Professor
Mary Samuelson
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - The required readings were very engaging and interesting. Participation matters in this class so be sure to do the readings and be aware of all information. She is a tough grader. Simple reading responses (mainly essays on your opinion) she grades for content. Also, for her essays she grades VERY hard. The class average for our first essay was a "C" and she was proud of that. Personally, I have very high standards so I was a bit upset when she stated that. To do well on essays, I highly recommend to get additional support. Go to the Undergraduate Writing Center or Writing Success Program, book an appointment and be sure to carefully edit your essay before you turn it in. She is very picky about formatting, grammar and just everything. In the beginning of the quarter, she did signs of favoritism which made me feel uncomfortable however as the quarter was ending, I just got over it. Also, she doesn't really respond to emails BUT She is a good professor and passionate because she supports you by having workshops (grammar, MLA format, word choice, passive voice) and mandatory office hours.
Fall 2019 - The required readings were very engaging and interesting. Participation matters in this class so be sure to do the readings and be aware of all information. She is a tough grader. Simple reading responses (mainly essays on your opinion) she grades for content. Also, for her essays she grades VERY hard. The class average for our first essay was a "C" and she was proud of that. Personally, I have very high standards so I was a bit upset when she stated that. To do well on essays, I highly recommend to get additional support. Go to the Undergraduate Writing Center or Writing Success Program, book an appointment and be sure to carefully edit your essay before you turn it in. She is very picky about formatting, grammar and just everything. In the beginning of the quarter, she did signs of favoritism which made me feel uncomfortable however as the quarter was ending, I just got over it. Also, she doesn't really respond to emails BUT She is a good professor and passionate because she supports you by having workshops (grammar, MLA format, word choice, passive voice) and mandatory office hours.
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - Professor Samuelson was a great professor and truly cared about the improvement of students writing. I was nervous at first to take the course because at first, I did not feel confident in my writing. As I end the course, I feel more confident in my writing and I have learned many helpful writing tips. The course was challenging, but I feel that I improved so much as a writer. Professor Samuelson mentioned in the beginning of the course, that if we put in the work and time on our essays we would do great in the class and I agree. I was once a person who said "This is my first draft and final draft," but now I go through the process of writing a bad first draft and revising it. I enjoyed the assigned readings because they were relevant to today's world and I was actually interested and engaged when reading them. The reading responses, I felt were tedious, but they were very helpful when it came to starting my rough drafts. Professor Samuelson always encouraged students to attend office hours, and I did, which I felt was very helpful. I highly recommend Professor Samuelson because she was encouraging and helped me to become more confident in college writing. I now implement the writing skills I learned in the class to other classes where I need to write.
Winter 2024 - Professor Samuelson was a great professor and truly cared about the improvement of students writing. I was nervous at first to take the course because at first, I did not feel confident in my writing. As I end the course, I feel more confident in my writing and I have learned many helpful writing tips. The course was challenging, but I feel that I improved so much as a writer. Professor Samuelson mentioned in the beginning of the course, that if we put in the work and time on our essays we would do great in the class and I agree. I was once a person who said "This is my first draft and final draft," but now I go through the process of writing a bad first draft and revising it. I enjoyed the assigned readings because they were relevant to today's world and I was actually interested and engaged when reading them. The reading responses, I felt were tedious, but they were very helpful when it came to starting my rough drafts. Professor Samuelson always encouraged students to attend office hours, and I did, which I felt was very helpful. I highly recommend Professor Samuelson because she was encouraging and helped me to become more confident in college writing. I now implement the writing skills I learned in the class to other classes where I need to write.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2020 - Man, I loved this class so much. The start of the course was very intimidating because I felt like an airhead compared to all the scholars in the class. It is super intimate and generally chill though, and I found everyone to be very sweet in the class. We honestly just had open discussions on most days about UCLA and our goals. So wholesome! The readings aren't entirely necessary to do, I would just call them supplementary. The workload was definitely the most for me, but it was all self reflective and creative stuff. It was very manageable. Professor Samuelson is the nicest woman ever! She is a genius and very understanding. She deserves it all! I would 100/10 recommend this class!
Winter 2020 - Man, I loved this class so much. The start of the course was very intimidating because I felt like an airhead compared to all the scholars in the class. It is super intimate and generally chill though, and I found everyone to be very sweet in the class. We honestly just had open discussions on most days about UCLA and our goals. So wholesome! The readings aren't entirely necessary to do, I would just call them supplementary. The workload was definitely the most for me, but it was all self reflective and creative stuff. It was very manageable. Professor Samuelson is the nicest woman ever! She is a genius and very understanding. She deserves it all! I would 100/10 recommend this class!
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Professor Samuelson is by far the best professor I have ever had at UCLA. She is accessible, helpful, and most importantly personable. This was an 8AM and I woke up everyday excited to join her class. Never in my time as an undergrad have I had such a caring professor who was genuinely interested in getting to know her students. The class itself was super fun and taught me a lot. Very politics focused but duh the election was happening during our quarter. Take this class! You will not regret it. Workload was just right! Some group projects, some individual projects! Very very fun class!!!
Fall 2020 - Professor Samuelson is by far the best professor I have ever had at UCLA. She is accessible, helpful, and most importantly personable. This was an 8AM and I woke up everyday excited to join her class. Never in my time as an undergrad have I had such a caring professor who was genuinely interested in getting to know her students. The class itself was super fun and taught me a lot. Very politics focused but duh the election was happening during our quarter. Take this class! You will not regret it. Workload was just right! Some group projects, some individual projects! Very very fun class!!!