3.6
Quality3.7
Difficulty66%
Would Retake207
Reviews66%
Would Retake
207
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
107
4
22
3
15
2
13
1
50
What Students Say
“Expect to read the book if you want to understand lectures”
MATH20D - 1.0 rating“Posts class notes but doesn't podcast lectures”
MATH20D - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
19%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
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-0.03 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH184A
5.0
(1)MATH187
5.0
(1)MATH154
5.0
(1)CSE101
4.9
(12)CSE21
4.8
(8)Difficulty by Course
CSE20
4.5
MATH20E
4.1
MATH20B
4.0
MATH4C
4.0
CSE101
3.9
Reviews (207)
Love his lectures, so logical and clear. Although we have a lots of homework, its worthy. Learn a lot !
Definitely will take his class again
really good professor. worth the 8 am. homeworks way harder than midterm
Bach is an exceptional teacher overall. Lectures are very thorough and detailed, but not boring. Clicker questions and homework can be very difficult for first couple weeks, but eventually you catch on. Homework was definitely harder than the midterm, and midterm questions often related directly to homework problems. Very accessible outside class
MY FAVORITE MATH PROFESSOR. literally spells out all of the steps for you for each type of problem! & makes a whole chart for you so it's easier to understand :') GO TO LECTURE! there is iclicker but honestly go just because his teaching is just so clear. he makes jokes here and there too. midterm is just the homework but easier.
He really cares about his students. His lectures are crystal clear and he likes to crack a few jokes here and there. Homework prepares you for the midterm.
He's a really easy-going teacher who tries to make his lectures interesting. The homework can be very challenging, but the midterm questions are taken straight from the homework, and all the homework solutions are posted so you can figure out how to get from A to B. It's still a very challenging class though.
Professor Bach's accent does not ruin lecture. His lectures were still clear enough that I could review for my midterms and final by going over my notes. He did have clicker quizzes in class which really helped ingrain concepts. Homework can be a little tough but it certainly helps you become familiar with the format of the tests.
very very nice professor, materials easy( to understand ) and useful
Super hard working professor who is down to give 4 hours of his weekend to help out students who are confused about the material on top of being a hillarious guy who is down to meme. His class is by no means easy, but you're given plenty of resources to help you out. Highly recommended.
Professor Bach is such a hilarious dude. His lectures were always very clear, and tests were fair. The class was pretty challenging, but he made it fun! He's one of those professors where, even though you don't like the class material much, he makes the class enjoyable nonetheless because he is awesome
One of the best young teachers here. He gives interesting lectures.
The BEST CSE/Math professor ever encountered at UCSD. He has thick accent but he cracks up funny jokes. Very young professor understands student's pain. The class was tough but it's because the class is CSE. HW answers can be found online if you get lost:) but you do have to study for exams. Questions from lectures, not textbook. Take him!
Super funny and caring professor and very good at explaining linear algebra topics. His homework assignments are very lengthy and time consuming, so find a good group of people to do the homework w to make it go faster. His midterms and finals are just like the homework problems or easier. Never used textbooks and didn't have to pay or hw.
Bach is one of the best professors I've ever had! He's super caring--he regularly dedicated 4 hours every weekend for office hours, and before the midterm he stayed an extra couple hours to make sure that everyone got all their questions answered. He's really funny and a great lecturer. Can't recommend highly enough!
Prof. Bach is one of the bests at UCSD. He tries his best to help students out whenever we have any trouble. The homework assignments are not easy and kind of heavy but he is always there to help(i.e, OHs are extremely helpful). His exams are super easy as long as you attend lectures and do and understand the homework assignments.
He's the best math prof I ever had here in UCSD. He makes the lectures very interesting. The tests weren't that bad honestly if you understand the notes and the hw problems. I would definitely take him again.
Bach puts his notes online so you technically don't have to taken notes during class if you don't want to. He makes his exams very straightforward and has a fair grading scheme. Even though the midterms didn't allow cheat sheets, he allowed a cheat sheet on the final and even gave advice on what we should put on it. He is very thoughtful.
Bach is objectively friendly but I struggled to understand a lot of what he would say during lecture. Very strong accent! Material reviewed during class or HW didn't correlate to the exam. Posts class notes but doesn't podcast lectures. Independent math learners will thrive but I struggled & will probably have to re-take 20D with another professor.
This class doesn't have a curve, so basically if everyone doing OK in this class, it is hard to get an A.
Terrible professor. His Vietnamese (?) accent makes it hard to understand lectures so dont even bother going to class. There is no cheatsheet on exams and his exam problems are tough. Also no extra credit. He is assuming a lot of previous background on trigs and calc. Expect to read the book if you want to understand lectures.
Quang's a really good professor and offers weekly office hour. He is relatable, super young, and tells cool jokes in class. I would take his class again if given a chance.
Great professor. Challenging homework assignments, but they do a good job to prepare you for the midterms and exams. He cares about your learning, so if you ever need help, stop by by his office hours and he will do a good job guiding you through the homework problems.
Really nice and funny guy. He has an accent but it is easy to understand. He is a good lecturer and is good at explaining concepts, but his assignments are the dealbreaker. The homework is extremely difficult and doesnt prepare you well for the tests because it is so difficult, and the tests do not represent knowledge of course concepts very well.
