2.7
Quality3.8
Difficulty46%
Would Retake573
Reviews46%
Would Retake
573
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
573 total ratings5
92
4
118
3
95
2
104
1
164
What Students Say
“With his bad handwriting, you will never understand what he is writing if you stopped listening for a second”
AMS11A - 1.0 rating“Katznelson is not a great teacher”
MATH100 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
52%
Textbook Required
13%
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AMS11AAMS11B
5.0
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4.5
(4)MATH110
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(2)11A11B
4.3
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Reviews (300)
Many students are so used to rote learning that when faced with theory and proof they freak out. Yonatan is one of the best lecturers at UCSC, but he expects you to learn something in his class besides solving equations. You want an easy A, go elsewhere. Don't be intimidated by his no-nonesense style of teaching, he's actually a very sweet man.
Do NOT take this class with this professor. His lack of clarity and strange teaching methods will only make your grade suffer. Linear algebra is a difficult concept to grasp especially as a freshmen with little to no knowledge on this subject. While it is true that the class only involves basic arithmetic, the concepts require assistance. Run Away
Makes the class 10x harder then it should be. Linear algebra should only be made this hard if you are a pure math major, but since most people are not that take ths course, teaching strictly through proofs is unneeded. Basically take 21 with another teacher since its very easy to compute everything, but going deep into theory is useless
This guy is ridiculous. I pay 32k to be taught the studies I choose but instead get something else. This class isn't intended for all math majors so why the heck am I learning fundamental theorems? Just give me basics. Don't take if you want your 4.0 g.p.a
Really bad at explaining anything. He makes everything 10x harder than it should be. While taking notes he goes too fast, for you to follow. His handwriting is horrible. Never wants to answer questions. Yea, just don't take this guy, ever. You'll just be paying to use youtube to learn.
He is super unapproachable and sucks at explaining even the easiest subjects in calc. Goes way to fast and likes to make people feel dumb. I got an A in AMS lla with another teacher who actually cared about his students and now am averaging a D on my quizzes. Don't forget he writes in hieroglyphics on a projector that cannot fit the whole problem.
His class doesn't prioritize on the arithmetic of statistics. Instead, he focuses on the propagation of its outcomes. If his class was about biology, he would focus mainly on the extrinsic factors that cause animals to migrate rather than their natural adaptation in an environment.You'll learn a lot from his class but not precisely on the subject.
Rude to students. He is very smart and makes a point to show it in his lectures. Rather than explaining his methods step by step to ensure a student's success, he only shows his own thought process which is so abstracted that it seems as though he is deliberately making it difficult to understand. When asked to clarify, he says "it's right there."
Great Teacher I love calculus now. Go to his office hours
He is a very good professor and if you pay attention he is not difficult to follow. Definitely study for his quizzes and the homework is very useful. MSI is great if you aren't fully getting it.
Basically if you follow along, practice, practice on your own math problems before and after lecture, its easy to do good. Is like working out.you do 25-30 mins of practice problems you're set. He's actually very approachable during office hours. As a student, you just get out what you put in. So at the end of the day is your work ethic.
I didn't go to class much he uses a lot of math notation that I'm not comfortable with but the material is easy, he just over complicates things. Thing is he thinks cmps or cmpe majors needs to fully know theses kinds of things, maybe we do but I'm doubting we will.
Teaches almost exclusively through proofs. If you have trouble learning from proofs (like I do) you should probably avoid his class. Fortunately he grades pretty easily so his class is passable even if you can't follow any of the proofs.
Literally the worst professor ever. I pay for a UC-quality education and this "Professor" clearly fails to provide a positive learning experience.
Did not learn one thing
Seriously don't listen to the bad reviews. Yes, he is a little snotty, and yes he goes through the material fast. But there is no one fairer about what comes on the test and partial credit (he'll give you credit for WRITING OUT the steps you should take on a problem). Go to section, DON'T fall behind. He's a good guy; a good professor.
Yes, you have to put in effort, and no, this class is by no means an easy A, but come on - you're at a UC. Granted, it's UCSC, but it's still a UC. So don't be a baby. If you actually dedicate a reasonable amount of time and effort, you can really get a lot from his class and realize that, amongst a sea of moronic UCSC professors, he is a genius.
pretentious, but not a bad instructor overall
The class itself is hard and his lectures are hard to understand but i feel like i learned a lot form his class through studying past midterms and exams. His Final is basically the same as his practice exams. You do have to work for the grade but its not a hard class to pass. I feel like what he teaches really prepares you for upper div econ class.
very interesting. expects you to have learned some math before showing up (reasonable). can seem unapproachable or terse, but is actually very nice and extremely helpful. funny and interesting in class. I found the class easy, though many others did not. you get to drop like half of your quizzes, so easy A in my book.
He is a very brilliant man. One of the best professors I have had at UCSC. If you just talk to him about the material, you can tell that he really knows his stuff. May be a bit intimidating to approach, but he is actually pretty friendy.
Despite what everyone says, I think he was actually a great teacher. He does sometimes go into a long proof that isn't at all necessary but that is when you can play flappy birds.
Would definitely take any class from this man, particularly because his midterm/final reviews are actually like his tests and he has optional hw that if you choose to do will actually be extremely helpful. Tells you exactly what will be on quizzes.Seems mean, but actually super nice. Really knows his stuff.
Very easy midterm (just make sure you know integration), very difficult final. In lecture he wastes too much time on theory and doesn't do enough examples. But he did a better job teaching this then AMS 10 overall.
I KID YOU NOT...THE ***WORST*** TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE ACADEMIC CAREER. THE WHOLE CLASS IS STRUCTURED OUT OF ONLY 100 POINTS, HE TEACHES STRICTLY IN PROOFS AND IS EXTREMELY UNAPPROACHABLE. SHOOTS QUESTIONS DOWN LIKE I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. BAFFLED HE IS TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL. ABSOLUTELY AWFUL IN MORE WAYS THAN I CAN EXPLAIN
Honestly pretty terrible. Had him for Ams 10 and 20 and the lectures are useless and because of that had to teach myself everything. Only good thing is that if you know the review sheets you will be good for the midterms and finals (I got As for both classes) but still extremely frustrating.
Teacher taught exclusively through proofs. I can count examples on one hand. Everything I learned for class I learned through TA's or Youtube. The material is not hard, but he is confusing. When he asks a question to the class and a student gets it wrong he make it sound like they're an idiot, he then gets upset. Smart but, he just cant teach.
Yonaton is a great man. He is tough on his students and requires them to actually put in the time to receive satisfactory results and grasp material. He can give some tricky quizes but overall I give him respect.
Best teacher. Out of all the classes I took at UCSC, Math 100 was the most bang for the buck. And it was all because of this guy. Will take number theory with him next winter, even if I have to sit in for no credit. The best.
Bottom line, this class is very easy to pass. It's not really hard to get a B or A. Don't go to lecture as you will get extremely confused b/c he teaches through proofs and his "examples" are bad. Easiest way to get a good grade is to attend MSI/Section.
It is very easy to succeed in this class. All you need to do is work on the review questions and you will succeed. Don't bother going to lecture (go only on the day you have quizzes), instead go to section or MSI. The material isn't hard, but Katznelson makes it seem more complicated than it has to be.
condescending. His lectures make the material seem harder than it really is
If you have this teacher, for god's sake go to section, read the book, and make sure the class is easy for you. Get whatever help you can because he won't be able to help you. I get math, I'm a math major, and I can assure you he made this the hardest class I'm taking. Worst math teacher I ever had.
This is a class you need to pay attention in, and although homework isn't collected or graded, it's necessary to do it in order to pass the class. Quizzestests are just like the homework! Super helpful in office hours and go to section!
Hardest class of my life, but the material itself is not that difficult. I took vector calculus and got a B+, but got a C in this class (thank god). The teacher is essentially useless. His lectures talk about concepts and rarely explains them. He teaches through proofs and often does not go over how to do problems. The final was 50% of grade :( :(
The quizzes weren't difficult at all as long as you completed reading and homework on a weekly basis. The final and midterm can either make or break your grade. Working on past finals and midterms were more helpful than attending lectures. Sections were helpful too.
Lectures more conceptual focusing on definitionstheorems and sometimes their proofs. Gives examples, but not often. Homework assigned, not gradedcollected; up to you to understand the material. In-class quizzes covered basic conceptshw-like material. Midterm and Final covered more in-depth concepts covered in lecture so attending is a good idea.
