LING 103 with Cychosz was genuinely the worst academic experience I’ve had at UCLA. She is passive-aggressive, extremely unfriendly, and gives off an uncomfortable, mean energy that makes it hard to engage or even ask questions. During office hours, she was consistently dismissive and unhelpful — speaking to her felt more like a confrontation than a conversation.

The phonetics project was assigned with guidance, yet expected us to perform at what felt like a graduate-level standard. We're undergrads, not PhD students. On top of that, the production exam was brutal — incredibly difficult, and graded with zero leniency. No matter how much effort you put in, it felt nearly impossible to get a good grade or actually learn anything meaningful.

Throughout the entire quarter, I felt stressed, confused, and deeply unhappy in this class. The only reason I made it through was because of our TA, Isa, who was the only source of support and clarity. If Cychosz is teaching this course, I’d seriously reconsider taking it.