2.6
Quality3.7
Difficulty56%
Would Retake100
Reviews56%
Would Retake
100
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
19
3
16
2
21
1
29
What Students Say
“Adrian is a terrible professor”
2374 - 1.0 rating“Too many haters here who are unwilling to walk out of their tiny comfort zones”
5615H - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
18%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
ACCT205
5.0
(1)MATH4281
5.0
(1)5615H
4.5
(2)MATH2283
4.0
(3)MATH5285H
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MATH5285H
5.0
MATH1572H
4.8
2374
4.6
MATH2374
4.2
1272
4.0
Reviews (100)
Yea man I second that, stay away!!!
No Comments
He's not too bad... his midterms are the easiest EVER! Takes problems straigh out of the homework. His only downfall is that you can't ask him a question without having him yell at you
Very boring, and, as mentioned, doesn't seem to like questions. Explinations of lessons consist of proofs that are hard to follow and make little sense. Going to discussion and reading the book was enough to pass.
I don't know...I think that Diaconu is one of the easier prof of calc at the U. Don't get me wrong, to do well you will need to study and go to lecture but take him if you can and actually do the homework. Good luck!
Are you guys dumb or too generous to him? How will you do on final? Final will be written by other professor. Adrian didn't teach well, also he always mumbles and never be on time. We all spoil the final.
I agree with you below. I'm really worrying final. How will we going to take that? He seems pretty lazy, never saw that kind of Math teacher in my 4 years of U of M experience. He doesn't seem to good teacher. I heard he came to U of M because Columbia Univ. got him out.
Diaconu is one of the best math professors I've ever had. He is very helpful, he explains thing very well, and his tests are extremely easy. He wants all his students to get an A, so he makes it really easy to get one. The only downfall in his class is that he raises his voice (yells) when you ask him a question; otherwise, he is a great prfessor.
He never prepare class. He never be on time. I think I don't learn anything from him.
Lectures are very helpful. Explains things very well. Wants everyone to get an A. Midterms very easy, but that means the final will be more diffucult. Would reccomened for other people.
Midterms were horrible!! Some questions were straight out of homework, but I disagree with other reviews, at least 2 on each exam I never saw anything like before. Late every single day to class, yells at questions. Better than some I've had before, I still hated him though.
He never prepared class. He never replied to e-mail. I don't think I learn anything from him. horrible prof. won't recommend anyone
Comes 5-15 minutes late EVERYDAY. He just does problems on the board, but never explains what he is doing. Our TA had to relecture us because no one knew what was going on. He snaps at people who ask questions. He's just a really bad professor.
Amazingly intelligent man, although this is hindered by his disorganized style and chronic lateness. He won't really help you out of class, but if you go you shouldn't have a problem understanding anything.
Very detailed lectures. gives the outline, you need to go deeper and use what he gives you in the homework. If you stay up to pace and actually do the couple assigned problems, you will be fine. Depends alot on your TA.
Helped me out when i went in to get help outside of class
extremely hard class. he does a decent job teaching the class. very intelligent man but doesn't use examples very well.
He is a really good professor. He explains things very well and very clear. His exams are not bad if you do the homework. He tests you based on what he teaches you on. I am not very good in Math but I understand everything the way he explains things. He doesn't need any books for notes but stills knows exactly what he's talking about.
A smart guy, a decent teacher.
I honestly hate this guy as an instructor. Lectures are pretty much optional because he just summarizes the book but in a fairly vague manner that confuses more than clarifies. He doesn't seem to care; the day before our first midterm he moved onto the next section rather than help us review. No review, study guides, tips, or anything at all.
Comes to class 5-10 minutes late, snaps at people when they ask him a question. Midterms aren't that bad. I like the idea that the final is worth a lot in your grade. Got a thick Romanian accent though.
95% of the questoins asked in class he yelled at person who asked it, because the question was stupid. Quizzes are easy, no mandatory homework. You decide your grade, do the homework and come to class and your gauranteed to get a B
Good teacher and a smart guy, although he does come to class late everyday. Midterms aren't that bad if you do the hw.
