Professor
Francesc Castella
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Most Helpful Review
Professor Castella has a very heavy accent, so most of the time I have no idea what he is saying (but since the things he write on board make sense, it's fine). Most of the examples he use in class comes from the textbook, so if you don't understand just go read the book. His homework questions are a little bit more challenging than the textbook questions, but those questions really do increase your understanding of the concepts. I had Brown for Math 31A and I got a B because Brown is very conceptual (his tests are very challenging for me, and they look nothing like the textbook questions), however professor Castella's tests are very fair, there are no surprises and he doesn't really try to trick you. I got A on both midterms (the class average for both is around 90).
Professor Castella has a very heavy accent, so most of the time I have no idea what he is saying (but since the things he write on board make sense, it's fine). Most of the examples he use in class comes from the textbook, so if you don't understand just go read the book. His homework questions are a little bit more challenging than the textbook questions, but those questions really do increase your understanding of the concepts. I had Brown for Math 31A and I got a B because Brown is very conceptual (his tests are very challenging for me, and they look nothing like the textbook questions), however professor Castella's tests are very fair, there are no surprises and he doesn't really try to trick you. I got A on both midterms (the class average for both is around 90).
Most Helpful Review
To put it simply, Castella is a great math professor, and he is the best of the four I've had at UCLA. He does have a Spanish accent, but I thought he was still understandable. That aside, his notes are quite clear, and he focuses a lot on examples. He made linear algebra computational rather than focus on a lot of geometrical understanding and theorems (a huge contrast to my nightmare with Gilmore for Math 32B-good thing she's not teaching here anymore). He is fair in his exams although the midterms were time-constrained. I did well on the first midterm, but because I had an LS midterm on the day before the second midterm and due to stupid mistakes, I actually did really bad on the second exam even though it was fair in retrospect. However, his policy of dropping the lower midterm saved me, as I got 100% on the final (yes, it is doable for a math class) and I got an A+ in the class. For the exams, focus on his practice exams he gives you, as the textbook for the class was horrible. His excellent and clear notes were sufficient. On the first day of class, he seemed really serious and in a bad mood, but I learned that he just has a serious personality, so don't be scared to approach him during office hours, as he is helpful. He also assigns practice problems from the textbook, and although some were irrelevant to do looking back at the practice exams, I recommend to still do them if you have the time. His homework is not from the textbook, so my advice is to work on it with a group of friends/classmates-I did this and it helped us understand the material even more. Overall, I recommend Castella, as he is one of the most straightforward math professors you can get.
To put it simply, Castella is a great math professor, and he is the best of the four I've had at UCLA. He does have a Spanish accent, but I thought he was still understandable. That aside, his notes are quite clear, and he focuses a lot on examples. He made linear algebra computational rather than focus on a lot of geometrical understanding and theorems (a huge contrast to my nightmare with Gilmore for Math 32B-good thing she's not teaching here anymore). He is fair in his exams although the midterms were time-constrained. I did well on the first midterm, but because I had an LS midterm on the day before the second midterm and due to stupid mistakes, I actually did really bad on the second exam even though it was fair in retrospect. However, his policy of dropping the lower midterm saved me, as I got 100% on the final (yes, it is doable for a math class) and I got an A+ in the class. For the exams, focus on his practice exams he gives you, as the textbook for the class was horrible. His excellent and clear notes were sufficient. On the first day of class, he seemed really serious and in a bad mood, but I learned that he just has a serious personality, so don't be scared to approach him during office hours, as he is helpful. He also assigns practice problems from the textbook, and although some were irrelevant to do looking back at the practice exams, I recommend to still do them if you have the time. His homework is not from the textbook, so my advice is to work on it with a group of friends/classmates-I did this and it helped us understand the material even more. Overall, I recommend Castella, as he is one of the most straightforward math professors you can get.
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