3.2
Quality3.7
Difficulty46%
Would Retake402
Reviews46%
Would Retake
402
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
402 total ratings5
145
4
59
3
47
2
43
1
108
What Students Say
“Stankova is not an ideal lecturer”
1B - 1.0 rating“Great class if you want to learn Math 54 materials”
1B - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
41%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
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Improving
+0.30 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH1VE
5.0
(1)MATH10AAND10B
5.0
(1)MATH74
5.0
(1)MATH110
3.6
(29)MATH54
3.5
(78)Difficulty by Course
10A
5.0
10B
5.0
MATH10AB
4.5
MATH10B
4.5
MATH10A
4.3
Reviews (299)
Zvezda is an amazing lecturer that makes mathematics fun to learn, even when it gets tough sometimes. You have to go to lectures to excel in the class, but it's worth it considering how well she teaches. Be prepared to recite Bulgarian at the start of every lecture, learn some yoga poses, and do a lot of homework problems.
Good professor with total emphasis on lectures as far as exams go. Had a weird question (I.e. a concept covered for 10 minutes in one class and never touched again) on the final that screwed my grade in the class over but it's chill
Very passionate about teaching! Tough but you really learn the material. I thought I didn't like her for 10A but found myself choosing her for 10B again.
Zvezda grew on me from the beginning of the semester until the end. She is definitely passionate about her teaching, but expects you to put in the work and keep up. While lectures could get confusing at times, going to discussion section helps for further clarification (Roy is the best GSI)
Had her for 10A and opted for 10B with her too. I often got lost in her fast-paced lectures but section and office hours clarified lots (yay Roy). I regret not going to her OH, bc she rewards ppl that do by dropping hints about midterm & final. She's rly funny and you need to go to lecture to do well. TBH tho Talaska is a lot clearer & easier ...
Stankova is one of the best teaching professors at Cal. Her lectures are very clear and interesting; the material seems so much easier after going to lecture. While her tests can be hard (beware of T/F), as long as you study lecture notes and do her challenge questions, it is very easy to succeed.
Stankova is a really good lecturer and goes over lots of examples in class. If you put in the time to do her homework (especially challenge problems), you can learn a lot. Her exams are pretty hard and tend to focus on the fundamentals of the concepts as opposed to mere problem-solving, which might not work out well for everyone.
Just go to all the lectures and Im sure this class wont be that hard... but skipping class will most likely screw you over. Tests are short and should be doable if you know whats happening in the class.
Stankova is a horrible professor. Her goal is not to educate her students but to belittle them and make them feel as unintelligent as possible.
She makes the math in a specific NON math-major class way too confusing. Concepts I understood flawlessly in high school calculus became confusing after she delved too much into theory with very little examples. She is a charismatic and passionate teacher, but DO NOT take 10A because it is so much extra difficulty that you do not want to deal with.
She's very fun during lectures. If you work hard you will understand a lot. Unless you come from a math background (Calc BC in Junior year of high school level), it will be a depressing semester. Decent teacher, incredibly unreasonable. Not good if you are a pre-med and have a dream of becoming a doctor.
Course covers too much, forcing Zvezda to go CRAZY FAST and not provide enough context for what we are doing. When she (finally) slowed down (during reviews) I understood her no problem. CalcBC background ideal; tons of HW; attending lectureCRUCIAL; moderately hard exams (beware True/False); cling to your GSI for dear life, thankfully they go SLOW
Her class surprised me by its really fast pace, I even got an F on my first exam (the class average lmao). It was a wake up call, but I'm pretty sure the curve is helpful and the resurrection final was a lifesaver. Make sure to write really good notes on lectures, she doesn't use course capture at all. But she's very smart and funny!
Okay sure, Zvedza's an awesome person with her before-class yoga, but in terms of being a math professor... not so awesome. She goes through the material way too fast and makes things unnecessarily confusing. I consider myself very smart, capable and able to grasp concepts quickly, but this class is my biggest regret at Berkeley. Don't take it!!!!
Zvezda constantly attacks students in class and openly demeans students for not knowing the material. She explains things very poorly, simply saying what she writes on the board and not explaining what it means or even how to do problems. She spends too much time detailing proofs that we do not even need to know, only serving to confuse students.
Zvezda is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about math, yet her lectures are still accessible to everyone and sprinkled with humor. She tries so hard to help everyone succeed to learn new material and obtain a good grade. I came to Cal hating math, but Zvezda made me love it, along with teaching me some yoga poses and how to speak Bulgarian :)
made me not love math. by far the hardest exams. I studied the most for her exams and did not do as well as expected. such a tough professor.
This class is very fast paced and requires a lot of effort outside class. Simply doing the care minimum will not cut it. Zvezda gives clear explanations and fun lectures; the GSIs are helpful as well. Exams are challenging but generally fair. Advice: put literally everything you can on your cheat sheet.
Zvezda covers a lot of content at an extremely fast pace (your calculus needs to be solid as she won't stop). Her tests only cover a fraction of this content as each question is multiple parts, so you can't gamble on knowing a few concepts well. Zvezda cares a lot about her students and provides a lot of resources for support.
Zvezda is an amazing lecturer, but be warned that she moves at a VERY fast pace. The midterms are incredibly hard, but your grade on the final counts for any lower scores so don't get discouraged by bad midterm grades! My advice is to put as many practice problems as possible on your cheat sheet. Use all of the resources she provides!
Zvezda is one of the best professors I've ever had. She genuinely cares about her students and provides a ton of resources to help them succeed. She's a bit intimidating but super kind when you get used to her. She made lectures fun with her yoga and stories. Sit as close to the front as possible; she remembers faces!
Zvezda is incredibly smart dont get me wrong, but sometimes that intelligence takes form in explaining relatively simple concepts in very convuluted ways. I always left class confused but thank god for good GSIs because mine explained the coursework better in 2 discussions than she did in 3 lectures every week. S/O to Roy!
Zvezda was the best professor I've had at Berkeley. While I did hate her so much, I also respected her significantly. I showed up to all her lectures, and I don't do that for all classes. She was very organized and easy to follow, however the class was fast paced and she didn't make it easy on us. Would 100% take again.
Zvezda Is the worst lecturer. Taking more semesters of math is hella worth it compared to having to put up with zvezda for a year. I am warning you with all of my soul to NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. You will thank yourself later.
The worst professor in my entire 4 years of college. She is unclear, makes things WAY more complicated than needed, and so unorganized. Never again.
Stop complaining, focus on the math. did not take AP classes, had bad first midterm, here is what helped: SLC tutors, doing homework timeley and thoroughly, getting questions answered in discussions. Most exams featured past papers or class problems. Be attentive, T/F sucks. her lectures are a lot, but her typed lecture notes really help.
Definitely one of the most difficult classes I have taken at Berkeley but Prof Stankova is an amazing lecturer who is very clear in her explanations. Tests were very difficult but very fair so make sure you do all the homework problems and read the textbook!
Avoid her at all costs. I took 10A and 10B with her and deeply regret it. As a person, she's unapproachable and unpleasant. Her lectures are dull and her explanations are convoluted. Her style is more fit for an upper-div class for math majors. There's a reason why many 10A students drop the track altogether to switch into 1A for second semester.
So mean and awful at teaching. Clearly doesn't care about her students and brags/pats herself on the back for writing exams with scarily low mean scores (I'm talking low 50s). Exams include content mentioned once in lecture so that your cheat sheet you made is useless. She wants you to fail. Don't take this course!
My issue with Zvezda is how she loaded on more work during the pandemic. She turned a 1 hour lecture into a 4 hour lecture. Lecture time went from 3 hours a week to 12. Its inconsiderate of the other things going on in people's lives at this time to assume that given everything we want to spend 9 more hours a week learning math. Heinous.
You got the impression she did not care whether students learned the material or not, the lectures were unnecessarily fast paced, and she made the class artificially harder by covering concepts very quickly and trying to fit way too many examples in one lecture. The exams had questions which barely got mentioned, not enough practice exams.