Great professor. He posts lecture notes after class so don't worry about note taking. Online homework was a little bit harder and had more heavy computations, but tests are reasonable.
Math 187A was supposed to be an "easy A" class but Bach turned it in to a very tough one with a bunch of unrelated topics on bitcoin, DES, and quantum computer. There was no textbook and his slides were messy so I couldn't follow what he was saying. Also you fail the class if you fail the final.
Have to say math 187 is the easiest class I had in UCSD. In final, more than 50 out of 100 can get some kind of A. I never went to class but the lecture ppt is clear enough to learn by myself. Strongly recommend this professor.
Really friendly guy. Good teacher but you don't have to go to class since he posts his notes.
I was learning a lot of the material for the first time he didn't really do a good job of introducing it or focusing on the important parts. He also had an annoying accent and way too much energy for an 8am class. The midterms were also way harder than the final.
Super easy class. He lectures well and he is lenient about the grade. Take his class if you can.
CSE 20 has always been a hard class, but Bach managed to make the class much harder. His exams were too rush for a 45 minute period and the multiple choices questions were very vague. He skipped over important parts in lecture, but students were heavily penalized for doing the same in their homework. The 8am classes were just terrible.
Bach is a very reasonable professor. Although he did rush through information somewhat during lectures, making use of his office hours will remedy confusion you might have. He genuinely cares about his students and is open to feedback.
I think MATH 187A is not designed very difficult so that it could be used as a GPA booster. Attendance is not required as powerpoints are posted. The homework and exams require the understanding of lecture notes, so be sure to catch up with the material he is discussing.
This was my first Math Class at UCSD. OMG, Bach is amazing. Whether he teaches lower division math or upper division, he is a must for a math professor. He has a Vietnamese accent but still clear enough to articulate his material. He is lenient in terms of his tests but does not curve. Homework is for credit and is quite helpful for his midterms.
He's a really great guy and a great prof, not afraid to branch off the typical curriculum in place of better explanations and emphasis on more important concepts. Always willing to explain stuff again if you don't understand, and the classwork prepares you perfectly for exams.
He posts his notes but they are to messy to follow and I cant understand his accent in the podcast. There are HW every week and another group HW every two, three weeks or so. His exams are tough and not even related to what he teaches. Avoid him if you value your GPA!
This professor explains and clearly writes out every step. Has a slight accent but one of the best professors hands down.
I took him for Math20C this quarter for pre-med math requirement which means I'll never use this math again. I had to drop this class for my GPA because the HW didn't follow the lectures and we don't get cheatsheets on the midterms. He's a good guy but don't take him if you aren't continuing the 20 series because it's difficult compared to others.
He doesnt follow the textbook and his notes are impossible to understand. His exam practice problems are not helpful since they dont come with solutions so you have to go to discussion sections or office hours to learn how to do them. He also does not allow cheatsheets on exams.
A lot of people are complaining about his accent and teaching style, but its really not as bad as people make it out to be. His lectures are extremely straightforward, and he really goes in depth on how to solve each problem. I really like that for certain types of problems he writes out the steps too. Probably the best professor I've had at UCSD.
Personally thought the hw was pretty similar to the exam -- if you put in the time to actually think about & do the hw then you'll do well on the exam. His review packets are designed to help you understand the topics rather than just memorize steps & formulas. Not an easy class (because of the material) but I had a good time.
He's the best Math professor I have had at UCSD. Perfect in every way. Easy midterms, easy grader, easy homework, podcasted lectures, attendance is not-mandatory, great explanation, and the list just goes on. He made Math 20C such an easy course for me. And tbh, he is the only professor whose accent is extremely understandable! He made me love math
He's a great math professor. Very clear lectures. Although he doesn't rely on the materials and sequence on textbook, he has his own notes, which he will upload after each lecture. Tests are easy compared to other profs', I think. If you can do all problems on the practice exams that he made, you'll ace the real ones.
Taking his class is the worst decision Ive ever made. Save yourself from all the trauma and avoid him at all cost.
Terrible professor so expect to teach yourself everything. His exams were not even related to what he was teaching in class. Do not take!
Excellent professor who loves his job. Go to his office hours, he will answer any questions you have in great detail. Exams were very fair and easier than practice exams. Teaches in a very practical way, so I do not reccomend taking him if you are a math major. However, if you won't take much or any upper div math he is a gret professor to take!
His homework assignments and exams are unnecessary difficult. In many cases, the exercises are not about what he teaches in class. Theres no cheat sheet for exam so you just have to memorize everything. He is also very stingy in giving out extra credit.
Hes an irresponsible professor who occasionally shows up late to lecture and frequently skips out on office hours. Expect to look up things online to teach yourself the materials since hes doing a poor job explaining the concepts. His exams are not related to the class material.
I lost all interest in math after taking his class. He is a bad professor who doesnt care about teaching. Attendance is mandatory so if you miss a class or two then its a 5% deduction to your final score.
He is really not suited for teaching and it seems he doesnt even understand the concept hes lecturing. His exams and homework problems are not related to the course materials. Do not take his class if you have an alternative!
He is very unclear about class policy and his exams do not reflect what he teaches in class. Also there is no cheat sheet on the exam so you have to memorize everything. Do not take his class because it is much harder comparing to other
He is one of the worst professors I have had at this school. He gives a lot of homework and his exams are very difficult and not related to what he teaches.
