Professor
Tyler Arant
1 of 3
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2018 - [Tyler's not going to be here after this year, but I thought I'd give a review as reflection of what honors multi can be.] One of the best classes I've ever taken. The lectures were engaging - concepts were *explained* - all the reasons behind each concept, well enough that I could normally look back at my notes and understand at least to some degree why every action was taken. And if I didn't, there were three hours of OH to get help with homework, get questions answered, and go on random math tangents. The course was very different from non h - very proof-based, large focus on sequences and sets, homeworks had a limited number of problems that required much thought, and the class was small enough to have a fun group chat and group study/support. I also took 32bh, and this sequence convinced me that I want to at least try some upper div math classes - currently planning to end up with a math minor. It'll depend on the teacher, but I highly recommend at least checking out the honors math classes
Fall 2018 - [Tyler's not going to be here after this year, but I thought I'd give a review as reflection of what honors multi can be.] One of the best classes I've ever taken. The lectures were engaging - concepts were *explained* - all the reasons behind each concept, well enough that I could normally look back at my notes and understand at least to some degree why every action was taken. And if I didn't, there were three hours of OH to get help with homework, get questions answered, and go on random math tangents. The course was very different from non h - very proof-based, large focus on sequences and sets, homeworks had a limited number of problems that required much thought, and the class was small enough to have a fun group chat and group study/support. I also took 32bh, and this sequence convinced me that I want to at least try some upper div math classes - currently planning to end up with a math minor. It'll depend on the teacher, but I highly recommend at least checking out the honors math classes
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2019 - I took 32AH and 32BH with Professor Arant and he’s one of the most wonderful professors I’ve had at UCLA. His lectures are exceptionally clear and he explains hard concepts very well. His class was definitely challenging and 32BH was harder than 32AH. However, as long as you do the homework every week, you should be on top of things. To do the homework, you will need your notes/textbook but if you do that, you should be pretty much set for the midterms/final. He’s very approachable, friendly and has good handwriting. I heard he also won a teaching award, which he definitely deserves. His class prepared me really well for my proof intensive upper division honors classes. Can’t recommend him enough. Take a class with him if you can
Winter 2019 - I took 32AH and 32BH with Professor Arant and he’s one of the most wonderful professors I’ve had at UCLA. His lectures are exceptionally clear and he explains hard concepts very well. His class was definitely challenging and 32BH was harder than 32AH. However, as long as you do the homework every week, you should be on top of things. To do the homework, you will need your notes/textbook but if you do that, you should be pretty much set for the midterms/final. He’s very approachable, friendly and has good handwriting. I heard he also won a teaching award, which he definitely deserves. His class prepared me really well for my proof intensive upper division honors classes. Can’t recommend him enough. Take a class with him if you can
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2022 - --> Professor Arant's linear algebra was the fairest and most well-taught class I've taken at UCLA so far. Here is my summary of the class, with more detail below: • He is very well-organized (on BruinLearn, in class, in communication), teaches well, happily answers questions, occasionally tells jokes (of varying levels of funniness), and is able to explain his mastery of the material very well • He really does care about student learning and holds several office hours per week (you can schedule your own with him via email, see below) • The midterms and final are very fair (all are free-response, no multiple choice, and he does give partial credit generously!), covering only material covered in the lecture notes (and nothing else, thank god) • Lecture notes are provided, thorough, and all that's needed to learn the material • The textbook (where the homework questions are), as well as the answer key, are available as free, online pdfs if you google the right thing • I never once attended a discussion section (I don't even know my TA's name) because it was at 8 am on the other side of campus (no thanks I need my sleep), and I was perfectly fine without them :) • This is a classic class where if you stay on top of your work, actually go to class, pay attention, and try, you will easily pass and get an A • Linear Algebra is very different from calculus or algebra, and it can be hard to think differently than previous math classes --> The structure of this class is one homework a week (which usually took me anywhere from 3-8 hours, depending on how challenging the topic is, though I know people who did it faster than that), with 2 midterms and 1 final. He provides practice exams on BruinLearn, which are excellent representations of what the actual exam will be like (especially pay attention to the topics covered on the practice exam, they are almost always the same as what will be on the real exam), and there is enough time to finish them if you know what you're doing. Review the material and actual study, and you will be fine. There are also quizzes on Gradescope that need to be completed before each class, but they involve only reading parts of the textbook and can be done in ~5 minutes (just use Control - F). -->The grade calculation is as such: 15% pre-class quizzes (3 lowest are dropped, eg. if you forgot or were out of town) 20% homework (graded for completion, the lowest one is dropped) AND 15% Midterm 1 + 15% Midterm 2 + 35% Final OR 20% Better Midterm + 45% Final --> I cannot emphasize enough how willing Professor Arant is to help his students. He's not the most approachable person but was always happy to talk to me after class and schedule meetings with me individually. Several times during the quarter, I emailed him that I was really struggling with a specific topic and he quickly agreed to hold an in-person, 1-on-1 session with him in his office, where he made sure I understood the topic and offered any other help I might need. He really does care about his student's learning and well-being and is more than happy to help outside of class. The key here is to be proactive on your own and reach out to him! --> The only downside was that this class was at 8 am and on the other side of campus from the Hill, so it was pretty brutal waking up in the morning. However, he recorded his lectures and put his completed lecture notes on BruinLearn, so it was definitely ok to miss a few lectures (I definitely did). --> Overall, I highly recommend taking this class with Arant. He teaches well, you will learn a lot, and the workload is very manageable. The class isn't easy, but 100% doable. Good luck!
Fall 2022 - --> Professor Arant's linear algebra was the fairest and most well-taught class I've taken at UCLA so far. Here is my summary of the class, with more detail below: • He is very well-organized (on BruinLearn, in class, in communication), teaches well, happily answers questions, occasionally tells jokes (of varying levels of funniness), and is able to explain his mastery of the material very well • He really does care about student learning and holds several office hours per week (you can schedule your own with him via email, see below) • The midterms and final are very fair (all are free-response, no multiple choice, and he does give partial credit generously!), covering only material covered in the lecture notes (and nothing else, thank god) • Lecture notes are provided, thorough, and all that's needed to learn the material • The textbook (where the homework questions are), as well as the answer key, are available as free, online pdfs if you google the right thing • I never once attended a discussion section (I don't even know my TA's name) because it was at 8 am on the other side of campus (no thanks I need my sleep), and I was perfectly fine without them :) • This is a classic class where if you stay on top of your work, actually go to class, pay attention, and try, you will easily pass and get an A • Linear Algebra is very different from calculus or algebra, and it can be hard to think differently than previous math classes --> The structure of this class is one homework a week (which usually took me anywhere from 3-8 hours, depending on how challenging the topic is, though I know people who did it faster than that), with 2 midterms and 1 final. He provides practice exams on BruinLearn, which are excellent representations of what the actual exam will be like (especially pay attention to the topics covered on the practice exam, they are almost always the same as what will be on the real exam), and there is enough time to finish them if you know what you're doing. Review the material and actual study, and you will be fine. There are also quizzes on Gradescope that need to be completed before each class, but they involve only reading parts of the textbook and can be done in ~5 minutes (just use Control - F). -->The grade calculation is as such: 15% pre-class quizzes (3 lowest are dropped, eg. if you forgot or were out of town) 20% homework (graded for completion, the lowest one is dropped) AND 15% Midterm 1 + 15% Midterm 2 + 35% Final OR 20% Better Midterm + 45% Final --> I cannot emphasize enough how willing Professor Arant is to help his students. He's not the most approachable person but was always happy to talk to me after class and schedule meetings with me individually. Several times during the quarter, I emailed him that I was really struggling with a specific topic and he quickly agreed to hold an in-person, 1-on-1 session with him in his office, where he made sure I understood the topic and offered any other help I might need. He really does care about his student's learning and well-being and is more than happy to help outside of class. The key here is to be proactive on your own and reach out to him! --> The only downside was that this class was at 8 am and on the other side of campus from the Hill, so it was pretty brutal waking up in the morning. However, he recorded his lectures and put his completed lecture notes on BruinLearn, so it was definitely ok to miss a few lectures (I definitely did). --> Overall, I highly recommend taking this class with Arant. He teaches well, you will learn a lot, and the workload is very manageable. The class isn't easy, but 100% doable. Good luck!
