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Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.
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I had a great TA (Zhaowei the GOAT), but still got absolutely assfucked by this class. Here are some tips for you so that you don't have the same shit ass experience I did:
Step 1: Don't take the class
Step 2: If you have to take it, get really familiar with the material from the first four assignments before week 1 so you have a crazy good advantage.
Tough it out for the first 4 weeks and you'll be good in terms of managing workload. The final was a straight clap, no amount of studying could have prepared me for that bullshit. Sure, I learnt a lot, but this class is broken.
I take 35L with Dalmia Shivam, he is a nice guy. HOWEVER, I have to say, Aditya Joglekar and Aaron Zhou basically fucked up this quarter. As everyone know, each TA is in charge of an assignment per week. Aditya takes Assignment 4 which is due on week 5 's Monday. And he takes the entire quarter to grade it, which the grades comes out even after assign9 just 5 days before grades finalized in 12/23. Aaron Zhou was in charge of assignment 9 which is a brand new one. Everyone was busying on finals, and he decided to give only 20% on lab(easier part), and impossible-task homework(hard part) 80%. Don't believe it's Eggert decision. NO! It's TA 's choice that they don't want you to pass at least they want you to suffer. They don't fking care students, if they are still TA for the next quarter, watch out the assignments they take charge of cuz they are b_tches.
Like other comments stated here, this course is a pain in the ass even though the content is useful. It's disorganized. The workload is so heavy that few materials can be covered during the lab. So, you have to study most of the content by yourself. The final has 26 pages and Prof. Eggert claims it's a 3-hour exam. Some TAs are very harsh on grading, and they take a lot of points off just because you are wrong in one question or you don't include something that is not even asked for in the assignment instructions. Many TAs don't even provide any feedback for your grade unless you ask for it. If you have to take this course, I would recommend you start to study the content, such as python and bash, before the quarter you are gonna take the course. One more thing, some people may be smart enough to be a very good graduate student, but they may not be competent to be a TA, and this is a TA based course. So, be cautious.
WORST OF ALL TIME
I'm prepared for heavy assignments and difficult tests on things he barely lectured in class. However, what I want to tell people right now is his unreasonable, mysterious curve and final grading strategy. The final grading is messy, with some people curved down but some not, just because he thought we would take benefits from generous graders in assignments. He didn't even tell which portion of the class was curved down and how, nor did he seem to consider that some answers might just be good enough to receive a full grade from any grader. It has NO transparency at all. You never know if you would be mysteriously curved down at the deadline of final grade submission day, and you can do nothing about it (since he will also not expose how he did it). I got full grades for every assignment, but if I knew those grades does not reflect anything, I would consider P/NP instead of getting this shitty grade that ruins my GPA (never got a B before).
In a nutshell, he is not the type of professor we usually met that gives you a hard time during the quarter but curve up at the end to make students learn. He is the devil that gives people a hard time till the moment you get your final grade. I don't know how curving down without clear explanation benefits learning, and he might not care.
If you have to take this class, buckle up because, in my 2 years here, it has given me the most workload of any class by far.
Eggert himself is pretty friendly and a super engaging lecturer. His lectures sound like TED talks, and I never found myself dozing off in his class. He is very intelligent, and I respect him as a software engineer. You will need to show up to lectures to do well on the exams because, for certain questions, he might allude to random points he makes during lectures.
Speaking of the exams, they are notoriously difficult and there's not much you can do to study for them. The exams are conceptual and expect you to have mastered the material. Most people end up printing the entirety of their notes, myself included, which can help for 1 or 2 questions. The best way to study is to go over previous exams and the LA practice exams.
Another major part of the class is the homework/labs. Eggert's late policy is very generous, but my advice is to only use it when you need to and just start the assignments early. You'll need the time. Google is your best friend here.
You also have a final project where you create a full-stack web app, usually in a group of 5. If this is starting to sound like a lot of work, that's because it is. In my opinion, this is the most rewarding part of the class, but I encourage you to meet people early in the class and group up with people you trust. I made the mistake of grouping with randos, and maybe I'm just unlucky but none of them wrote a single line of code. So I spent every day from Friday Week 8 to Wednesday Week 10 working on this damn project.
Similar to other reviews, I was disappointed with the lack of transparency and the obscene delays in grading. One of our assignments was due Week 4-5 but was returned a few days before grades were due. It took a toll on my mental health stressing over these grades, and looking back I should have just accepted that I get what I get. I don't understand how the curve works, but I'm pretty sure he goes for a B/B- average.
Overall, you will learn a lot, but know what you're getting yourself into.