Prof Bach is literally the goat. Hes always super well prepared and organized for lecture and knows his stuff. You do have to put in the effort for your grades but the way the class is structured makes it easy to do so. Homework is slightly difficult and time consuming but prepares you very well for the exams. Do your part and he does his. 14/10:)
He skipped over important steps in his solution because they were covered in a prereq class. You have to read a lot from the textbook to keep up with his class
Homeworks are difficult but exams are easy. He is really a nice professor I just dont know why he only received 3.6/5 in RMF.
I took Bach Spring 2020. (First online quarter) His midterm exams were 48 hours and were not proctored. You can use whatever materials you wanted including the internet. He thinks UCSD students are really smart so he has high expectations. He has been very understanding this quarter. A 65 is a C- in his class. Just stay on top of your work.
I took him for the first online quarter of Math 20C and he did a great job accommodating students given the circumstances. He's genuinely concerned for our learning. I'm awful at math but his lectures are super clear and well organized, and he is very accessible on Piazza, even willing to show us how to do HW probs. Exams were really long tho
Nice guy, funny at times, gets the point across. He mostly focused on our midterms and final test but was super understanding of the world issues. His notes can be confusing without context so I recommend attending lecture, especially those before tests because he goes over the questions you will encounter and how to solve them.
Bach is a teacher that's bittersweet. His lectures aren't that great, but he makes up for it by giving helpful review sessions that goes over exam-style questions. He also made a lot of accommodations for students so you know he's a reasonable teacher. I wouldn't rely wholly on him to get an A in the class, study your materials and you'll be okay.
He was a great teacher, clearly explained and worked so everyone understood the content. Very funny and the class was not too difficult. He was flexible with different grading schemes. Easy to access outside of class and supplied a lot of help. There are pretty long homework assignments each week but they were very helpful to prepare for tests.
Literally the worst math professor I've ever had at UCSD. The class average for the first two midterms was a D. Tests were extremely unfair and did not represent what was taught in class. Skips important steps, is very sarcastic, and grades very harshly. There's better professors for 20C and he's not worth the stress. Avoid him at all cost.
Great Instructor. Always there for help, with prerecorded video every time.
Bachs exams are extremely difficult and unfair for what he covers in lecture. I never missed a class, read the textbook, did all the homework assignments, and watched YT videos for further clarification. I w/d and took another 20c class that actually had exams that were correlated to hw and lectures and did fine.
Wonderful engaging professor that cares about his course content. HW is graded on effort and I learned a lot from his HW. Daily office hours / interactive problem solving sessions offered besides informative, concise prerecorded lectures with good notes. Tests were representative of course content and reasonably difficult. Best prof you'd ask for!
Professor Bach was a pretty fantastic professor all around. He was a straight forward and overall good lecturer and kept classes entertaining. His zombies extra credit assignment at the end of the quarter was probably the most fun assignment I've ever done in my full college experience so far. Great professor! Hope to take him again
Overall his lectures are good and understandable, they have very little theory tho. Sometimes his cursive is hard to read, so make sure you understand what they actually mean.
Good lectures with practice questions that definitely help with studying for exams. Sometimes goes into theory that is not very necessary for homework. Gave extra credit at end of quarter to help boost grades. Very helpful overall, and I actually was able to learn a lot.
My advice to surviving 20D: drink coffee & do your hwk. I took his class during the summer, so everything went by in the blink of an eye. I had to spend 3-6 hours each week on hwk. There's also MATLAB assignments. The workload was absolutely crazy. BUT he is a fantastic prof... He really broke the content down and spoon-fed it to us.
DO NOT LISTEN OTHER COMMENTS!!! QB IS THE BEST PROFESSOR. He gives out candy but only from places where he gets a discount. He answers every question in class and is very understanding of his students' needs. THE OTHER COMMENTS ARE DEFINITELY FAKE. This is hands down one of the better professors I have had that actually care about this students.
Very understanding and caring guy, funny, and down to earth. We have to watch lecture before hand and subject is tough, but he explains it well and is super accessible. Idk what the other comments are saying cause this guy is pretty goated. You should take him.
He makes you waste your time doing ridiculously hard homework problems that are not even related to the exam. His exams are unrealistically hard and tricky. The exam problems are lengthy and consist of multiple parts. One mistake can drop your grade by one letter. 0/10 - absolutely do not recommend.
He gives out too much work for an intro class. There are daily homework assignments, and bi-weekly exams and papers. Do not take home if you want an easy A class.
I spent a lot of money for a great education at UCSD but instead I ended up in his class where I was forced to watch endless online videos to teach myself everything. His exam grading was very finicky and he deducted lot of points for the most trivial mistake.
His class is boring and tedious. Exams are hard. I spend 20 hours a week and still cannot get a B.
Very ignorant and callous prof. Instead of canceling final exam or giving full point on midterms like other classes due to the strike, he still makes people cross the picket line to take in-class exam. He also has mandatory attendance. There are too many exams. Also, no score is dropped so one mistake in an early exam can screw over your GPA.
Bach's teaching style was difficult to follow. It feels as if he forgot what it was like to be a student and struggle to learn new material. I struggled to keep up with and understand his teaching style and often struggled to apply his teachings to hw and exams. His double lecture style also was very time-consuming and hard to keep up with.