Took Math 10A in my first sem of freshman year. Before taking her class, I considered math to be my absolute strongest subject. I got 5s on Calc AP exams, so I thought I was basically retaking calculus. She quickly made me rethink that. If she catches you with technology, she will call you out in front of the entire class. IMO shes scary and strict
Zvezda is the best math teacher I've ever had, and although she blazed through a lot of difficult material in two semesters, she gave us the tools we needed to do well in the class. The resurrection final saved my grade both semesters, so even if you don't do well on the midterms you have a chance to save your grade.
Not clear, actually tries to make the class hard, not very approachable in OH or in lecture, tests are very inconsistent between semesters and test the most unimportant of details, doesnt want to put practice exams because she thinks we assume the actual exam would be the same, loves math but does not love teaching others about it.
Loved her! she's a very good instructor, explains all concepts clearly and with examples. her exams tend to be hard from time to time, but you can resurrect your grade with the final. moderate amount of homework, all GSIs have quick feedback time
Tripled the workload, made lecture attendance mandatory over Zoom for a grade during the pandemic (it wasn't mandatory in-person) and time differences and difficult home lives make this difficult. Not approachable at all and it doesn't seem like she cares about her students, overcomplicates things and slows down for no one. Most unreasonable.
I was lucky to have taken her class this semester, during the pandemic with default PNP option. Although she is full of passion, she is way too smart to teach students with sufficient details for them to understand the material. Midterms are super hard, not sure about the final because I haven't taken one yet. Math-haters, please don't choose her!!
She does not allow students to send emails neither to her nor to GSIs unless it is an emergency. She is also very fast-paced, doesn't seem to care of students falling behind, gives bunch of assignments, and doesn't cancel quizzes after exams. I beg you not to take her class unless you are super into stats and probabilities.
She asks questions that are way beyond the scope, asking for way too much complicated concepts and advanced applications that WERE NOT covered in lectures. Since the original material itself is hard, it was way too much for me to catch up. Wasn't sure what to study, gave up on studying for the finals since there is no meaning in doing so. T/F SUCKS
Not good with anything that involves teaching: lessons, office hours, being clear and understanding, caring about how students learn the material, writing fair exams etc.
Zvezda is the worst. She's extremely self-important and complains about doing her job (grading exams, etc). She sends ten+ emails a day and is delusional about how much students have time to keep up with math. She publicly shames students for asking questions. On top of all of this, she isn't effective at teaching at all and expects way too much.
She makes my blood boil! Do not take her. I almost wondered if we were all being pranked every time she increased the workload during the pandemic. Avoid at all costs. She's unapproachable and arrogant beyond belief. This is the general consensus of students. She even had to censor the chat box on zoom because people were complaining about her.
The class was made difficult by unreasonable policies, incompetent and uncaring teaching, and unfair exams.
Loved Professor Stankova. You could tell she cared a lot about her students, and I really appreciate the time and effort she put in when the class was online. She provides and makes a lot of resources for her students; my favorite was her lecture videos! Although the midterms and final were difficult, the curve was more than generous in my opinion.
Zvezda is a very smart and hardworking professor. She is tough but fair and she truly cares about her students. Her class is by far the hardest class I have ever taken and requires a lot of working on your own to learn the material.
I really respect Zvezda & it was cool to have a professor who has so much grit, but she makes he class excessively demanding. You MUST do the homework and added things she stacks on. Midterms tend to be very hard and she likes to be tricky. She latches onto frivolous things like taking photos of the board in lecture, "bad" questions
A lot of people thought Stankova gave too much work when things went online but I thought it was necessary to actually learn and do well in the course. She made sure that even during COVID, we would get all the resources to do well in the course and she was fair in exam questions too. She is a professor who will make you work, but it pays off.
She is good at lecture, thats the only advantage of her. She is tremendous tough grader, you miss few 1 or 2 proofs, even your general thinking is right, you get no point, like 0/25 at the end, even you review hard , the questions will still be difficult for proof of concept.
The 9/25/20 review for Math 110 is a little harsh/biased against Stankova. She's not necessarily a tough grader. In fact, she's not even the one who grades our exams (it was all done by the GSIs). Sometimes the grading can be tough, but it's more of a case by case basis for each student. Some proofs are easy, some are hard, but it balances out.
Unfortunately her lectures are pretty much worthless and attendance is required. I have never gotten anything out of them really. Lecture notes are way to busy/hard to look at and she has the most annoying voice I have ever heard. Fortunately the textbook was enough to learn from. At least she gives easy tests.
she knows the material well but arbitrary course policies make this course needlessly difficult. judging from piazza posts a lot of other students feel this way but she intimidates anyone who voices complaints and often tries to deflect responsibility. I realized after two exams that the rubrics are designed to be frustrating by her, not the GSIs.
Zvezda is the best math prof I've had at Cal. She's so clear in her explanations and really cares about her students. She worked extra hard to make her courses accessible and manageable during the pandemic. She really knows her stuff and comes up with creative ways to teach them. She tends to treat students like children but it's honestly endearing
By far the best math experience I have ever had. She cares so much about her students, and the lectures were so well thought out and planed. It was definitely a lot of work, but it all helps to learn the material!
First math upper div I took at Cal. Good lecturer, but *super* demanding and unaccommodating even during COVID. Everything is done / graded in her way, no hw drops, mandatory attendance, no alternative exam, bin released after final was over. Not hard to get an A- but getting an A is difficult.
She is completely inconsiderate to her students!! I took her class during the global pandemic (online) so you would figure she would be understanding, but NO. I was evacuated from my HOME days before the midterm (obviously didn't have stable wifi)so I asked for some kind of accommodation & she said that "that was a personal problem."
You will be worried before the class starts about how strict the lecture and testing policies seem. DO NOT WORRY. Zvezda is easily the best math teacher I've taken despite some strange policies. Her lecture notes are crystal clear, and doing yoga at the start of class is pretty entertaining.
Professor has a massive ego. Case in point, review for both her midterms were riddled with mistakes and she refused to correct these, even emailing students that talked about the mistakes on Piazza (discussion platforms) threatening to revoke their Piazza access. Poor lecturer. Goes too fast. WOULD 100000% NOT RECOMMEND ANY CLASS WITH HER.
Class was very complicated, strict, and unaccommodating logistically. Attendance polls mandatory. She gets easily annoyed by logistic questions. Difficult to cope with especially for overseas student during Covid (which is me). Easily the most annoying class this semester. Self study with Stewart Calc. Test easy, MC and TF can be difficult.
Professor Stankova might be very into what she is teaching, but she is a very strict and unaccomodating professor who cares little about what problems a student might have that would make their learning inefficient. Her lecture notes are good, but her class is not ideal for someone like me who was taking a heavy courseload.
When you follow her exact methods for how to communicate or ask questions, she is super amenable to helping students, but otherwise was super inflexible and unhelpful even during an online semester. I also spent most of the semester teaching myself the material I was supposed to be learning from her. Wouldn't take with heavy course load.
She was OK I guess, but no clear grading scheme in the end was shown, and we had no way of checking whether our grade was correct. Easy exams but way too much useless homework. Very outgoing and enthusiastic professor.
I really enjoyed Zvezda's class. Her lectures are really well-organized and she's super smart. Going to office hours is really helpful because she's great at explaining stuff. It is a lot of work, but tests aren't too bad if you study well. Stay on pace with the class because it's hard to catch up if you fall behind.
Professor Stankova goes at a very fast pace and assigns a tremendous amount of homework. I found that the best way to study was to watch YouTube videos on topics she will cover before the corresponding lectures. Then, do your best on the homework, but don't spend too much time figuring out every problem. Before exams, review problem solving methods
Decently easy to do well if you keep up with the lectures and do all the homework. Would spend 15+ hours on homework every week, only for it to be 3% of the grade. She does curve exams based on how well each lecture does. The "grade-so-far" that she makes the GSIs do gives you absolutely no information.
Her lectures are well organized and structured such that class participation becomes helpful in teaching concepts that may be misunderstood by just the lecture itself. She gave polls that made you think about the wording of certain concepts. The polls also gave a sense on how the class is understanding the material.
This is the 3rd class I've taken with Zvezda. She is a phenomenal teacher, I intentionally chose this class with her again. While I haven't gotten the best grades in her classes, I definitely learned. Which is more than I can say about other math professors.
Stankova's lecture's are mostly logic based. There is so much being taught during lecture that there isn't really any examples shown. Therefore, I focused so much of my time on the homework (only 5% of your grade), about 15 hours a week to truly understand the material. Also, it's hard to ask a question in class so be prepared to be ignored.