Worst class that I've ever taken. The workload is insane especially for the first 6 weeks. It eases up a tad but then they had the worst assignment ever during week 10 (when the final is on the Sunday before finals week) that was so time consuming and hard that half the class didn't even do it. You're expected to learn pretty much a whole language/aspect of cs (bash, python, c, linking, git) and then complete super time consuming hw assignments showing "mastery" of a concept that you just learned. Also, Eggert doesn't teach the class. The TAs do, so if you get a bad TA then you're screwed. The only good thing about this class is the generous late policy. The final exam was terrible and scarring. I never want to take this class again and I never want to take an Eggert exam either. This class needs to be reworked. The workload can be cut in half easily especially for a 3 unit class. I made the mistake of taking this at the same time as CS 33 and the workload was insane. Worst quarter at ucla so far. I have no clue how I scraped out with a B but I don't want to think about this class anymore.
Class is difficult and takes up more time than any previous class but is somewhat manageable. Class is graded on a curve and the average grade is around a B+ (maybe B or A-). This class teaches you a lot and gets you up to speed with actual software development.
To anyone confused about previous years' reviews, CS35L used to have lectures given by TAs instead of Eggert and more homeworks, and was much more difficult and chaotic. If you want more relevant reviews, take a look at CS97 from Spring 2020 onward, which was like the beta to the current 35L.
The main topics covered were Emacs (text editor), Unix, Shell/Bash Scripting, Lisp, Python, C, and Git. React and JavaScript were briefly covered in a lecture but were essential for one assignment and the entire final project. If you've never used React, knowing a little HTML/CSS/JS will help a lot.
Lectures/Homeworks: Eggert's lectures are a lot more theoretical and only cover a little syntax. You need to look up a lot of stuff for homeworks and teach yourself but you’ll learn a lot. Lectures are pretty interesting and I enjoyed them. The late penalty is pretty generous (only 1% off for 1 day late. 2^(N-1)% off for N days late). 3 or more (outta 6) of the homeworks were given extended deadlines. Homeworks can take up many hours.
Midterm and final are difficult and much different to traditional tests. You can't really study for them that much except for doing the practice tests. Many questions are open-ended and require you to understand instead of regurgitate. Some questions are pretty obscure/random. The tests are unlimited open-note, but extremely detailed notes on lectures only help on getting maybe an extra 5%. And don't leave any question blank. You will get some partial credit even if it's completely wrong.
For the final project, most people make a web app with React. Getting a good group where everyone does their fair share is crucial to not spending too much time on it. Your group presents to a discussion at the end of week 10. The project was graded generously (most got 90%-100%). And you get something to put on your resume
This class need a complete reform. It is not professor Eggert's fault but someone in CS department have to do something with it. Once again, everything in this class is a disaster and need a complete reform. Materials in the syllabus are useful but they are so poorly taught that we would rather study the same thing on our own during summer holiday.
I had a great TA (Zhaowei the GOAT), but still got absolutely assfucked by this class. Here are some tips for you so that you don't have the same shit ass experience I did:
Step 1: Don't take the class
Step 2: If you have to take it, get really familiar with the material from the first four assignments before week 1 so you have a crazy good advantage.
Tough it out for the first 4 weeks and you'll be good in terms of managing workload. The final was a straight clap, no amount of studying could have prepared me for that bullshit. Sure, I learnt a lot, but this class is broken.
I take 35L with Dalmia Shivam, he is a nice guy. HOWEVER, I have to say, Aditya Joglekar and Aaron Zhou basically fucked up this quarter. As everyone know, each TA is in charge of an assignment per week. Aditya takes Assignment 4 which is due on week 5 's Monday. And he takes the entire quarter to grade it, which the grades comes out even after assign9 just 5 days before grades finalized in 12/23. Aaron Zhou was in charge of assignment 9 which is a brand new one. Everyone was busying on finals, and he decided to give only 20% on lab(easier part), and impossible-task homework(hard part) 80%. Don't believe it's Eggert decision. NO! It's TA 's choice that they don't want you to pass at least they want you to suffer. They don't fking care students, if they are still TA for the next quarter, watch out the assignments they take charge of cuz they are b_tches.
Like other comments stated here, this course is a pain in the ass even though the content is useful. It's disorganized. The workload is so heavy that few materials can be covered during the lab. So, you have to study most of the content by yourself. The final has 26 pages and Prof. Eggert claims it's a 3-hour exam. Some TAs are very harsh on grading, and they take a lot of points off just because you are wrong in one question or you don't include something that is not even asked for in the assignment instructions. Many TAs don't even provide any feedback for your grade unless you ask for it. If you have to take this course, I would recommend you start to study the content, such as python and bash, before the quarter you are gonna take the course. One more thing, some people may be smart enough to be a very good graduate student, but they may not be competent to be a TA, and this is a TA based course. So, be cautious.
WORST OF ALL TIME
I'm prepared for heavy assignments and difficult tests on things he barely lectured in class. However, what I want to tell people right now is his unreasonable, mysterious curve and final grading strategy. The final grading is messy, with some people curved down but some not, just because he thought we would take benefits from generous graders in assignments. He didn't even tell which portion of the class was curved down and how, nor did he seem to consider that some answers might just be good enough to receive a full grade from any grader. It has NO transparency at all. You never know if you would be mysteriously curved down at the deadline of final grade submission day, and you can do nothing about it (since he will also not expose how he did it). I got full grades for every assignment, but if I knew those grades does not reflect anything, I would consider P/NP instead of getting this shitty grade that ruins my GPA (never got a B before).
