This class was such a curveball. Midterm was doable but the final exam was completely different from anything taught in lectures. He also assigns an INSANE amount of homework every week that does not resemble anything done in the lectures. Take all the worst qualities in a professor and you have him. TAs are the only thing that saved me.

This prof is the worst. He does not explain anything, expects you to understand things skipped in class and gets angry if you do not answer his questions. Do yourself a favor and take this class with someone else.

My grade went down by two letters due to the final. He can screw you when you expect the least.

Not good but not terrible. Lectures are confusing so you have to self study. However notes are posted. Quizzes are so easy you can make a few scribbles and get a full score. Exams are way harder however. Homework is tedious but not impossible. Don't expect anything amazing say but nothing ridiculous either

Lectures are the worst and you will have to learn everything yourself. Saving grace are exams which are a walk in the park.

This class was a total joke. Exams were made too easy. To make matters worse, practice exams were nearly identical in format and content and did not test actual understanding. Everyone I know got an A or A+, even those with half as good an understanding. Other 6A classes had far more challenging exams. Avoid this prof at all costs

Pros: 20% quizzes, 25% homework. Quizzes are super easy and hw are manageable if you start on time. Exams more difficult (mean C+ to B-) but quizzes make up for it, so you can get an A even if you get B on exams. Very decent note taker and notes are uploaded the same day. Cons: long webworks, difficult exams. Lecture can be tough to follow.

I did not actually take this class but was taking Math 6A with him since this was the only time in spring that worked. Read the reviews here and resented my choice. But this is the first math class at UCSB where I got an A. Please please please ignore the bad reviews that are probably from the same one or two students.

He is literally the best math teacher I've ever met since high school. Though he is a Harvard Ph.D., he is passionate about teaching intro courses and really cares about his students. He's lecture note is so clear that I almost forget what textbook is. Exams will not be hard if you finish homework on time and do the practice test.

Had a really good time. If you ask him questions about math, he will engage you no matter how long it takes. Exams are mostly very conceptual which imo is great. Only downside is he can be a bit salty if you inquire him about grades or other "trivial" matters (but which is understandable given how large this class is)

I've always sucked at math and i really hated this class at first. I had 19/50 on mid1. But he offered to meet 1-on-1 with me. Met three times on zoom (once even on a weekend) and we came up with a plan. My mid2 scores improved to 35/40 and I got 41/40 on final. I even got a solid letter of rec from him in the end and got into my top choice!

Very understanding and responsible. I could not take my final exam and Waqar offered to drop it for me. Overall a great teacher

Professor Waqar Shah is a brilliant teacher. He personally reached out to congratulate me on my grade as I had a lower grade in his 3B class. He remembers your name and vouches for you. I really liked him

I would highly recommend Dr Shah to anyone interested in the course.

Professor Waqar is a great teacher who has a great passion and understanding of maths and he goes out of his way to help his students with all their issues. His clear notes were the best part of the class and if I missed a class for some reason i was able to follow the missed topics using his notes with very little effort.

Notecards and extra credit on the final exam were the best things about this course

this professor is a genius. if you care about math and go to his office hours, you can learn soooo much from him. i heard he is leaving which is very unfortunate for students like me

He is the kindest professor I have met at UCSB so far. very understanding and will make sure you pass this class

Lectures are clear and very well-prepared. sad that the quarter is over but very excited to take his class in fall again

Take his class if you want to learn and be prepared for future courses (which is a problem in some other professors' classes, trust me). DO NOT take his class if you don't want to put in the work and want an easy A. This class is VERY difficult if you did not take calc in high school

Math 4A is the most boring course ever. Lectures were dull and unenthusiastic. However, the material is actually easy and the exams are very similar to the practice ones. I did not attend the class after the first midterm and only did the practice exams. Got As in all of them

Dr. Shah clearly knows the material very well and his excellent teaching style made even the hardest concepts super easy for me to grasp. It is a pity that many people stopped showing up very early into the quarter because the lectures became so much more interesting after the midterm. 10/10 recommend

waqar is a brilliant teacher who makes math real fun.

Cares a lot about his students. I wish I could take all my math classes with him~