He is passionate about the subject. I like his style of teaching. Fast pace, but makes his point very clear. Go through proof and example.
With his bad handwriting, you will never understand what he is writing if you stopped listening for a second. Lectures are pretty useless because his examples are too basic, you can just look it up in textbook. If you're planning to take Ams 11, I suggest you not to take his course because he's not a good professor, not even close.
Katznelson is less of a teacher and more of a robot that scribbles out numbers on a piece of paper in front of the class without much thought or explanation. His "explanations" only confuse the students even more than they already are. Calculus isn't an easy course for anyone, but Katznelson succeeded in making it harder than I imagined possible.
I felt like going to his class made me more confused. He really likes to prove everything and explain why calculus proofs are like this. His notes will confuse you and his handwriting is a mess. I went to MSI and I'm pretty sure that's what saved me in this class.
Katzelson is a good professor, but he can go off on tangents sometimes or explain things in overcomplicated proofs. However, his tests are very transparent, & he lays out what he wants you to know on them well. Get a previous midterm from an MSI instructor and study it, and GO TO OFFICE HOURS!!! He's extremely helpful, but still a bit intimidating.
The best math teacher. Imparts perspective of the bigger picture. Each lecture was a masterpiece. Best part of my day was this class. Would take again. Yes, Katznelson is the best math teacher you'll ever have.
Never take this class. The lectures are long. Didn't learn a thing from this professor, learned from my TA and the MSI. Very tough class!
Terrible teacher, didn't learn anything. Lectures were so pointless, nothing like the exams. Go to MSI, forget lecture and i hope this teacher gets fired
I took his class for both 11A11B. He is not actually as bad as everyone says. He is very intelligent. This class is very difficult and the way he explains things is very complicated. But if you actually study for the quizzes by reading the book or study you notes, and do the past midterms and finals then you'll pass the class with at least a B+.
He is a very quick paced lecturer. For me, this is a good thing, but some students struggled. Take the time to really understand the homeworks and you'll do well on the tests. Office hours are useful for getting questions answered.
Katznelson is intelligent and knows his math; however, when it comes to explaining, it's a bit difficult to understand him. His lectures are concept-based so he really won't teach you how to compute problems. He won't given you examples unless you ask for them. Recommend to take MSI, LSS, or ACE concurrent with the class if you want to pass.
Professor Katzneslon was a good guy. His lectures were intense and you had to be there to understand his expectations on the material. Really, this class could have been so hard and the homework and sample exams were. In the end though the final and midterm were not that bad. Sample final had 15 questions, actual final had 6.
Quizzes were easy, but the midterm and final were substantially more difficult. Lectures were essentially useless, and although the study guides he provided reflected his lectures, it had almost no relation to the actual tests besides the computational aspects. Lives up to his reputation, terrible professor, don't take him unless you have to.
It's true that he takes almost the entirety of lecture to go through proofs and theories. He emphasizes theories quite heavily on exams and if you don't go through the proofs in the book than it's hard to get an A. Practice exams were pretty helpful. However, I got through his class by understanding just the computational portion of linear algebra.
Katznelson is a nice person and if you go talk to him during office hours, he clearly demonstrates that he wants you to do well. However, his lectures are very difficult to follow. He teaches almost exclusively in proofs and theorems, with few examples. I found lecture to be unnecessary, and passed by going to section multiple times per week.
Can be confusing, Not very clear, Although homework was not mandatory need to do it for test
The study guides help you study for the exam but the problems are not the same. He may put one version of a question on the study guide and do the opposite version on the exam. The TA's give a good amount of partial credit, but unless you know you failed or aced the exam you don't really know how you are going to do.
Weekly quizzes, pretty straight forward. There's a lot of Katznelson haters out there but It's a little unwarranted. He's not the best, but he's not that bad.
Lectures are boring and he teaches proofs during the whole lecture
clearly a math genius! extremely straight forward class and laid out syllabus. if you put in the effort it is an easy A. also great person in general very approachable !
He may seem a bit intimidating but definitely get to know him. Go to his office hours and he will explain everything to you step by step! Very helpful and he really does care about his students.
I honestly enjoyed AMS11B/Econ11B. He can be confusing, but as long as you go to class and pay attention to his lectures, it's not that bad. The class is 4 quizzes (with the lowest grade dropped) and 1 final. Not too difficult and the A cut off is around 85%+/-. Favorite math class I've had since being at UCSC.
ONE OF THE WORST PROFESSORS EVER. Took the grynch for Math 24. He made an 8AM class have mandatory attendance through tophat. His lectures were super fast on the overhead projector and he used theory to explain everything- he is out to get you. The study guides were a great learning source but the final exam was so intense like what?!!
Horrible professor. Was pretty excited about math especially coming out of Math 23B with Mitchell (so inspiring). However, I learned nothing, NOTHING, from this class. His lectures were so horrible it made me want to cry. Now I have to relearn the whole class from MIT open source before taking EE101 in winter. Anyways, don't take any class with him
I barely go to class anymore but I did the first few weeks to make sure I knew when to sign up for MSI. My MSI tutor was super helpful and I learned everything from her. Katznelson spends the whole class explaining proofs instead of focusing on direct examples. So basically go to MSI and maybe sections if you really need it.
He teaches in proofs a lot and it is really hard to keep up in class, but of you go to section you'll ace the quizzes. The quizzes are usually easier.
He's as bad as people say. Didn't even look at the homework all quarter, just make sure you know how to do the study guide he gives before every quiz. Class is pointless to go to unless you are really into proofs. He's a bad teacher, but surprisingly not the worst at UCSC.
I had him for Math 100. I personally think that this class was not bad at all. What's hard about the class is the proofs themselves. I feel like he did a good job explaining the concepts and proofs. His quizzes and tests were true to the homework and the review. Overall, the class was very hard, but it was graded fairly and taught well.
Very nice professor, knows what's he's teaching. Brought Asian pears to class once and has a sense of humor but like any mathematical based class, lectures are kinda boring. Took him for summer session.
I did not do poorly in this class but I would never take ANY of his classes in the future. He uses complicated examples during lectures that just makes people ask more questions. He doesn't grade roughly on quizzes/tests, but he is cruel on the papers. He will tell you one thing and then take off points even if you follow his directions.
I'll give you a basic over view of the class. 4 quizzes 20 percent each and 1 Final, 40 percent. Lowest quiz is dropped. Katznelson WANTS you to succeed, I went to every single office hours. He DOES teach in proofs, but its to help you understand why we do the things we do in calculus... Tests and quizzes INDENTICAL to study guides. Know those!!!
Katznelson was one of my favorite teachers at UCSC. Many of these comments are unfounded and likely written by students who did not apply themselves. Calculus can be a challenging subject but Katz is willing to answer questions and help students. Do the reading before lecture, pay attention, ask questions, and you'll be good!
Katznelson is a pretty good professor. Like everyone said, he teaches in proofs which is a bit difficult to understand at first but all you need to do in his class is apply yourself. Calc can be a difficult subject so you need to work on it on your own time to understand.
Katznelson isn't as poor a teacher as everyone makes him out to be. He is definitely a tad boring sometimes, but he cracks jokes every now and then and tries to make his examples interesting. No midterm, just four quizzes and a final. Homework and section are optional. I didn't do the homework, just went to lecture and made it out with an A.
This is my PSA to anyone who was like me a semester ago looking at reviews for this professor because they need to fill their SR requirement. If you're not good at math but think this will be easy because it's an intro course - wrong. If you think the professor/TA will be there to help/email back/not be flat out rude when you ask questions - wrong.
Yorik is a good professor, I have taken two classes of him already.
I have taken three of this professor's classes. He is a good professor
He's a fairly funny professor but his lectures are pretty dry and are mostly example based, so make sure to do the readings before the lecture. Do the practice problems and study well for quizzes, of which he drops the lowest grade. Overall, he's a fair grader, but if you aren't good at test taking, you may do poorly.
Generally easy professor. Get to know the samples and you will do fine, the quiz/exam are simple
4 quizzes, lowest is dropped. No midterm, one final. Do not bother reading the book, just do a few problems off of the assigned non-mandatory hw and you'll be fine. If you need help, section is useless af so go to MSI instead. Totally worth it. Choose him over Bruno, you won't regret it!
Homework not mandatory. Only took 4 quizzes & 1 final but lowest quiz dropped. Overall grade only consisted of 3 quizzes & a final. Super easy class, didn't really put effort into it. Class wasn't mandatory so I just went to MSI every week and learned everything with the MSI tutor. The only times you had to go to class were for quizzes & the final.
