DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS. Just don't do it. If you decide that you absolutely need to, you will regret it. The class level should not have been as difficult as he made it. Extremely confusing and makes mistakes often. No calculator usage and no note cards. No curve. No extra credit. You'd better seriously love calc before you take this.

pretty decent math prof. hw was hard but tests were doable. make sure you stay on top of this class or it will be a ton to learn at the end.

This man is amazing! It's true his accent is thick, but i think he realizes this and he goes over concepts over and over so you'll definitely get it eventually. He actually turns out to be a much better prof than many in the department here.. on top of that his tests are pretty easy. The no partial credit thing isn't that bad.

He always put problems we did before on the test.I personally dislike it. You can get good grade w/o actually learning anything, just by figuring out (or simply remember the structure of the proofs) all the hw and review problems. He has accents, but he is trying to clarify very hard. Nice in office hour, but he doesn't give a damn after the final.

He's the first professor I've had since transferring from JC that didn't totally suck. Granted, most of my classes have been UD physics, still. He's extremely clear during his lectures, and he goes at a reasonable place, so you'll have time to listen and take decent notes. Exams were very easy and straightforward.

Could learn better from a carrot. Nearly impossible to understand. Not approachable. Could not teach if his life depended on it. Cannot do his own problem,"If I was younger and had a paper I Could do the problem" is a quote from his own lecture. Cannot give a straight answer, his answers were either "not explicitly" or "not implicitly."

He's sometimes hard to understand because of his accent, but not a big deal in scope of the class. He does lots of examples in class so go to lectures and take notes as exams are very similar to what he does in lectures.

ACCENT WAS HARD AT FIRST TO GET USED TO...TESTS WERE WHAT HE COVERED IN LECTURE

Great professor! His accent is thick; however, after a while you get used to it. Thoughly enjoyed the class. He repeats the topics over and over so that you barely have to study for the test. He also teaches you to check your work. This helps beacuse you know exactly how well you've done immediately after the test.

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i really really loved this teacher. i was sitting in clas yesterday and realized i only have three more lecutres with him and was sad. he has an accent, but what math teacher doesnt? he really thoroughly explains things... over and over, but i helps to get it stuck in your head. ponce really is the best! take him!!! :) <3

Very heavy accent. Very hard to understand but then you get you used to it. Material was very hard to understand (aka learn on your own) but then you get used to it. Overall, tests are easy but not very forgiving because you can check all of your solutions. As long as you go to section and stick through it, the class is easy.

HORRIBLE TEACHER!!!!! SO dumb you can barely understand him through his accent and speed talking. Easy midterms and hard final. This class was a joke and so is ponce. no help in office hours either. I asked to see my final at the beginning of the next quarter and he told me to come back to his office hours even though he wasn't doing anything else

One of the best teachers i've ever had. Clear in explination and logical deduction. His conclusions are sound and his attitude is that which he wants the students to focus on the subject as opposed to getting all the notes down right. However, deff. not for those without a serious interest in math and advanced knowledge.

What ever math he learned, it doesnt have anything to do with math 5a, because he has no idea what is going on in class. You can teach urself better by flat out reading the book. CLAS is a must.

Can't teach. Half the class would get confused and walk out during lecture. Very easy tests, but NO partial credit so make sure not to misplace a negative sign or it will be 0/9 for one of the exam's 3 problems. go to CLAS and take him for easy tests, not to really understand the mathematics

The only thing you will get from lecture is the phrases "Do you understang" and "Do you get me", neither which the class can answer with a yes. His lectures are so confusing that he doesnt even know what is going on. Oh and doesnt believe in partial credit, which was awesome when there are only 3 questions on the test.

His tests are not hard, but he cant teach. He taught so fast and not in order. Even he is very willing to teach, but might confuse students.

This was the worst Class I took while at UCSB. This horrible professor left me with very little understanding of the subject that came back to haunt me in later undergraduate class and later Graduate work at another University. Worst professor EVER!!!!!!

He's one of the world's famous mathematicians. He's a super teacher, and always willing to answer your questions and help you learn.

ppl said he was a hard teacher, but he ended up not being bad at all. his lectures r good, does plenty of examples, and his tests r just like his old ones

A nice man but a bad teacher. Trying to make his final easier, he messed everything.

one of the best math professors i've had in college, they're hard to come by here at UCSB. definitely knew his stuff and tried to help you figure things out.

HARD class... definitely not one that you take for fun. ponce will help you as much as he can if you go to his office hours but lecture is very unclear because he goes at such a rapid pace. good luck if you take this course... you'll need it