He is incredibly kind and understanding, he really wants his students to succeed. However, the way he teaches is very proof heavy and is not taught in a way for building understanding. He also gave HEAVY amounts of homework so good luck with that. For exams, expect it to be graded like a MCQ where you get it right or get 0 partial points.

I will say I understand why some would give him a low rating, but I really appreciate his teaching style. I had him for both 34A and B and I feel like I actually know how to do calculus as opposed to just memorizing the material. His lectures leave some to be desired, and the homework is annoying but he really cares about his students.

Don't listen to his bad reviews. Had him for Math 8 during Summer 2026 Session B. Genuinely the best, most engaged, and most passionate Math professor I've had at UCSB. I took his math 8 course the same time I took math 6B and it helped me find happiness in math even through the pain of Vector Calc. 2 (aka. the ninth circle of hell). 11/10, A+.

He made me think that the exams were going to be hard. Other than that, pretty great. He held frequent office hours.

A great professor who has genuine passion for math, lots of homework that prepares you well for the tests. Midterms were fair but final was nearly impossible, though he applied a descent amount of curve on midterm 2 and the final. Lecture were amazing and very approachable and caring outside of class.

I have always hated/struggled with math and I did extremely poorly on the exams, but Nathan's class is easy to pass thanks to his "great effort" policy - if you consistently show up, take every exam, and attempt every homework assignment, he will award you a B. He is very approachable and friendly at his office hours.