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Most Helpful Review
Summer 2021 - Math 106 is definitely different. I expected an easy A since this seems like a history class, but I was wrong. I think the professor you get for this class greatly affects your experience, as professors have the choice of covering certain chapters and whatnot. Here's the breakdown of this class with Tyler: 1) Tyler is a great lecturer. I learned mostly all of the material from his lectures and lectures notes. The book isn't so great, as it skips a lot of steps or explains things with too many words than actual math. Tyler did a great job with filling in the gaps and presenting a pretty complete class with his lectures and lecture notes. 2) Tyler's homework was okay. The questions he wrote were alright, but most of the time, I found the book questions to be confusing. Like I said before, the book is too verbose and the questions are just confusingly written. However, if you go to office hours, Tyler is more than happy to explain everything. He is very much advises students to come to office hours, and he is willing to explain and re-explain things that are confusing. He's very approachable in OH and in lecture, so the homework is not that bad to do if you just get help from him. 3) Tyler's exams are mostly fair. I thought his midterm was very fair based on the HW and lectures and his final was mostly fair. He did have one question I wasn't particularly a fan of, but that's only one question out of six. If you do the homework and understand the lecture notes, you should honestly be fine for the exam. 4) The content covered in this class is where I have the most issues. I think Tyler got to choose certain topics, and I feel like he made this class harder than it needed to be. He didn't focus much on the history, but had sections on sets and logic that were very new to some people. The only prerequisites for this class is lower division calculus, and oftentimes, I found myself using proof techniques and ideas that I learned in Math 115A. I don't think other professors make this class as hard as Tyler made it. It's not undoable or anything like that, but it's not what I signed up for. Overall, I wouldn't mind having Tyler for another class. He is a good lecturer and is helpful and approachable. However, this class just wasn't my thing.
Summer 2021 - Math 106 is definitely different. I expected an easy A since this seems like a history class, but I was wrong. I think the professor you get for this class greatly affects your experience, as professors have the choice of covering certain chapters and whatnot. Here's the breakdown of this class with Tyler: 1) Tyler is a great lecturer. I learned mostly all of the material from his lectures and lectures notes. The book isn't so great, as it skips a lot of steps or explains things with too many words than actual math. Tyler did a great job with filling in the gaps and presenting a pretty complete class with his lectures and lecture notes. 2) Tyler's homework was okay. The questions he wrote were alright, but most of the time, I found the book questions to be confusing. Like I said before, the book is too verbose and the questions are just confusingly written. However, if you go to office hours, Tyler is more than happy to explain everything. He is very much advises students to come to office hours, and he is willing to explain and re-explain things that are confusing. He's very approachable in OH and in lecture, so the homework is not that bad to do if you just get help from him. 3) Tyler's exams are mostly fair. I thought his midterm was very fair based on the HW and lectures and his final was mostly fair. He did have one question I wasn't particularly a fan of, but that's only one question out of six. If you do the homework and understand the lecture notes, you should honestly be fine for the exam. 4) The content covered in this class is where I have the most issues. I think Tyler got to choose certain topics, and I feel like he made this class harder than it needed to be. He didn't focus much on the history, but had sections on sets and logic that were very new to some people. The only prerequisites for this class is lower division calculus, and oftentimes, I found myself using proof techniques and ideas that I learned in Math 115A. I don't think other professors make this class as hard as Tyler made it. It's not undoable or anything like that, but it's not what I signed up for. Overall, I wouldn't mind having Tyler for another class. He is a good lecturer and is helpful and approachable. However, this class just wasn't my thing.
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