Actual course taken: LS30B

Professor rating: A+ overall

Professor Garfinkel is one of the best professors at UCLA. He has the ability to convey the logic behind chaos theory and dynamical system with such clarity and intuition, that you'll hardly understand why you didn't understand these things before (not like I actually knew anything about chaos theory prior to taking the class). Unlike other professors, his tests are fair and predictable. Predictable in the sense that if you studied then you should do alright if not great. Here is my advise to get an A:

1. Take careful notes in class. He writes down everything that you need to know on the board, and think about it after class. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of his hand-chosen teaching assistants (professor Garfinkel is incredibly popular, and may not be available during office hours). Also, Garfinkel held review sessions for the final, which was INCREDIBLY helpful. I will state once and for all, however, that his final was not the easiest test that I've ever taken, but it was definitely everything that he said was going to be on the final.

2. Do the homework problems and work hard on the computer programming part! They are literally the same type of questions he will ask on the exams. If you mastered those questions, then you should do alright on the exams. Honestly, Professor Garfinkel is not there to trick you, but to actually challenge you and help you understand the concepts.

3. Go to his teaching assistants for help!!! His teaching assistants are incredibly well-qualified and hand-chosen, which makes up for the fact that he is not available very often due to other responsibilities. Unlike other professors, he places additional emphasis on choosing his teaching assistants since he cannot be as attentive to his students as he can. He really does care for student learning more than anything, and his amazing lectures answer all questions anyway.

If you follow these tips, there is no reason why you shouldnt get an A in his class.

The bottom line: Take LS30B with Garfinkel.