He's a really nice guy. Some people think he's mean but just go to his office hours and he'll be very kind. Math 100 was a little tough with him, but that was mainly because of the material. AMS 5 with him was very easy.
Yonatan may seem like he has a rough exterior, but he actually really cares about his students. Math 100 is a hard class, but doable if you work really hard. Do the practice problems, study a lot for tests, know all of the material, and definitely go to office hours for the essays.
Here is Katznelson's new system. 8-10 Unscheduled Quizzes, 1 midterm, 1 final. The quizzes are graded by graders and out of 3 points, fairly easy to get 2/3 and 3/3. The Midterm and Final are graded by the TAs and he usually gives out 2-4 free points for each. Overall it is an easy class if you keep up with the homework and go to lectures.
Homework isn't collected/graded. Grade is comprised of midterm, final, and up to 10 pop quizzes which he drops at most 4 of your lowest scores. If you have any background in calculus this class is very doable with minimum effort. Go to section, msi tutoring, and do the study guides and you won't need to do the homework.
Katznelson is actually a decent lecturer, I find his lecture alright, although there are times where I don't bother paying attn to his "proves." Pop quizzes are a way to boost grade imo, and he makes some funny (liberal) jokes at times. Heads up - his handwriting is illegible at times, and he goes fast if you're not familiar with the materials.
Good grades mean attending lectures, sections, homework, and light studying. Katz is a good lecturer; explanations are simple and thorough. There are pop quizzes every week, Wednesday/Fridays. His class is especially easy (AMS11A) if you took Calculus (ABCalc) in high school. Midterm/finals are easy, being modeled after study guides. Do them!
Katznelson is very ok... He kinda reminds me of the grinch. Every time you open your mouth for a question he makes you feel really stupid. Lectures are literally impossible to follow along with, so you HAVE to go to MSI and section to pass the class!! If you have no calc background, buckle up kids because you're in for a wild ride with Katznelson.
Not hard to get an A in this. If you apply yourself by doing the optional hw you can easily get 100% on all the pop quizzes. Midterm and Final are exactly like the study guides and past exams he posts. Only negative is his lectures. They're very theoretical & he barely does actual problems. Just do hw and go to section and you should be good.
I had him for 11A( C+), 11B,(C). His lectures are theoretical and really don't help much in doing the work. I didn't understand a single thing in lecture even though I went every time, I constantly went to section and my TA Matt saved my life. do well on the quizzes. Don't ask him questions, you'll never regain the self esteem he destroys if u do.
Incredibly easy classes. Had him for AMS5, 11B. Attendance not required. If you know how to study by yourself, you would have nothing to worry about. Didn't go to most classes.
His lectures seem hard but the content is actually not as difficult. His exams are all very similar to the study guides. He's really nice and approachable. It's also really helpful to go to MSIs if you are having trouble with the homework. Pretty much an easy A if you go to classes and do the study guides.
A good professor. His policy: 6 to 8 unschedule quiz ,10 minute before class, One question only, kind of easy. One Midterm. One Final. Homework not graded but I suggest to finish after the class. Midterm and Final, 4 to 6 questions. Easy to have a good grade.
Heavy lecture but unhelpfula little better in his office hour but lectures are long and boring. Also grades very toughly.
Very lecture heavy but fairly clear and concise presentation. The tests are nearly identical to the study guides, it is Extremely helpful to complete and study them. 11A has many quizzes but no graded hw (do the homework anyway, it helps a lot in understanding the material), 11B is the reverse, but in both he drops the lowest two scores.
Katznelson is very smart, albeit not the most efficient lecturer. I knew a lot of the material beforehand, however, so I can't attest to how easy/difficult the class is. One midterm, one final, but he changes it up every quarter. However, the exams are fairly easy as he gives a lot of practice test and study guides. Practice those a lot Easy A
Katznelson is extremely smart and definitely knows what he is teaching, but unfortunately most of the time it doesn't translate that way through lecture. He is more helpful in office hours, and so our his TA's (especially Laura). His midterms are challenging if you don't pay close enough attention to material in HWs-- so don't half ass those.
This quarter there were no pop quizzes. Instead, we had homework assignments from the book every week (20% of our grade). He has study guides for each week on his website and as long as you can do those and the homework you should be set for the midterms (2 x 20%) and final (40%). Also, the finals from previous years are accessible so study those!
Your whole grade is composed of the tests. He posts practice quizzes that I didn't know about online which really prepare you for the quizzes. His lectures were very dull and went into more detail than you needed to know for the tests (which confused me even more). He is really smart and if you do the practice quizzes you can pass the class.
If you read the book, the lectures aren't necessary, and vice versa. It's easy to fall behind with the hw answers online, but if you actually understand it, the midterms are pretty easy and straight-forward.
The lecture he taught in class has nothing related to the midterms/final
Katznelson isn't that bad. He's clear about what he wants and his tests are easy. If people aren't passing the tests, he curves so the average is a C. The homework can be a lot, but the solutions to the problems that he posts online WILL be on the test. Holds office hours four times a week.
For a math professor at UCSC, Katznelson has been my favorite. Yes, he is sassy and uses a lot of theories which can be difficult to understand. But his class is totally doable and easier than 11a and precalc. His study guides are the same questions on the test, just different numbers. If you understand the review worksheets, you'll get an A!
Katznelson is intimidating at first, but in reality, he's a great professor and grades extremely fairly. I had him for both AMS 11b and AMS 5 and they were both pretty good. There is quite a bit of homework but his tests are usually just like the study guides and for AMS 5 he drops the lowest midterm (so that's a major plus).
I was afraid I would not do well in this course because I had never previously taken a Statistics class but to my surprise it was fairly easy to pass as long as you keep up with homework and reading. Attendance to section is optional but it's useful to attend because the TAs go over the assigned homework of the week. MSI is helpful too!
The course moved way too fast. Everyone was lost and failing the weekly quizzes but it didn't bother him. The final questions were based on the quiz questions which were similar to homework questions. The homework wasn't graded so your grade is entirely based on tests and in-class exercises. I feel like he expected us to learn faster than possible.
If you've taken anything harder than than 19A then this class is a breeze. This class is the easiest A+ I've had at this school.
I loved stats in high school. He changed my mind real quick. Very confusing and extremely intimidating. His lectures make no sense and I ended up having to teach myself from the book in order to pass. He scares me.
Ive taken two of his courses, one during my sophomore year and one my last quarter. Professor Katznelson is really not like any other professors at UCSC. There are some other professors here that I really appreciate, who stand out, and he is one of them. Hes intelligent, honest, funny, and knows his subject well. But make sure to ask questions!
definitely one of the hardest classes I've taken, BUT, Katznelson is a fair grader. He gives you a perfect outline/ material that will be covered in midterms/final. Not mandatory to go to class, but he gives you quizzes either before or after his lecture. DONT take him if you're not willing to put in the work. I went to MSI, section & small group.
This was a usual calculus class. The exams are exactly like the study guides. Know them inside and out and youll be fine. He gives quizzes during class so you kinda have to go. But his lectures are wayyyyy too in depth about the theories and you dont need to pay attention to them to be able to understand the material.
Katznelson is not a great teacher. He is extremely rude to his students, and doesn't know when to elaborate on a subject that his students are having a hard time on.
If you dare ask a question, he will bombard you with sarcasm so it's best to suffer in silence. His lectures were dense and make absolutely no sense. He will go off on a tangent on some theory or proof and you will be left doodling in your notebook or sleeping instead. Honestly, you are better off. He hardly curves or rounds up.
He was absolutely awful in every way possible. Very discourteous and downright mean.
boring and useless lectures all self learned. final was extremely hard even TA did not know how to do it.
His lectures were very confusing and not very helpful. The tests werent really a good reflection of what was taught in class. Definitely recommend doing the study guides before tests. I didnt find the homework very helpful at all, but it might be good for extra practice.
Katznelson moves way too fast during lectures. Be prepared for extremely dense lectures that leave you and the rest of the class confused. He doesnt care if the whole class is behind and confused, hell keep adding more and more material.
His teaching style and lectures are in now way helpful to the students. He is pretty clear on the exams and gives study guides which is somewhat helpful but as a professor he is a joke. You would expect more coming from a Stanford alumni but I was disappointed.
Conceptually driven course with proof-heavy lectures. Attend sections and lectures and you are pretty much guaranteed at least a B-.
Amazing lecturer, I took three classes with him and absolutely loved all three.