His class is super difficult and he expects you to memorize every details from the slide.
QB is a mixed bag. He has a sense of humor, and responds to Piazza posts quickly. He simply does not know how to teach. We have 4 midterms, and the 5th is combined with the final. Need a 50% on final to pass the class. Tests were very difficult. He crams double the content into the class by assigning "pre-lecture videos" to watch on your own time.
Unclear grading rubrics, boring lectures, tedious and lengthy homework, and unnecessarily difficult exams. He is truly the worst prof at ucsd.
Bach is a very caring and loves teaching. There is A LOT of work, and some don't like him bc of this: pre-lecture vid (30-45 mins), hw every 2 wks (4-8 problems), and 4 midterms. However, he goes over many examples in class and midterms (open note) are very easy compared to the hw. He is also on Piazza very often (including weekends). +1 for jokes
Great prof, the class was pretty difficult. The prof answered questions pretty quickly, and helped understand the hard content easily.
Bach is one of the most amazing Math professors I've ever had. He is very clear and audible in explaining concepts despite his slight accent. His pace is not too quick nor too slow. If you have any trouble understanding any concepts he will explain it to you and suggest different exercises for your practice.
QB is great, he's abundantly clear about the material and what is expected from students. All the exams covered exactly what he had gone through in lectures and given for homework, which was graded on completion. During class, he'll answer questions and go through extra examples.
He's the worst prof ever! He is very rude, and doesn't even care about his student. I didn't learn anything in his class. I am an honor student and I aced every of my classes so far, EXCEPT HIS. I spent like 20+ hours a week just to study for his class and couldn't even got a B.
He gives the most challenging exams ever. But he is a chill dude, just exams are something else.
Whenever I ask him a question, he never gives a straight answer and instead keeps asking what I think. After making me feel uncomfortable he then explains it in the most complicated and vague way possible
If you want to destroy your GPA, take his class. No guidance whatsoever on the exams. You just have to memorize everything from the textbook or squeeze them all in your cheat sheet. His lecture notes are filled with errors. Also, questions on exams are totally different from what we learnt so studying is useless because you're gonna fail anyway.
The professor teaches well if you actually pay attention but his class is a lot of work. We had HW due every week with 20 questions for each HW and no the questions weren't easy. Exams are tough but grading is a bit lenient. Overall, I'd say he's a tough professor since he could make the class easier with less HW and assignments but oh well.
Very, very difficult, frustrating homework. On the flip side, because his lecture notes and homework problems are difficult, his exam is comparatively very easy. His lectures are OK but he speaks super fast. Overall, not the ideal professor but not the worst - he should be your middle choice.
Quan is one of the kindest professors I know I'm not sure why he has a low rating here. There are daily video recordings that you must watch before class and there are also four midterms, of which the lowest score is dropped, and a final exam however the lesson is just a little bit challenging, but over all he is one of the nicest professors.
not sure why the ratings r so bad. I've had Proff Bach for math 18 & 20d and thought both were decent. For 20d, the homework is very long and difficult but exams are okay. you can get 50% of points back on your worst midterm. lectures are helpful & problem heavy (similar to exam problems), but he goes fast. hard class but def doable.
I really like Prof. Bach for Math 20D. I needed special accommodations for one of my midterms and he was happy to help. I also really enjoyed his lecture style as I thought he was charming and organized. HW can be long at times but if you really need to get through it Prof. Bach says to just use an online calculator for the calculation heavy parts
Bach taught the material well, but his exam questions felt like they were intentionally trying to trick you. When I took this course in fall, it was combined with the other MATH18 classes. I don't know about the other professors, but I liked Anzaldo's lectures better. If you have the opportunity, take her.
Very unfair grading scheme. HW is optional but students are punished for not doing the HW. There are exams and quizzes every week which messed up with my schedule.
Math 20C is suppose to be the easiest course in the sequence but I found it confusing maybe because of the teacher. Currently taking 20C/20E at community college and I find the material to be a lot easier to understand. TBH Bach was not the best.
Professor Bach is great! Very organized, his lectures are easy to follow, and he's responsive. He assigns a pretty average amount of homework compared to other professors so I don't know why people complain about that. HW is very similar to tests and we got a curve, so I think the class was fair. I'd take him again!
Bach is bad. He assigned a huge amount of weekly homework so expect to spend like all day studying for his class. Exams are unfair too.
To respect ancient mathematician: It is with great pleasure and profound appreciation that I write this review for Professor Bach, a true gem among educators in the realm of mathematics. Professor Bach is not just a math professor, he is a mathematical magician and a mentor. I am profoundly grateful for the privilege of being his student.
After reading the reviews, it feels like I a had different experience with Professor Bach. He was an excellent teacher and made even complex topics look easy. He always answered questions during and after the lecture. Make sure to study for tests cause those matter a lot. Probably my favorite math prof so far.
Very bad prof with unfair exam and horrendous grading scheme. Do not take!
He makes you pay extra money to do the hwk, which is a scam. Also, the hwks are super time consuming and are not related to lecture and exam. The exams are too hard. I learned nothing from his class.
