SCHLEY N B
I have had prof Schley for 2 classes now, I think he is much better in upper division style classes that are more concept heavy than raw computation heavy. Both classes had a lot of homework and difficult weekly quizzes. If you want an easy A and to learn very little you probably wont like him as a professor.
Nice guy. Lectures heavily focus on concepts and intuition which is why most people find them bad or hard to understand. Personally I did not attend much lecture due to the triviality of the material in Math 6A, but I could see them being very good in a more difficult class. Schley is very caring and understanding, he dropped low quiz scores.
Explanations of concepts weren't too helpful, especially the more complex ones later on in the quarter. The free textbook was a lifesaver. Nice guy with fair exams, a LOT of homework.
Professor Schley is very good on teaching. When he introduces a topic, he is very logical and articulates a concept,which is the best I've ever seen. However, his TA "Jeremy" ruined everything, including RMP grade. I don't know what the future of him, but right now, in 2025 winter, "Jeremy" is always doing something thankless.
Professor Schley's class has a mix of pros and cons. While he cares about teaching and offers generous grading policies, his lectures can be confusing at times. I found unstuck ai helpful for reinforcing concepts alongside the textbook.
Nathan is quite literally the worst teacher/professor I've ever had. From not clearly answering questions, to assigning homework and quizzes weekly, I eventually had to drop his Math108A course, but if I stayed in his course, Im sure I would've gotten a C- or lower...
Nathan would often go into tangents and not really teach concepts in a way that leaves you feeling like you learned any material. His canvas/class structure/ just everything had a disorganization to it. Possibly an easy to pass class, however, if you want to learn material to supplement your future classes, find another professor
He was an awful teacher. Sure he's a nice guy, but absolutely terrible at teaching. Had I known ChatGPT and Youtube videos would teach me more than the professor himself I would have avoided taking his course. If you want a good teacher don't take this course. The tests are reasonable and you get a note card.
nathan is one of the worse profs i've ever had. fails to explain concepts well and just goes in circles. there's extra credit but that's not really helpful when you're left to self study by yourself. having a good ta helps
Lots of homework but extra credit on it. Quizzes every section and often have content on it taught that same day in lecture. Lectures were confusing and he was bad at answering questions from students. The TA was more helpful than the professor. Self-study is needed
Schley gets too much hate in my opinion. This is probably because there are easier 4B professors at UCSB. I came out of the class feeling confident with the material, and that's what matters to me.
Schley was a professor I was initially worried to take but as the course went on I found him to be a good prof, not the best but he did care and does challenge you to develop crucial math skills. The homework is a lot but the last two weeks have none. Lectures can be hit or miss but when they're good they can be full of useful techniques.