Zvezda is great, she seems really intimidating but if you get to know her in OH then you'll find out she's really nice. Makes you do yoga before lecture but it's pretty fun. 3 problem sets a week is a lot but if you do them right then that's really all the studying you need.
Although I think that Zvezda can be strict in certain aspects (course policies) and can seem intimidating at first, she really does care about making sure her students succeed. Some general tips would be to make sure to do the hw, practice tests and make sure to go to her office hours.
I had a great time learning from this professor. Her lectures are engaging and informative. She does assign a ton of homework, though usually I don't finish. Others say that her grading scheme is unclear, but I would argue otherwise. Using information we were given in class I estimated my grade to be borderline B+/A- and ended up getting an A-.
Tons of homework really freak me out. I find math extremely boring after Professor Stankova's lectures. I'm now hesitant about whether to declare as a math major. The course is easy but super boring :(
I am a junior in CS at Cal. This was the most hostile to neurodivergent and disabled students class I've ever taken. The ridiculous 3 hours of discussion a week. Mandatory attendance at the height of Omnicrom. Taking hw solutions down. Sure, she does yoga before class, but if you need any actual flexibility from your profs, don't take this class.
Excellent lecturer. Lectures are fast paced since there's so much to cover, and if I ever felt myself getting bored or losing focus I could do the in-class attendance quizzes. I had so many lectures in a row that day, if it weren't for Zvezda making lectures exciting, I never could have stayed awake. disclaimer: she sends a billion emails
Awful. Terrible Professor. Does not care about her students at all.
Stankova is a math genius but a poor professor. This class will take a lot of time. You may pass, but you will not enjoy it and the setup is horrible. From 3 homeworks and one quiz weekly, to both the professor and GSIs being unreachable through email (disallowed in the syllabus), I would take this class with a different professor if possible.
I have never had such an unaccommodating professor. Lives by her syllabus and there is no leniency even for exigent circumstances. She discourages you from reaching out to her via email and she is just a very hard professor to reach out to. Her lectures move way too fast and her elaborate notes are really hard to follow. I don't recommend.
horrible professor. the professor is unreachable and so are the GSIs. attendance is mandatory. so much homework, and only worth 5% of your grade. very fast paced and her lecture notes are the most confusing ever. strictly goes by her syllabus and is not understanding at all even in the midst of a pandemic. would not recommend.
Zvezda is a great lecturer. She sends about 10 quadrillion emails per day so be aware of that. Her exams aren't awful but they're easy to mess up if you fall behind in the class.
Prof Stankova is exceptionally uninspiring. I have more to say of Prof Stankova than can fit in 350 characters but here are the main points, Good - Lots of study materials and well thought out lectures Bad - Very rigid -Unprofessional; ridicules students over canvas quoting private comments - Unclear criteria Math 53 will be awful with this prof.
Very strict professor. It's her way or the highway. She made Lin alg very accessible while still retaining the mathematical integrity. I would have preferred more proofs and advanced material. Less focus on Jordan Canonical Form more on PCA/SVD which we never covered. A genius in her own right. I didn't like her one bit.
Took this class in spring. Tons of HW but it's only a small percentage of the grade. Exams aren't that hard but you will not get much partial credit. Clobber saved my grade so use it well. Lectures are amazing and Zvezda is very skilled at that kind of teaching.
Prof Stankova is absolutely an amazing lecturer with a lot of passion. Her lectures are engaging and she definitely knows how to engage students. Be ready to do your homework. IMO the best way to study for her exams is re-doing quizzes and section materials.
Prof. Star is a 7/5 professor. Her lectures are very rich. While her unbearable logistics make the learning experience scores 2/5. She cares about students but sometimes I feel she may focus too much on stellar students and students who 'follow the instructions'. Everyone could get trained to be a star.
From the pov of someone who is not privileged, I can easliy say this is FAIR. Alot of people did not like her old school style of note taking or the homeworks from the textbook, but i HIGHLY appreciated it. It helped me understand math1b so much better and it reminded me to take my time on it. (if your planning on cheating, definitely dont take it)
at this point in the semester I don't go to lecture and use Ochem tutor to supplement. I feel like I learn much more this way. I find her lectures spend way more time on proofs than harder questions that we would benefit from knowing how to do on hws, quizzes, and exams. overall mid experience. not terrible, but annoying class. use her notes tho.
The most unbearable professor I have ever experienced. Her ego is through the roof but so fragile that people not showing up to her 9 a.m. lecture hurt her feelings to the point she delays necessary class material. Quizzes are much harder than homework & midterms. There is a quiz every week, only 10 minutes long. The homework load: HEAVY AF!
Professor Stankova is intelligent, and her passion for math is definitely seen through her fast-paced lectures. The class is difficult and she gives a lot of homework (for each lecture!) so be prepared. However, the homework pushes you to understand the concepts deeper, and her tests are not difficult. She also curves generously.
There's no denying that she's smart, but because of that she brushes over crucial steps when solving problems during lecture because such things come intuitively to her. She also uses many cryptic terminologies, making it hard to follow the content she is teaching. I don't gain much from lecture because her notes are difficult to follow.
Prof. Stankova is easily one of the smartest professors I've had at Cal; when it comes to her ability to teach, she is phenomenal, and the course is quite reasonable (despite a large homework load). However, the professor has a massive ego that often got in the way of her teaching, especially when she threatened to withhold course materials.
While Stankova is undeniably brilliant, I personally found her lectures and notes very hard to follow and used Organic Chemistry Tutor to understand the course content instead. She also delayed important class material because students weren't showing up to her 9 AM lecture. Otherwise, the course content is manageable despite a heavy homework load.
maybe she is great in her field, but not a good lecturer. her grading and requirements for class are devastating.
I think her class was challenging but manageable. This is coming from someone who had a weak foundation in Calculus and taking 2 other technicals. Workload is one assignment per lecture. Midterms are fairly short but still challenging enough and easy to pass if you study by looking at her past exams. It's an intermediate class which requires time.
Prof. Stankova is not an ideal lecturer. As many others noted, her ego affects her teaching. She delayed material due to "unsatisfactory attendance." Homework assignments are also VERY heavy; with roughly 36-40 questions a week. Her expectations are strict and expect to get an earful if you ask something that was "answered" on the 15-page syllabus.
huge ego. unbearable. makes class harder than it already is. do not take her, for your own sanity.
This class was just not a great environment to be in. A lot of the time she made it hard to reach out to her because she doesn't allow students to send her emails directly. Her tests randomly changed the way they were structured. Overall one of my most stressful classes at Berkeley.
Her style of teaching is just having you fill in the blanks instead of take down what you need. She tries to be interactive with the class which could be nice sometimes but I think that method works better in a high school class of a smaller size. Overall, hard to keep up the lecture because she doesn't give you too much time to take down notes.
There are professors who get a bad rep b/c they dont seem to care about teaching. Stankova's different.Although she does seem to care about teaching,she gatekeeps material to prevent students from learning the best they can.What she should've done is to allow students learn the material that best fits them,instead of dictating how they should learn
She does not care about her students. She does not offer clear communication or options at all.
Great class if you want to learn Math 54 materials. Good at first, but slowly the class got more centered around her than the students. O chem tutor replaced lectures for me. Threatened to withhold lecture videos, and ACTUALLY withheld FINAL REVIEW MATERIAL, we had no access to solutions of past exams and thus couldn't learn from their structure.
Professor Stankova is a very proficient lecturer with great notes to follow. She always expresses enthusiasm and tests are fair. On the negative side, rules about regrades/emails/questions are strict. + in general, calculus is difficult. A great feature is the fact that lectures are uploaded and extra credit is available by polls in class.
Zvezda is passionate about math but WAY too much hw, too high of expectations for how much time devoted to class, notes are difficult to decipher bc lack of structure. I had a good GSI who was super helpful but I learned the material independently besides that. good things: ton of review materials, course captures uploaded, final clobber policy.