Class was very well organized and lectures were well put together. Assignments were a good amount (4-5 problems) and the exam difficulty were on lenient side but enough (avg at 75%). He had study guides for every exam and discussion provided useful problems as well. Exam grading is lenient but there is no curving or extra credit.
Not an easy class and requires effort. Concepts are difficult, but relevant and Quang Bach does a good job of teaching. Exams require critical thinking and a solid grasp of course content, lecture material cannot just be "memorized", it must be understood to do well. Homework is difficult but thought-provoking and helps prepare for exams.
CSE 101 in general a hard class but one that is the most important to conceptually understand for future interviews/work in computer science. This professor did a great job explaining these concepts and applying them to different problems. Regardless of my grade, I came away with a strong grasp of the concepts which is what the class is for.
As someone who came into this class with nearly zero prior knowledge of topics in this course, I found this class to be extremely fair and valuable. Work hard and you will be rewarded greatly. Engaging and funny professor, well-structured class. CSE classes are meant to challenge you, expecting less undervalues the importance of these concepts.
Algorithms is a hard subject but QB does his best to make it accessible and easy. Exams and HW were tough but fair (~80% avg) and he even had alternate grading schemes if you didn't do well on a midterm. QB is also funny and engaging during lectures and very responsive on Piazza. You'll succeed if you work hard and follow along with the class.
Great lecturer who taught course material very well. Fair exams that were honestly pretty easy if you studied lecture notes and did practice problems.
CSE101 is one of the toughest classes I've ever taken, that being said I enjoyed my experience with Professor Bach. You can tell he puts a lot of effort into curating lecture content and always traces through several examples so you understand the material well. I highly recommend attending his office hours as he is very patient and approachable.
QB is one of the most dedicated professors. Stays after OH to explain concepts, and has very clear examples in lecture. A lot of homework but very fair exams.
Lectures well and makes sure to answer all questions asked during lecture as well as outside lecture time. Is very accessible outside of class and clearly cares a lot.
He was a hard professor but a really amazing professor, I learned SO MUCH from him like a lot, and I would totally take other classes with him. You need to work hard tho in order to do well. HWs are long but useful.
His tests are very rigorous but if you do all the practice problems you will be prepared for sure. He is simply the goat and is funny.
uhhh not the best teacher ever honestly i only did well bc i had a background in calculus if you have no idea whats going on take a different teacher. he skips over things and kinda just expects you to know whats going on without explaining how he got there. exams weren't the worst but not a cakewalk
Never taken calculus before? Bach is the perfect teacher for you. Very funny during lectures, also learn a lot from lectures. Exams are fairly reasonable because they are just like the homework problems and lecture examples. Overall amazing class and would recommend over other professors.
I withdrew from calc 1 last quarter due to medical issues and have to repeat it with him this time. He actually made me feel worse about the material. I hate math now thanks to him and have to reconsider my major choice.
Pros: Non-mandatory attendance, but gives hints during lectures for the exams, and covers material of similar difficulty to the exams. Somewhat forgiving grade calculations. Cons: Lots of HW not relevant to the exams, exams do not cover topics that would be expected (check Piazza for hints from him). The final was difficult compared to the midterms
He is honestly the kindest and most supportive professor. He needs to give himself more credit for his classes as he uses positive reinforcement (extra credit for attending discussion) to provide a stress-free discussion, which allows students the freedom to learn and get things wrong without being afraid of losing points. Would take him again.
I lost like 20% of the point on the exam for missing a minus sign. When I emailed him, he was rude.
I liked his teaching style, was the best math teacher I've had so far at UCSD. Said tests were hard but they weren't as bad. Funny guy
I was lost in 10A but Professor Bach caught me up. He does a very good job at explaining concepts at a good pace. Exams are worth 70% of your grade, but they are fair & reflective of the class. You also get a cheat sheet on every exam. ~1 sheet of HW is due biweekly and he posts answer keys (work shown) to HW & discussion WS after so you can learn
Funny guy. Im bad at math but I thought the exams were fair and reasonable. Got yelled at by him because my algebra skills suck so definitely go to the TA's office hours instead lolllllll.
Nice person but the amount of homework he assigns and the tough exams are deal breaker.
Amazing professor! Lectures are very clear, use good examples in class to help guide us with our homework. Additionally, homework is due biweekly, giving students plenty of time to ask for help if/when needed. The midterm/final exam were very fair as they reflected what we went over during lecture, the homework, and individual practice problems.
Exam average was like 30-35% which should reflect his quality as a teacher. Do not take his class.
one of the best professors i've had! coming from failing my 10a final, I was hopeless ab 10b, but Bach made it doable. 2 midterms + final with a cheat sheet, DROPS LOWEST MIDTERM. homework every 2 weeks, exam questions are exactly like, if not easier, then class/hw questions. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. just put in the work and this class will be a breeze.
Very clear cut lectures and easy to understand! If you do your homework and pay attention to lectures, there really isn't much work to do outside of the class. The midterms and finals were accurate of the material he teacher; and overall his lectures were very well put together and easy to comprehend. Very good teacher for MATH18!
Bach tries his best to help students as much as he can so as long as you go to lecture you should be more than okay. His tests are simple and straightforward and he offered ec on final if you went to discussion. Overall would take again!