In a nutshell, he is not the type of professor we usually met that gives you a hard time during the quarter but curve up at the end to make students learn. He is the devil that gives people a hard time till the moment you get your final grade. I don't know how curving down without clear explanation benefits learning, and he might not care.
If you have to take this class, buckle up because, in my 2 years here, it has given me the most workload of any class by far.
Eggert himself is pretty friendly and a super engaging lecturer. His lectures sound like TED talks, and I never found myself dozing off in his class. He is very intelligent, and I respect him as a software engineer. You will need to show up to lectures to do well on the exams because, for certain questions, he might allude to random points he makes during lectures.
Speaking of the exams, they are notoriously difficult and there's not much you can do to study for them. The exams are conceptual and expect you to have mastered the material. Most people end up printing the entirety of their notes, myself included, which can help for 1 or 2 questions. The best way to study is to go over previous exams and the LA practice exams.
Another major part of the class is the homework/labs. Eggert's late policy is very generous, but my advice is to only use it when you need to and just start the assignments early. You'll need the time. Google is your best friend here.
You also have a final project where you create a full-stack web app, usually in a group of 5. If this is starting to sound like a lot of work, that's because it is. In my opinion, this is the most rewarding part of the class, but I encourage you to meet people early in the class and group up with people you trust. I made the mistake of grouping with randos, and maybe I'm just unlucky but none of them wrote a single line of code. So I spent every day from Friday Week 8 to Wednesday Week 10 working on this damn project.
Similar to other reviews, I was disappointed with the lack of transparency and the obscene delays in grading. One of our assignments was due Week 4-5 but was returned a few days before grades were due. It took a toll on my mental health stressing over these grades, and looking back I should have just accepted that I get what I get. I don't understand how the curve works, but I'm pretty sure he goes for a B/B- average.
Overall, you will learn a lot, but know what you're getting yourself into.
Worst class that I've ever taken. The workload is insane especially for the first 6 weeks. It eases up a tad but then they had the worst assignment ever during week 10 (when the final is on the Sunday before finals week) that was so time consuming and hard that half the class didn't even do it. You're expected to learn pretty much a whole language/aspect of cs (bash, python, c, linking, git) and then complete super time consuming hw assignments showing "mastery" of a concept that you just learned. Also, Eggert doesn't teach the class. The TAs do, so if you get a bad TA then you're screwed. The only good thing about this class is the generous late policy. The final exam was terrible and scarring. I never want to take this class again and I never want to take an Eggert exam either. This class needs to be reworked. The workload can be cut in half easily especially for a 3 unit class. I made the mistake of taking this at the same time as CS 33 and the workload was insane. Worst quarter at ucla so far. I have no clue how I scraped out with a B but I don't want to think about this class anymore.
Class is difficult and takes up more time than any previous class but is somewhat manageable. Class is graded on a curve and the average grade is around a B+ (maybe B or A-). This class teaches you a lot and gets you up to speed with actual software development.
To anyone confused about previous years' reviews, CS35L used to have lectures given by TAs instead of Eggert and more homeworks, and was much more difficult and chaotic. If you want more relevant reviews, take a look at CS97 from Spring 2020 onward, which was like the beta to the current 35L.
The main topics covered were Emacs (text editor), Unix, Shell/Bash Scripting, Lisp, Python, C, and Git. React and JavaScript were briefly covered in a lecture but were essential for one assignment and the entire final project. If you've never used React, knowing a little HTML/CSS/JS will help a lot.
Lectures/Homeworks: Eggert's lectures are a lot more theoretical and only cover a little syntax. You need to look up a lot of stuff for homeworks and teach yourself but you’ll learn a lot. Lectures are pretty interesting and I enjoyed them. The late penalty is pretty generous (only 1% off for 1 day late. 2^(N-1)% off for N days late). 3 or more (outta 6) of the homeworks were given extended deadlines. Homeworks can take up many hours.
Midterm and final are difficult and much different to traditional tests. You can't really study for them that much except for doing the practice tests. Many questions are open-ended and require you to understand instead of regurgitate. Some questions are pretty obscure/random. The tests are unlimited open-note, but extremely detailed notes on lectures only help on getting maybe an extra 5%. And don't leave any question blank. You will get some partial credit even if it's completely wrong.
For the final project, most people make a web app with React. Getting a good group where everyone does their fair share is crucial to not spending too much time on it. Your group presents to a discussion at the end of week 10. The project was graded generously (most got 90%-100%). And you get something to put on your resume
This class need a complete reform. It is not professor Eggert's fault but someone in CS department have to do something with it. Once again, everything in this class is a disaster and need a complete reform. Materials in the syllabus are useful but they are so poorly taught that we would rather study the same thing on our own during summer holiday.
Based on 145 Users
TOP TAGS
- Tough Tests (67)
- Has Group Projects (58)