On the final, I received a 0/20 on a question that I got correct. The grader deducted full points because I used an alternate method of solving the problem. I have to take math class next semester for my major, and I am electing to take the more difficult math class just to avoid having her for a second semester. plenty of review materials tho
Rather unpopular opinion, but I thought Zvezda was alright. I thought the fillable lecture notes were nice, and contrary to others, I thought prep materials were adequate. Yes, she does have some eccentricities/ego & does gloss over some things in lecture, but to overcome these, GO TO GSI OH's FREQUENTLY, it will help MASSIVELY. GSI's are the key.
She has her own particular way of teaching during lectures that might help visual learners and others. However, for me, they were complicated to understand and I would have preferred if she worked out the problem with us instead of presenting how to do it and rushing through it. She is also very difficult to reach since she has an "email hierarchy"
During the first half of the semester, I very much disliked the way Ms. Stankova taught her lectures. But her quirky style of teaching started to grow on me to the point now where I am very excited to take Math 54 with her next semester. Her class is rigorous and her exams are difficult, but you will learn a lot as her brilliance is infectious.
Prof. Zvezda's leadership style and personality makes herself a double edged sword. On the one hand, her lecture is inspirational, and she maintains a good work ethic all the time. On the other hand, her policies are strict and don't provide adequate amount of resources for students to review and study after the lecture. Also, a bit stubborn.
She is one of the worst professors ever. I had so much patience with her, but if you are failing, there is no help from her or her GSI's. She hates when students email her, so you can't email her. She says refer to the syllabus but the syllabus is specific to everything she wants. Guessing in exams is not allowed because you will not get credit.
I loved the music she played at the start of class. She was also really quick in exam turn around, taking a day to grade the finals. She always went the extra mile for student learning like crafting great lecture notes, posting lecture recordings, and giving a lot of partial credit on exam short answer questions for writing out your steps.
You will have lots of homework. In fact you may think it is too much and it is. Yet, she is an amazing lecturer with even clearer lecture notes that she gives to you for the rest of the semester.
Zvezda is energetic, knowledgeable, and passionate about math. 1B is the first math class that many freshmen struggle with, and thus problems stemming from poor/outdated study habits may be falsely attributed to her teaching style. No one is perfect and there were inconveniences in this class, but there are more than enough resources to succeed.
Horrible. Horrible person, no regard for unique circumstances, no support. Mean grader, no exceptions whatsoever.
I HATE her notes, I cannot keep track of them. There are too many smiley faces and colors, it's very messy. She goes through examples VERY fast - she tends to assume that the students already know the content so she flies through it. Because of this I didn't pay attention in lecture. The only thing I learned from was the textbook.
Enthusiastic and passionate professor but exams were difficult and there was not good preparation for the exams. Threatened to take away lecture notes and class recordings claiming that prior to Covid she didn't so giving them now is very generous. The class is fast paced and hard to follow along in lecture.
Professor Stankova goes above and beyond for the class, providing lecture notes, recordings, and many past exams. Our midterms were released within the day, and final released a day later. Very respectable professor! The course moves fast, but she keeps the course enjoyable and extremely fair.
I wish I could like this class but I felt like I learned more math from Organic Chemistry Tutor than how this class is taught. Although Stankova has an engaging personality I don't retain anything from her lectures--they're fill in the blank notes and she goes way too fast. Exams were fair which made me pass but didn't learn ish from lecture style
Lectures very hard to follow along. I took Calc BC before which helped me a lot. Lots of homework. Got lucky with my GSI for section so I learned there. Class has a resurrection final but I wouldn't rely on that bc it was VERY hard. Rely on your midterm grades, which were easier exams. Class is VERY curved though so many people get A's and B's.
Good luck if you're taking this class with her... I have to take math 54 next sem but am not going to take it because she is teaching it. Her lectures seem to include so much yet you actually don't learn anything because she cant explain things lol. avoid.
Lots of people don't like herteaching style, but I think it's fine. Her lectures are fast bc she is passionate about math and wants to teach it. Her tests are not hard if you do the homework and pull your weight. Tough class bc there's lots of homework, but I learned the most I've ever learned in a math class. She also gives ec if you go to lecture
Dont take her if you do not have to
Her lectures were very clear as there was fill-in-blank notes given before class. There were quizzes every week but they weren't too bad. However, sometimes the homework gets VERY difficult to complete. Syllabus was very clear and that if you are struggling even a little bit in the class, GET HELP or else your grade in the class will slip.
Stankova was a great professor, interesting lectures, and quite funny to keep you awake in the morning. She knows what she is talking about. If you are willing to put in the effort, her class will be easy.
the worst professor I have even met. uncooperative,
Her lectures and notes are very good! You can also get a little extra credit from in class polls.
Her teaching style is so difficult. She speeds through concepts and I never felt like I actually learned anything.
Zvezda is an icon! If you attend / fill out the notes during lectures, complete hw (to the best of your ability), and attend section, then the midterms/final were not too bad. She was an interesting lecturer, and I always found myself engaged.
She will not care if you are sick or if your family member passed away. An acceptable grade is only possible spending hours each week using youtube from other lecturers to supplement lecturers which involve using as much complicated math terms as possible. Horrendous teaching and grade policy. Class is excessively unacomidating, unclear, and hard.
I genuinely love Zvezda. I personally enjoy her lectures and guided notes and as long as you attend every lecture and pay attention you will be on track. The tests are not difficult and very similar to homework problems and the practice tests. If you spend a decent amount of time on the material doing homework and understand it you're good.
The content is hard but she puts in a lot of effort into providing resources, and she is very enthusiastic about teaching. Zvezda is mother.
This class was a terrible experience. Her lectures were awful she explains the concepts in such a confusing way that you have to learn the course on youtube. You could put a piece of plywood in Dwinelle hall for an hour every MWF and learn the same amount of content. Also none of her supplemental materials are available online wtf.
She is very bad at giving material to make the class easier to study for. Here homeworks are beyond the scope of the midterms. I hate when she writes on the chalkboard when literally no one can read it.
I found her lecture style to be overly complicated & personally wasnt a big fan of her iPad notes. Toward the start of the course, I'd watch other lecturers' videos of Math 54 and read the textbook in depth to understand course material. However, exams felt super fair and straightfoward; you should be fine if you understand the homework & quizzes.
Professor Stankova's course was well-organized and fair. There were plenty of resources to succeed (office hours+discussion sections), and I found her grading to be more than fair (the final, which can clobber both midterms, was not too hard!) There was up to 8% extra credit available and her midterm+final reviews were so helpful! I
lots of homework but easy exams
My experience with Zvesda in Math 54 this semester was fantastic. Her lectures give me a great understanding of the material while also being funny and entertaining. This class singlehandedly inspired me to consider majoring in Mathematics. Can't wait to take another class with her in the future.
I hated her until the end of the semester - her lectures made no sense, I learned most materials omo, and there was just so much homework (based on completion but I did them with care to learn). However, I talked to her in person and she turned out to be the nicest person I've ever met, so if you're taking her - talk to her during OH, it helps!!
Her lectures were too fast and complicated to understand leading me to depend on youtubers for understanding of concepts taught in class. However, she gives a lot of EC. She also prepares you with hard midterms in the lead up for a relatively moderate final that can clobber the midterm scores. Make sure to go to discussion and seek OH help.
9% extra credit and a clobber policy to override two midterms. Lecture notes are detailed and well-written but hard to interpret. She is very enthusiastic about teaching but each lecture is very fast and hard to understand. Get used to the pace of her lectures very late in the semester. The exams are easier than the homework and quizes.
She is a smart person and engaging lecturer, but arrogant and unreasonable. She happily swung the ban-hammer numerous times on EdStem for little reason. She does not allow enough time for tests nor quizzes and makes fun of students during lecture. I have never been in a course with more insane policies. Intentionally plants typos in review sheets.
Lectures were comprehensive and class-specific materiels, while restricted-viewing, were plentiful. Homework was higher than average. Quizzes and exams were homework difficulty, perfectly doable without out-of-course resources or even reading the textbook. Course policies felt arbitrary at times and were strictly enforced, but were clearly stated.
Zvezda is the best. She is a super cool person and very knowledgable. It was a privilege to be taught by her. Her lectures are engaging and helpful. She sets really clear grading criteria and had up to 9% extra credit available through lecture polls, bonus questions, and mid-semester surveys.