Professor Bach is one of the most AMAZING Math professors I've ever had! I've withdrawn from Math 18 Fall, Winter, and Spring- taking it Summer with Bach was the BEST decision. His lectures are amazing, everything is clearly outlined- literally NIGHT AND DAY from the other awful Linear Algebra professors! Trust me, put in the work & you'll succeed!
This guy is an awesome professor. I had him for both Math 20D and 18, and he did an excellent job teaching both. He explains everything super clearly and gives great examples and does a great job answering questions.
The exams are hard, but very representative of the homework material. His lectures are really good, and has great visualizations to explain abstract concepts. He also gives discussion section worksheets (which give bonus points on the final) so you get plenty of practice problems to do. Also does a great job at answering questions on Piazza.
Tough course, but Bach makes it doable. Homework is challenging but helpful. Exams require real work, but Unstuck study is a game-changer for study prep. Just stay on top of things and you'll do well.
Goat prof. Strongly recommended.
No cheat sheet on exam so prepare to memorize everything
He went easy on you with the midterms then stabbed you in the back with the final. It was hard and you need like 50% to pass.
Final exam is much harder than midterms. There's no curve so I went from like A+ to C after the exam. So unfair
Do you love to memorize every single formula from the textbook, spend all day doing hwk and studying for quiz every week, or stress out on insanely hard exam? If you answer yes to any of these the he's a great teacher to take. He does a great job making you feel marginalized and unsecured about your decision to go to college.
Exams were unfair with questions not related to lecture. There's no curve and you need like 50% on final to pass. Class average was terri
Bach is really funny and his lectures actually make sense. He explains things really well and the course has lenient grading. Just make sure to actually do this quizzes and the HW even though the HW isn't technically required.
TAKEN FOR MATH4C!!!!!! Accessible in office hours + TA office hours, I finish the homework in about 4 hours in one day, 5% EC for going to discussion, midterms and finals same as HW and DI, curved class, not required but I recommend to go to lecture every day. I asked weather "this or that was going to be in exam" and he answered. 👍
Great professor whose lectures are easily to follow and understand, just keep up with the content and you'll do well in the class. Also pretty funny. Goat prof.
He explains concepts slowly and thoroughly so even hard concepts are easy to understand. All lectures are recorded. He also provides a lot of practice problems which is nice. Midterms were very hard. He knows his rating is a 2.8 and doesn't seem to mind. He says he's evil, if that helps.
Bach is a great professor, his effort can clearly be seen in his slides that he uses for lectures, he really cared about students and he stayed extra time in OH just to help students. His way of explaining things are great. He is very smart and explains things in a very interesting way, I did not get bored attending his class, I learned a lot!
Good professor and explained everything well. Midterms reflected homework and note material well. Hard class but not impossible.
Absolutely horrid! His class is messy and he doesn't seem to understand the stuff he's supposed to teach.
He goes fast and makes lots of mistakes in class. Many students couldn't understand the lecture and had to attend another section to learn. Just avoid him.
Fair exams, amazing lectures. Would 100% take again. As long as you keep up with the class you'll be perfectly fine
Exams too hard. Lot of homework.
Our 10b classes are coordinated but he's the only one who doesn't give a practice exam. So while other students are told what will be on the exam, our class has no idea what's going on. There is no crib sheet for exam so you have to memorize everything. His hw also takes hours to complete
I think Professor Bach is a good lecturer, but the homework is infinitely more difficult than the examples he shows during lecture. The homework is almost nothing like the lectures most of the time. This makes it very difficult when you think you understand content from the lecture, then go do the homework and realize you have no clue what to do.
Hws and exams are very time consuming and not related to what he teaches in class. Very strict with grading. One tiny mistake can cost you 25% of the exam score. He refuses to give any point for my almost correct answer.
Very unhelpful prof. His lectures are confusing and his notes are messy. I am doing well in this class thanks to the lectures and practice exams of another prof.
Bach isn't fit to be a teacher. He doesn't seem to care about the students. While other profs provide a study guide to their students, Bach just tells you to “go do everything from the textbook.” Grading also is very harsh. You can get zero for not tagging the pages or for missing unit.
Professor Bach is a good professor and can definitely teach the content well. He answers questions clearly and tries to make the class entertaining. However, the content is extremely difficult and a lot of the examples that Professor Bach goes over in class are not consistent with what is on the homeworks. The exams are easier than the homeworks.
A lot of people are saying negative things, but his lectures are useful, and he does a great job of explaining difficult concepts like PFD. FYI, he does care about his students! Stayed after class to ask him questions, and he went over a lot of problems to help. One iffy bit is that he didn't include his practice exams when other professors did
He swapped out the final at the last moment and it looked nothing like what we studied for. Very unfair.
He doesn't seem to care about the students. Instead of providing a detailed study guide to prepare us for exams, he just told us to do all the problems from the textbook. While the other profs give partial credits and lenient grading scheme, he straight up give u zero for a minor mistake in exam. Do not take!
10B was supposed to be the easier series and Bach made it harder than 20B. His homework and exam were unfair. Students had to go to other profs to learn because the doesn't tell us what's gonna be on exam. He even replaced the final exam with a much harder version because he found out students have been studying from other prof's review.
So with the Math 10B situation going insane the other professors have decided to lower the points on the questions due to it being unfair. Not bach though. He is not giving much grace as of now and is standing by the department's decision (the only professor to do that). He also gave no test prep through practice exams and simply said "its on theHW
Prepare to self teach urself or come to other classes. His grading is also very u fair.
