Jose Figueroa-Lopez

Professor Lopez is a super nice individual and seems accommodating (regrades and such). There were two tests at 30 and 35% of the grade respectively, so if you messed up one you were done for. Very long lectures and sometimes it is hard to tell what he will test since all the slides are fair game, but he goes off on his own example tangents.

4/15/2026

Most of the learning in Figueroa-Lopez's course takes place in lectures, he places a heavy emphasis on his presentations, often including obscure information to be tested later on exams. This makes it difficult to distinguish important material. He does teach this information well, giving simple explanations that convey the material well.

12/20/2024

Lectures are hard to follow. Unclear learning targets -- hard to tell what are the most important concepts versus stuff that is just "extra". The homework vs. lectures vs. practice exams vs. actual exams aren't very similar, making it hard to anticipate what will be on exams. Hardest class I've taken at WashU, harder than SDS.4211 and CSE.417T.

12/17/2024

He goes over stuff from the previous class at the beginning which is nice, but isn't the most clear about what you do and don't need to know. The class is more of a Math for the sake of it and not 'learn this for the exam/life' which is difficult. It is a lot of content but he is definitely the best option for 439. Make sure you go to class.

1/2/2024

Do your part, and you'll do just fine!

12/21/2023

His teaching is ok, but he\'s not a good professor. He promised to do an independent study with me, but he ghosted me during semester. He wanted me to withdraw when ddl passed. I got a "No Grade" on transcript. He also offered to write recommendations for my master application, which he didn\'t do. Why would you offer something if you don\'t do it?

4/14/2023

I learned a lot in class. It was definitely tough but that had more to do with the material than anything. He cares about his students and is super accessible outside of class. His notes were helpful too.

1/30/2018

Professor Figueroa is a good professor and definitely cares about his students. He's accessible outside of course, and creates notes that make the material easier to understand. It's important to keep up with the material, and go to office hours and to make sure you understand the material to do well. I loved his class and learned a lot!

1/30/2018

Unclear lecture notes with many typos; un-curved exams made of random stuff from nowhere in the textbook or homework that questions you the necessity of studying for his exams. As a student who previously made As to all other math classes, I chose to stop letting him add more probability to my transcript. Please avoid him at all cost.

11/16/2016