Miles is easily one of the best professors I have had at UCLA. I came into this class terrified of coding and even just looking at R from my experience in stats 20, and now coming out of it feel confident with coding in R and even motivated to learn more languages. The class isn't super easy and the homework definitely is time consuming and challenging but they are definitely doable and you learn a lot from it. The midterm was far more difficult than the final for me personally, but across the board all of Miles homeworks and exams are very fair.

I really enjoyed taking this class with Miles. I had a bad experience with Stats 20 that left me feeling really nervous for 102A. While the homework assignments were challenging, they really helped me understand the concepts we learned in lecture and also made me feel more confident in my R capabilities. The content of the class is super interesting. Miles is very approachable and helpful in OH, and overall super encouraging and wants his students to succeed. I also really liked how we used Campuswire for this class, as everyone is super helpful and quick to answer questions. All of the exams are very fair and the grade breakdown is fair as well. I highly recommend taking this class with Miles!

Note: This review is for Winter 2021, a quarter conducted remotely for this class.

I thoroughly enjoyed Professor Chen's STATS 102A class. The first half was an in-depth review of STATS 20 (with a little extra around classes and regex (i.e., regular expressions), with the latter half shifting toward use in computational statistics. Professor Chen was extremely clear about how to approach some situations and how to use code in such instances, helping provide a nice picture of how to run simulations with R.

I've heard many people describe some of the homework assignments as difficult, but I found them to be manageable (in fact, I sort of wished there was a little more extension to some assignments). For the exams, the online version of this course had two-hour exams (midterm and final) that were open book; it was more about application and less about memorization, which I found more practical and representative of a real-life situation. Overall, his grading scheme is rather generous, and you should not worry too much about your grade in the course

TL;DR: A solid STATS 20 background can be extremely helpful, but nonetheless the class is not bad if you actively listen/pay attention in lecture. Grades are generally not too stressful.

Participation on Campuswire is crucial so that you get full credit on that part of your grade. No homeworks are dropped, but they aren't too difficult either. Exams demand speed and thus decent familiarity with the material. Make good use of his study guides and thoroughly review his slides. He does not curve, so do study hard.

Tip: You might want to take notes during lectures, especially on discussions/explanations that are not on slides. This may help you streamline exams even faster.

Professor Chen is extremely caring and kind. He's willing to share his views on career planning, grad school and life philosophy. He loves teaching and explains stuffs well. His lecture slides are logically organized, easy to read and informative. Great instructor and awesome person.

This class was not easy, but it is very doable if you put in the work. Not to mention, Miles Chen is probably the best Statistics professor I have ever come across. His lectures are well organized and clear and his exams are very fair (plus, he has a cute dog which you may see if you go to live lecture). The homework projects took me some time, so I'd start early and not overload on other difficult classes. Overall I learned a lot in this class and I would gladly take any other class taught by Miles Chen.

The exam is really long and hard, he mislead students for some course logistics. Very complicated to succeed in this class. He apparently has favoritism and is willing to answer certain students' answers over others. I took stats 15 with this professor. Not recommended. ***k *** er

After taking STATS 102A and 102B with Professor Chen, I completed the 102 series with him. This class aligned closer to 102B than 102A, as the focus was on the algorithms and their implementation rather than having to code extensively (coding was still required). With the midterms, time was a small concern (especially for the second one), but Professor Chen allowed students to have notes with them, making things more manageable. The material of this course does have real-life applications, which was nice because we saw examples of how some of the algorithms used might be implemented outside of the classroom. Ultimately, Professor Chen explains the material well and engages the students, which is why I would recommend taking 102C (and the entire 102 series) with him, if possible.

Miles is a great lecturer. I think the course is a jump from 20, where there was a lot of hand holding. Now it is expected you use all your resources, including the internet. Be prepared for individual learning too (not all the answers are in the notes). Miles is helpful in OH and on Campuswire too. Great class!

I actually don't recommend him. All of his reviews say he's really good but honestly he has way too many slides and goes over them super quick within 50 minutes. His homeworks are extremely hard for no reason and none of them are dropped. Does not curve either.

Miles is one of the best professors at UCLA. This class was extremely useful and very manageable. He is a very engaging lecturer who cares deeply about his students. The finals are a bit rough, but he curves and adjusts grades so that it doesn't really matter in the end. 10/10 would recommend. Take this class, you will not regret it!