Best Math professor/teacher I have ever had. I don't have to use the book because the class notes are good. I have not missed a class so far because he makes the class interesting, even though it's not required (it is not a morning class either though). He also had the highest exam 1 scores of the professors. Try to take his class if you can.

Great professor, Makes the class a lot of fun (at least as much fun as a math class can be...)

I wasn't even in his section. I still attended every lecture he did.

Fun, witty, and makes the math fun when he is teaching.

Great math teacher ever!!!!

Best Math Teacher Ever!!!!

He did a really good job teaching the class. Very clear. Keeps your interest. If you have a choice between Toms and someone else choose Toms/

Really fun, awesome guy. He will crack awesome jokes, in the middle of the lecture. I went to all of lectures. I audited his Math 362 class, and he explains everything clearly. He taught some more real mathematics of Vector Calculus, around the end of the course, because the Chapter 8 material was just a rehash of Math 261, but I didn't care.

Great Math teacher. Very clear, goes over examples a lot. Likes to tell jokes and show videos in class. Best math teacher ever.

Professor Toms jokes around sarcastically with the class and is actually hilarious. He's also a great teacher; he normally pre-writes his notes, but he explains them clearly and I can actually follow what's going on. He does real examples and doesn't really waste time going through proofs. By far the best math professor I've had at Purdue.

ALWAYS CHOOSE TOMS

Great Professor, my favorite here at Purdue so far. I would take his class again in a heartbeat. Always telling funny stories, lots of in-class example problems step-by-step. Let us out early when he had finished teaching what he planned to teach for that day. Not a time waster.

He's an awesome guy

Great professor, really makes the easy calc 3 easier. Pretty young guy and makes lectures interesting

I loved this class. Some of the material got a little hazy and confusing. But this professor definitely helped me understand way more than any other prof could here at Purdue. Hilarious guy, and never wasted time. When he was done teaching, we all went home. Great class.

Young guy, doesn't have an accent which is hard to find in the purdue math department

He is a funny guy. He does not use the whole class time to explain concepts and many times finishes the lecture in 20 minutes. He does really easy examples in the class, which hardly help while doing the homework or studying for tests.

Wore a pickachu hat to lecture once you could say he's a pretty cool guy. Most of the time his lectures on last about 20 minutes.

Highly recommended. Entertaining and understands the material. Keeps class engaged with humor usually has a break halfway through a long spiel with a funny or interesting video. Lectures are mercifully short as well, especially on Friday afternoon. His pace can be a tad fast for those with no background in the unit so you should go to every lecture

The man is hilarious. He knows that lectures are boring, and that they can be long, so he will tell us the most random stuff to keep us entertained, and it works. He's not perfect, but he get's the point across well.

Amazing, hilarious teacher. He knows the material very well, explains it phenomenally and takes these breaks where he talks about random things in the most hilarious way to give your mind a break and then go on with the class. 10/10 would take again. If Toms is an option, always pick him.

Amazing hilarious professor. He uses humor to give you a break between hard-to-grasp concepts so that your mind can take a breather from math. He's also very clear in his explanations and doesn't make classes longer than they have to be. If the concept at hand is fully viewed, he cuts class short and let's you go home early. 10/10 would take again.

Every lecture was great. Many students from other sections tended to go to his class instead because he teaches so well.

Easily the best Calc 3 teacher when I took the class. Funny, and clearly explained examples that were pertinent to the exams and homework. Normally not good in math, but got an A strictly because of his teaching.

Amazing teacher, knows his material, knows how to teach, knows when to draw the line. Made me look forward to math lectures.

I don't know, everyone seems to love Toms. Sure, he is hilarious and makes lectures entertaining but there were two times I remember he came to lecture with a bit too much to drink and had to cancel class. We're paying to learn? He's great for math when he's not inebriated. Granted, he's probably the best teacher for Calc 1 at the moment.

class in class (adjective class)

Among the funniest people I have ever met; the dude is definitely a comedian in disguise as a mathematician.

Exams are a bit difficult to do well on, being only multiple choice. Averages are in the 60s. Toms doesn't spend too much time teaching. He just goes over the examples in the book. However, he is pretty funny. Most of class is him telling stories. Only reason I went to class.

Toms is a good professor, and tangents in class are hilarious. Do the HW and take practice exams to do well. He will also drop exam hints in lecture the days before an exam.

Overall, Toms is a great professor. He is also hilarious, which makes his lectures worth going to. Go to class and take practice exams and you will do just fine in his class.

