PSTAT 130
SWENSON J S
Julie Swenson
4.3
85 reviews

88
4.3
PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 1 Year, 5 Months Ago

Great great professor! Ik Stats is a really intimidating subject for a lot of people but she makes it really manageable and easy to understand. Lecture videos are great and go over tons of examples. One of the first classes I've taken at UCSB where I felt prepared for the exams from just lectures alone. Sections were really helpful as well.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 1 Year, 5 Months Ago

Prof Swenson is such a sweetheart! You can tell how much she cares, and does a really good job at explaining tricky concepts. She does try to trick you a lot on midterms with question wording, so be prepared for that. Our class was half online half in person and it seems like a lot of work at first but it wasn't too bad once I got in the groove.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 1 Year, 7 Months Ago

Swenson is a great professor! You can definitely tell that she really cares about her students and wants you to understand everything. Lab wasn't too bad, and there are weekly quizzes that are very easy if you did the homework. Although, her final was a bit harder than the midterms/quizzes. Overall though, I highly recommend her!

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 1 Year, 9 Months Ago

the material itself was difficult at times but she is very helpful if you go to office hours

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 2 Years Ago

I only took this class to see if I liked stats and I can say I definitely do! It was almost entirely online with the exception of midterm 2. The class consisted of weekly quizzes, easy python labs, and optional hw. It's fairly easy if you put work into it (max 4 hours a week if you take notes on the videos and do the hw).

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 2 Years Ago

Generally, she is nice but there are 2 midterms and her lecture videos feel like too much at once. The curve really comes in clutch! Section participation matters, she made attending lecture hall optional and posted them instead. Definitely recommend utilizing CLAS if you struggle. Did not use a textbook but it might be helpful.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 2 Years Ago

I dreaded taking stats for my major but Dr. Swenson made the material so much less daunting. She makes really clear lectures and explains things in their simplest form, so I never had to worry about confusion. Definitely memorize the formulas and do the "optional" homework! All the TAs are amazing as well and helped clarify any questions I had :)

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 2 Years Ago

Professor Swenson does a good job at teaching the material, however, her exams are awful. So many trick questions. Homework is optional, but even if you do it, answers aren't posted until a week later (unless you attend OH which are 1x/week). She doesn't care for her students or their circumstances, despite coming off as bubbly and "nice."

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 2 Years Ago

Swenson was fine, her lectures weren't terrible but something about them just kinda put you to sleep. However, she is very fair and wants to help students. Besides her office hours, there are many TA and LA's that make themselves available if you need help.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 2 Years Ago

Dr. Swenson is amazing! I absolutely adore her. She's always ready to explain confusing concepts and is very respectful and sweet. The course is set up for your success but you do have to work for it and take advantage of the resources she gives you!

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

I enjoyed the class and the professor but was disappointed by my grade. I wish the tests were curved! I understood most of the material and the lectures are the best but you have to work for a good grade in this class.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

She's amazing. Lectures are super clear and make the material very understandable even if you're not a math person. Also super sweet and helpful in office hours if you need. There was a textbook but I didn't get it and had no problems. She gives you everything you need to know. Definitely take!

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

Love her so much. If you have any questions go to her office hours and she is so kind and helpful, literally is like a mom. Not a lot of people go to her office hours so she's the perfect professor to build a relationship with.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

taken in F20 Class was not that difficult if you are good at math. She wants her students to succeed. Easy to talk to and go over problems in office hours. Met with me personally before a test when a ta was terrible. Lectures were straight forward and easy to follow

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

I loved professor Swenson. Even though async lectures you can tell she is very sweet, and her lectures give you everything you need to know for the exams as long as you do the homework and practice problems. the quizzes are easy and replicate a homework problem from the week. The material is not too hard to understand.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

2-3 relatively short lectures, (asynchronous for covid times) discussion section, lab section, homework worksheet, study group zoom for participation and a quiz each week. 2 midterms and a final, all straightforward multiple choice. Lots of opportunities to get help if needed but the lectures make things pretty clear.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

Prof Swenson did an amazing job adjusting for online learning. Lecture questions (5%), lecture journal (5%), section (5%) and course (5%) participation, quizzes (10%), midterm 1+2 (20% each) and final (30%) made up grading. Python labs were the worst but it isn't focused on the exams. Keep on top of work and you'll do fine!

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

Swenson is the most clear lecturer Ive ever had. Dont rely on a curve I was .23 away from an A and the curve didnt help me at all. Im not a math person but probably could have pulled off the A if I had studied harder for the final. Best math teacher Ive ever had. Labs are about coding. Shes very accesible to students who need help.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

Great professor, really enthusiastic. The class itself is relatively easy if you're at all familiar with math. If you make sure to watch lectures and understand which equations to use for different word problems, and you should be fine. I didn't use the textbook at all, and got through based on only the homework, quizzes, and practice problems.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

Professor Swenson is super nice and cares about her students. The class is really organized and there are multiple weekly mini assignments so make sure to always be on top of those. She does not expect anymore than what she assigns as hw so the midterms arent hard at all if you practiced the hw well. Grading is super fair.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

I LOVE professor Swenson! She is incredibly enthusiastic and genuinely wants to be helpful. I go to her office hours every week and watch her lectures and do fine. Biggest piece of advice is to do the optional homework.... trust. Super kind professor and she works really hard!

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

Prof Swenson is really nice but the department is not lenient with our current situation. Can't make up missing assignments, lab and discussion are mandatory unless you have a doctors note. Material is pretty easy to understand, prof is available at office hours along with TAs. Some of the work feels unnecessary, though. Lab is really hard.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 3 Years Ago

Professor Swenson is excited to help you in office hours. The class structure is organized. The textbook is SO SO helpful. I just read it and sometimes don't watch the lecture videos. Python is very minimal in tests. DO THE HOMEWORK, you'll thank me later. PSTAT department is brutal, so don't expect accommodations unless you're a DSP student.

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PSTAT5A . Swenson J S 4 Years Ago

I took this online during the summer for session A and it was not bad at all. The first two units are a little confusing, but if you go to her office hours she helps a lot!!! If you do the homework, worksheets, and go to her office hours for help, you will be okay! The midterm/final were proctored online through zoom though.

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