My problem is that his teaching is structured for a specific type of student, the type is that is extremely fascinated in the conceptual aspects of his teaching. Katz gooes very fast and in depth with all the material. Unfortunately, most of his classes are required classes for majors, meaning nobody really has the same desire to learn like this.
The exams are similar to the study guides. Make sure to understand the studyguide before exams. He doesnt collect homework. Usually he will give a 3-5 point curve for each exam.
Pop quizzes forces attendance, but you don't need to take all pop quizzes to get full credit. Do well for 8 quizzes minimum, then you can skip. He explains formulas and theories behind them well, or you could just memorize the formulas and you're good to go. 2Midterms/Final were a breeze, no tricks to them. Doing the homework helps (not collected).
Specific lecture style: projected hand-written notes with poor hand writing. The examples he gives are good, but it's hard to determine what's really important and what's not (needs more structure). Sometimes has a snarky attitude and bad jokes. Need to memorise a lot of formulas. Do the suggested homework if you want to do well.
One of my favorite professors, he even allow us to bring a cheat sheet to the final.
You get at least 10 pop quizzes and you only need 20 pts from them. (open-book, calc, can talk to others). The midterms were pretty tough but fair, and the final was just super hard. Sections+Hw aren't mandatory, but if you want to do well you should just do them and go. Handwriting's pretty messy, so it may be hard to know what he's talking about.
Lectures can be kind of confusing if you don't know the material or haven't read ahead. The book is very useful in understanding the material better. Example problems are very important for doing well on exams. Not a bad lecturer, just kind of explains thing TOO much.
Katznelson does a really good job lecturing. He tries to make us understand why things work the way that they do. He asks questions during lecture and expects us to answer them, so there's a bit of engagement there. Besides that, the midterms and final are either composed of common sense questions, or a problem that involves an equation.
He is very condescending and rude to students. He makes you feel stupid for asking questions in class. Not approachable at all. He has a certain way of teaching that works for a specific type of student. Wouldn't recommend him.
Im pretty sure this the first quarter ever that Katznelson taught AMS 7. Class is mainly based of lectures which are very unclear, messy, and he moves fast. His lectures are not helpful at all and make the simple topics super confusing. His tests are based off of 20 points, giving you very little room to make error without getting a bad grade.
Im rating him from a class I took three years ago, he is so discouraging hes one of the reasons I changed my major. When you try to ask him a question, he is so rude and just expects you to understand all the fundamentals. He is very different from all the professors at UCSC because he is NOT APPROACHABLE AT ALL. zero respect
I had an A up until the final... it was impossible. Expect to have to fight really hard for a good grade.
The best way to describe him in one word is fair. Just show up to class and you'll be good. I never went to section and occasionally did the homework and I was still able to pass, so just make smarter choices and you'll be fine. Also, the homework is optional so you only have to worry about the pop quizzes and tests.
Gives great examples to help you understand the concepts taught. Do your work and good luck!
Definitely more of a concept-focused lecturer. You should have no problem getting a good grade if you attend lecture and go to section. Midterm and final were very straightforward. Do the study guides and you'll be fine, but don't depend on them. Overall a great professor, would highly recommend!
Katznelson is incredibly smart. So much so that it's hard to follow along sometimes. He really knows what he's lecturing about, and he throws in the occasional joke to make the lectures more interesting. It was all recorded so you could watch the lectures if you missed. Quizzes at random times, so don't skip. Put in the work and you'll pass.
Katznelson's lectures included some examples with some proof based topics which were not too bad. His exams are very fair so as long as you attend lecture and do homework you will be okay. One bad thing I have to say is that whenever I asked a question, he always confused me with his responses but I'm just nitpicking. Class was manageable for me
The class isnt hard he lectures about theoretical all lot. Do the homework go to section when you have questions and you should be fine
Great professor. I don't know why he has such a low rating on this. I had him for AM 11A and the class was tough but he teaches well. The man knows his stuff.
The man is good, his teaching style is solid, but he could improve his writing a bit. Loved taking stats5 with him, hope to take AM20 with him as soon as possible.
He was OK. I took it online during COVID so he was more lenient with the grading and deadlines. Overall I learned more from the book than him, but his lectures are worth attending. Definitely do the homework even if it's not mandatory as the quizzes are based on it. He has a bit of an attitude but will answer questions during the lecture.
Decent professor, but the way this class is conducted is simply suboptimal. I don't see any other reviews for am20, so I will guess that this is likely his first time teaching this class. The textbook used overcomplicated many simple concepts with its unnecessarily mathy notations(yet he base almost everything on this book).
He sucks. Plain and simple he sucks. I took him for Econ Math 11B on zoom and it was hell. He is horrible at lectures, horrible at explaining, and makes everything so much more complicated than it needs to be. Taught myself everything with the textbook and youtube videos, his lectures are terrible. Don't take his class.
He sucks holy moly do not take this class if you don't have to. He is a horrible lecturer and makes the class so much more confusing with his terrible lectures. You spend a week watching confusing lectures and reading the textbook just to find a 4 minute khan academy video that explains it perfectly.
Insane difficult, and lecture is confusing. Midterm average 10.5/20 Don't know if he's going to curve it.
The lectures can get confusing because he likes to show how something works before we can do it the easier way, but besides that everything was pretty straightforward. Through the course he's a fair grader and gives some breathing room on quizzes and exams. Just make sure to study and do the hw. Office hours and TAs were very helpful when confused
Katznelson isn't the best prof but his class is ridiculously easy for STATS5. You can either just read the textbook or attend lecture but make sure to actually do the HW since he uses some homework problems on his quizzes and tests. You have 2 midterms, a final, and quizzes but they are really easy if you do the reading. No curve but fair exams.
Professor Katznelson was able to make a hard subject understandable to those who were struggling. He uses a sweet curved system that helped me out at the end of the course. Only 30/40 points for his pop quizzes were used, so you could get 100% for the quizzes without acing all of them. This class has alot of material thats covered but it was fine.
Please DON'T DO IT. And if you HAVE to, prepare yourself for the most overcomplicated convoluted lectures. I spent the whole quarter teaching myself off youtube and the textbook and it's still not enough. His tests are VERY hard, MC is worth significantly less than FRQ. optional homework (not really optional if you wanna know what's going on)
Don't get me wrong, Katznelson is clearly an extremely smart man, but he unnecessarily complicates concepts. This is easily one of the hardest classes I've taken as I will feel confident in material and then feel lost on the exams. I wouldn't say avoid him at all costs, but if you are thinking this class won't be a lot of work- you're very wrong.
For AM30. He's a good, somewhat dry lecturer who leans towards the conceptual side of things. His grading and exam policies have been amazing. His lecture slides could be a little more structured, and the talk about his handwriting is true. Read the relevant sections in the textbooks before his lectures and you'll be set.
He's very clear about what he expects from you, and the practice exams are just like the real thing. Homework/reading/lectures aren't mandatory but I definitely recommend going. Going to office hours and TA sections help a LOT to clarify what he goes over in lecture.
Never been good at math, so this was extremely hard for me. But prof made certain things clear and had great study guides. Other times he went too fast and expected everyone to be on the same page. Beware weekly quizzes, and make sure you're ready to put in the work. You'll have to teach yourself a lot of the concepts since theres so much content
Participate to get the extra credit. Seriously. I would've gotten a C in the class if I hadn't done the extra credit. 5 points really does make a big difference! Other than that, the class is fine. Homework is optional but I'd suggest doing it on topics you need help on. The second midterm is rough but the first midterm and final were chill!
This was the worst professor I've ever had. I am typically really good at math and calculus specifically, but the way he teaches is so confusing to the point that going to lectures is more hurtful than helpful. 100% of the time I ended up having to teach myself the material after the lectures to be able to pass the quizzes (2x/wk btw).
Not a good professor. DO NOT RECOMMEND. I am taking his online zoom class and it is very difficult to follow his lectures as he pre-makes all of his slides. He does not answer his emails promptly and also does not answer all of his students' questions. Overall the other recent ratings do not lie. DO NOT TAKE 11B online with KATZNELSON !!!
The material in 11b is fairly straightforward but the way he presents it in lectures is unacceptable. He explains what not to do implicitly and presents the correct procedure in footnotes. Instead of giving examples and solving them he can make one problem last an entire lecture by trying to turn it into a proof. Also his notation seems irregular.
If you go to the lecture and either do the reading notes or the homework you should be solid. He also had study guides with answers that were super helpful.