Really knowledgeable and engaging lecturer, her lectures are really funny! There are lots of opportunities for extra credit in the class, so be sure to show up to lecture and participate in the polls. Her class is very well organized and clear in how it is organized. Clobber policy is generous, but beware that the final is difficult!
Not my favorite instructor but she was okay. Very organized with her lecture content and provided a lot of resources before exams. Hardest part was getting used to her way of testing, the multiple choice through me off a bit but I slowly improved throughout the semester. Taking the hw seriously is very necessary.
Wonderful professor, 10/10 would take again. Very clear grading criteria and what each grade is percentage wise. Lectures are fun and well structured, and gives very very generous exams.
Zvesda rly cares about her students. Her lecture notes are super detailed and sm effort in her emails/announcements. Great extra credit opportunities!! GSIs also grade the midterm/final the day you take it!? Quizzes aren't bad, exam content is relatively similar to homework/quizzes if you study. I like her as a prof but lectures can get confusing.
Zvezda is an amazing professor. I struggled a lot at the beginning of the semester as this was my first math course at Berkeley, but there are so many resources. The homework prepares you for the quizzes and exams so actually do it. GSI office hours were a lifesaver for me. Exams are very fair and there is clobber, along with up to 9% of EC.
Great professor, had her Math 1B. For Math 54 she didn't follow the textbook that much for the Diff-Eq's portion. She is somewhat of a tough grader on tests, but not completely unreasonable. Recursive Final Exam is great, lectures are fun. Only real complaint is the amount of homework she assigned, it's 3 per week and like 10-12 problems each.
Svezda's lectures are incredibly informative and entertaining, but their fast pace as a result of being done with a "fill-in" note style makes it difficult to keep up sometimes. If you stay on top of the homework it is very manageable, and it prepares you very well for exams. Zvezda is hilarious and clearly cares about her students.
10/10
People hate her for being tough, but she cares a lot and the math taught by her WILL STICK in your head for a long time. Zvezda is much easier and very kind to talk to during OH and she takes it personally that you learn well although she may pretend the other way. She is a hilarious lecturer and definitely one of my favorites!
There was a lot of practice in this course, which was good preparation for exams. The exams are fair, with a difficulty similar to problems from the homework. The course is very fast-paced, but the lectures are very good only if you can catch up with the material. The exam reviews are useful. The difficulty of the quizzes varies by section greatly.
She excels as a lecturer, but her notes are challenging without prior textbook review. Read chapters beforehand, review notes, and complete homework promptly. Expect inflexibility with exams, especially if conflicts with other classes. Exam date changes are unlikely to change.
horrible teacher, expects students to write more than what is physically possible to write in 1 hour (because she doesn't even write everything). Midterm grading is harsh and runs class extremely authoritatively.
I genuinely loved Professor Stankova -- I found her to be such a funny and energetic person, and that made lectures so much more interesting. Lecture definitely moves fast, but you adjust to the pace. The homeworks really emphasize the material and are great practice for exams, which were never a surprise in terms of content/types of questions.
The class policies were generous! Extra credit, clobber w/ 2 mts, and 4 quiz drops. However, I didn't really like lecture. Didn't learn much. The notes were fill in the blank, and if you don't have an iPad it's so hard to write everything down. Zvezda might seem picky at first, but if you talk with her in OH, she's actually really nice and cool :)
Mean, inconsiderate, not flexible, worst experience i had taking math class in berkeley.
Zvezda is a decent lecturer and she is a funny person. However, she is very strict and terse when responding to questions, especially on Edstem. Instead of answering, she will often tell you to simply "look at lecture notes and slides" instead of answering the question, often adding a remark that "we've covered this before." Very authoritative.
Stankova is a fairly engaging lecturer I'd say but she can be very strict. MAKE SURE to read the syllabus carefully. She is not flexible in regards to the syllabus and will not stray away from it, so make sure you read it in fine print!
Awesome professor with entertaining lectures - you even get to learn a bit of yoga and listen to music! Would highly recommend attending all lectures and sections. Lots of opportunities for extra credit and grade drops for homework, quizzes, along with a clobber for both midterms.
Many opportunities for extra credit and lectures were wonderful and engaging. Read the syllabus carefully.
Zvezda's a really cracked professor - she's respected in her field and it shows in her teaching. However, she is very strict, and although there is merit in teaching that way, I was disappointed in her stubbornness. One day, she was upset and decided to not project the blackboard anymore, which hurt the ability of visually disabled people to learn.
Zvezda is very energetic and passionate which makes it bearable to sit through lectures although they are fast paced. Quizzes every Friday which could be tough sometimes. Exams worth 75% of the grade but generous grading rubrics. TONS of extra credit so she makes it very easy to succeed in her class. Put in the effort and you will get a good grade.
Bad experience. Avoid.
I hated my life because of her i swear to god the worst professor i have ever met
She is ok lecturer with IPad, and a great lecturer with the chalkboard. Her pages are very organized, and I was lucky to have the best GSI. Only bad thing is she does not allow you to send emails to both her and her GSIs. But essentially, she has lots of OH, which makes it okay.
She goes through the steps of different problems and she was also super nice. I like how forgiving her policy for midterms was. Her class was super difficult though and she is mean about being emailed.
Her class is well organized and gives a really clear grading and curving formula at the start of the class. She fills in blanks on her iPad during lectures, which I didn't really like. There are extra credit opportunities during lecture and on exams. Exams are pretty easy compared to others, and she gives practice exams. Has a Clobber policy.
Stankova is an excellent lecturer and a very funny and interesting personality in office hours. I think she did a great job with this course and would recommend MATH 74 to anyone interested in math.
mean, inconsiderate of students, extremely authoritative. bad experience and the semester just started.
Extremely rude and condescending towards students. Basically if the question is answered on the syllabus, she will clown on you for not reading it but the syllabus is 15 pages long! She also has a really strict set of rules on edstem and she will ban you if you violate the policies more than once. No other class is like this with ed, only her.
Stankova was the best math professor I've ever had. Yes, the class content itself was hard, but her lectures were awesome. She has SUCH clear policies and grading criteria and that was so helpful for me. Any question you could possibly have about her class she had already outlined in the syllabus, and there were lots of extra credit opportunities.
She makes it impossible to reach out to her or any of the GSIs by not allowing anyone email the staff. She cares more about the students following her unnecessary policies rather than making sure they are learning. Frequently goes overtime in lecture and doesn't allow students to leave and gets mad when they do.
Best math professor I had at Cal! I took Math 1B and 54 with her. Homework and discussion problems are a lot like the exams and her review sessions are super helpful. Provides many resources to help you succeed and provides extremely legible and fun notes. She gets exams graded quickly and is overall a great professor.
shes not horrible but she's not good either. previewed all the materials before class and did practice problems, yet her lectures still somehow made everything more confusing and complicated. very smart and accomplished but can't teach at all. edit: changed to 1 star cuz what was that last lecture
Profesor Zvezda teaches an engaging but demanding math class. Attending lectures is a must, and the syllabus must be closely followed. However, there are plenty of opportunities for extra credit to help boost your grade. I found UnstuckStudy AI to be a valuable study tool alongside the textbook.
has a set of horrible longs rules about what is "appropriate" for edstem and a horribly long syllabus and hates it when students email her or gsi. her lectures are horrible too
She is very good at breaking down the material. Unfortunately I didn't go to many lectures and was behind. When I watched the lectures and caught up, I was very well prepared for the final and midterms. Just go to the quizzes and watch the lectures and you're good.
Stankova is a great lecturer and her course guidelines are veryyyyy lenient + there are extra credit polls in every lecture. Some of the negative reviews I saw here are cause of how strict she is, but given how lenient she is I think her strictness is warranted.
Like any other class, just staying on top of the material will get you through this class. There is no need to use her notes unless you go to lecture and follow along. I found the textbook to teach me everything I needed to know. It's a pretty basic topic to understand from just the textbook. She is strict about her rules and regulations.
I love Stankova's lectures so much! They are fast at times - I usually finish my notes after lecture. I am a horrible test-taker, despite studying for multiple days before an exam, which explains why I got a low grade. The homework is a bit extensive but you need the practice in order to really understand the concepts. DO THE BONUS!!!
