MATH 3100

I took the course while it was unlimitedly retakable exams. If they continue with that system, this class is exactly as hard as you make it. Melcher a good lecturer, as far as math lectures go, but I didn't go to many classes.

Melcher was not a very good teacher. She moved through material very quickly and seemed annoyed when people asked questions. Not very approachable- seemed really busy.

Taking this class when I was already aware of my weak foundation in math was an unfortunate decision on my part.

Melcher is very intelligent and knows her stuff inside out. From the point of view of not the most mathy person around, I found that Melcher taught too fast during class and I could not follow what she was saying much of the time. This is a tough class, and expect to work hard if you take it. (Oh, and exams are NOT retake-able, like I read in a past comment.)

She is an amazing professor. She is clear and concise and you can tell she loves the material. She is very personable and always willing to help you if you have questions. Although the course material is difficult, I highly recommend this course.

The grade distribution ISN'T WHAT IT APPEARS ABOVE. I BUSTED MY ASS. Got an A-. But I have never worked that hard before.

Enthusiastic, THOROUGH (important for a class like this). Not the most accessible material however, it takes while to grasp--realize early how much work you need to put in. PRACTICE PROBLEMS.

This class was extremely difficult. Melcher may be clear, but the material she teaches is not. She goes incredibly fast and the textbook is pretty horrible and not much help. The starred exercises you have to do are incredibly annoying, because there is no partial credit. I'm sure there are worse teachers out there, but unless you absolutely have to take it, I would say avoid unless you are ready to spend and incredible amount of time on this class

If you have to take probability, take it in the E-school. If you can't take it in the E-school, do NOT take it with Tai Melcher. Yes, she is nice, very approachable, and will explain things when asked, but she is not a clear professor. I took this class in Spring of 2017, and the fact that she hasn't taught this class was extremely evident. The second midterm average was a 48, and she was evidently angry at the class, having not had an average that low in a decade (well duh, since she hasn't taught the class in 7 years). I'm trying to get a C in this course, and I have never had trouble with math before. I took the practice test for both the APMA class and another professor and got between 90s and 100s, only to receive the lowest grade in my life on her exams. Going to class is a must, to get the weird in class examples she presents, and going to office hours so she can see your face is good, but other than that, it's a waste of time because she shows you the hardest way to solve simple problems and then presents complex, weirdly phrased questions on the test that have no relation to previous material. The only way to succeed in this course is to be Tai Melcher herself. One plus - she allows cheat sheets. But here's the catch: they're useless. Not once did I look down at my cheat sheet during the test. So, if you want a teacher who is unclear, is angry when students don't succeed, and will knock down your GPA and destroy your love and confidence in math, I would highly recommend this course. I am a statistics major, and plan to take any additional math classes I need in the E-school, but everything is straight forward, fair, and easier. The college needs to reevaluate their professors - and I'm sure the math department will after they see Melcher's course evals and the class average.

The worst class I've ever taken at UVA