STAT 2020

I absolutely loved this class! Professor Ferrara is a really good instructor and she makes sure to explain things slowly and emphasize the important stuff. If you already have some knowledge of Statitics, the class may seem a little slow for you. The exams are super easy and often are similar to the practice exams that she gives out. There are multiple extra credit opportunities from doing little things like taking a 2 question "quiz" before each class (it just asks if you have any questions on the videos you were supposed to watch before class). I honestly loved this class, and I felt like the only outside work I had to put was before each exam. Labs are annoying but are also very easy

To be fair the material isn't enjoyable. Maria does what she can to engage the class but sometimes doesn't seem to know some of the material herself. Don't buy the book, it's useless. Take advantage of the webassign and get all of your points there. Go to office hours if you can't figure out the labs but most should be fairly straight forward if you use the examples from the lab period. Don't worry about the R dictionary. They will tell you 483758372 times that you won't do well on it if you don't do it as you go.... I did it in two hours by just looking back at the old labs and using the "?" function in R. They don't teach you calculator skills but 90% of the tests can be done in a calculator and they allow it. Be real with your TAs, they are undergrads. Youtube it and get As on all the tests. Easy A if you play the system.

The lecture was somewhat boring but Professor Ferrera made it interesting sometimes. The exams are difficult but if you do a lot of practice problems to prepare they're not too bad. Doing well on the labs evens out exam scores by the end of the semester.

Overall, Maria , though quite forgetful and sometimes moody, was great at helping us understand the statistics concepts. She would work out problems in class and even though this may have put us behind sometimes it was worthwhile because it would give you a better understanding of how to work out the problem. Not too much work associated with this class other than the weekly homework and weekly lab which together would take at least two hours. On weeks of tests I recommend studying and practice and repracticing the problems a lot! (Also Maria and Rebecca post additional practice problems on Collab for each unit and I recommend practicing those around the time of the exam).
The lab is really annoying--a lot of busy work if you ask me. Sometimes the class can get boring because you're busy just writing and listening about statistics.
Also, a fair warning, but the exams can be tricky, particularly the multiple choice. Make sure that you not only understand how to do the math, but that you also understand the conceptual ideas behind the topics.
Would recommend going to Maria's office hours as she is really helpful if you have a specific question and does a good job of helping to simply the concept even more than was discussed in lecture.

STAT isn't the most interesting subject so lectures are lowkey drawn out, but Maria truly has a talent for conveying the topics to the students. The only studying necessary is through lecture notes and WebAssign homework. Everything you need to know is straightforward. You can definitely get an A if you do your assignments and pull decent midterm grades. Overall nice class!

This class is kind of a joke. Barely showed up to class and still got a 95 average on the tests. Teacher's voice is kinda annoying but overall her lesson plan is well thought out. Powerpoints are easy to follow so it's easy to teach yourself the material. Don't waste money buying the textbook cause all important info will be covered in slides.

This class is still a joke. It is stupidly easy if you have any sort of math proficiency. Maria is fair and easy. Her voice is annoying, and she is a little odd and can be annoying, but it does not take away from the class. I have heard Rebecca the other teacher is awful, and I do believe that Maris's test scores were higher. If you need an easy stats/math course for any reason then this is the one for you.

I was really nervous to take this class, especially after hearing that it had changed over the past year and went from being known as an "easy A" class to a very difficult class. I took it because I am pre-med, and for someone who has never liked math that much, I really didn't find this course to be that difficult. As long as you put in the work before the midterms (go over the powerpoints and ALL the practice problems on the powerpoints and extra powerpoints-- don't worry, there aren't too many practice problems) you will be fine. There are about 10 webassigns over the course of the semester and maybe 5 lab assignments. There are also 2 small projects that you complete with a partner. None of them are too difficult, and I would definitely recommend putting in the maximum effort to get full credit on these.

Maria was extremely helpful in office hours- definitely knows how to explain concepts well. The class itself is not hard at all- just put in a little effort and you are on your way to the grade you want. Don't get scared by the previous reviews- the class seems to have evolved for the better since then.

I was told this class was an easy "A" class but they significantly changed the class since last year. I am not a bio major and would highly recommend non-bio majors to stay away from this class. I am a straight A student but got a terrible grade in this class. Definitely one of the hardest classes I've taken at UVA.I went to extra help, office hours, and got a tutor and still could not do well in this class. Don't take it unless you have to!