Reviews of professor Yekaterina Kate Kharitonova

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
If you read the assigned chapters and complete the labs early then the course isn't too difficult. The TAs hold office hours almost every day and to help hold yourself accountable you can go sit in the classroom where they're holding office hours to work on your labs (that's what I did). Prof emphasizes topics on tests so you know what to expect.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Very overhated professor, lectures were very clear and helpful and grading is fair. Labs get slightly involved/difficult later in the quarter, but if you get started early and go to office hours for help, you can finish them easily and learn a lot from them. One midterm and final, each will be doable if you read the textbook/pay attention.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 5.0/5
Absolutely terrible professor. Doesn't respond to emails at all. The amount of work is almost impossible and you'll be spending all your time on this class alone so hopefully your other classes are easy. It's also most likely she's using fake accounts with fake positive reviews to boost her score on here so beware.

Rating: 1.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
I've had Prof. K twice now (for CS8 and CS9) and to be honest she is the worst professor I've ever had at UCSB. Especially in CS9, 70% of your grade is based on difficult midterms and finals, and she gives labs (that take 10 hours each) every week on top of homework. Not to mention she rarely gives feedback and the TAs are not helpful either.