I feel that depending on what specific time of the year you decide to take this class will ultimately impact how well you do in the end. All the assignments were mandatory to get a good grasp of the material being covered in course. You will be tested on subjects and terms that don't ever show up in class but might be in the textbook--I'm not 100% sure since I never opened the book. Summer is fast paced and I know teachers have their agendas to follow but Mel was like a unicorn throughout the whole quarter. TA communication is minimal, extra credit assignments reward the actively contributing students, and a lot of the material gets recycled from past quarters. This (course) is not too bad when you prepare well enough. Some might consider the past assignments a right place to start, and maybe some of those might save you like a (hero). You can thank me later. Have fun!

Meliha is a great lecturer. She is engaging and enthusiastic.
She posts "lecture notes" but don't rely on them. There is so much in the lecture that is not elaborated or even mentioned in her lecture notes.

She gives plenty of extra credit opportunities, but she seems to procrastinate in grading so expect to not get majority of your assignments and tests graded until few days before your final exam... (keep in mind that I took it during summer, the course was much faster paced).

Her practice exams are not too resembling of the actual exams. The exams are much harder. Exams are based more on the problems visited during lecture. Think of the practice exams as mental exercises to have you explore different concepts, but don't rely on them to prepare you for the test. STUDY YOUR LECTURE NOTES.

Very interesting and fun class. Many of the lectures were based on discussion of current events. The professor is funny and engaging, and the TA Alyssa was extremely helpful.
Grade Distribution: 2 midterms (20% each), final (30%), group project (10%), hw (20%).