He is really hilarious and fun to listen to when he tells stories about his life, which makes the class interesting. He sometimes makes funny pictures in his notes so make sure you pay attention. The exams are really hard, but it is this way for all of MA165, and if you do the practice exams you should be fine. This was a really great class!

Toms knows most people have taken calc 1 before and teaches the class accordingly. His lectures are hilarious and are no longer than they need to be. He seems to review the concepts more than teach them. His tests are fair if you attend lecture and do a few practice tests. Definitely one of the most entertaining classes you will ever take.

This guy is my favorite professor at this school. I had him for MA 341 also and let me tell ya, he makes difficult math incredibly enjoyable. He tries to convince us that he doesn't care about his students (and whether they pass or fail) but it is all a show. He's very kind. 10/10 would recommend.

Had him for 341 and 362. The guy's hilarious and you might enjoy it even more if your section participates. He's really good at teaching, does a ton of examples, teaches what needs to be taught, good notes, and lets you out early if he's ahead of schedule. Textbook is required for homework, but not for the course itself.

Good Professor

Toms is a good professor and would often tell stories/jokes in class. He uses the textbook to assign homework questions, which helped to understand the material taught. Overall, he made MA 351 seem easy and gave us a very large window for the midterm and final.

Toms made calc 3 actually enjoyable. Found myself going to more than just the 1 required lecture because his didn't put me to sleep like other guys.

He's a great lecturer with funny stories and emails. Calc 3 is a difficult course, and he made it worth going to class.

Great Professor

fast paced, perfect timing

Calc 3 lecture sucks no matter what, but at least with Toms it's pretty entertaining. I would say he teaches as if you already have a decent info background, but he goes more in depth and teaches calc well. He's also available for office hours, and makes sure to answer questions. I'd recommend Chen as hitting basics, and Toms as developing skills.

good lectures, never felt the need to watch chenflix instead which is saying something. solid prof and threw in some jokes and stories into lectures which made it more entertaining

Toms is a fantastic lecturer. I never thought I would laugh in a math class, but this man is actually very funny which makes it hard to sleep during lecture. He goes slow enough to take decent notes and goes over good examples in class. Only downside is he is left handed, so his hand covers the lecture notes for a few seconds while he is writing.

Great professor, who goes through tougher examples during class so you are somewhat prepared for the hw.

Calc 3 is definitely a difficult class but Toms made it manageable. Funny professor but knows how to explain things in detail and is accessible in office hours. Goes over harder examples and concepts will actually help you on the homework. His review sessions for the exams were also l helpful as they were conceptual and very organized. Recommend.

MA261 sucks but Toms is amazing. He tells the funniest stories but still gets through all the material so lectures are worth it. It's definitely worth going to his office hours or asking questions after class because he answers questions and explains theories which is really interesting.

Toms is goated. MA 261 sucks but my man made it bearable easier to understsand.

Calc 3 is incredibly challenging, especially if you aren't used to Purdue math. Toms was a great professor and also really funny which really helped me get up and go to lectures.

good man

Lectures were broadcast live and recorded, so between that and Chenflix there was no need to attend in-person, but many (including me) still did. Toms is a quality, engaging professor. He frequently takes tangents and tells jokes during class, but he always thoroughly covers all material. At the very least, go to his pre-exam review lectures.

He gives very thorough and entertaining lectures. New concepts are explained in an easy way to understand. There is always a funny anecdote in the middle of the lecture to lighten up the mood and keep you awake, which I appreciated. He is very approachable and will answer questions during his office hours or after lectures.

Prof. Toms is Great! He's lectures are very clear and he understands that the course material is very overwhelming. He, during the class, gives a story time break to clear minds (and if you are behind with taking notes, that's the time to catch up!)

One of the most entertaining math lecturers around! Importantly, he's able to make any tough math concepts seem so simple to understand. Even if participating in lectures is not mandatory, his lectures are just a joy to attend.

bro is fire

He has a very successful pedagogy where he writes out the example problems beforehand, and solves them in front of his students so they can understand how to approach problems.

Professor Toms is absolutely fantastic. His lectures are engaging and he is super entertaining to listen to. Outside of class, his office hours are great for preparing for exams or asking other questions. He is super relaxed and is super real and authentic to speak to. Overall amazing professor.

Best teacher I've ever had. He made understanding the topics in class so easy, and made lectures fun at the same time.

Best professor ever imo. Very clear and fun stories. Lectures are always full for a reason. Go to his class even if you aren't in his section.

