Mayumi Saito - University of California Davis, Davis, CA

Professor: Mayumi Saito

Department: Languages

College: University of California Davis, Davis, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: 29235
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

It's a pretty easy class

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: JPN2
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Great sensei. She cares about every student in class and tries to give eveyone as much chance to practice as possible. But she does go over Kanji quickly so be prepared to learn them on your own.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: JPN3
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Sensei is a very good instructor, and though she can crack the whip sometimes, she shows great value in our education and having us be able to understand and apply our learning. Her class is very enjoyable, and though tough (definitely don't slack), I loved it. She is very helpful when you have questions, and can be funny too.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: JPN111
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Saito Sensei is very passionate about teaching. This is upper division Japanese so do NOT expect it to be as easy as JPN1-6. More time MUST BE SPENT on learning and retaining everything. The class itself was hard not the teacher. She went by the course thus, exams were a little challenging but as long you study and ask questions you will be fine.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: JPN2JPN4
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Great Sensei! She is a little tough and you definitely have to pay attention to keep up, but she is super helpful and explains everything very clearly so everyone understands the material. THE BEST Japanese professor I've had.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: JPN04
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

If you want to take a class who can explain you the grammar clearly, take this class with her. Although she can play some tricks on quizzes and tests, you will survive this class as long as you review it everyday. She is a great teacher, I must say. You have to work hard, though.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: JPN3
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Fast pace but it keeps you up to speed so you don't lag behind on studying. She's a very funny and nice professor and I would definitely recommend her. Homework everyday but it keeps you writing, listening and reading Japanese all the time. After a few quizzes you will get the hang of what to expect on the rest of her exams and quizzes.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: JPN003
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very fun and lively and extremely helpful and understanding. Her schedule takes a while to get used to, but she is a wonderful teacher. I highly recommend her if you are planning to take Japanese.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: JPN3
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She's not a difficult teacher at all. All her test materials are from the book, and as long as you pay attention to the schedule, you should know what to study ahead. She's also very humorous and enthusiastic. By far my favorite Japanese teacher at Davis.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: JPN003
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I really enjoyed having saito sensei! She is cheerful and a very nice teacher. I loved going to class. She can go fast on the vocabulary, but its not that bad. She spends more time on grammar, which is very helpful especially since grammar can be a little overwhelming. I would encourage others to get her as a teacher. She is great!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: JPN002
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Saito-sensei is incredible. Probably the best Japanese teacher I've had so far. She really knows how to make the students understand the material. If you don't understand, she is more than willing to help in class or make time to help outside of class. Her quizzes and tests were challenging, but definitely manageable if studied. Highly recommended.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: JPN004
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She passed out tea drinks and Pocky sticks at the end of the quarter... Nuff said. :D

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: JPN002
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Of the Japanese instructors, Saito-sensei is most definitely my favorite. Somewhat difficult but she is very helpful and runs a very fun class.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: JPN002
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Saito-sensei might come off as incredibly difficult if your JPN 1 teacher wasn't as demanding, but she's very good. Her vocab tests are the hardest tests as they essentially test you on a chapter that you haven't learned yet. But with some diligent memorization you can do it. Might be a tad speedy for some, but you adapt. Would take her again!

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: JPN003
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Had her for two quarters now, and I think I can say that she's one of my favorite JPN professors at UCD. Not too hard if you can pick up the material fast enough. Good practice. Kinda speeds through lessons which may leave some students a bit lost, but she's always there to help. Like other ratings have said, if you want a challenge, take Saito.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: JPN2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I am glad I had this professor because when I went to practice for my oral test with the tutor, he made the 7 of us who were waiting practice as a group. The people from other classes didn't seem to know their material that well, and it's either them or the teacher. Saito is a challenge but she helps you learn thoroughly.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: JPN004
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

a very easy professor, much easier than the prof I had for JPN 3 (Uchida), fair and funny, I enjoyed it overall

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: JPN004
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I don't really understand why everyone says Saito is the toughest Japanese professor. She's very helpful and cares a lot about her students. She can be disorganized but if you study carefully, you are guaranteed a good grade. She grades test fairly and carefully. She also has a very good sense of humor, I recommend her.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: JPN2
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Ah, Saito-sensei. Yes, she can be very demanding at times, but this is necessary for a language class. She kept me on my toes, but in a good way. Even though the class was at 8AM, she never made me fall asleep. Very nice person, highly recommended! She cares about the students too!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: JPN002
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

she speaks very very very fast in the class....she's a good teacher. She might be teaching only morning JPN 003 classes. Grab her if you like challenging teachers :)