The final exam for this class was the hardest test I've ever taken. Two of the 6 problems on the test didn't have a study guide to prepare for them. I emailed this professor about something serious that happened about halfway through the quarter, he never replied. Not a very caring professor and has a strange teaching style. Wouldn't take again.
Tough material but as long as you put the work in youll reap the benefits. This class isnt an easy A. Go to section, work for EC, attend lecture, go to midterm review sessions, go to OH, do the homework/study guides and theres a good chance youll do well. Lectures are very theoretical but they provide good context.
Having the option to watch recorded lectures instead of attending zoom was great. All i did was do the assigned readings, watch lectures, and do the study guides and I got an A+. I never looked at the homework because the study guides were so helpful. His quiz grading is very forgiving. You can miss 5 quizzes and still get 100% in the category
He tends to lecture quickly and leans toward conceptual explanations. Quizzes are short, but multiple choice, so you either do well or fail by missing one question. Tests tend to be difficult and unlike most examples shown in class/textbook. He is generous with points and curving though. Show that you're trying and you'll pass.
If you ask questions, he will make you feel dumb, and assume you should've already done it. Even if he doesn't finish a lecture, he will still have questions on the topic on that night's quiz. He moves at a fast pace and feels discouraging, and he creates an environment that is not asking question friendly. Warning, bad he teaches a required class.
His lectures are highly theoretical, and he uses diction that is confusing. Sad to say he is the worst professor I have had at UCSC. He carries himself with a conceited attitude, so when you ask a clarifying question he can just dodge it. Very discouraging. I am even passing his class but the amount of suffering and confusing is unmatched.
Hard but fair. The teacher uses a lot of theoretical but I learned by just going through his slides and look for examples instead and using the study guide + sections & office hours every chance I get the like 6 weeks. You HAVE to put in effort to pass this class which was a first for me because I usually cheat through everything.
I'm going to be very honest. Yonatan is very underrated as a professor. Those that are complaining about this professor just did not pay attention in lecture (which btw is recorded). I did not do the optional homework, did not attend lectures in person, and still aced the class with no previous background in statistics. HE IS GOOD. TRUST.
Didnt even go to class and got an A... also if u need some extra points, you better do the extra credit and itll come in clutch
The class is definitely centered around lecture and section both are very important if you attend lectures and take notes you should be able to pass the weekly quizzes easily. Easy dubz if you ain't a bot no kizzy B)
He wasn't a horrible professor and I agree that the class is made out to be fairly easy but I honestly did not like him as a person and he is not approachable nor is he that welcoming when you ask questions, he's dismissive and condescending. I think he puts too much weight on the final exam. Just make sure you have time outside of class to study.
DO THE HOMEWORK. The class has ungraded homework assignments and if you fall in the trap of not doing them you will most likely fail the class. His lectures go too fast, are too confusing and his handwriting is bad. Make sure to be self-sufficient cause this class will come down to you teaching the material to yourself.
He is an amazing professor. He provides a lot of extra credit and grading is different compared to other teachers so canvas grades aren't your actual grade however HE WANTS YOU TO PASS AND YOU MOST LIKELY WILL.
Professor Katznelson is not bad at all as long as you pay attention. He fits as much as he can in lectures so if you want to understand the material and do great on midterms and final, read the textbook, take notes and do the optional homework. He grades pretty straight forward and wants everyone to pass. He also offers extra credit!! DO IT
This class is kind of difficult, but as long as you put in the effort and go to class, you should be okay. GO TO OFFICE HOURS! The TAs are why I did well in the class as the professor can speed through things in lectures. Sometimes I didn't know what he was even talking about in lectures, but my TAs explained it. Extra credit is helpful too.
He is not bad as long as you read his lecture notes and go to TA sections because the quizzes and tests mainly are based off them. Offer easy extra credit, so do it! Give a lot of time for midterms which are very helpful and open noted too. Also grade final in an interesting way to help you pass the class as long as you studied and try your best!
Hw weekly, quizzes twice a week, and exams every other week. He uses Who references like from whoville if u r into that. I'm bad at stats so this material be a bit confusing but he is a really nice guy. Go to OH! He did slides for his lecture and kinda zooms past them quickly, you can always ask him to go back. Lectures were recorded.
Katznelson is intimidating, but he is nice if you talk to him and can be funny in class. His teaching style is straightforward, but he is assuming that you already have all precalc and algebra skills mastered, so he skips through those steps sometimes in lectures and just shows the calculus. The grade is canvas quizzes, 2 per week, and the tests.
he moves really fast, but he has good study guides and the TA resources are really helpful
Easiest class I've ever taken, tests/quizzes are EXACTLY like lecture example problems. He can come off callous but I'd be annoyed too if I had a bunch of people complaining that I "only" give 2 tries on a 3 question online quiz where you plug a number into a fraction. Not the best at explaining things but his slides are mostly very sufficient.
This class isn't hard as long as you pay attention to the lectures (or lecture slides) and are able to effectively understand them. I mean, most of the examples in the lectures are perfect blueprints to study off of for tests and exams. He assigns ungraded homework (which I never did) and I was still able to understand a lot of the material.
His lectures can be extremely confusing and he goes very fast. I would say it's important that you dedicate a lot of time to this class. He expects you to be doing lots of review and practice problems outside of lecture. Definitely lots of tests and quizzes. He is a good teacher. I would not mind taking another class with him.
Katznelson's lectures are decent, but he tends to get really, really into explaining certain things and you can easily get lost if you don't have the slides in front of you. 100% of your grade comes from assessments, but you get 2 tries on each quiz. 4 midterms :(. I don't think Katznelson is a bad teacher, but be ready to teach yourself somewhat.
Katznelson isn't terrible at explaining, but frequently skips over steps while doing example calculations so it's incredibly easy to get lost. Stopped going in-person because I couldn't pause and go back. 60% of grade is 4 midterms throughout the quarter. In general get ready to teach yourself a bunch of material and have that count for everything.
Tough class, but going to section is everything. It's not mandatory, but make it a must for yourself. Only grades are 4 midterms, final, and small canvas quizzes twice weekly. Katznelson is not as bad as people say, the class itself is just hard. His study guides are almost EXACTLY what are on the test. I never did the HW (ungraded) and was fine.
The homework is ungraded but they were pretty similar to the tests. Try not to fall asleep during lecture and rewatch them if you need to.
Katznelson is the best goddamn math teacher I've ever had. The material's tough, but he explains well and doesn't go too slow. Don't feel threatened by how fast he can go in class, if you ask him to explain something he will. He's very good about questions. I probably would have gotten an A in 11A and 11B if I went to section and not just lecture.
He's really hard to follow. He expects you to know his shortcuts and to have a very strong understanding about the concepts as soon as he teaches it. His tests are very difficult as his study guides don't match the content given on the (3) midterms.
His lectures can be hard to follow and I oftentimes found myself understanding everything in the beginning to being completely lost by the end. Definitely go to office hours! The TAs have helped so much and are truly the reason why I understand the concepts. Two chances on quizzes and two get dropped at the end, 3 midterms, and 1 final in person.
The way he does class is very good. Not only does he teaches you one concept/idea a class, but he also gives you an example to better explain it. I understand it and think he does a great job.
His lectures go pretty fast, I would recommend having slides open on a laptop with you so you can copy everything down. Some stuff was difficult to understand, so it helps to have a strong understanding of calculus before taking am11b. There is a lot of weight on tests so make sure you study. The class is difficult. He's a nice guy though.
He speaks in a very round about manner. His explanations for topics can be confusing, and he moves quickly. He does post the slides after to reference. Do the HW! Seriously it isn't required but it helps so much. His tests are in the same style as the study guides so use those to study.
I think he gets a bad rap, yes his lectures are tough to follow. But the tests and quizzes are fair if you do the HW and a bit of self study/read the textbook. Hw is ungraded but definitely do it, 3 exams 1 in person final. 2 quiz p/week. Exams are just like the study guide. I enjoyed him but you have to put in the work.
Professor Katznelson seems like a nice guy, but this may be the hardest math class I've ever taken, and I'm normally pretty good at math. Half the students seemed to be confused, and his lecturing style didn't leave room for questions or clarification. They are very theory-based, so going to section is an absolute requirement if you wanna pass.
Goes extremely fast and off topic during lecture. No homework, so spend time mastering lecture examples and the study guide. Grade is primarily based on midterm performance & final (no curve!). Do not need to get 100% in the quiz section to max out points. Take if you have time to teach yourself for 3 midterms and go to class consistently.
