MATH 34B
GARFIELD P M
Peter Garfield
3.8
191 reviews

191
3.8
34B . Garfield P M 4 Months Ago

Great math professor. Makes great conversation as well as a great/honest lecturer. There is homework (obviously its math) and 2 midterms. Everything you need is in the lectures. TAs are very helpful as well. Overall a really great class.

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34B . Garfield P M 5 Months Ago

Professor Garfield was very nice and he did a good job at teaching. He does iClicker it pays off in the end if you go to almost all lectures because if he notices good effort (just good attendance and do all HW) he boosts any grade from C-B- to a B. Didn't go to class last 3 weeks and still passed final with a B, all tests are like practice exams

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34B . Garfield P M 6 Months Ago

Very good lectures, also posted online if you can't make it. Tests are not very hard. Very friendly and funny guy.

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34B . Garfield P M 6 Months Ago

Peter was one of the best math professors I've ever had. He is fully aware that most of his students won't need to know calculus for their majors. Tests are exactly like the practice exams and he post at least 3 practice exams each test. Notecards allowed for every test even the final. gives in class reviews.

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34B . Garfield P M 6 Months Ago

The grading criteria for the class was clear, midterms are exactly like the practice midterms uploaded. Taught in a way that was useful for me to understand.

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34B . Garfield P M 7 Months Ago

3 midterms + a final, but old versions are given out and they're very similar to the exams. HW due before each lecture (3x a week), which is excessive. Final worth as much as all 3 midterms put together (35%). HW and section worksheets not relevant to actual exam material. Garfield is sometimes bad at explaining, but he's nice. Very doable class.

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34B . Garfield P M 7 Months Ago

Made calculus very easy to understand. Homework was pretty straight forward & lectures were manageable. Only complaint was that our 3rd midterm grade wasn't released until after we took our final.

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34B . Garfield P M 7 Months Ago

Peter is super kind and accessible outside of class. He has office hours 5 days a week (in person and zoom) which were super helpful for doing the harder homework problems. Sometimes he could break examples down a little better in lecture but for the most part he did a good job lecturing. Also his practice exams are SO HELPFUL! Overall an easy A.

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34B . Garfield P M 7 Months Ago

Peter isn't the best lecturer, but his lecture slides are AMAZING. Downloading his lecture slides and working through them independently in lecture was the best method for learning the concepts. Tests are super easy, they're just like the practice tests. Peter is SUPER accessible outside of class. It's an easy A, as long as you put in the work.

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34B . Garfield P M 7 Months Ago

There were 23 homework assignments this quarter (2-3 a week) worth 12 and he drops the 3 lowest- homework is frequent but doable. He is SO slow at getting exam grades in! The final is over and we are still waiting for our last midterm scores to be released. Disappointing!! Overall easy A though, exams are just like the practice exams he posts.

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34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

Lectures could be very confusing and homework can be hard. The 3 midterm exams and final increase in weight which is unfortunate. Exams are the exact same as practice exams so it is very easy to be successful despite confusing content! A lot of homework/quiz grades are dropped which also bring up grade. Very generous grading!!

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34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

Garfield was fine. His lectures and explanations were confusing at times but the textbook always provided clarification. His exams are exactly like the practice exams so make sure to do those. My biggest issue is it takes FOREVER for him to get exam grades out. Like ridiculously long. Overall, not a hard class.

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34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

he does not teach very well - with that being said, the class is almost a guaranteed pass because the tests are very close to the practice exams (which he supplies a lot of). Homework is mild and you can get a lot of help (or in a lot of cases just look on nectar). most people succeed by memorization.

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34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

good and nice

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34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

Garfield was pretty cool but was a terrible prof/lecturer. Has problems with being timely and widely unorganized. Basically reads off slides and doesn’t do much to really teach. Practice exams are very similar to real exams which was nice. But him and his TAs don’t respond to emails and are difficult to reach. Don’t really recommend

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MATH34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

Peter is one of the best professors Ive had at UCSB. His class is really straightforward and he wants you to succeed. He holds multiple office hour sessions per week, take advantage of them! The practice tests and homework really prepare you for the exams, stay on top of everything and youll be golden. Going to miss having Peter as a professor!

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34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

He’s a cool guy but a very poor professor. Many people like him cause they consider his class to be easy but neglect to mention how wildly unorganized the class is. I feel like he’s never thorough enough and most kids get by on memorization because his practice tests are exactly like the exams. TAs and professor never get back to you.

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MATH34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

A great guy at heart but the class was terribly organized. There was a lot of frustration regarding the grades of our first midterm (which, two months later, is still not graded). The lectures are not very thorough—many of the steps and work for example problems are explained verbally; there is hardly any work shown. Wouldn't recommend.

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MATH34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

I would love to give Professor Garfield another great rating, but after this class I can't. He's a funny guy who really cares about the class but this was a disaster. As of now(after we've taken the final) we still don't have our first midterm back. The class isn't too hard and the midterms are essentially old tests with new questions but still.

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MATH34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

If youre taking a class with Garfield, be prepared to study by yourself. He only uses slides for lecture and the only help you will be getting is from CLAS or section. Work on your practice tests and maybe youll do good. Gives too much homework, imo. Very nice and respectful, but isnt thorough with explaining the math.

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MATH34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

Professor Garfield is a mixed bag. On one hand he is a very nice guy with a fun personality in the classroom. On the other hand, he is an extremely slow grader with very imprecise lectures that make things more confusing than they need to be. As long as you slam the practice midterms this class is an easy A but prepare to deal with his confusion.

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MATH34B . Garfield P M 2 Years Ago

Peter is by far one of my favorite professors! Midterms and final are exactly like the practice tests he posts online. Weekly quizzes count more towards section attendance than for a true grade. Very easy to access outside of class and loves helping students during office hours. Very passionate about what he does and a very inspirational prof.

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MATH34B . Garfield P M 4 Years Ago

Do the homework, it really helps a lot. His lectures were okay, but he seemed like a good guy. The midterms were similar to his practice exams but a little bit difficult but doable. The final was optional though because of what was happening at the time.

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MATH34B . Garfield P M 4 Years Ago

The class itself is definitely tougher than 34A but very manageable with Peter. Hes super understanding and wants to help students. Theres homework due a few times a week but if you take the time to do it, itll definitely help your grade.

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