Francisco Samaniego - University of California Davis, Davis, CA

Professor: Francisco Samaniego

Department: Mathematics

College: University of California Davis, Davis, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: STAT101
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Samaniego of UC Davis has never taught Stat 101. The review of his teaching of Stat 101 in 2015 is misclassified and actually corresponds to a different instructor.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: STA130A
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Best professor I have had. Office hours were always packed because he is such a phenomenal teacher. Great philosophy: give super hard hw and tests wont be that bad. Also, he has a generous curve. Enjoy retirement professor :D

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: STA13
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I am really not good at statistics and managed to get an A in his class. His lectures at times were confusing as he likes to explain the underlying concepts more than do examples. If you get how to do every problem on weekly homework, quizzes should be fairly easy and will help your grade as they were 60%. Final was doable, study the practice exam.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: STA13
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

NIce guy, lectures were a bit confusing due to small errors the professor wouldn't catch. Difficult to get an A because he uses a bell curve grading system.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: STA130B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Much like 130A, homework was difficult and time consuming but it really prepares you for the test and makes you learn the material. TAs offer a review session every week to go over difficult homework problems so there's really no excuse for not being able to do the homework. Tests are very predictable

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: STA130B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Lectures were ok, mostly conceptual with some examples. There's handouts with additional examples as well. Homeworks were long and took a lot of time, but going to discussion would really help. Open book/homework exams; basically follow the methods you used in homework and you should do good. Overall nice and helpful prof., big curve as well.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: STA130B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I thought that his teaching style was incompatible with the way his tests were. I.e., pretty much all his tests require extensive math but the lectures (and the book) were more organized in a conceptual manner. He's a very nice guy though and you can really tell that he cares about the students.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: 130A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Homework was very difficult but I heard office hours were useful although I never went. TA would go over difficult homework problems in class. The tests were stupidly easy compared to the homework plus there is a very generous curve. Uses his own textbook which can be a pain at times but overall a great professor

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: STA130A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The homework is very difficult and time consuming, but the curve is very generous. Office hours, study hall, and discussion are extremely helpful for this class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: STA130A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Really nice guy, and willing to go the extra mile if you make it to office hours. The only problem with him I had was that the text was his own book, which I found difficult since I'm kind of a textbook DIY learner and it lacks examples and solutions to problem sets. The curve was EXTREMELY generous though. Make sure you go to section.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: STA13
• 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 a quiz everyother weds. and the lowest is dropped. Since he write in cursive, his handwriting can sometimes be illegible, but he says everything he writes down so if you're listening to him, there should be no problem with taking notes. Most of the time he will give examples that will be on the quiz. Quiz and final are all open notes.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: STA13A
• 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:

An alright Stats professor. Getting a B is doable, but an A is hard to get since it's just the top 15%. 5 Quizes drops the lowest one + final.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: STA013
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Impossible to read his handwriting and his teaching style seems a little old-fashioned, but overall he is a really nice and helpful guy. He stays up late the night before quizzes answering emailed questions.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: STA013
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Open notes, open book tests. Pretty funny guy, but the cursive'll get you. Best to write down what he says, not what he writes. Also, in office hours he'll go over the tests with you. (Or, by himself, with you watching. That's a plus.) Most importantly, he'll answer emails quickly, and those related to the homework. It's math, so big props to him.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: STA130B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Overall, STA 130B's material was more difficult than 130A, and when it wasn't, Samaniego always found a way to make it so that wasn't the case at all. Problem sets are tough (some are nightmares), but the exams are typically fair and represent the material well. The curve is also huge, so things even out nicely in the end.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: STA130A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Great professor, very engaging and knowledgeable with a good sense of humor too. Very helpful (encourages students to email him questions and forwards the responses to the rest of the class as well). The homework can be a little tricky but if you go to discussion it's well explained and becomes much easier. Definitely recommend going to discussion.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: STA130A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Samaniego's lectures are far more theoretical than what his homework assignments will typically expect from you, and this is usually the most difficult part of the class: applying what he teaches. However, if you're able to get this down, you'll do fine. Very challenging material, but Samaniego's a fun guy and you can tell that he loves this stuff.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: STA13
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Professor Sanmaniego is a really cool and funny guy even though his hand writing is terrible (those m's are actually n's!). He is very helpful online (stayed up late answering questions from students). Also, I recommend you go to his office hours (I wish I had). Ace the quizzes (60% of grade) so you don't have to study as hard for the final!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: STA13
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Does not teach you the material clearly and has terrible writing

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: STA13
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I LOVE FRANK! he is the sweetest old man ever, and if you take his class you should go to his office hours because no one will be there and it makes him sad because the building is so far away and it was really helpful for me to get the extra help. his quizzes (5) and the final are all open note and book and so overall the class is not bad at all