Not a very good teacher, doesn't explain why and how he manipulates equations a lot of the time. His grading policy is very easy to pass the class with though.
READ THE TEXTBOOK! Lectures are (in my opinion) REALLY confusing (from a social sciences major pov). The textbook is SO EASY to read, and it's FREE. Skip lecture, if you must but not the reading. I totally bombed a test and still passed. It's a hard class, but you'll pass if you put in the time. The prof has a weird obsession with Dr.Suss.
His lectures weren't helpful for me. He went fast without much detail. The weekly quizzes aren't bad, but the three midterm exams & final are extremely difficult. Prepare to do a lot of outside reading/practice if you want to do well in the class as your grade is entirely based on the quizzes, midterms, and final. Some extra credit is available.
Uses handwritten lecture notes that are hard to read, is not flexible about lecture style despite it not working for many, inconsistent with the text at times, never explains the why or definitions just how to solve his examples. actively encourages you to get information literally anywhere other than himself in the name of "collaborative teaching"
Katznelson is a brilliant guy but he's tough. There are a lot of resources to do well in this class but you have to have the initiative to take advantage of them. Most people do poorly in his class because they think they can fake it, but you can't. I recommend LSS and going to the discussions/lectures. Hw is optional but you should still do it.
if taking for am30 know that most of ur grade is based on the cumulative final which most people failed in my quarter, he is very condescending and rude
Overcomplicates everything and skips over details that are integral to understanding concepts. Reading the book, doing homework, and going to discussions is very helpful. He does give a midterm review and weekly quizzes which help study for the exams. But that being said it's very difficult to grasp anything from lecture.
He does not explain topics very well at all. You will have to rewatch lectures and teach yourselves the course material completely on your own. He also has a policy where if you score lower than a 40% on the final you fail the course no matter what your grade is.
I can't speak to other courses, but AM11A is not a difficult class if you actually put in effort outside of lectures. He lectures at a somewhat quick pace because of how much material there is to cover but if do the readings and homework, you'll be set. Funny guy, and fantastic lecturer.
His lectures are pretentious and difficult to follow. However, his study guides and weekly quizzes are almost one to one with the exams so use that to study. If you ever feel lost or overwhelmed use the textbook. Has a policy that scoring lower than 40% on the final will result in failing the course regardless of your current grade.
He's a fair grader and offers formulas on the exams. However, the class grade relies heavily on exam scores so you have to do well.
STAT 7 is a difficult class with one of the easiest labs ever. Prof. Katznelson started out teaching things slowly and I was understanding the material but as soon as we passed the first midterm things got insanely difficult and confusing. If you can take STAT5 instead I'd highly recommend it.
YK gets a bad rep because of his sultry tone but I swear he's actually funny. His lectures were structured almost exactly to textbook readings so (as the syllabus clearly states) if you do the reading before class you'll be familiar with the concepts of the harder examples he does during lecture. He's personable& helpful if you know how to approach
Katznelson is a great guy but his way of teaching statistics was confusing. In lecture he would only explain how to do his own examples and never explicitly defined the test statistic that we were working with. However his study guides were amazing so if you pay attention to those you'll be fine (especially for the final)!
Offers a good amount of extra credit by attending TA sections and canvas discussion participation. Homework is not collected. Notetaking during lectures is not required. The final allows a cheat sheet! Tests for AM 11B were challenging, but credit is given for attempting the right methods. Also, the textbook is free online!
Avoid Katznelson if you can, not terrible lectures just faced paced. Gives extra credit and points for attendance and weekly quizzes. Midterms have no cheat sheet which made it very difficult to do well on those. Final has cheat sheet and was not terrible. You WILL have to go to section, participate, and do textbook reading and homework to pass.
Awful lecturer, but he's fair and it's not hard to pass the class if you put the work in. Just utilize all the resources given, like study guides, quizzes, and TA discussions. Exams are similar to the study guide and quiz questions. I'd recommend also reading the book/doing hw even though its not required, just to keep up with the course/lectures.
Lectures go fast, errors on slides & only corrected in class, makes attendance mandatory by putting it in the gradebook. Grades rely heavily on exams that only have few problems so if you get 1 wrong, good luck with that. If not a good test taker you will be scraping for any little points of extra credit & trying for perfect scores on quizzes.
Even though I passed the course,I still want to clarify that I am headed for failure before the final exam results are announced.He's lecture had a lot of information in a day.Please fix the problem if you miss something or don't understand it;else, you're ready to fail (that's what happened to me).Grade is clear,10pts of ec can add to final grade.
Pretty easy to pass due to partial credit grading + lots of extra credit, but pretty much impossible to actually learn from his lectures. Don't like his teaching style, learned much more in community college calc classes.
Partial credit is very useful in his exams. Open notes/textbook quiz per week. Set amount of extra credit available. Expect to be learning the material outside of class yourself..lectures are organized but confusing. Attendance isn't mandatory but is graded. Forming study groups is highly encouraged. If you have questions, ask. Ungraded homework.
ive had katznelson for AM11A, AM11B, and STATS17 he does make lectures more complicated than they should be, but going to sections really does help and its extra credit, hw is optional, midterms are usually 3-4 questions w sub questions for each, attendance isnt that strict, but u get points for being at lectures
Had him for STAT17 in the exact same quarter, got an A+ in that class too. If you do the extra credit (contribute to weekly discussions, go to sections), it provides a lot of extra credit that should almost ensure passing the class. Lectures are confusing and fast-paced if you don't read the textbook/lecture beforehand.
Probably the worst professor Ive had here at UCSC. Syllabus stated that calculators will be allowed on all exams, but when the exam came no calculators were allowed. When I inquired about this he was very rude, and was very insulting towards my learning disability. Dropped the class before the drop date so I don't know too much else.
Do not take this professor if you want to learn in his lectures. This Katznelson learned how to make powerpoints and use a highlighter and that it is. There are NO example problems worked through in the lectures, there is just theory after theory of random jargin presented with little to no explanation. Be ready to do lots of outside class studying
Katznelson is a difficult professor. His lectures consist of premade slides, where he only talks about the theory and ideas within a formula. For example, he will give the general definition of a mathematical idea long before actually presenting the idea. You will rarely see examples done in class, get ready to watch many mathematical videos.
Assuming he doesn't change his grading system, take him for an easy A. However, if you actually want to learn linear algebra, DO NOT TAKE HIM. He makes up for his confusing teaching with lots of extra credit and lenient grading. T.A's were also extremely helpful and actually taught well so use them every chance you can get.
Lecture attendance & sections are EC. Lectures are recorded. Slides are posted. HW is optional. Overall nice professor but lectures are mainly about theory and barely examples most of the time, so attend section. 3 midterms (1 online), final is cumulative. Material isn't hard if you pay attention and use the homework to study.
Did not accept my drc acomadations! Called me very demeaning names aswell when I inquired. Lies on syllabus did not allow calculators when the syllabus stated that he would.
The lectures were very fast and there was little time to take notes, he only talked about the pre-written content, without any actual examples. Midterm review solutions always skip key calculation processes and make me confused. If you really want to learn linear algebra, don't take his class! Homework/Tests are also very difficult.
TA's and the extra credit will save your grade in this class
His lectures are confusing and often unhelpful, TAs explained the material 100x better. Class is mostly self-taught which is boring but not impossible with the textbook. I recommend finding external resources. At least there is a clear and pretty generous grading scheme with lots of extra credit I recommend taking advantage of.
The lectures aren't good basically need to self study to pass the class. Midterm reviews are a similar to the tests. Good chunk of extra credit offered that can save ur grade.
Take the course elsewhere. The professor uses pre-made lecture slides, making lectures effortless for him but reducing student learning. The content does not align with other colleges, and TAs struggle to understand it. There is little communication fostered between students and the professor. (This should be a hint for you).
This class was easy to get an A. 3/4 of the lectures were mandatory for credit but the class went by quickly and was easy. There was one hw quiz per week and optional homework so the load for this class was extremely light. Lots of extra credit you could easily bomb a midterm and still be comfortable with an A in this class. Self study!
Lectures can be confusing, but TAs explain things better. Use the textbook and look for external resources to supplement the material. Unstuckstudy AI was a big help with studying and test prep. Lots of extra credit to take advantage of.
Lectures were so fast-paced that at a certain point, I stopped listening and learned everything in TA sections and self-teaching. Midterms were open-note and for the final, a double-sided cheatsheet was allowed. Practice exams are very similar to actual exams so if you practice those you should be fine. Extra credit opportunities in discussions.
