Professor Xu is possibly the funniest and most casual guy teaching at UCLA. Not only that, but he's also quite a competent teacher. He's able to explain things in a bizarrely entertaining, deadpan way. And somehow it sticks. This class made it feel like I was actually learning stuff applicable to the real world, and it was the first time I felt that statistics was fun.

There's a solo project that's pretty easy and flexible - you can have fun with it if you pick a dataset you find interesting. The exams are very doable and fair. On top of everything, there's a HUGE curve; the lowest grade you can get is a B or B-, and 45% of the class gets an A, and around 70% get at least an A-. I vouch for Professor Xu as both an educator and a great human being. Wholeheartedly recommend.

Not the most organized lecturer. HW Assignments are short and are more theoretical than anything. Only 1 midterm during Week 6. Definitely a younger/newer professor but you can tell he's quite smart.