Does good at explaining things when you ask him questions during class. Also very understanding about attendance if you talk to him beforehand.

Terrible all around.

Got curved down from a 91% to a B+

I was worried about taking this class since I'd heard negative opinions on this prof, but I actually really liked him and his class. He might not be the most friendly, but he clearly is an expert in his field, & I respect that. Videos for labs, hw, and lecture were very clear. Overall, the course was interesting, practical, and useful!

Ive had a few classes with Hugo and he's not really good at explaining things and he does not want to hear about your sh*t, but hes kooky which is fun, and he also likes field trips. I don't get why the average grades for his classes are so low, all his test questions are the same as the homework, just different examples. Learn homework get A

Extremely understanding during the pandemic, that matters and says a lot about him. Its a dry subject (lul) but he sends a ton of videos and walks you through everything. If you study its an easy A, but dont be deceived by the ease of the material as he will ask questions to apply just about everything ie graphs water shortage thiessen polygon

This was the most awful class I took at UCSB. He LITERALLY reads off his bright blue slides which strain the eyes. YAWN. On the 1st day, he showed up 20 minutes late and this man had the audacity to tell us not to be late to his class. He is an unnecessarily difficult grader, and the reader you need for HW and lab is so incredibly disorganized.

He didn't seem to care about students or the the class. Labs and homework were frequently confusing due to a lack of instructions provided by Hugo. The reader you have to buy contained some good information, but the organization was completely nonsensical. I would not recommend him to anyone but sadly hydro majors are forced to take him. Good luck

Hugo likes to write on the board so some of the materials he goes over is not available online - it's best to attend every lecture. If you read the reader and take notes during every lecture you should be able to pass. He goes over everything you need to know in class. The exams were always fair and not too difficult.

Professor Loaiciga is an old-school type of professor and extremely knowledgeable. I took Geog 172 with him and his reader is all you need for hw/quizzes/exams. He does make mistakes during lecture but you will learn a lot from them. He's an overall nice person and pretty funny. Open book exams, awesome T.A.s, class and lab attendance are a must.

Hugo is incredibly difficult to understand, makes many mistakes during his lectures (which are NOT online and there is no textbook, so if you don't show up to class, you don't pass), and he has no clear grading rubric for tests. He will also take points off assignments for incorrectly stapling or not using page numbers. Good luck.

I normally don't rate my professors, but I've had Hugo for two quarters now and going on a third. He is a great teacher. No, he doesn't make the students excited, and he does require a fair amount of work. All that means is don't take the class unless you're self motivated. If you are and you take good notes, you will learn a lot and get an A

This is absolutely the worst professor I have every had. His lectures are boring, his labs are hectic, and he couldn't care any less about his students. He is rude to nearly everyone and makes it impossible for students to communicate with him. I was thrilled to take this course but within the first week completely lost interest.

Absolutely horrible at teaching. He fails at communicating with students nor does he seem like he really cares for his students. I feel as if there is a brick wall between the student and the professor.

Hugo is a great professor! His teaching style takes some getting used to, but the material is easy. I had Hugo for environmental hydrology and groundwater. His water quality class is usually easy for hydro majors, but hard for env st majors.

I had Hugo for 3 consecutive quarters. He is a smart and knowledgeable guy, but his teaching style takes some getting used to. Overall, if you have a grasp on basic math/science principles,it is very easy to get an A.Just come to class and take clear,organized notes, and the test. He's not arrogant either, he's just from a different culture.

The absolute worst teacher I have had in 17 years of school. Makes an interesting subject extremely difficult to grasp. Books are open notes/text/anything related to the class, and the average is still around 60/100 with out a curve. Extremely inconsistent and unapproachable. Smart guy, cant relay info to students.

I found this class unbearably boring. But if you can get excited about equations for groundwater flow go for it. Tests were open book/notes. He was definitely knowledgeable, but kind of unclear sometimes

Hugo has a wealth of knowledge in water resources. Unfortunately, he has good days and bad days. The other reviews accurately capture his bad days. On good days, he is personable, friendly, helpful, and might even make a joke. But the bad days are hardly bearable.

Horrible teacher, egotistical and unflexible. Grades very inconsistently, will mark off more for the same answer with different tests and wont change answer based on fact that "Hugo is always right" Stay away from him, doesn't know how to teach and connect with students. Tests were hard and easy so difficulty ranges due due his sporadic style.