2.1
Quality4.3
Difficulty15%
Would Retake90
Reviews15%
Would Retake
90
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
5
4
14
3
16
2
14
1
41
What Students Say
“teaches only by his thought”
MATH304 - 1.0 rating“The grinch is a better person then him”
MATH304 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
23%
Textbook Required
10%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.53 avg changeRatings by Course
M343
4.0
(1)MATH222
4.0
(6)MATH 330
4.0
(1)MATH220
3.8
(5)MATH507
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MATH
5.0
CALCULUS
5.0
CALC
5.0
CALC220
5.0
CALC2
5.0
Reviews (90)
don't even bother going to class. his lectures have nothing to do with his tests. he definately doesn't come to class with a lesson plan.
One of the worst professors. Extremely difficult to understand. Drop this class if at all possible.
He may have a degree from Yale but this guy can't teach. His goal is to get as many students as possible to drop his class so he doesn't have to do any work.. BU is negligent in allowing this jerk to hurt so many students.
Avoid this man like Typhoon Mary. He has not mastered the actual concept of TEACHing, but instead lectures like a jackass, expecting u to know material down pat as soon as it comes out of his mouth. To hell with this ****.
Quite possibly the worst math professor ever. He knows the material but can't teach for****. AVOID AVOID I can't believe we pay this man to teach...
A friend of mine told me he was pompous, rude and a horrible professor. I didn't listen, and I should have. He's a jerk and a bad professor too.
He knows his material well, and teaches it in a way that's understandable. His tests are not easy, but always going to lecture is definitely a must in this class in order to do well.
The man simply does math problems on the ELMO, doesnt TEACH anything. HORRENDOUS teacher. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Curve is good though, since the class does so terrible
This fool failed me when I had a C average because, as he explained, for every A he had to give an F. And he told me I couldn't retake the course. And he ridiculed the students when they had questions.
I haven't gotten a grade for the course yet and i can understand why students are upset with him. he's an average prof. he definitely loves math. i think math in general is a difficult subject and that the prof may not be the nicest man but he means well
AVOID!!! Awful prof...he is very unprepared, does not grade homeworks and get them back to you before tests...it seemed like he never opened the book he used before class... VERY BAD PROF!
his attitude is ok, and i believe he has tried his best to help students. but the subject itself is difficult. so if u dont have good math background, dont take his class.
easy enough, easy tests which are pretty much the same as the old tests he puts online. You just have to learn how to ignore the unimportant stuff he goes on about
Tough class. He is a good teacher though. if you ask him he will explain something. I have to say that the book for class was crappy. The department wrote it. not enough examples. I had 2 other calc books just to get a good sense of what was going on.
Nice guy. I think he would work with you if you have problems. I agree that the book is terrible. I also had 2 other calc books in order to get a good grade. Not easy, but if you put the work in you can survive it
My main complaint was that he obsessd over particular areas in algebra that he likes best. This turned me off, I would have liked a more varied course. Only class in math I did not get an A in, but I suppose it was mostly my fault. Take Mathias Beck if you can, for any class.
does not give any feedback except for test grades. returns homework assignments a month after you turn them in, if that. he is helpful if you go to his office and ask questions. class lectures are confusing, and he likes to emphasize little details more than the big picture sometimes.
yo Feingold is mah dawgs.
You should take this course if you're only interested in theoretical mathematics. He's a harsh grader, but very helpul if you go to his office hours.
How dare this prof expect students to work. The class was all pissy about that. And he expects students to have some interest in the class. Bad guy. He doesnt jump when a studnet wants something. My daddie pays his salary so we all expect him to jump when we want something or we complain to daddy.
Horrible professor. Missed the first week of class then was gone a few more times and made no quams about stating it was for personal reasons not business. Was not helpful during officice hours at all and in class moaned and complained about the state of the union and drivers in NJ. Generally rewrote the book on the black board and only the portion
Very hard professor. Moves fast and doesn't seem to understand you're not math grad students. Doesn't come prepared with lessons. Doesn't grade your homework. He's a smart guy but too smart to teach a level 300 math class. Nearly half of my class took a W.
Feingold is a nice guy and an alright teacher. However, he gives the most difficult tests I have ever seen in my life. I do quite well by way of grades, but not this time. The hmwrks are easy, but the tests are unlike anything you can expect. His class is making me depressed. AVOID IF YOU VALUE YOUR GRADES!
Left on vacation the beginning and middle of the semester, even just before midterms he went on a vacation and offered no help. Was not helpful in office hours, yelled at us for not understanding his drawings which looked like scribbles. Complained people in NJ tried to kill him with cars and discussed politics more then the subject matter.
