Ask HN: Is UML modeling before developing software relevant any more?

I am web developer outside of school, and an MIS major in college. One of the main focuses on my major is software analysis and design, were they teach non programmers how to draw UML diagrams to create software.

This methodology seems slow and bulky. Any developers out there able to give some more insight into how widespread diagramming before coding is?

Learn it. Although translating UML into code is mostly a dream from the 90's, it's useful to communicate with other developers at a whiteboard with less ambiguous semantics, as opposed to just scribbling boxes away. The class and sequence diagrams are specially useful.

For projects of any size, I always draft a design on paper first. It helps me ensure my ideas makes sense and that I won't forget them. I've found the real benefit of modeling though to be in solving novel problems that I'm unsure how to approach.