Advice for this class:

1) Read the book, especially if you can't understand Professor Liu's accent. His lectures pretty much follow the book to a T. Each week, you can see which sections he's currently lecturing on by checking what the assigned homework is. Although, it doesn't hurt to work 1-2 sections ahead because the lectures are sometimes ahead of the homework. ex: Midterm #1 included 14.4, but the homework for 14.4 wasn't due until after the test.

2) Liu's in class examples are way easier than both the homework and tests. People say the homework is different from the tests, but honestly, unless you obtain one of his old tests, the HW problems are the closest you're going to get to the test questions' difficulty level. So make sure to ask your TA to explain the homework if you have trouble understanding it. (Professor Liu also reserves one lecture before each test to go over the main formulas/concepts that will be on the test, so make sure to attend that.)

3) Please take the midterms seriously. I scored way below the median on both midterms even though they might have been easy high scores. I then proceeded to cram like crazy, luckily I clutched the final and made away with an A- but this is NOT a course of action I'd recommend to anybody. The final was a lot harder than both midterms. Both midterms' medians were between 70-75% and the final's median was 58%. So save yourself the stress and boost your grade with those midterms while you can.

Taking this class with Liu was a mistake.

He really is a nice guy and can actually be funny sometimes in lecture (if you really pay attention), but it is simply an objective fact that his grasp of the English language can make it harder for some students to learn the material, especially if they learn better by listening instead of doing.

His midterms are actually relatively tough, and his final is absolutely horrible. Although his midterms are all computational, they were definitely the hardest out of all the professors for Fall 2017. They're only 20 points each, so there literally aren't enough points for you to be "saved" on a problem by partial credit. You'll get some but not enough.

The final had 12 questions and 4 of them were proofs (I couldn't do a single one, but if you study the absolute basic proofs of the plane equations, etc., you can do very well). Also, the final was only out of 50 points, so you have absolutely no leeway anywhere.

Study hard and make sure you do very well above the mean because the curve will make you or break you. I let myself slip and got a C+. The final was the nail in the coffin.

Avoid him if you can, but if you end up with him, put a lot of time into the class and do well on the midterms. You won't do well on the final.

From the perspective of a first-year engineering student who never received below a 98% on any math exam in high school: Professor Liu’s class will make you cry at least 3 hours a week. His accent is really as terrible as everyone says, and his handwriting is just scribbles on the board. It’s impossible to learn in this class from the lectures. With that said, he really is a smart and nice guy so I feel a little bad being so harsh. But he shouldn’t be teaching math with such a god awful accent. His midterms are pretty hard and nothing like the homework problems. The final literally made me question my entire self worth and intelligence. I was in shambles after the final, certain I failed this class. The only saving grace is the phat curve this class has. I had a 70% before the final and somehow ended up with a B-. Keep in mind that the class average on the final was a 58%. Even though I could literally kiss baby Jesus with pure joy for somehow not failing, the tears and stress wasted on this class was not worth it.

Although I don't feel like the class is a nightmare, I would not recommend this class to anyone (especially 1st quarter freshman). Prof. Liu seems nice, but he lacks a basic understanding of the English language, and his accent will make you endlessly confused. Make sure you do the homework and nail the midterms, because you will not do better on the final.

This class was complete BS. Liu is BY FAR the worst professor I have ever had. I have never had such a terrible experience in a class at my time at UCLA. You cannot understand a word he says, and even if you do go to lecture, its straight from the book. My TA was super bad too; I would ask a question and instead of answering it, he would just do a different question on the board. This class was supposed to be the easiest of the math series, but I've found it to be the hardest so far. The math itself isn't hard-- the concepts are. His two midterms are dumb-- the questions are worth 4 points each so if you get one thing wrong, you get the whole thing wrong. His final-- dang that thing was not only a fricken thicc beast-- it was also incredibly hard. He seemed to replace all numbers with letters, making it so you couldn't check your answers at all. My recommendation: DONT TAKE LIU. Run for the hills. Worst experience ever.

If you rely on a professor to learn the material, rather than reading a textbook, this class is probably not meant for you. Don't get me wrong, Gang is a great teacher, he really knows his stuff, but his accent is just really hard to get past which makes the class less engaging. No one really showed up for lectures and it was thought that those who attended class had it worse than those who skipped and just read the textbook. He assigns about 20 problems every week, but honestly, those problems don't help your learning of the material at all. His midterms are reasonable, however, out of 5 computational questions, he often throws one hard curveball that does screw you over. The final consisted of 8 computational problems and 4 derivations/proofs, and I swear, no one knew how to do any of the latter problems. Honestly, Gang is a great person, he always shows compassion for students and their learning, over email or 1 on 1 conversation. His teaching style on the other hand...needs a little work.

Like many past reviews, Gang is an okay-ish professor. The midterms are relatively easy and computational, you shouldn't do terrible as long as you do the HW and read the textbooks. His final, however, is a whole different story. It was lengthy and overly difficult. He gives zero review assignments, and his review lectures are essentially him reciting the textbook formulas (his entire lecture is based on the textbook, so technically you don't have to go). Essentially you're on your own to do well on the final, and it's up to you how you study for it. Overall, he's fine. Sure his english isn't the best but you can copy what he writes on the board and be fine.

I am honestly shocked and disappointed that UCLA even offered this man a job to teach. Don’t get me wrong - he is a math whiz when it comes to calculus. But his grasp on the English is almost zero. His accent is extremely heavy but that’s not even the worst part; he just doesn’t know how to formulate sentences. Don’t expect to understand more than a few bits and pieces during lecture, especially since his handwriting and notation don’t make much more sense than his speaking. In addition, the homework problems he assigns and the examples he provides are NOTHING like what is on the exams. AVOID TAKING THIS CLASS WITH LIU AT ALL COSTS. He makes it near impossible and just makes students frustrated. Sure, the grade curve ends up making most people fine, but no one learns anything and the stress you go through is just not worth it.

This was the hardest class for me this quarter. I thought math would be extremely easy, but I literally could not understand a thing he said during lecture. Even at the end, I wasn’t used to his accent and his notation. If you’re planning on learning, go ELSEWHERE. Only take this class if you plan to skip all the lectures since you will be ahead of all the kids sitting in class learning nada.

I am selling my textbook Rogawski second edition with binder included. No notes or highlights, and in mint condition. I am also including my old quizzes (one question each weekly). Text me at ********** I can meet on or around campus. Selling for$50 with price negotiable.