He gave just about everyone an 8 on the first problem set so don’t freak out about that. I think it’s very important to have a good group of friends to work the problem sets and also important one person goes to OH as he does gives hints on select problems but is cagey about others. As previous reviews have said, none of the exams are that bad. When he says they’re largely computation based, he’s telling the truth. Don’t practice the hardest problem on homomorphisms and bijectivity when preparing for exams just make sure you are very good at what he tells you will be on there. Got an A- but it was a battle.

Professor Balderrama's course is characterized by relatively long, challenging problem sets, yet manageable, relatively easy exams. It frustrates me that so much emphasis is traditionally placed on memorization of definitions and theorems rather than methodical problem-solving in higher math classes, so this was a refreshing change of pace. Additionally, Professor Balderrama is extremely organized. I really appreciated his clarity of speech during lecture and the methodical, reasonable pace at which he explained concepts. Moreover, he posted all his lecture notes and a ton of practice exercises, so I never had to consult external sources for studying help. As a final note, which may be applicable to math minors, I have also taken Basic Real Analysis, and contrary to popular opinion, I don't think it's objectively harder than Survey! It just depends on your interests; I do not have much experience working with computers and I like calculus, so Basic Real felt more intuitive to me.