a very straightforward class -- watch the lectures and follow instructions and you will get an A

This class is fine. The exams weren't too hard, the homework load was fine. Homework was so light at the beginning and then became very time consuming at the end. The class for me was easy in the beginning(with combinatorics and stuff) but at the end it got much more complicated. The lectures are good and the professor aims to connect the material to real life applications with example problems which is good. Handwriting on the notes is sometimes hard to read, but just ask the professor if you don't know what she wrote and she'll tell you. The project is fine, but try to start on it early and ask lots of questions about instructions if you are unsure.

Free

If you're a CS major (or basically any major not required to take 131A) don't take it imo. I would have taken Math170E or Stats100A in hindsight. The topics are interesting and presented well, but the TAs this year sucked at making exams. We had a pretty wide distribution for the midterm (70 median with 1 std dev getting you to a 90). Homeworks were pretty easy outside of some really dumb questions. Towards the end it became all calculus and no probability. Also, the final exam was terrible this winter. The TAs who wrote the exam changed one of the PDFs for a question worth 1/6 of the final exam about halfway through. There were too many questions also. A couple parts of some questions were just wacky algebra that we've never seen on discussion, homework, or in-class. It was a top 2 worst final exam experience and it's not #2.

Fair lecturer, fair exams. Dolecek is a very fair professor and clearly knowledgeable.

I can summarize this class in 2 words: Simple Calculus

This is a quite difficult class and goes at quite a fast pace. It is very important to not fall behind on material. Professor Dolecek is a great lecturer and explains things well. She also sets expectations quite well and the TAs make homework that is quite representative of the test difficulty, and if anything the homework is a bit more difficult. The class is topped with a project that is a bit of a grade booster, but make sure you start it on time. The professors notes are also quite good since she literally writes down everything she says, but sometimes it is a bit hard to read(fortunately there are anon questions on piazza!)