Prof Cochran has since changed her testing format- and it's quite fair actually. There are three midterms and a final, but the on the day of the final you take the 3rd midterm + final. She drops your lowest midterm score, too, so if you bomb one, you're still in ok shape. She made Stats (a very dry subject) rather interesting. I enjoyed her lectures more than i had expected to, and with a good amount of effort managed to get an A-. Stats is mostly conceptual math, so if you grasp the concepts, and the general processes involved you'll be ok. Section was minimally helpful- the TA just answers homework questions, which aren't graded for accuracy anyway, so it's an easy way to earn 10% of your grade. Cochran only teaches once a year, but she'd be worth holding out for because she does a good job of breaking it down for you.

Professor Cochran is a professor that will usually keep you awake in class. Her tests are out to trick you. They're multiple choice with a free response, and personally I prefer free response. Her lectures seem to emphasize the concepts, however, she will demonstrate problems that incorporate what;s 2 be known. Her examples are at times so simplistic that when you attempt the actual problems given, you notice a lack of association. She'll tell you from the start, she enjoys talking about sex. And if you pay attention during lecture, you'll notice her perverse insinuationation, at times, bold sexual statements and sexual innuendos, and that's applies to all her lectures, which i don't think is a bad thing because its so esoteric in lectures, especially in science courses.
Slightly saddle up, if you decide to take her course.

I don't think Professor Cochran is nearly as hard as her ratings make her out to be. Stats 10 in general is really not a difficult class, and I don't feel that her class is an exception. As long as you spend time on the homework and visit her office hours once in a while (which are EXTREMELEY helpful by the way), Stats 10 is an easy A, and I would definitely recommend Cochran for a higly entertaining class.

Dr. Cochran is a very blunt, funny, caring, challenging, motivating professor. Can't handle the blunt/challenging/motivating part? Choose a different stats prof to breeze through stats 10 with an A. But if you want a dynamic experience, Cochran is the prof to take.
She focuses on concepts a lot, and uses overheads (which are also copied into a reader so you don't have to copy down all the graphics/charts) which help so you can really listen to the specifics. Stats may not be the most enthralling subject matter, and she will wake you up if you fall asleep -- trust me, I know from experience. But she'll just laugh it off, I think she said something like: "Hey I already know this stuff, I want you all to do well on my final!"
She really does care about her students, and when I went to her office hours about a missing homework assignment that I did turn in, she gave me the benefit of the doubt and said she'd count it towards my grade if I couldn't turn another in (you're allowed to skip one homework assignment per half quarter).
Two words of warning: I had Jason as a TA, and he was horrible. I mean, really bad. Don't take his section, he confused all of us from concepts from lectures and was no help at all. Unfortunately, participation in section was part of your grade.
Also, the final was VERY DIFFICULT. I was getting an A/A- in the class up to the final and got a B for the quarter. The final is definitely not easy.
All in all, a wonderful prof.

Professor Cochran is an entertaining teacher. I like her wacky lectures but the concepts were hard for me to understand. You learn to understand the concepts mainly on your own time. Her tests may contain multiple choice but dont be fooled. It's hard. Still if you study, its a good class. Truthfully, I dont think it is as hard as everyone claims unless you hate studying.

Prof Cochran is entertaining...I did fall asleep a few times during her lecture but not because she was boring, simply because it was an early class and I was tired. However, she made a point to make sure everyone was awake for her class, meaning, when I fell asleep she came by and woke me up. If you get embarassed easily and fall asleep in class the prof may not be the one for you. The lectures are clear and you take notes in a reader so you don't get caught up writing the outline info and miss the important stuff. If you miss something she posts all her lectures online. As far as the test, they are difficult but you also get graded on homework and you get to drop one test score (out of three tests) and one homework score. I also took the honors section which was great. She clarified the concepts a lot and you got to know her...she is a really cool person. Also, it is not a lot of extra work/time and it is really easy honors notation for your transcript.

i do not like professor cochran's class, nor her teaching style. she is not straightforward and tries to teach via applications of all the techniques. yeah, application is great if you are going to be a stats major, but if you just want a "basic foundations" class, this is not for you. she tries hard to keep the class awake, but most of the time, her "jokes" are not that funny and i often find myself wishing i were somewhere else. as for difficulty, as she does not go by the "plug and chug" calculations method, i find her tests rather hard because they're all based on whether or not you understood her wierd, complicated and long-winded examples in class. if you can, take another professor for stats 10...and even rearrange your schedule if you have to do so.