With Christou, you have to know what you're getting into, otherwise the class will be a pain and you will hate yourself for the rest of the quarter (only semi-kidding). For those of you wondering why you had to take math classes on differentiation, integration and linear algebra, this class will make you understand why.

First, be prepared to take some of the hardest exams you will have ever taken. I had Math majors, Political Science PhD students and people interning for SpaceX complain that Christou's tests were the hardest they had ever taken. It is no joke when I say that some kids have either cried while taking the test or cried after taking the test, and it wasn't out of relief.

For example, the average on the two midterms were a 54 and a 52, with a standard deviation of 16 and 18, respectively. I got a 59 and a 52, respectively, and I was happy to get those scores. (I thought the final was very easy comparatively, which is why I ended up with an A- instead of a B or a B+).

However, his curve is very generous. For example, based on the scores of the two midterms mentioned above, if you got a 60 or above, you got at least an A-. Between a 40 and a 60 was some form of a B and below 40 was some form of a C. So long as you attempt the test and do not cheat, Christou will never give you anything lower than a passing grade.

As for the HWs, they are hard. He has around 8 HW assignments, and they usually required 5-6 hours minimum to complete, if you don't have help from the TA. (I remember the study group I was with thought that there was no way the exam could be harder than the HWs. Trust me, the exam can ALWAYS be harder than the HWs.) Some will require you to use R, however, he will have R code posted online on his website that you can essentially copy with a few modifications to make it work. It's mostly to try and explain conceptual ideas or to make calculations easier, as some problems involve taking the inverse of a 4x4 or a 5x5 matrix and then multiplying it by its transpose, or finding the eigen values of a 4x4 or 5x5 matrix (see what I mean by using Linear Algebra?). Other times you have to find the gradient of a multivariate function, so brush up on your math if you don't remember.

In terms of lectures, Christou is arguably the fastest talker you will ever meet. One of my favorite jokes is that he'll explain a concept in a couple minutes then expect you to solve a problem using that concept in around 10 seconds (I wish I was kidding). He does tend to skip over steps when he solves problems, so you'll be doing a lot of tracing back to figure out how he got from point A to point B. He is also a big stickler on using any electronic device in class and being constantly late (although you won't be using any electronic device or be late as he goes over a lot of material in the class and you'll be busy writing down notes). Christou also doesn't use notes in class, everything is either by memory or pure knowledge while lecturing.

In terms of office hours, you will thank the Lord as he has office hours usually every day, for around an hour or two each day. While he can be intimidating, he really has the students interests at heart. If anyone has had Vivian Lew, they know she speaks her mind. Lew had a very glowing opinion of Christou, saying he's one of the nicest professors in the Stats department and that he really cares about the students learning. And it's true. Christou also has a twisted sense of humor, as he'll joke around before taking the exam saying things like "Drink safely after the exam, ok?" or "I would joke, but I figure I don't want to get your spirits up right before the exam."

The TL;DR version is that, as Christou puts it, "I believe in giving exams that challenge the students to the best of their ability, but don't want them worrying about the grade." The class is hard, the homeworks are hard, the tests are hard, and the material is hard. However, I really enjoyed taking the class with Christou and would recommend any student to take a stats class with Christou, if nothing else but to be in the "Christou club".

If you like to learn then dont take this professor he cares about making a class that is not hard twice as hard took his 100C class which was unclear threw what he will test on. I like to actually use my stats knowledge for my future which he passes everyone if u go to many of his office hours, I feel showing up passes u. I did well in all 100 series classes but when his notes are not clear he rather be smatter than his student is why the test are so hard. BEAWRE!!!!

I took him for 100ABC and C183.

I think he is a great lecturer. He has inspired me to take more stats classes and I truly feel like I learned some useful things. It's true he is a bit of a harsh grader but he is very reassuring about not worrying about your grade. He really cares about student learning and you won't find another professor like him at UCLA.

I do not understand why peoples rate positively. Of course, He is enthusiastic professor, but exams do not associate lecture note. Lecture note do not cover exam and he is strict grader!