His lectures were a bit hard to understand but the TA's helped a lot and the extra office hours were super useful. His lectures were really fast paced and lwk really hard to keep up with at times but it's rlly important that you spend time outside of class reviewing material and do the practice problems sometimes those help too.
People may hate on katznelson but hes a good guy in my opinion whos teaching a hard class.
To give my review credibility I took bio 20A with Melissa Jurica + Phy with Barun Dhar, and people complained about having to put effort into the class, both had horrible rate my prof. Yonatan is worse! He DOES not teach, he highlights slides of theories in class. Avoid at all costs his class is not super hard but his "teaching" makes it horrible.
Nice guy, not great teacher. I'm not a big fan of his explanations, as I do not understand them very well. If you understand proofs, you will get his lectures, if not, that's the only way he teaches. Few examples, attendance policy is nice.
Bad, dont take his class
Everything was very easy and clearly explained in this course. His lectures were entertaining and helpful with the exams and weekly quizzes. Overall, my best experience in a math class ever.
Bro lost my final when I took his class like 2 years ago but he found it ig so its chill?
Very nice grading system, lecture attendance required, homework is optional (so you will never do it). Midterms are challenging but if you know the content you should be fine. Lectures are almost impossible to follow (all theoretical and variable based) so be ready to self study a lot of the class. Double sided note sheet for both exams
Honestly, he seems like the pure definition of a professor to me. He seems passionate about the topics in class, you can tell by his mannerisms, but.. He needs to change his lectures, very fast-paced and easy to get lost on each slide. The class is already pretty difficult. I would recommend, only if you put in extra work outside of class to learn.
This professor was god awful, I don't think this man is a bad person but his teaching style makes me claw my brains out. He's sometimes really hard to listen too because hes so quiet. Take time to learn the material outside of the class. The only good thing I would say about him and his class are the TA's and clear grading structure.
This class requires a lot of self studying. The lectures are hard to understand and aren't very helpful. Only good thing is that there is quite a bit of extra credit so you should be fine even if you don't do well on a midterm! Homework is optional and lectures aren't mandatory so you have to be self-motivated in this class.
Awfull, avoid at all costs, nice guy, but his lectures are almost indecipherable, the worst part about this is he will assign homework from the textbook, but then make problems on tests that really can only be solved his way. If you are forced to take this class with him, I would recommend doing the extra credit, it was 9% of our grade in my class.
Easy class if you self study but his lectures are quite bad, something about his style makes it impossible to comprehend any of the material when he's teaching it (probably pre-written slides?), expect to reread slides on your own time and be frustrated during lectures. Grading is lenient with plenty of extra credit and review problems match exams.
He kinda just glosses over stuff in lectures unless stopped directly and gets asked questions. For the most part, as long as you do some of the practice homework when you don't understand, you'll be fine. But regardless of that, he is a good person who cares and wants students to succeed, so take advantage of his help/tutors and stuff if needed.
I really liked this professor. He always brightened up the lectures with jokes, and he also provides a video of all his lectures on canvas which is probably the most important thing because his lectures can be a little fast paced and hard to follow. But he's also willing to answer any questions you have in class. You just have to actually ask.
He's tough, uncaring, and even cruel. All that being said he's a great professor. Everyone giving him 1 star reviews are people who did not put in the work. His classes are not easy and he makes that clear early on. If you are struggling he is willing to help and gives lots of extra credit. Do the work, put in the hours, and you will succeed.
Lectures are so so terrible and mandatory. Weekly easy hw quiz + 2 midterms, 1 final; the first midterm followed the study guide; the others didn't. He makes up for his terrible teaching by lenient grading/lots of partial credit and extra credit. I would avoid if possible, the only way to learn is to self-study. Do the extra credit for good grade.
Took this class last year and dropped it after taking my first midterm. Katznelson prepares his lectures ahead of time and reads through them extremely quickly, not giving time to take notes. Unless you want to prepare all of your notes the night before don't take this class. Took it with another teacher later and got an A.
For the love of god do not take this class. Lectures are totally incoherent and impossible to follow along (at any given time there are 3 people asleep in class). Only way to pass is by going to TA sections and grinding out the same 5 review problems over and over again. Goes way beyond the scope of the class and makes things way too hard.
I had him for both AM 10 and AM 20. His lectures aren't that great, but he responds to feedback and they did get better. There was 11% extra credit, and the midterms and final were very similar to the practice tests. The TA's were great and I highly recommend watching BlackTshirtMathProfessor's differential equations problems playlist.
The WORST professor I've had since I started attending this school. It could be an asynchronous online math course and nothing would be different. Absolutely useless mandatory lectures, an abysmal amount of optional homework, and he will make you feel bad for leaving lecture early. I enrolled in this class to be taught, not to teach myself.
Classes were structured poorly. All theory no practice. Anything meaningful must be done outside of class, but unfortunately attendance is mandatory. However, sections and exam review sections are extremely helpful, TAs are GOATED, and the exams are actually really straightforward and somewhat easy. His lectures just suck lol.
check if the class you need with him can be taken at cc and transferred instead. such a better use of time than dealing with him.
It's not a crazy difficult class but he just does examples all class so you need to make sure you can understand what he is doing. Tests aren't that bad, he lets you have a cheat sheet on the final.
uses a free textbook which i thought was ok. i liked him. thought my grade was a skill issue initially. people tell me that they didnt find his lectures entirely helpful and in hindsight, i agree maybe not enough time was spent on the applied math of the subject. i spent so much time rewatching lecture-- alternatively better to go to TAs/discussion
Even though this course has no real prerequisites, I was lost on the first day. He doesn't explain things well and does not respond to feedback well. Lecture was in the giant Kresge lec hall, and sometimes we couldn't hear him. He offers a LOT of extra credit, and his exams were very similar to the practice exams. Tries to be funny but he's not.
I felt that the Professor Katznelson was very hostile. Would get annoyed if nobody asked questions but would also get annoyed if you did. Grade consisted of weekly quizzes with 4 attempts, 2 midterms, 1 final, and some extra credit. Content itself wasn't difficult if you were able to teach yourself and the TAs were saviors.
Lectures are him speeding through notes and occasionally circling a Thing. Tries to cover way too much content. Gloats about assigning busy work, has meltdowns and yells at the class. Insults people for not asking questions when no one can even figure out what he's trying to teach. I think he would rather eat a cactus than be a competent teacher.
You need to put in a lot of work yourself because he definitely doesn't help much. He can be very condescending and lectures can get jargony. The content itself isn't horrible but there is a learning curve if you've never taken stats before. Tests are very similar to study guides though. Make study groups, I wouldn't have done well without one
He's kind of funny and nice, but cannot teach. Lectures are giving english class sometimes, he shows the proof/definition and expects you to miraculously know how to do it. The only reason I ended with my grade is that I watched the Linear Algebra course on Khan Academy. Positives: exams match study guides, 6% of grade was extra credit
While I will admit I should've put more effort in the class, I feel the way it was taught was way too confusing to me. Katznelson is a really cool guy, but his lectures are confusing and convoluted. You'd have better luck learning from the free textbook itself or Khan Academy. Also attend sections and use quizzes and homework, it'll help.
Horrible professor, instead of showing you how to solve problems he will explain the theory behind linear algebra concepts, making zero sense and making it 10x more confusing than it should be. Attendance is mandatory yet you will find his classroom more than half empty after 2 weeks. Don't take if you actually want to get something out of class.
Lectures are mandatory and very confusing. Goes over a lot of theory, but not actually how to solve problems. As long as you know how to do the stuff on the weekly quizzes and midterm study guies you should be fine. Expect to do a lot of learning outside of class. 3blue1brown has an amazing series that will get you through 2/3s of the course.
Katznelson is a great guy but his lectures never made any sense. They're just proofs and him yapping. You'd learn so much quicker if you just watch videos on youtube and self teach. If you can, don't take his classes he's awful. His handwriting isn't the hottest either...
Katznelson inspired me to drop out of engineering. By far the worst math professor I've ever had, and completely ignorant to the fact that he can't teach. His pre-written slides are awful, and his handwriting is illegible. The material is chill, if learned online. Trying to maintain info from Katz's lectures will drive you insane.
So rude and snappy during lectures. Lectures were completely unhelpful, confusing and disheartening. Lowkey mean to students who ask questions, refused to speak in plain terms and instead used mathematical jargon. Lectures of course were mandatory.