He's a bad teacher because: never prepared, writes notes out of his head, very unorganized, too convoluted, just doesn't care about his students' progress. He'll fail half the class if he has to. Good things about him: doesn't take attendance, doesn't ask for proofs on exams, returns exams within a couple of days.
the comment below mine pretty much sums it up...horrible teacher...avoid at all costs.
In the beginning of the semester, I didn't like him much. As the semester progressed though, I actually began to like his teaching style and sense of humor. I don't think he's as bad as many other people think. He is a harsh grader, but he's approachable and willing to reconsider your grade on a test. He uses the book a lot. Tests are fair.
Nice guy. Not a good teacher. Calc has always been my strong point but he was not only confusing, but confused. Messed up problems alot in class. Tests aren't too hard, homework simple. Leaves time for questions before class. Approachable but confusing.
Grades and returns tests and quizzes quickly. Nice guy, but confusing at times. If you're smart, you'll think he's great, with some reservations; if you're not, then you'll think he's terrible. Approachable, has sense of humor, and understandable.
He's a math wiz and teaches the class as if everyone in the class was at his level. If you are looking for an easy A, look else where.
He's nice guy, but also is a supergenius who teaches at a higher level than I can understand, as if he assumed I was as smart as he was. Well I'm not s smart as he was so this class was annoying. However, if you go to his office hours he can dumb it down for you. Also, his tests are not that hard. Not the greatest professor, but he's alright
DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS, WHATEVER IT IS!!!! The questions on tests will be at a much higher level than the questions in the book
Class was about learning how to do proofs. He didn't do that, and more. On top of that, what he doesn't teach you will be 40x harder on the exams! Very bad communication on his part as far as expectations go
Don't take anything with this guy. Terrible.
If your GPA matters to you, I would suggest you take this class with another professor. However, I enjoyed how critical and meticulous the professor was with the material. After taking the course with this professor, I gained a greater appreciation for proofs and mathematics altogether.
The worst teach I ever came in contact with. I went to his office hour only to get teased at about my proof. He discouraged me big time and I'm a math lover. Disrespectful. The material seems very easy but the exam are extremely difficult that's why the average was 30 and he didn't give anyone an A in the class.
Professor Feingold is tough, but he prepares you for your level math courses. He's also a good professor to know in the department. He can sometimes be mean but don't let that discourage you. He's a solid professor and a genius , and its good to learn from somebody like him.
I took Professor Feingold for Calc 2 last semester and would take it with him again. He can be difficult to understand at first, but is truly a genius and is working in the best interest of his students. Don't be intimidated by him!
He is a genius
Feingold is not the best teacher in the world, but he's a really nice guy who cares about his students and wants them to do well. He's really smart, but just isn't always the best at explaining the tougher math concepts. You will struggle in this class if you don't put in the effort, but Feingold is extremely pleasant.
I switched sections immediately. I'm not math oriented so and Calc 2 is known to be a harder course. He went to Yale so he knows what he's doing and is an advanced thinker so don't expect him to dumb it down at all. I noticed that he is a bit disorganized, I would only stay in this class if you I were good at math and a quick learner.
Why select a lousy basis for your vector space when you can choose the one that gives you the easiest change-of-coordinate matrix? Professor Feingold teaches goal-first, so instead of asking "why would I need to know this", you're using motivation to solve problems. Awesome professor; review the material to get the most out of class.
Feingold is a genius, and because of that it's hard for him to convey the information on a level where students can clearly understand. Throws a lot of examples out quickly in lecture to a point where you'll find yourself lost by the end. Quizzes every week. Communication is difficult with him. Overall, wouldn't take his class again
teaches only by his thought. never care about students understood or not. dont give examples. only theorme and definitions and proof.
If you need to take his class to move on, I would suggest finding the class online at a school that binghamton will accept.
Massive ego. Will make you feel stupid for asking questions. Didn't seem to comprehend how the test average was 20% when "lectures" were just him reciting the textbook. Started the semester with 35 students, ended with 16 due to drops. He literally told people to drop/withdraw. I scored 3rd/4th highest in class for Exams 2/3, still got a C.
Knows his stuff well and is a good mathematician, but doesn't know how to teach. From recitation of the textbook to outright demotivating students the class and semester was a mess and felt like having to teach linear to yourself the whole time. Study material for tests was good however and quizzes were good guidelines for what to expect on tests
Feingold is clearly very smart, but he is very poor at conveying that knowledge to the students. He is not very receptive to questions (he generally doesn't understand what the student is asking) unless they are very specific and the student already knows what they're talking about. His classes were very boring and were not helpful for learning.
Feingold is a very smart man, but cannot convey his ideas to students who do not understand the material as well as him. Not receptive to questions in class unless the student asking already has a firm understanding of whats going on. Don't take his class unless you are exceptional at math and want to go to grad school.