I absolutely love Zvezda. Her teaching style in thorough and engaging. She made topics interesting and had an excellent blend of mixing proofs and worked examples within lecture. She is clear in grading and gives projected final grades after every midterm. I am taking another class with her in the Spring and feel so lucky to be taught by her.
She has a lot of free extra credit that does add up, her first 2 midterms were pretty straightforward and they are all curved to a median of 82%. Fair policies. Lectures can go fast but pairing that with the textbook and the discussion sections the material is very doable. I also had great GSI (Wanzhou) so that def helped in enjoying and learning.
Stankova is a very cracked professor with many impressive accomplishments in her academic discipline. Her grading policies are incredibly generous compared to most other professors at Cal as there's a decent amount of quiz drops and all exams are curved to a median of 82%. Generally speaking a very nice person with the occasional humor as well.
Not accommodating at all, cares so much about policies and makes it so difficult to manage class with so many units.
Great Professor overall, keeps the class very engaged. There are a few times were I had no clue what was going on, but through the HW and the quizzes, it made sense eventually. She provides online notes, practice midterms/finals, review handouts at discussions. Make sure to attend lectures because its easy to fall behind.
Worsts Proffesor in the world!!! Seriously, she was terrible. She curved down our grades!!! Don't take any class with her - you're gonna suffer!!!!!
Don't take her class! She curves down your quiz grade!!! The curving policy is totally hilarious. She cares about too many unnecessary policies, and I feel like it's more helpful to read the text book than taking her class. The midterms are very short, only 3 FRQ and 5 T/F, thus a minor mistake can lead to a very low score. :(
do not take this professor. we all found out at the end of dead week that our quiz grades would be curved down (rescaled). students had a quiz literally every week and some worked to get an A quiz average but the rescale curved an A down to a C. This was done in the name of "fairness" but is VERY unfair and will negatively impact people's grades.
Please don't listen to all the complaints about the rescaling fiasco! Professor Stankova fixed the situation the next day by rescaling our quizzes in a much fairer way, and was open with us about why we have strict course policies. She is a fair, passionate, and caring professor, and all you need to do is put in your fair share of work.
Prof Stankova's lectures and class overall were very organized. Exams were reasonable, office hours were helpful. Textbook was helpful too, but her lecture notes are straightforward enough to follow along. Good communication and very timely grading. I would definitely take her class again.
Tough, but fair. Taking advantage of the provided resources will basically guarantee success. Does not want to screw her students over and will overwrite syllabus policies that have a detrimental effect on students. Offers tons of extra credit in lectures, on tests, and surveys. Great, passionate lecturer
Hell no. Do. Not. Take. Unless u can do very well in math. This class humbles you. Don't get cooked.
poor lectures (fill-in-the-blank style lectures that are not engaging). loves to engage in gimmicks that make the class seem harder than it is. too much arithmetic on exams (need to simplify answers). course policies are too complicated and sends too many announcements that are each too long. restricts access to materials for no good reason.
Stankova is very knowledgeable about the subject, but the way she formats her lectures made it difficult for me. I felt that she went too fast many times, and I would often get lost. As a result, I mainly learned from the textbook and online videos. Fortunately, her exams were fairly straightforward and doable if you put effort into the class.
Stankova is extremely passionate and caring as a teacher. Take advantage of all of your resources with her - attend her office hours (she doesn't make you feel stupid for asking even the most simple questions), ask questions in Ed Discussion (she often replies within 30 minutes), and take advantage of the extra credit opportunities!
Stankova is a pretty fun and energetic lecturer, although she is very fast-paced with her fill-in-the-blank notes that force you to learn a lot of the material on your own time. Plenty of resources to get help in the class if needed. Lots of homework and weekly quizzes, but if you just stay on top of it, you should be able to pass the class!
The exams are worth most of your grade but the quizzes are also important for a decent grade. Although the lectures aren't necessary, and many consider unhelpful, if you want to succeed in this class I highly recommend going to as many as possible and seriously paying attention.
Initially, I thought the professor was tough, and she was so fast-paced during the lecture that I could merely keep up with her. Polls are hard; the concepts and her lectures are quite confusing. But after the temper of midterms, I studied more, and thanks to Zvezda's friendly encouragement and relatively straightforward exam, I finally did better.
Surprised I got an A. Her lecture style is horrible, stupid fill in blank notes. Lots of resources to prepare for exams though so do that. Don't worry if you miss a lecture or two (i missed a week and it wasn't that bad). Lots of bonus extra credit. Generous syllabus policy. Hate it out strict she is with communication. LOTS of HW but helps prep.
There is a good amount of homework, but as long as you do them and attend review sessions/discussions from GSI's, you would do well in this class. Prof Stankova cares a lot about her students and is very passionate. Sometimes she does go fast during lecture, so attending discussions can be helpful. But overall, best math professor I've had so far.
Stankova gives the most organized, helpful, systematic class I have ever taken. There are lots of resources for tests, she and GSIs are reachable through Ed, and there are always office hours available. You definitely have to stay on top of it, go to discussions and do HWs. I missed a few lectures but was fine, did a lot of learning with the text.
Prof Stankova is the most organized professor I have taken courses with at Berkeley. You will know what you need to do in the class. Grading is very fast and transparent. She gives lots of materials to help on exams: practice test and document with list of important topics. Organized and enthusiastic! She works hard to make the topics exciting!
A seriously amazing professor. This was my first math class at Berkeley and she made it very easy to succeed. Copious practice, not too much homework, and exams were very fair and felt exactly like the quizzes. Up to 9% extra credit, although most people get somewhat less (I got ~7%). Unparalleled if you like structure, might chafe a bit if not
was skeptical in the beginning but considering the difficulty of the content i liked how she made the grading as generous as possible. while i never attended lecture, so i can't speak to that, the homework assignments made it easy to understand all the material. exams were straightforward to what was emphasized in class
She's not interested in math. I am. Give me enough time, and I will be a better mathematician than her. My regrade request was not frivolous.
Stankova is one of my all-time favorite Berkeley professors. She is clearly passionate about math and her students and she does her best to keep lectures light and entertaining. The content is challenging but not impossible and she does her best to explain.
Three problem sets per week, heavily focused on tedious computational work with very little emphasis on conceptual understanding or proofs. The course feels too low level for an upper-division math class.
reasonable class and exams
Brilliant prof, Great lectures, Very easy to understand. Always ask questions, she is very nice and will answer any question. She is funny and charismatic, you will want to go to lectures. It is VERY helpful to take notes on an I-pad for her classes, I HIGHLY recommend it. Or print out copies of her empty notes to fill in during class.
I've had Zvezda for two semesters now and I genuinely enjoyed both classes. I love her fill in the blank notes and she clearly explains concepts. She also makes her office hours very accessible and she is great at clearing up any confusion. Her midterms and finals are also very fair and she is very clear about grading policies.
Wasn't a fan of her fill-in-the-blank lectures since she would move very fast, but explained concepts very intuitively. Course was unnecessarily computational and not enough emphasis on proofs. Exams were pretty straightforward
the good reviews are from cracked math majors. stankova/gsis weren't the most helpful to struggling students. only cared about enforcing strict course logistics. had snarky ED responses. graded tests in a day so the grading was careless & harsh. your whole grade is dependent on the curve. excessive HW too with no extensions ever unless you're DSP.
Very passionate, gives students a lot of materials. Bonus points are really helpful, and she cares about students doing well. Lots of homework but exams are fair with great clobber policy.
She ensures tests are graded quickly and contrary to some reviews, the partial credit is generous. Her downsides is that she can be quick during lectures and her fill in the blank style is a little too cluttered to understand easily. Would take again simply because of clear grading and course policy, but the hw/tests were too computational.
Only took her for 110, but I think she is almost a perfect teacher, only held back by her lecture notes being a little fast/cluttered. However, she does a great job at teaching you what matters on a conceptual/visual level and avoiding unnecessary and confusing topics. She also seems like a genuinely good person, and passionate about teaching.
her lectures are relatively engaging and she gave fill in the blank notes, very passionate about teaching, also has some weird policies about never emailing her. i feel like how well you do is pretty dependent on your gsi as well
This class was too easy and computational for an upper-division math class. She is tremendously self-conceited and obsessed with her course policies. Her lectures notes are visually appalling to look at and offer absolutely no help. She made us stay after the final and announced the names of every student that got an incomplete, which is illegal.
lectures give dora the explorer vibes, pretty good though
She is a tough professor but a good one. Her content is hard but she does really well at teaching it as best as possible. She makes lectures entertaining and encourages participation. Content is difficult but if you keep up with the material and try your best, you can pass. Also grades on a curve.
