MATH 3100

Book is useless
You must be in every class to receive the in class problem worksheet
Test average is basically an F
Problem Sets = Slader.com

The book is pretty useless; consists of just a series of increasingly complex and confusing examples, which are not that helpful. Melcher is very approachable and generally open to questions, especially during office hours. However, probability is just inherently a very difficult kind of math. Semester opened up okay, but quickly became increasingly difficult. The problems that Melcher likes to choose are often more complicated and confusing than the ones students are used to doing. Overall, Melcher knows her stuff and is interested in teaching, but it's just a really really hard math course. Wouldn't recommend it with her unless you have to.

Worst math class I ever had in UVa.

I took this class in Spring 2017, and going into it I had heard it would be a difficult class. That is true, it is difficult, but I felt Prof Melcher simplified the material well and provided excellent explanations. Contrary to popular opinion as I see below, I felt that her plentiful in-class practice problems looked very similar to what we received on the exams. While I will say that the second exam was extraordinarily difficult, she was generous with the overall curve and the questions on the final exam itself were predictable given what we had been solving during class and on past exams. Perhaps her pace was rapid, but we still did not manage to make it all the way through the syllabus material. So maybe the coursework is just difficult. Overall, I felt Prof explained difficult concepts with concrete examples and I believe I truly learned a lot from her.

Professor Melcher is an extremely engaging professor who cares deeply about your understanding of the material. She's great at answering questions clearly and concisely, and she's extremely available during office hours or the course Piazza to assist with specific homework problems or questions that weren't addressed in class.

Studying probability can be really difficult. It'll probably be unfamiliar, as it can seem fundamentally different from your prior studies in calculus. But I think this class is super rewarding and worthwhile, and I'm incredibly glad I took it.

The workload is extremely manageable. Weekly homework can take 4-5 hours to complete, depending on the length and difficulty of problems assigned, so try your best to start early and stay on top of your work.

The textbook is a great resource. If you can, I'd strongly recommend reading ahead before lecture—you don't even have to take notes. It'll make the ensuing lecture a lot easier.

Finally, the assessments. We only had two midterms, but both felt very fair. Prof. Melcher uploads sample midterms/finals from previous years that are great for figuring out where you need to direct your efforts while studying.

If you need to take this as a prereq, or are at all interested in the subject, I'd strongly recommend it. It's not an easy course, but it's extremely rewarding and you'll come out of it with a new and interesting perspective.

I came into this class thinking it would be extremely difficult but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is just difficult. Professor Melcher is amazing. I went to office hours every week to ask question about the homework and she really helped me understand the subject. The grades were separated into homework/clicker questions, 2 midterms, and a final. The homework is tough sometimes and can take 4-6 hours depending on the week so I always did it over the weekend, then went to OH on tuesday before it was due on thursday. The Midterms were both fair and the final was quite difficult but the curve saved me a bit. Overall, I put more effort into this class than I have for any class in my whole life and even though I finished with a B+, it was very rewarding and I would recommend it if you're up for the challenge.

Some of the reviews complain about the lengths of these tests. Melcher has made a conscious effort to make the tests shorter. I am a slow test taker and was able to finish her tests and look over my answers. That being said this class is still really hard. Melcher is really nice and she really wants her students to succeed and she tries to be accommodating but at the end of the day the material is just hard making the tests hard. #tCFfall2021