Very smart and caring man, but seemed almost upset at the students when he was lecturing. Was very available outside of class but you need actively engage with the material if you want to have any chance of passing.
Hes wasnt the worst but not the best. Very caring but can sometimes sound rude if you ask questions even if he says hes open to them. The practice exams carried me through the test. This is a hard course so I dont blame it completely on him. Quizzes once a week will usually tell you what theyre on. lectures hard to follow
Just like the other ratings said, just avoid Feingold completely. Out of a class that started with around 25-30 students, only around 10 remained. You could get the third highest score in the class on a test, and still get curved to a C. HIs lecture are honestly too complicated to follow, and is basically a self-teach class w tests being impossible
Linear algebra is a pretty difficult course to understand in my opinion and Professor Feingold did an awful job at introducing the material. I met with him in the beginning of the semester and he seemed nice enough even though he was a bit condescending. If youre a linear algebra prodigy then youll be fine in his class but if not, dont take him.
Goes extremely fast and expects you to know things before he has taught them. Calls a lot of things Elementary Grade level but does not explain why. Concepts are not hard to grasp just a bad teacher. Use the Starfish free extra tutoring from Binghamton
The worst math prof I've ever seen.
All this man does is call things elementary and read from the PowerPoint like a robot. On exams he will ask questions in a weird what is the most you can say format that leaves the reader lost. Then have you do calculations using the most disgusting matrix this man could make up. Overall he is brilliant, but an abysmal Professor.
I learned a lot in Professor Feingold's class, but it was definitely way too hard for an introduction to linear algebra. Topics for quizzes were very unclear and homework was nothing like the questions on tests and quizzes. Tests were too long to finish in one and a half hours.
Took this once and withdrew. Second time was easier cuz i was already exposed to the material. I don't recommend UNLESS your a math major, then I highly recommend because he goes into details on proofs. He's not good with questions but still ask ask ask don't just sit there stupid, it'll snowball up. I must say very flexible office hrs, def go.
Do NOT take linear algebra with this professor even if it means waiting a semester. Unclear quiz topics (+ would not curve a quiz average of 30%), lack of given practice problems for quizzes and exams. Lectures is just him going over horribly unorganized notes. Writes discouraging and degrading remarks. I have never regret taking a class more.
feingold appeals to the math major more than anything. engineers, cs, etc. will despise him, i can promise you that. fair warning, he uses old notes that he wrote up during the pandemic and just reads them off the board. check his website for his style of teaching on the math department website. good luck if you take him.
Do not take ANY class with Alex Feingold unless you enjoy having a rude, condesceding, stuck up individual as a professor. The grinch is a better person then him.
didnt have him as a prof but glad i didnt choose him. he is the coordinator and makes the final impossible. avoid at all costs he should be fired. made jokes throughout the whole final about how people were crying during it and also was extremely rude while handing it out. he should retire
Did not have him as a professor but he was the course coordinator. He continued to hold the final in person during a snow storm while most other finals were put online. This led to me getting into a car accident on my way home. The final was very hard and I have not heard a single person say otherwise.
He wasn't my professor but was the course coordinator for linear algebra. He made the final exam impossible and yelled at people and called them idiots. He also told people not to get their tears on the exam. One of the hardest finals I've taken: class median score was a 49%. Also made people risk their lives to drive to the final despite snow
This was the absolute worst class I ever took in my undergrad. Stay FAR away from this man at all costs. He teaches terribly, gave bad/rude feedback for a good portion of the class (making ~30% of the class to drop), and graded very badly with absolutely no curve. I'd rather take a 3 hour class at 9pm on Fridays than do this class with this man.
I'm rly convinced this guy gets off on students suffering. didn't have him as a prof but had him as a course coordinator. He wrote the worst final known to man, and openly joked OUT LOUD about students crying (i was one) during it MID EXAM. He's nasty and rude to his students. I see why people say to stay away from him, and I'm encouraging you to.
Did not have Alex as a Professor but for the 2 hours I was in the same room as him I could already tell he was not meant to be teaching students. Would openly say negative things in regard to students' performance during the final exam and as the test creator I have not heard one good thing in regard to the final exam. Avoid at all costs.
Didnt even have him for 304 he just made the final. There was a snowstorm and he refused to make final online, during exam he called a student something derogatory even though it was Alex's fault. Test was very hard average in my class was failing and in the low 40s. Very mean guy, obviously does not care for students or seem to like teaching
Professor Feingold is overall okay, but is very passive aggressive. He lectures by reading off his notes written during 2020's online semester. In my opinion, this is absolutely not how you teach math. Lecture heavy, and grades are 95% exam and 5% quiz. Homework is optional. His exams are easy to fair, but definitely not worth it.
didn't have him but just having his presence there during the final I could tell he's a poor representation of what a professor should be. He enjoys berating students. I was on my last straw and had to hear "dont get ur tears on the exam." The work does not reflect the exam. if this man's the course coordinator, take the class a different semester.