Stankova is a tough professor. She really cares about her work though so she's a great professor. She makes her lectures interesting and her fill in notes are amazing. Her gsi SUCKED and tells you to drop out. The content is difficult but just practice the math, slowly improve on quizzes and you'll be good. Graded on a curve.
Do not take unless you have to
she literally gave me "negative" grade on my homework for not copying and pasting her "terms and conditions" rubric
whoever said the lectures are dora the explorer vibes is absolutely correct. the lectures are fairly engaging but move too fast. they're hard to understand and you're better off watching an organic chemistry tutor video. unless you are naturally good at math, you will definitely struggle more than a bit :(
so annoying for homework and tests never select again
She is a fantastic lecturer and has inspired me to pursue mathematics.
Yes she is very nice with her grading policy and her grade outlines are very clear, however her lectures suck & very hard to understand. I ended up self teaching myself everything from lecture because her voice and style of lecture become very annoying as what she is saying is not very clear. LOT of homework assignmed in comparison to other profs
So what can we learn in class? How to fill in a blank slide??? Nothing worth you to stay in the class. Nothing you can learn from this class. How you need to do just learn by yourself.
Assigns 30+ hw problems a week and each problem takes a long time. Lectures are super face paced and confusing.
Very quirky. Notes are not helpful. Does not record lecture. Sends a lot of emails. Very long emails. Of course, you cannot email her though
That she is really super bad at grading. Like even you get the answer the right she will take off majority points
give ridiculous grading criteria. Worse still, the criteria is confidential. Students have to submit regrade request without any criteria of the exam.
Grades tests without any clear criteria.
Run. Run. Run.
gives 3 times the homework, has bonus points. It is rather concerning the fact that the test comes out 7 hours after the exam, with about 2 - 3 hundred students. Lectures are ok, not the best I've ever had, but certainly not great, and does record the lectures.
Tests and Midterms were awful, all self study.
I didn't skip any lecture before I decided to drop this class, she literally makes zero sense in her lectures, overcomplicates the concept in explanation, which makes it entirely a self-study course on top of the difficulty of the content itself (personally for me as someone who is just trying to fulfill the pre req for business). GSI unhelpful.
Was very nice and taught very well. Would recommend to take again
Math 52: Lectures are incomprehensible. Treat this class as self study. She spends more time talking about the "Perfect" structure of the course then its content. Exam averages are often bellow 60%. Class is curved to a b- average, so get ready to tank your gpa. If you dont do everything exactly the way she wants your grade will drop. Frustrating.
She is a professor who is not good at lecturing and delivering lectures. The exam will be curved but be careful because it will be 4 times harder than what you practice if this is your 1st time taking Calc2. If there is no other choice then take her, as long as you prepare well and are willing to spend at least 6-8 hours a day just for Calc2
Alright. She's a professor. Although she's not that good to lecturing. Her pre-written notes are terrible. She just fills them in. That's all lecture is. She doesn't really teach what she's written and she goes at light speed. She funny and sweet, and you can tell she passionate. If you HAVE to take her, just review the lecture, you ain't learning
lectures occasionally overcomplicate subjects and goes extremely quick, but are interesting - she makes lectures fun with her passion for math. exams were fine with practice and there are good resources on canvas.
Clearly a passionate teacher who brings good energy. Also very fast grader, but that's about all I can say that's positive. Easily the worst lecturer I've ever taken, notes are confusing and impossible to follow even if you are locked in, and then she doesn't even record her lectures. The attendance polls are hard + graded for accuracy.
Lectures SUCKED. Class notes don't do anything and basically found myself copying what she wrote down instead of thinking. Weekly quizzes in discussion had the most ridiculous problems that idk how were supposed to be done in 10 min. Midterms were meh but the scale up to 82 is nice. Also is SUPER unaccessible and has some dumb course policies.
The class covers a bunch of concepts at a rapid pace that makes it difficult for students to process on the lecture slides filled with clutter. Quizzes were manageable, midterms graded unfairly (graded 1000 exams in 5-6 hrs and made asking for regrades risky)
the worst prof I have ever had to deal with in my life. lectures make absolutely 0 sense, like if I had a map I still wouldn't be able to follow her notes. quizzes are super easy. test averages are 50's, so beware. before every lecture id pray i got hit by a car. if u care about your mental health, don't take her class
Zvezda is a charismatic professor. Her lectures are very fast-paced, and the notes are very colorful. At first, they were difficult to understand, but towards the end, understanding was very easy. Always pay attention, but CALC 2 IS NOT THAT HARD. Everyone overhyped how difficult it was.
She's by far the worst teacher I've ever had. She goes way too fast in lecture and covers too much content, you pretty much can't ask questions, long homework, bad exam study guides, doesn't go into detail, confusing lecture slides, and very hard exams. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Only redeeming factors: extra credit and a curve
Refrain from taking her. Her lectures aren't helpful. There isn't any time to understand, she often skips steps saying you'll "figure it out." Overall, very difficult to reach. Has an email hierarchy, if you want to request a regrade, she will take points off if she finds it unreasonable. NO COURSE CAPTURE, so you cannot go back to check lectures.
Worst professor ever, she goes so fast in lectures that I had to completely self-study. I feel like I came out of lectures more confused than when I went in.
BE PREPARED FOR THE WORST, Exam score averages are within the 50's range, a ton of homework assigned per week (1 for every lecture) skims through topics that are essential to the course and you will often have to self study the course. She is also super hard to understand during lecture & no recordings. Syllabus makes it seem lenient, but its not.
Some of the least useful lectures I've ever attended, despite such heavy emphasis on attendance and lack of course capture. Goes at lightning speed through problems, tells you to “figure it out yourself” for the majority of the work. 36 oftentimes lengthy homework problems each week. Great person, but a horrid teacher.
A lot of the people complaining are just not used to college, shes a charismatic lecturer and a diva. You can ask her questions after, instead of email. You can also join discussions to ask gsis. Quizzes are easy, curve is generous, the 3 HWs a week really helps when ur behind, I doubt these people ever tried review sessions or discussions lol.
ngl didnt like her at first but she grew on me. Tests are very hard, but she curves everything generously and offers 4 homework and 4 quiz drops. As long as you study hard, you'll be fine, coming from someone who never took Calc 2 before this class. i personally taught myself a lot of it though bc her lectures a little hard to follow lol.
Nice person, not a good teacher. She relies only on textual analysis and theory-based explanations, no course capture, and assigns 2-3x the amount of HW as Paulin (the previous professor). Attended lecture for 2 months and felt more confused than helped (common within the class). Learned entirely through SLC topic reviews and old Paulin lectures.
Amazing professor, energetic, humorous, inspiring. Helpful lecture notes, exam packets, practice exams. Everything is super clear in announcements/syllabus. Generous curve, clobber policy, extra credit, drops lowest quizzes/HWs. Yoga & music before class. Some say she goes too fast/off track in lecture which may be true but personally it's not bad.
Lowk a diva, which makes me sad I can't recommend her. Lectures are fun, but fast-paced. I spent hours on each HW relearning the content. Test regrading is annoying, as they have a private "venn diagram rubric" and only send a PDF of solutions. "Frivolous regrade requests" get docked. Very generously curves tests to a median of 82%.
Genuinely speaking with his professor is the worst of the worst when it comes to tests as well as the fact she has a vendetta against her own students is insane the discrepancy between final for lecture one and two is absolutely insane
Prof. Stankova is a world-class educator. Her lectures are extremely clear; as long as you pay attention and put in effort. She has a gift for breaking down difficult material into manageable pieces. She is a generous grader with fair exams and truly cares about her students' success. She deserves a much higher rating than she currently has.
An exceptional, inspirational lecturer who makes learning fun. She ensures mastery of math concepts through consistent homework and offers a generous curve with fair exams. She is highly accessible and provides six dedicated review sessions during the final review week to ensure student success. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to truly learn.
Don't do it. Don't do it.