Diaconu is brilliant. The issue is that the course he teaches is required for a lot of easy majors. Therefore, a lot of stupid people are in his class who ask stupid questions. Just study and do the problem sets, and you should be fine. Though he seems scary at first, he is actually a really nice guy if you get to know him.
He is at least 5 minutes late to class every day and acts like it's perfectly acceptable. Confusing, thick accent, and seems scary. Never helped us review for midterms and all and nothing he taught made sense. Also didn't help that my TA spoke HORRIBLE english and was barely comprehensible. I learned more about integral calculus from 2243 than 1272
The Best I ever had!
He did not teach in a comprehensible way. He was just a bad teacher.
He was always 5-10 minutes late to lecture, he's difficult to understand, and he didn't seem to care much about the students. That aside, I think he is a smart guy BUT you have to engage him; he doesn't go out of his way to help. The best thing about his class: score an A on the final, get an A in the class, regardless of prior exam scores.
He teaches semi-decently, but the midterms are completely impossible. The midterms are completely comprised of the hardest questions from the book (the ones in high school that no one did and you never needed to know). If you study an insane amount and work for hours on one problem, then I guess this class would be for you.
Yes his midterms are tough, but the material itself is tough. He's a super smart guy and with a lot of studying, it's possible to do well in his class! He's helpful in office hours and the TAs are helpful as well. He's a little intimidating, but I learned a lot!
Basically teaches straight out of the book - so you don't need a textbook. He writes everything out on the blackboard, and his lectures are well-paced. He may intimidating, but don't be fooled: He's very patient and will take time to answer even the most moronic questions.
He is very talented, and always knows the nature of what he teaches, not just stuff shown in the textbooks. In addition, he is very passionate about Math! Talk to him, you will learn much knowledge outside his lectures.
When I took this class, he and the TA seemed completely unable to convey information to students. His midterms are impossible, with little or no partial credit. I don't think he should be allowed near undergraduates.
Not recommended. Shows up late frequently. Puts no effort into class. Gave out good grades because he said he did not want to be bothered about grades after the semester.
his lecture re bckwards
Adrian is a literal genius. The first day you walk in to class, I can promise that you will be overwhelmed. He moves very fast in lectures and tends to be a bit intimidating. I recommend going to his office hours, he is so understanding and very helpful if you sit with him one-on-one.
It's hard to understand him in class not only with his accent but the way he teaches. Too repetitive of lessons already learned. Makes me fall asleep often during class. He makes funny little jokes in class but thats about the only good part of this class. I think I'd prefer any other calc professor over him
This is a weeding class. Professor Diaconu can say some pretty funny things though during lecture. This is a really hard class, especially if you haven't taken calculus before. Even if you have taken calculus before it will still be hard. Hope you get a good TA and use www.khanacademy.org to explain everything.
Tests suck but are curved
Loved his accent. Easy to understand. Pretty good teacher, but I had had calc 1 in the past. Tests were a little tough, but class was curved. Test problems are almost the same as the tougher homework problems. Homework wasn't required. Bottom line: I would recommend his class.
Professor Diaconu was a great instructor. I saw that there were some complaints before about clarity and difficulty, but he must have really hit is stride because his lectures were very clear, concise and well organized. He had a great sense of humor sometimes even when he wasn't trying. I think most people in my class would recommend him.
Tests are hard but curved. Good lecturer. See if you can pick up on his sense of humor.
AMAZING professor. No online homework/adtl. lectures to watch. Lectures are crystal clear and well paced. The tests are hard but thats just college. you have to study. the curves are very generous. Do the homework to understand it rather than just do it and you'll succeed:)take his class if you can
Dr.Diaconu is very smart and can explain concepts very well and he maintains a steady pace in lecture. However his exams have several questions that relate to theories in calculus, and he does not seem to like it when students ask him questions during lecture but overall he isn't that bad.
He seems like an okay guy, but his lectures are so BORING. He also has a really thick accent that can be difficult to listen to. Overall, I thought he was okay, but he didn't make the class interesting and his tests were difficult.
He is totally a smart guy. I like how he writes everything on the board so accent wont be an issue. He is mostly theoretical in his approach to teaching. The tests are challenging. the good thing is he goes over hard problems in class so the test will seem to be easier. just do all the H/W problems he assigns and some practice before test day.