Has an awful grading system which is based on percentile. He berates students that he finds displeasing and mocks everybody in the lower quartile of scores. Also snaps way too easily which happened to me. Truly a charming person when his spit flies into your face. His only talents are math and causing depression.
DROP THIS TEACHER OR CLASS! The test and quiz subject are not that herd you just never know what it's on. Almost everything is bad about this professor: bad office hour times, more difficult tests/quizzes than every other Math 304 professor, and his teaching is like finding a needle from a haystack. He teaches from his board of yap. Word Limit sry
I highly advise against taking this class for all students. The professor is terrible at explaining even the simplest concepts in linear algebra. Classes are just him reading notes from years ago, moving at a very high pace with very little to no explanation. Uses vague terms while explaining. Will have to self study if you take his class.
Started off REALLY bad but got better over time. If you are not understanding it just study for 10 hours :'-) This course is VERY important though so if he is you only option take it. If there are other teachers available, then definitely switch because their quizzes are easier and you get more time. Go to his (horribly timed) office hours.
I am not the one to usually rate the professors, but this prof was literally the worst. many students withdrew because of the level of difficulty due to his OWN hand written notes. sometimes clueless himself during class.
About half the class dropped; tough grader who doesn't care much about students passing. Reads off old lecture notes. Not as bad as people say—just a grumpy old guy, occasionally nice to you lol. Loses it if he catches you on your phone. You'll learn more material in his section than others. But if you want a good 304 grade, don't take him.
every class is just him talking to himself for an hour, no interactivity, sometimes will go on random crashouts.
For a class with no homework and no mandatory attendance, idk how anybody is giving 1 star. Yeah, the class is hard. It's a 300. What did you expect? Feingold prepares you for the exam decently well and is certainly knowledgeable enough to answer any questions. Though, nobody ever asks any questions lol. Love you Feingold. -F.S.
Wrote the craziest Math 304 final exam I've ever seen. Clearly does not want students to succeed. Didn't even have him as a professor, but his final exam absolutely tanked my final grade. Hope he's happy ruining student's GPAS!
Didn't have him but he wrote the worst final ever. I don't get why people taking this course year after year have to learn a notation for the course just to have to take a final exam with a notation that's completely different from what they've been learning. Was also really passive aggressive. I just hope grades are curved generously.
Only had two classes left to finish a math major but this prof pushed me switch it anyway cuz I was going insane! Hope this helps, run!
Oh wah wah wah! Cry babies! 😭 Changing notation is not the same as changing the content. If these students fully understood, they would easily adapt to the change in notation and style of presentation. Alex dude, you are a legend and rock on!
Alex Feingold, you will never be famous.
Only writing a review because he is responsible for the absolute worst written final in history of the binghamton math dept (which says a lot). Also not a nice guy from what i hear
Alex was so accessible outside of class. He was the only person that cared for me when I was depressed. Even when I went to a counselor I went to Alex right after because he was the only one who truly cared for me. He even offered me oranges that he picked from his garden after I failed his class. Super cool guy.
His notation is different but his exams are very fair even if they are harder. He has 5 practice exams and answers on his website that are almost verbatim to his exams. If you don't want rigorous math, don't take his class. He also is kind if you show you try. When I was in crisis I felt he truly cared and he helped me with the situation and math.
Being good at math will not help you in this class. He reuses lecture slides from COVID and puts little effort into the clarity of content. He expects students to understand his notation and responds to questions in a snarky manner if he deems them too simple. He does not approach teaching in a adequate manner to foster respect or understanding.
I liked him. Probably one of the smartest people I've ever met. He seems intense and unfriendly in class, but talk to him 1 on 1 and he's nice. Mostly seems frustrated by students using tech in class or if he thinks you don't care. The notes he gives you are bad (just screenshots of old covid lectures). Use the textbook instead. Trust me
A class of 35 students dropping to 10 by the end of the semester should tell you all you need to know. He says he encourages questions but every time I did ask a question, he would start by saying that it is something "simple" or "elementary". Don't take his class if you have no outside knowledge of linear algebra
I don't think he's as bad as all of these reviews say. In my experience, he was decently lenient grading my work. His lectures did get boring, but we finished all material a month before the final which gave plenty of time for studying. He can be sort of rude to kids who don't normally show up to class, but if you show up he's nice to you.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
23%
Textbook Required
10%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.53 avg changeRatings by Course
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4.0
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5.0
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5.0
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