Bro shes so cute and funny, but boy, can I not understand her lectures. Maybe I am slow or maybe I am not a math genius like she clearly is. Zvezda is probably really good at upper-division math, but I did not need anything past Math 52. Wait for Paulin if u just need 52, but if not yolo shes kinda a vibe.
Zvezda was overall a pretty good professor. Lectures were pretty alright, she just goes insanely fast (tbh you're prob better off learning from the textbook), her hw assignments are pretty straight forwards and helpful, same goes for her quizzes. Her practice exams and review assignments were really helpful. Overall, not the worst.
Ok tbh if I didn't mess around all semester I could've ended with an A. Her test and clobber policy is really nice. Other than that, I didn't learn much in lectures at all, GSIs carried in terms of content. Honestly u can goof around and study the week before the final and still end w a good grade.
Ridiculous amount of HW each week and final exam difficulty heavily depends on the lecture you're in. Punishes people for regrade requests and has very VERY unhelpful lectures. Despite heavily emphasizing how necessary it is to attend lecture, she goes too fast & emphasizes problems for the “die-hards” more than basic problem/solving.
Ts class touched me bro do not take this class with her at all costs
The amount of Homework she assigns every week is ridiculous. Also, her final does not seem fair at all, it is exponentially more difficult compared to her midterms. But the thing I hate the most is her notes in class, it is just so messy and impossible to follow. AVOID HER
Homework amounts are ridiculous despite only "being 12 questions long." Her finals are not fair at all and it all depends on the lecture you're placed in. To compare to midterms, the final is so much harder. Her lectures, while organized, is just fill-in-the-blanks and she moves really quickly. Quizzes aren't that bad though.
Students get access to previous midterms/finals, and we regularly do similar problems in the homework, discussion worksheets, and quizzes. However, lectures are convoluted at times, and it's very difficult to catch up once you're behind. Also, a 51% median on the final should indicate poor teaching in a 600-student class.
I agree the lectures seem fast paced, its impossible to take notes, just try to link the concepts. Otherwise, she is very nice, lots of homework but it helped me to always stay on top of contents. People saying that exams were not fair should have studied more.. Do not skip discussions and stay on top of the course. It is very rewarding by the end.
Turn around and run, drop the class while you still can
Her tests are extremely hard and her study guides offer little to no help with the exam material. Her lectures are not helpful at all and make the material more confusing. Her GSI's are the reason people pass the class and she also makes you submit regrade requests for exams BEFORE you get your exam back. Just take the class at CC.
she's a very bad lecturer. just fills in premade notes that are many of us found confusing to read, and she delves into complex topics without giving her students a solid base. this makes lecture an hour of wasted time. shes nice, good curve, and gives extra credit, but VERY harsh with her email/regrade policies.
Her notes are SO confusing to read, and she invents random names for different math techniques. Her accent is not even that bad, but the speed at which she explains stuff makes it SO hard to follow. She's hilarious though, if you get the joke. And I can also tell that she's really passionate about teaching and math in general.
her lecture's are very difficult to understand but if you go to lecture and do the homework alongside chatgpt it'll click. will say in this aspect she sucks though but her midterms and finals are imo very fair since she posts a study guide with all the concepts you need to know + mock tests and she rescales them up as well, highkey not a bad prof
Good grading policy, A rate is pretty high. However, her lecture is a little bit too fast (thats why i only give 4 but not 5), so you may need to use her lecture note to study after lecture. Exam is not difficult. Lots of hw. Have strict rules about sending emails, but it is understandable. Overall a good professor, definitely worth choosing.
Good if you have a solid foundation and enjoy guided step by steps on the content derivation or problem solving. She had personality which made her lectures more enjoyable. I will say if I had more of a knowledge gap she would have gotten on my nerves with her pace and whimsy. Exams are on the harder end but there's a very fair curve to compensate.
One lecture's final median was a 64 and the other's was a 51. That discrepancy should tell you all you need to know.
do not do not do not
She thinks she's funny with her ET and yoga stuff when in reality we all have no idea what's happening. Only people succeeding are either spending all day on homework or have already taken calculus 2 in some capacity.
Some days I would attend lecture, be locked in and following the notes and get 0% on the attendance polls
The worst part of my semester wasn't losing my dog, it was dragging myself to campus to listen to her lectures
I have taken much of the content previously and still could not understand what her lectures/notes were about. I learned exclusively through chat and youtube
Would be a better class if a chimp with a typewriter sat at the front of wheeler
Context: 16 units, commuting from SF w/ BART, working a part-time job, taking care of sick grandmother. This class wasn't easy, evidenced by my two poor midterm scores: 31.5/80 & 36/80. Stankova however is knowledgeable, well-intending, and while pedantic at times, she is reasonable (grading-wise). You pay to study here, so put in the effort.
Her lectures are extremely difficult to follow, however she is a fair professor. Her exams are pretty difficult but she curves so that if you perform slightly above the average you will receive a high B or an A on that exam.
Math 52- goes through content very quickly. You need to stay on pace. Quizzes aren't bad but midterm and final are very difficult. I needed to self study- I did not learn from Stankova because her lectures go way too fast.
She's really passionate about math and was a very fun person. Yoga pre-lecture was a blast! However, she lectures way too fast to the point where it's near impossible to keep up even with complete attention. She also tends to skip steps while solving problems saying that we can do it on our own. Had to self-study a lot.
Extremely test dependent but somewhat fair grader with usually good exam curves
I enjoyed lectures a lot and found the pacing of the class pretty doable. She also is very accessible and I found Math 54 to be a course with a lot of support in general.
Confusing lectures which was not worth going. But she was very funny and passionate. Well structured course. READ THE DARN SYLLABUS. Generous grading policy (clobber, HW drops, quiz drops, cheatsheet allowed, amazing curves). But her and the GSIs were not very available. Recommend taking the adjunct or watching SLC topic reviews.
Her lectures were a little confusing especially if you miss a day or zone out or something. Only around 5-6 hours of homework a week, and very generous policies. She drops 4 quizzes and 4 homeworks, and the final exam replaces the midterms if the grade is higher. Lots of EC (9% max). Going to GSI office hours is extremely helpful.
if you want 0 life take this math54 with her
I had Professor Stankova for Math 1B, 54 and 110. She provides many resources for you to study like hw solutions, unfilled and filled lecture notes, review sessions, etc. Attendance isn't mandatory but she does have polls which count for extra credit. She also calculates your expected final grade so you know here you stand in the class.
Passionate about math! Leave lecture expecting to have to review the notes and have to get help for hw; try to actually understand the material and do the hw slowly. Dont worry about getting the Berkeley specific textbook-she posts hw problems for chapters not included in that version. she generously provides review packets and sessions.Clobber
Lectures are fast and hard to understand plus no course capture. Three 12 problem homework sets a week (time consuming), quizzes on Friday, two midterms, a final, and a little extra credit. Curves everything to a B, without that the averages were about a C/D. Grades super fast, but regrades are rarely granted. Read the syllabus, she will be snarky.
Stankova has a way with words that makes even the most simple concepts incomprehensible. Lectures were extremely fast paced and confusing; I had to self-study the entire course. I'm only giving 2 stars instead of 1 because she seems passionate about math and has a clobber policy. But, overall, knocked 10 years off my life.
her lectures are so confusing and the fill-in-the-blank format of her notes is honestly not helpful. self-study is required. however, I will say that the course is super organized and she grades everything very fast with predicted grades included so you always know where you stand in the course. clobber policy was grade and the curve was decent.
I personally liked Stankova; her lectures can be pretty fast and confusing to follow, but the abundance of practice problems in the homework usually clears things up, and there are plenty of materials to help you succeed in the class. The class is a pretty heavy workload, and exams are graded fairly harshly, but on a curve, and insanely quickly
I appreciate her passion about Mathematics and effort into making those adorable class notes, but don't understand final median score of 51%, and 12pts lost only because 1 sentence missed. Forgive my confusion in her artwork of lecture and treating our work, but I have to say, she is a good researcher, but definitely not a good professor.
zvezda is... iconic in her own way. very strict (understandable, given the amount of students), assigns a lot of homework (useful for practice), and you can get lost in the lectures if you don't keep up. this class requires a lot of outside work and practice. you get some quiz and homework drops, and opportunities for extra credit.
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