing and tests are not as expected. Be ready to watch 3blue1brown.

If you have an option, do not take him. If you don't have an option, still don't take him. Lectures are progressively impossible to understand, exams have low averages because your knowledge is tested on your self studying skills as lectures are more of a pass time than a learning opportunity. A pile of stress of a 3 unit class for no reason.

Very bad. Incoherent lectures and homework is loosely based on his lectures. Abuses math logic notation. Lectures scratch the surface of the course content so the best bet for this class is to just self teach from his weird provided textbook. Exams aren't too bad if you can self teach the content. Tremendous curve though so that's a plus.

He is the worst professor I've ever had, graduate level understanding is required of the material, even the Teaching Assistants were confused by some of his homework assignments. The tests and final were overall similar to the practice but the learning curve to understand the material meant this class took the workload of two classes instead of one

Professor Carlsson is not good at explaining linear algebra. He will often explain in very formal language, which manages to make concepts that aren't necessarily challenging incoherent and confusing. His lectures were poorly organized and he swapped a good textbook for a much less useful one.

My last straw was not that his lectures are highly proofs based without any concrete examples, or that he uses every mathematical abbreviation known to mankind, or that his handwriting is atrocious and I can literally never read anything. It's that he uses the chalkboard, and cannot properly erase for his life.

He does not teach in his lectures, all he does is regurgitate proofs. Prepare to study the textbook on your own and pray you do well on the exams.

Very aimless lectures, talks about stuff we don't need, and rambles on about proofs that rarely are needed for the test, curve was great but tests were hard. bad at answering questions well. Weekly problem sets aren't bad but quizzes can be a bit rough.

Lecture useless

Avoid at all costs! His lectures are SO BAD and make zero sense. He is genuinely one of the laziest professors I have encountered. He only uses big technical mathematical language, so it make NO SENSE!!!

He was so bad, and his lectures were useless. I didn't learn a single thing from him; I just read the textbook. The quizzes weren't, but seemed pretty pointless.

Useless lectures never helped