Prof Toms' lectures are great. He explains core concepts really well and provides good examples. Great outgoing guy who cares about each of his students and makes calc lectures enjoyable. Would take his class again.

Toms is knowledgable, funny, and his lectures are actually comprehensible, compared to what you may read about some other 261 profs. He does a great job at structuring his content and answering questions. You can tell that he wants to connect with the students. Definitely recommend his lectures if you guys can make it.

Great prof for such a hard class. Lectures were good, but I supplemented with Chenflix. HUGE curve at the end, I went from C to an A-. To succeed, do a lot of practice exams over and over and understand the concepts. Boilerexams is a great website.

Professor Toms must be one of the best on campus. One can tell that he comes to lecture well prepared and excited to teach. I regularly attended his office hours and he clearly and thoroughly explains topics at whatever level the student needs. A nice plus is that he writes easier but more conceptual exams.

He is by far the best. I don't even have to explain how good he is. The only flaw would be that he is left-handed so you can't see what he is writing until he finishes.

Professor Toms was hilarious in class. He would always stop and tell stories or jokes to keep us engaged. His lecture hall was always full. As for calculus 3, it is easier than calculus 2. The curve was still 15% for some people at the end of the course. It is extremely test heavy, as the final is worth 36% of your grade.

I wasn't assigned Toms as my lecturer but I heard about how great of a professor he was so I started attending. From my first midterm score of 52%, I went up to 84% on the second midterm score after starting to attend his lectures. He is prepared and clear...notes are clean and comprehensive (prewritten which he explains)...also really funny.

MA 261 is fairly easy if you were good at AP calculus or calc I and II. Professor Toms explains very clearly and goes methodically in the syllabus. If you catch up with all his lectures (and maybe chenflix), you're good to go with the concepts. Also he is hilarious.

despite the content being kind of complex. it is pretty easy to score in the class due to a lot of it being homeworks and quizzes that are pretty easy. Exams were also not too hard.

Very enjoyable lecturer, teaches well and is interesting too.

Very caring and actually has a personality and sense of humor.

Extremely good at teaching. His office hours are somewhat infrequent (you can go to other lecturers' office hours though), but his lectures are top-tier. Definitely recommend 100%. This is a difficult course, but he explains concepts very well and even makes jokes sometimes.

Great professor with a great sense of humor.

Only thing that could make him better would be if he was right handed

Professor Toms is the best lecturer for calculus I've ever had. He breaks down concepts in an understandable way and is always very open to questions. He also makes funny jokes in lectures and doesn't take anything too seriously. I strongly recommend him if you're taking MA 261 (even if you don't technically have his lecture time go to him anyway).

Toms was a great professor who was able to teach effectively while also adding a couple of stories to break up the class. 100% recommend attending lectures.

Prof. Toms is definitely the best Calc 3 professor! I like how he already has the notes ready before the class, so he never runs out of time during the lecture (unlike some other professors' classes I went to). He also makes a lot of jokes, so the classes are rarely boring.

Professor Toms is the best! He's very funny and explains relatively difficult concepts in a very clear manner.

All the Ma261 profs were bad so everyone seeks refuge at Tom's lectures. He is organized and great at going through relevant examples. His lectures are almost always full on any given day. Seriously, this guy wasnt my prof and I went to all his lectures from day 1. He tells fun stories as an intermission and keeps us all engaged. Funny & smart

This + Chenflix

His lectures were excellent and he explained the content very clearly in a way that I could understand it well. He is pretty funny too and makes a lot of jokes! I highly recommend going to his lectures, whether he is your professor or not. A lot of people who had different professors came to his lectures anyway.

Toms is a great professor, one of the best for Calc 3. He's very knowledgeable and keeps lectures interesting with the occasional joke and story. He also teaches well. Definitely would recommend taking Toms.

Single most goated maths professor on campus. Absolutely hilarious.

Doesn't waste any time. Gives you exactly what you need for exams. He wasn't even my prof and I went to all his lectures anyway outside of the first week. He's also hilarious in a kind of out of pocket way, which is awesome.

Probably the funniest professor at Purdue. Makes every lecture enjoyable and explains every concept extremely well. He was very accessible to talk to after class and always stayed to answer questions. Midterm and final were very fair and extremely comparable to the practice exams. Weekly homeworks were easy and he gives great feedback on them.

Greatest of all time

One of the greatest professors of all time. His lectures were so fun to be in when he would make jokes. His notes and teaching style was also very clear for the students to understand.

Good lectures, notes were easy to take.

very engaging, very clear explanations. humorous guy.