Bad teacher his lectures suck its an hour of proof slop for two lines of useful info that you can learn so much easier from textbook or youtube or tutor. Waste of time to go to his lectures since he's only doing proofs for the two math majors in the room and then is rude if you ask questions??No nice things to say about him he made the subject dull
Lectures are dry, boring, unhelpful, and don't help at all for the exams. Basically just points out random theories from the textbook, circling lines from his pre written slideshows (handwritten too with awful penmanship). TA basically taught everything; his teaching style is just that bad. Material isn't even bad, he's just not a good teacher.
Nice guy but awful professor. Lectures bad, poorly handwritten slideshows that he circles lines from, content is almost never important. I've taught myself more from the textbook and youtube in an hour than he has all quarter. Class average is below passing as of right now. Take Math 24 instead or do this elsewhere.
Overall decent professor. Lectures can be very dull and rigid to follow at times.
Katznekson relies heavily on his lectures and goes way to fast to actually comprehend anything. His test were extremely hard and lecture does not really help. For this class you kind of need to teach ypurself or go to TA hours.
In my experience the lectures are vastly unhelpful, he does not care about your questions and actually doesnt teach anything of value. By taking this class youre committing to learning this entirely on your own. Good luck
Exams were worth 60%, but were pretty easy and graded leniently. I completely missed the first midterm and failed the second because I got really sick. He was super understanding and weighted my exams in a way that let me pass the class. His lectures were okay, just make sure you read the textbook too.
there's something about the way he lectures off his slideshows (which is just him rewording exact examples from the textbook) that make it very hard to follow. the material isn't that bad if you've taken math23A/B. You are best off self-studying the material from youtube videos, was able to get full scores without paying any attention at all in lec
His lectures are structured to confuse you. He tends to start with practice problems using techniques not taught yet and explains niche equations that only apply to specific subspaces of R^n long before teaching the foundational topic. While it's easy to get an A, it's hard to learn the material, outside of memorizing equations, from his lectures.
Lectures are super boring but required for some reason. I never did any of the reading nor paid attention in lectures and the class was pretty easy. Just use the study guides for the 3 midterms & final and you're chillin as they're super short. Easy A but the teacher wasn't my favorite, you can kinda just ignore him and still do fine. Nice TA's tho
From the first week of taking this class I knew I was going to need outside help for this class, it feel like he just reads off the slides, there's a lack of example problem's and the ones he does do jump around and skip steps that if you are lost it makes it even harder, I had to get a tutor to help me and thats the only reason I passed.
Be careful about the final for this class
Nice guy, not great at teaching. Lectures are long and boring, professor just annotates prewritten slides so it's hard to keep up. I had to reread the lecture slides several times outside of class to understand anything. Doesn't explain concepts in a good way. There's a lenient grading policy with room for extra credit, def take advantage of that.
He's a terrible explainer and lecture is mandatory but unhelpful. Homework was harder than the exams, so give yourself time to do them. Exams made up 60% of the grade, but the practice tests were very similar so if you study early you'll do well, unfortunately I usually studied a day before. Overall, bad professor but passable if you put in effort.
He made me believe in the multiverse. Not because of mathematical proof, but because I know in another universe I am Invincible and he is Conquest. Mandatory unhelpful lectures, difficult homework, tests are okay if you stick to the practice tests as the questions end up being a carbon copy.
This class inspired me to drop out of engineering. By far the worst professor I've ever encountered. My exam scores started going up when I stopped going to class, because his lectures are in fact terrible. This being said, the class is relatively easy to pass. I bombed every exam and still managed to squeak by. Either way, please steer clear.
Katznelson isnt as bad as everyone says. He can be hard to follow at times, but if you try you can learn with him or chatgpt teaches stats well. weekly quizzes u get 4 tries, 3 midterms and a final. no notecards but he gives equations on final and certain midterms. he can be arrogant and gets seems angry sometimes when someone asks a question
He once made a homework problem too difficult, and literally made the students who finished the homework early redo the problem because he decided to change it. Didn't even give them extra credit or anything. Avoid at all costs. He can and has rendered all your work null and void if he feels like it.
Not horrible as some reviews make it out to be. I often found myself lost and learning the content on my own but thats just me and maybe some others but I've seen him help plenty of people and show that he cared. He was just a little intimidating Content was hard but not impossible, just work hard and try to reach out for help, and you'll be okay.
Glad to know nothing has changed from AM 10. Expects you to know how to use MatLab on the homework despite not teaching it. Horribly confusing lectures based on textbook theory with examples that skip steps and use emojis to represent equations. Would not attend if not required. I was carried by the TAs and Organic Chemistry Tutor.
Unfortunately, he's the only AM 20 professor. Lectures are disorganized using examples that skip steps and emojis in place of equations. It's better to read slides at your own pace or watch YouTube during lecture to learn the material. MatLab is required for homework but not taught. TA sections are a lifeline
His lectures are just honestly really confusing and useless, I did most of my learning myself with google or you tube videos. He teaches too much theory and not enough test examples. The tests are average though so if you put a lot of work in you can pass his classes pretty easily. Most people from my class got in a B- to C+ range on most things.
Great person, just not the best at teaching. Lectures are mostly him just flipping through prewritten slides quickly. Be ready to self-study if you're not a fan of that teaching style. Please do not procrastinate, try to review topics weekly. Tests were similar to the review and were not graded that harshly (gave partial credit).
Katznelson is a chill and friendly professor with a relaxed vibe. His lectures can be confusing, so I mainly used the book and his notes as a cheat sheet. He's quirky with Dr. Seuss references. The midterm review only covered about 30% of the test, but he curved it by 2 points (a full letter grade). Attendance is self-marked halfway into lecture.
mandatory attendance for awful lectures
Such a bad professor, he spends 5 minutes talking about the reference before giving the attendance answer during the lecture, which is a quiz. lectures are just so boring its him going through slides and hardly explaining it well enough. I feel like he's wasted so much of my time this quarter.
Three exams and weekly quizzes were all there was to the class. Lectures are theory-heavy, but he does a good job explaining them. Review for the exams and you'll be fine.
People make this course out to be harder than it is. Katznelson drops 2/5 homeworks, 4/10 quizzes, excuses 6 class absences, and grades midterms that have 12 possible points out of 10. I never pay attention to lectures, have never taken linear algebra before, and don't use AI and I have a 100% going into the final. His lectures are theory heavy tho
Unfortunately, you are likely forced to take this class with him. He is horrible, and we all know it. Unlike AM10, there is no partial credit of any kind. I would recommend reviewing linear algebra again, and basic integration techniques. Good luck, hope you never have to take another class with this guy ever again.
Take this class at community college and save your money. His lectures are unreadable due to his messy handwriting. Lecture and section attendance is mandatory(expect to learn nothing in the section). The mean score on Midterm 1 was 45%, and the mean on Midterm 2 was 66%, meaning the average student is on the verge of failing the class.
Yonathon is the worst professor I've had at UCSC. He fails to prepare students with his lectors and refuses to curve grade nor give extra credit despite midterm averages being in the 40's. Self-Studying all material is NECESSARY to pass the class. Finals more difficult than study material and I expect final score averages to be low. DO NOT TAKE
Don't believe I learned a single thing in class, I learned all material on my own, with classmates, through youtube. My learning style does not match his teaching style and many can agree. Lectures are very confusing to learn new material, felt like I needed to already know the topic before hand to even understand what he is saying.
Katznelson is a good person but not a great professor. Every lecture is him explaining his slides that nobody understands. When class would end, my friend and I would look at eachother and wonder what in the world just happened. The discussion sections were very helpful though, and I advise everyone taking his class to actually go to discussion.
Mandatory lectures with a lot of excess roundabout explanations for most concepts. textbook was free online
The textbook is your lifesaver. He's a very funny guy, and I liked his attendance quizzes. Try your best to think of answers when he asks questions to the class, even if you do not answer them out loud. His lectures are example heavy, so do the readings before class and then come in to lecture ready for more detailed explainations.
Boring lectures, jokes fall flat. All learning happens outside class. Ask questions = public shaming. Had 95 before the final (40% of grade), lost most points for not showing work his preferred way. Study guide matched midterms but final was designed to trick you. After 3 midterms + weekly quizzes, he clearly wants you to fail. Avoid at all costs.
Lectures were not very helpful in my opinion. Prepare for midterms and finals, as they make up 60% of your grade. Midterm reviews and final reviews were very similar to the actual midterm and final, so do them.
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