At first explained concepts fairly ok but then fell off. Found myself reteaching myself concepts and watching orgchemtutor to learn. Homework was almost never like practice problems from lectures. His notes weren't the clearest also. Leaked test situation screwed over almost all students. Also found myself studying from other profs. SO unfair!
Taught concepts fairly ok at first but fell off. Found myself reteaching myself most times and watching orgchemtutor. Homework was rarely like the practice problems from lecture. Leaked test incident was SO unfair and screwed everyone over. Found myself studying from other profs. If you take this class, be prepared to study study study.
Lectures were generally fine at first. After MT 1 and 2, I found myself relying on other professors for lecture and practice/preparation for exams. It was necessary to use their material to prep for final. He doesn't like study guides or cheat sheets. My class had an "exam leak" incident and that's been hell. Anticipating a poor grade.
he switched out the final exam with new one right after the exam was distributed. we had to answer the new exam questions in the original exam packet. he made this call despite the other profs saying not to. all because he thought the original final was too similar to a practice exam made by SI. new exam had stuff we were told not to worry about!
For everyone complaining about the difficulty of the homework, Bach doesn't directly pick and choose which problems to assign- that's up to the math department themselves. The course wasn't "messy" or "unorganized". Overall, Back is a good professor, and if you put in the effort to learn the material, you'll do well in the course.
#FREEQUANGBACH Im not even that smart and the class wasn't even that bad. I took AP Calc AB 2 years ago and went straight into math10b this quarter. Yeah, the homework was much harder than the in-class material, but the midterms WERE EASY AS HECK, just show your work and you're good. Stop the Bach hate.
I never took AP Calc in high school and Math 10A was a bit hard, but this class was a nice surprise. The homework can be a lot, but the homework is the hardest it'll get, as his tests are easier and more fair. He teaches well and cares about his students. Midterms and final are reasonable. Just pay attention and you'll be good. Don't cry or hate.
Was so harsh on the final.
Seriously: he's amazing and fun. Also he's got a nice voice and genuinely shows passion for the subject. I didn't think I'd enjoy or understand vector fields and integrals but showing up to like ~90% of his lectures was actually one of the best decisions I made. Don't listen to whatever everyone else says they're salty he's amazing!
I took Professor Bach for Math 10B and despite not doing too well in 10A I feel like I learned a lot from him. The material covered in lectures and in the homework was basically exactly what was asked in the exams. Studying is important to get a high grade, like every other hard subject.
Bach was overall a great teacher who went in depth. Ignore other comments who are mad about the final; he's actually good at teaching 10b and the class was easy
Had him over summer and professor was great, a little hard to understand from accent at time but don't mind the other reviews, professor Bach knows his stuff, specially for computational math!
I took Quang for 20A/C a few years ago. He was very helpful with tutoring and had a great sense of humor about a very difficult class. I appreciate his ability to lighten the mood. Thinking back, Prof Quang was my favorite math prof with at UCSD. Don't listen to other students comments, the new generation loves to complain when they fail. GOAT.
A pretty engaging lecturer and a great professor, I took Math 20D with him (S222) and decided that I liked him enough to take 20E with him (Sp23). His exam questions are not easy, but pretty representative of the class material and he does a lot of example problems during lecture
Good professor -- fair exams, pleasantly challenging and interesting homework problems, somewhat ambitious with class material. A bit of an accent, I largely learned the content from Dasgupta's book and the book by Kleinberg and Tardos -- but lectures also explained content well.
I loved taking his class. This subject was not easy but he had a way of making it fun. He was always making jokes in class to lighten the mood and always willing to help. Textbook was provided that we had homework questions from. Tests were graded strictly so you have to remember to write out all the steps in detail.
I found Bach a good professor. His lectures were informative and he was funny at times. He went very slow at times but that was helpful with the harder concepts. There is a lot of homework that I found difficult. But overall it was good.
Bach is an extremely fair professor, anything that was ever one the midterms or exams were either from lecture, or the discussion sections (these were EXTREMELY helpful). Other than that he was extremely caring and very accessible outside of class. He does not allow cheat sheets but however he gives you info sheets for polar, spherical coordinates.
One of the best professors that I had at UCSD. Lecture is clear and content is explained well. Deserves a solid raise from math department
The lectures were very informative. Professor cares about students and always held long office hours to help with homework questions.
Haven't taken the final yet. However the first two midterms were extremely forgiving and reasonable. Bach is very concise and they're easily better than average for UCSD teachers
I took him for math4c fall24 and he was great. He gave us practice problems before exams that were very helpful and overall his lectures were great. He also does really care about his students; I got horribly sick the day before the final and he let me take it later.
I really liked Prof Bach, I thought his lectures were engaging and easy to follow. The final being swapped out last minute when we were encouraged to study different material than that of the alt final wasn't ideal, I personally didn't do well, which sucks because of how test heavy the class is. I'm hoping he considers this when curving the grades.
I took AP Calculus AB so I got credit for 10A, but was lowkey lost at the beginning of 10B since I did not take 10A. Bach made it easy to catch up to speed with his lectures. The class is extremely test heavy, but the first two midterms were very easy. The final was a lot harder for me though, but that was my fault for being underprepared.
