MATH 3100

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

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.

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 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.

Worst math class I ever had in UVa.

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.

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 worst class I've ever taken at UVA

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.)

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

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.

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.