I think Diaconu gets a bad wrap. He is crazy clear during lecture and writes down EVERYTHING!! I love that. His accent is not a problem and he will tell you exactly whats on the exam. The final grade is based off how everyone in Calc 1 does on the final but that being said he is very fair with grading and doesnt want anyone to fail.TAKE HIM!!!!
He is very smart but the way he teaches was not clear for me. I started studying the book and watched PatrickJMT videos which helped me a lot. I got an A for all my midterms and a C for my final which was very very hard. However by curving I ended up getting an A. He is an understanding teacher and cares your hard work during the semester.
He is okay teacher. Somedays he was being super clear and sometimes he was nothing but a person who murmurs himself. My TA was crystal clear all the time so that helped me to do well in class. I got As on first two midterms and did really bad on third midterm and final but ended up getting A. Relatively easy A by curving.
Diaconu is a brilliant teacher. He has a lot to offer students if your willing to put the work in. Not an easy A by no means but is very clear in what will be presented on the test. The midterms are very difficult but if you put the time in it will pay of after calc is not supposed to be easy.
Diaconu is a great professor who clearly explains what you need to know and how to do it. He takes the time to cover topics thoroughly and makes sure questions are answered if you have them. He's on time and his accent isn't difficult to understand if you pay attention. Plus he can be funny, and you can clearly tell he is an extremely smart man.
Diaconu is an absolute math GENIUS and if you love math you'll love him. Im not so fond of the subject however and struggled with him as an instructor. He does not make abstract concepts concrete, which is what I find most necessary in a math professor, but otherwise Diaconu is a great instructor. Also, his midterms are more difficult than average.
Adrian is really good at math. He can solve any problem you ask him. However, he is horrible at teaching and answering questions. You better hope you get a good TA who teaches and answers questions well (lucky me).
Simple genius
a prime example of why academics shouldn't teach. to call him a teacher and not a focused idiot who over explains things to the point of idiocy would be a mistake; he is very much the latter.
no examples in class makes it really hard to follow. I did better not showing up to lecture and teaching myself
You can tell Adrian is extremely talented with math, but his teaching on the other hand is not. He does proofs in circles and rarely does examples to show whyhow something is done. He does not show how the topics can be applied to "real life." The online resources are quite helpful, but the textbook is not.
Couldn't teach if his life depended on it!!! I know that this man was extremely smart, but he treated freshmen like graduates, who knew all this stuff already. He should know that he is supposed to teach us. I had a TA who did the best that she could but that didn't help us at all. I am normally an AB student, but got a D with him. Coincidence?
He wouldn't say a single word without writing it on the board first. Talks extremely slow. Doesn't give examples. Better off teaching yourself than going to lecture. If not for my TA, I would fail.
Useless class
His lectures are useless and full of proofs that do not show up on the tests. which are impossible. don't take him.
Terrible professor. Makes the tests incredibly difficult, and then when the averages are Ds and Cs, decides that that was way too high, and makes it even harder. After the second midterm, which he made quite hard, and students complained that it was difficult, he said it was easy, and decided to make the next midterm even harder.
Spends every class proofing every single equation we ever use. He doesn't tell you what equations are used for or do, so you have to figure that out. Often starts sentences, then goes on a tangent and forgets to come back. Doesn't give good in class notes. Doesn't do examples. Seems very smart, but he's just a terrible teacher.
He seems to be very intelligent. However, he is just a very, very bad lecturer and often combines this with a certain sense of apathy for the material and his students.
Adrian is a terrible professor. He is cruel and doesn't believe in material possessions. Do not take any classes with him. His tests are nothing like the old example exams and he makes fun of the TAs for saying our tests are hard. Dear Adrian, go find the cross sectional area of my butt hole as it intersects a fat turd. I hate you.
Taking his class was an absolute nightmare. He doesn't do any examples in lecture, making lecture pointless. His tests are multiple times harder than any practice exams you are given to prepare with.
A lot of students don't respond well to his teaching methods. In order to do well in his class you need a willingness to learn. That means you will actually have to learn the math rather than just spit back the examples that he did on the board. Lecture was slow allowing you to think about the material rather than write quick notes the whole time.