Got 100s on both midterms and did bad on the final. I'm not sure if he changed it last minute or what, but his previous tests were super fair/easy. He is not a bad professor, but 20E is definitely a challenging course. Proceed with caution and do not neglect this class, or you will do bad! No curve which was disappointing.
As a person who learns best by solving through examples he was a great professor. Practice midterms were also very similar to the actual midterm so I recommend going to the review sessions and taking all of the practice midterm/problems sets seriously. There was quite a lot of homework: both online and written. Podcasted so very helpful
Prof. Bach's lectures aren't mandatory, but I 100% recommend going as his explanations and problem-solving are very clear and helpful (he also podcasts his lectures). The homeworks can be challenging, and while the first two midterms were easy, the final was much harder, so prepare well. Despite his low rating, I really enjoyed taking 10B with him!
Really enjoyed his lectures! I found them to be easy to follow along with; he explained everything through great examples and thoroughly walk you through everything! Great math professor!!
Even though lecture wasn't required, going to it was very helpful considering he would pause about every five minutes to ask for clarifying questions. His analogies were very helpful, and the discussions were extra credit and helpful review for the tests. Very clear and very accessible outside of class.
I loved taking Professor Bach and my grade is truly reflective of how little effort I put into the class. He is pretty good at explaining the material in a way that is simple and easy to understand and remember. The exams were similar to the practice ones, and although he does not review in lecture, there are plenty of resources available.
There's individual and group homework. It's manageable but individual is more difficult since it's due all at once by midterm times. He's really funny and his notes are clear. Sometimes it's hard to follow but you can definitely understand the content later. Overall great teacher
Honestly I was super scared about taking this class since it was my first calculus class, however this professor made it super easy. His homework is super manageable and if you have any questions, attending his office hours helps A LOT. Over the quarter I went to his office hours several times and he was super helpful. I highly recommend!
Contrary to what others say, his grading is not tough. His grading criteria is formulated to ensure that you get the highest grade you can. Very kind, funny, passionate, & always happy during class. Most of the time the content is easy to follow. Lots of HW but I think it's what helped me the most in terms of learning/studying for midterms/final.
Even though the first midterm was tough, he adjusted after and made sure students performed better overall, is really nice and caring imo. Also pretty funny sometimes
Amazing professor. His style of teaching where he personifies numbers has been instilled on me and I find myself now giving pronouns towards things on paper. Final was tough but doable. Study everything he says, everything is important. Flashcards were really crucial for my success in this class. It was necessary for me to memorize the 10 axioms.
It's a math course, so expect heavy test emphasis. Lectures were not very helpful, I found it easier to learn through the weekly homework assignments or reading the textbook. He works at an inconsistent pace and jumps around that makes lectures weird to follow and notetake. Exams are fair, but be careful, he does not allow cheat sheets.
He was a great professor. He'll pause multiple times during lecture to ensure students understand. Exams are truly reflective of the teachings. His office hours are helpful. The class did not feel difficult because of him. Wish I could take him for 10B. Great professor!
Dr. Quang was by far the best math professor I've ever had. He gladly helped me with practice problems during his office hours for the entire quarter: 2 hours a day, 4 days a week! (Class met everyday during summer session I.) Great lecturer and gives a strong conceptual grounding of the material. He changed my perception of my ability to do math.
shout out to prof. bach for making his lecture podcasts public!!! Very helpful for classes ive taken with different professors
Goated professor. Engaging lectures that made me understand the material. Tests are fair and stem from the homework and discussion worksheets.
professor bach is a gem of the math department he is very caring about his students understanding and explains concepts thoroughly w. many examples, which made his lecture very helpful. he sets up the class with the students success in mind and has answered questions during/after lectures, would recommend!
This guy is the goat and he teaches very thoroughly and ensures the students pick up the material. My favorite part was the way he creates visualizations of the content, which helped me the most in interpreting all the material. I don't think the class in general is very difficult, but Bach grades fairly and has clear expectations on tests.
I never spoke to the guy and never went to office hours but he is very accessible and always willing to help. He has a clear outline what is expected of you on exams. His exams are accurate to what he teaches and very fair. Overall a great dude and professor who seems to love his job.
Professor Bach's exams are not difficult, but all of them are FRQs, so be aware of procedure points. As he said, as long as you understand the examples he went over lectures, follow his suggestions for review, and check each knowledge point on the exam study guide he posed before the exam, your grade will be well.
Very engaging and thorough professor. He is very detailed during lectures and explains all the parts of the problem without skipping steps. Helps students understand all the problems conceptually, too. Homework and worksheets prepare you very well for the exams and the exams are very fair and cover exactly what was reviewed in class.
On exams in totality, I made one very large mistake, two large mistakes, and four small mistakes, with room only to make one more small mistake to keep my A. 20E is a difficult class and it took a ton of studying to limit my mistakes to just these, but Bach is an amazing teacher, and the discussion worksheets and example/note packets saved me.
Prof Bach taught the subject well. I believe that if you really pay attention, you could pass with an easy A. Don't end up playing catch-up, as I did. The tests were fair and reflected the content covered in class. He was also pretty funny during the lectures and made the class more enjoyable.
This professor is the best. I got an A+!
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