MATH 4A
Denis Labutin
2.8
169 reviews

169
2.8
MATH124A . 3 Years Ago

He cares about student and only present what is necessary to understand PDE. He always gives a big picture before diving into the specific. However, the only downside is he is hard (impossible) to reach through email.

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

Dr. Labutin is a kind Professor with accents. he has 5 exams and drop the lowest. His lectures and slides are very abstract so the hw and exams are a little hard.

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

Really just wants everyone to pass, but his lectures are not very helpful; I relied mostly on reading the textbook and asking the TAs during discussions. He is very nice though especially when assigning grades.

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

Dr. Labutin has been a great math professor. He was available outside of class and very helpful to students. He would even take extra time after his designated office hours to help students with any questions. His lectures were very clear. He is helpful for test prep by giving practice tests that are similar to the actual exams. Great prof!

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

Nice professor who creates fairly easy tests: If you can manage problems on the textbook, you can certainly do well in his exams. He does not even have a cumulative final, and he drops the lowest exam score. Read the textbook is more helpful than his lecture.

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

never wacthed lecture. never paid attention in section. started studying for exams only 1-2 days before. it all turned out well for me. this class is difficult, but labutin isn't crazy so honestly it is manageable with minimal effort. watching lectures did nothing for me and confused me even more so i stuck to only reading the textbook. way easier.

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

Professor Labutin cracks me up bro. His class is super chill and, despite what everyone says, you can learn so much if you simply just listen to him. He's super nice, often confused, but his heart is in the right place. 70%: 5 exams (1 dropped), 20%: 9 homework assignments, 10%: section participation.

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

He's definitely not the best math professor around but you can tell that he cares about his students. He has a couple of office hours per week which makes it really helpful. The only thing real issue is that he reads off his lectures and doesn't explain them well, but as long as you go to his office hours you should be good.

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

Easy homeworks and exams.

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MATH4A . 3 Years Ago

Honestly, his accent isnt that bad. He hosts 2 two and a half hour long open office hours where he answers any questions you may have. The homework actually helps you understand the material. He is very accommodating due to covid and posts everything as videos. A good professor. Don't be scared.

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MATH124A . 4 Years Ago

Lots of work. very difficult HW. Reasonable tests, still tough but not like the HW. Get help from and his TAs and everything gets easier. Speaks very fast and with an accent, can be hard to understand. Provides a lot of basis for what he teaches, so you get lots of intuition.

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MATH124A . 7 Years Ago

Best professor in UCSB

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MATH4A . 7 Years Ago

I think his lectures would be easier to understand if I spoke Russian

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MATH4A . 8 Years Ago

Labutin has a very strong accent that sounds like French and Russian smushed together. His lectures are confusing but the amount of material in 4A is so minimal you can easily learn it on your own in a day. If that scares you then go to CLAS instead of lecture, as his lectures are very confusing due to his horrible lecture slides and techniques.

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MATH4A . 8 Years Ago

Didn't really understand what he was saying because of his accent. His slides back-track a lot, and makes the lesson go all over the place. He seems nervous when he lectures. Section is where you'll get the most help. And go to CLAS. On the bright side, the midterm and final are almost the same as the practice exams he gives out.

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MATH4A . 8 Years Ago

Lecture is rambling, and attendance is not mandatory. Just go to section and do the weekly assignments online. very easy class, he curves each individual test generously. 1 take home midterm, 1 in class midterm, and in class final. definitely an easy A

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MATH4A . 8 Years Ago

All of the notes are posted online, you don't even need to attend the class. Tests are pretty easy if you have done the practice tests and make them understand. If you don't love math so much but just for good grade, here is for you.

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MATH4A . 8 Years Ago

Went to lecture maybe 4 times. The lectures do not help, this was mostly a self-taught class.

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MATH4A . 9 Years Ago

I don't understand him for the whole quarter, and I self-studied by reading textbook and going to CLAS. However, tests are easy and he curved a lot. Easy A as long as you study. Going to lectures is unnecessary.

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MATH4A . 9 Years Ago

Struggled to enjoy this class. A combination of Labutin's thick accent and excessively detailed slides made lecture boring and confusing. Homework takes time, be warned. I relied on section, CLAS and the (awesome) textbook to get me through the class. Overall, the class was not unreasonable--tests were manageable (and that's most of your grade).

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MATH4A . 9 Years Ago

Terrible at teaching the material however his exams tests and exams are considerably easy and so if you study independently, it should't be too bad

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MATH4A . 9 Years Ago

I don't know a single person that found his lectures even little bit useful. He has an accent, which you get used to, but he is very, very conceptual. Expect to do most of the learning on your own. Most students skipped lecture altogether. That said, the tests are not all that difficult and he offers extra credit, so an A is possible if not easy.

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MATH4A . 9 Years Ago

Don't need to go to lecture ever- they're pretty awful. You get a full page cheat sheet on the midterm and final and there's ec so don't worry you'll do fine.

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MATH4A . 9 Years Ago

One of the worst lecturers I've ever had. Hard to follow even when I already knew the material. Expect to self-study most of the course. On the other hand, he curves the tests a lot -- average score on the first midterm was 105%.

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