Professor Adrian definitely knows his stuff and is a great mathematician. That being said, he's a horrible teacher. He goes on rattling about useless theories and never actually solves problems. His tests are the hardest I've ever seen. When the TAs told him that his test are hard, he responded by making them even harder.
Adrian is the worst thing to ever happen to this University. You could spend days on end studying for his tests and still have no idea what is going on. Tests are absolutely nothing like old exams he provides, nor are they even reminiscent of any book problem or application discussed during class. Adrian takes pleasure in failure. Good luck.
Professor Diaconu is horrendous. Not only does he teach nothing in lecture, his practice exams are nothing like the actual exams. The tests are impossible. Also, after the TA's complaining the tests were too hard he proceeded to make them even harder. Hardest class I have ever taken.
He is actually not that bad. His tests are extremely easy if you understand the material. If you study from the past exams (which were written by other professor), you will definitely do well. He is not clear during the lecture, but if you go to his office hour, he is very helpful.
Pray to the lord you have a good TA, otherwise, I'd suggest dropping the class. He's definitely smart, but cannot teach to save a life. He's knows he's confusing and doesn't care. The tests are awful, at least two of the questions were brand new topics and you just had to hope you got lucky. Easily the worst professor I've ever had.
Brilliant professor, but his teaching methods aren't what most students are used to. He does care about his students, but doesn't show it often. Tends to try to prove everything without examples, and can be unclear in his explanations. You better hope for a good TA.
Pros: Explained proofs and would repeat something if asked. Does not spoon feed you the answers. Cons: Poor class admin- midterms taken in a crowded lecture room without proctors, only him. He did not give the TA's a good idea of what to do in discussion, so preparing for midterms was difficult. Rarely saw people's hands up if they had a question.
Be willing to self teach! I stopped showing up to lecture after the first midterm, and managed to get a better grade on my second and third midterm (and my final)! He is a useless teacher. Get help with a friend for online hwlab! To study, take all the practice exams. His tests aren't the same as the practice exams, but the topics are similar
He is unapproachable and his lectures aren't very helpful. My preferred method for learning course material was yahoo answers. He writes impossible tests, on purpose. On a test, I answered one question out of five and I scored 10 points above the average. Do every practice test for studying. Make sure to get 100% on homework and lab assignments.
Professor Diaconu is a terrible professor. Learned almost everything from my TA, who was amazing. All he did was proof after proof after proof, and if you were lucky, you got an example, but that was usually the days you decided to skip. I highly recommend taking another professor. Also, the textbook is needed for surprise test questions.
Too many haters here who are unwilling to walk out of their tiny comfort zones. Professor Adrian Diaconu is an expert lecturer. He really makes you think about the fundamental aspects of mathematics.
His thick accent makes it very difficult to understand. He also is horrible at explaining things. The chalkboards in Anderson Hall just make it even worse because he doesn't know how to erase. No one shows up to lecture. I sleep during lecture for sure.
He is not the best at answering questions and his tests are very tough. However, he is definitely very intelligent and most of the time he can clearly state his points. He is a little hard to understand at first, but his accent will grow on you. In the end, I liked having him as a professor.
adrian is the worst professor i have ever had.. class wasnt worth going to because he wouldnt tell you what he was teaching and spend the first half hour of class working out proofs that you did not need to know. his tests are impossible and the averages are always around 50%. you will teach yourself calc 2 if you take his class. 1/10 wouldnt smash
Didn't teach me anything, nothing was useful, and didn't work out any useful problems or relate it to something we might be interested in.
Lectures can be annoying - he loves to take roundabout ways to solve problems instead of teaching specific concepts, but he knows his stuff. Sometimes a little hard to approach due to harshness, but he will answer your questions. Can be funny and light in lectures. Writes REAL hard exams, but it makes the final that much easier in the end.
Adrian was honestly a pretty good instructor; his lectures were as clear as calc 2 can be, and he was sort of good at answering questions (he'd probably make fun of you a little bit). The main issue is that he is very anti-technology, and you literally have no idea what your grade is in the class until the final grades are posted.
Somewhat abrasive at first but actually a nice guy. He knows is stuff for sure and is pretty clear when teaching. The class itself is pretty difficult but he was generous grade wise in the end I think most people received As.
The course material was challenging but the lectures were good and you learn a lot. The homework took a fair amount of time. Grading seemed fair.
Diaconu taught only in proofs, and his lectures were rarely helpful. However, the final contained two problems that he went over in detail in the final two lectures, so don't skip. The textbook was outdated and there was no feedback on any homework. He did not give practice tests either, so the midterms were very difficult. Very hard class.
Lectures are spent working on proofs that are not helpful with the homework or the exams. There are no practice exams which makes midterms and the final extremely difficult. After talking to multiple people, it seems like the general consensus is that it doesn't matter what or how much you study because you'll probably just get the same on the exam
I'm an honors student. I've never rated a professor below their RateMyProf score before. This prof was bad. Granted, it was Honors Calc 2, which is a hard class, but he isn't "reasonable" about stuff. If it says it in the syllabus or some university policy, it's law. Curved an HONORS class to B-, which is below the minimum to stay in Honors.
Diaconu is pretty good to take 1572 with. Homework is time-consuming and difficult. Midterms/final were incredibly difficult. Lectures are well done. Definitely difficult to understand at times but really focuses on abstract material. It's a good class to dive into the style of college-level mathematics. There is a generous curve to the class.
It is obvious he is not the 'good' prof for this class as they gave him the 'off semester' class. All he does in lecture are proofs and complex examples that he screws up. Go to the last few lectures, he gives similar examples to the final. Midterms are hard, and homework is long and not at all related or helpful. Hope for a good TA. Good Luck!
Absolutely horrible professor. Lectures are spent on useless proofs that have nothing to do with the exams or weekly quizzes. Only reason anyone passed that class is because of the TA. He once spent the entire class (50 mins) after an exam trying to explain one of the problems and was barely able to solve it, and made three mistakes while doing so.
he writes everything important down which is super nice. The lectures get super abstract and are mostly proofs though. He doesnt really do any examples in lecture so it can be hard to do the homework. My TA at least was really cool and helpful though- make sure to ask good questions in discussion.
The professor does lots of work during class, however much of it is irrelevant to the test materials. You are allowed as many cheat sheets as you want, so making these is the most important. Tests are easy if you prep well. The tests are very much based on the content that he goes over in class.
Professor Diaconu is able to lecture incredibly smoothly with no use of notes, and it makes his lectures very enjoyable and impressive. He has a personality that at first seems abrasive, but you will realize thats just how he is and he's actually a very nice guy. Said "I will not fail anyone in this class if they put in effort." Awesome guy!
Great prof, imagine someone who teaches (yes he loves showing proofs but really these were the coolest, insightful and fun part of the class, anyone can learn calc but a lot harder to get "into it", definitely is setting students up for the future),yes the class is hard, but this is Calc? Given my effort to grade B+ this class was not that bad
Adrian is intimidating but if you talk to him he is really thoughtful. Still intense, but you can tell he cares about math. GO TO THE LAST FEW LECTURES OF THE SEMESTER he gives examples that are basically the same as some of the final problems. Take good notes, go to all of the lectures, go to office hours, you'll be fine.
Do you already know Calculus 2? No? Good luck then. You are graded on quizzes, HWs, and exams. Quizzes are tricky, homeworks are fine but long, and exams are based on the HW mostly. The lectures are completely unhelpful, so you have to teach yourself (hates answering questions). Poor communication as well; did not excuse a sick day.
Diaconu is a great professor who makes the tough material engaging. Lots of proofs, but they're really insightful. Homework is tough, but the tests are fair if you prep well using the textbook and tools like unstuck AI. Overall, a challenging yet rewarding class.
Distinctive personality that grows on you a lot, the class is fair and lectures follow the textbook very closely which makes it easy to review content. Lowkey really funny sometimes.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
18%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.17 avg changeRatings by Course
ACCT205
5.0
(1)MATH4281
5.0
(1)5615H
4.5
(2)MATH2283
4.0
(3)MATH5285H
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MATH5285H
5.0
MATH1572H
4.8
2374
4.6
MATH2374
4.2
1272
4.0