2.4
Quality4.3
Difficulty29%
Would Retake245
Reviews29%
Would Retake
245
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
34
3
49
2
52
1
83
What Students Say
“Very hard to understand”
MAT021A - 1.0 rating“If you want to learn random chemistry on a math class then you shouldn't miss out on this professor's lecture for sure :)”
MAT021A - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
13%
Textbook Required
53%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
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+0.07 avg changeRatings by Course
MAT185
5.0
(1)MAT141
5.0
(1)MAT115A
4.0
(1)MAT022A
4.0
(1)MAT185A
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
MATH21C
5.0
MAT185B
5.0
MATH21D
5.0
MAT135A
5.0
MAY67
5.0
Reviews (245)
everything out of his mouth is an (bad) attempted joke, you can't help but smile
Very smart and very witty. He makes material interesting and applicable.
He's a really nice guy and eager to help you learn. His midterm was hecka hard though (80% of the class got lower than 30%) but he has a curve. Corny jokes :-P
He is a really hard teacher, don't take him unless your are really into math and want to know it in and out. He expects a lot of us and makes the midterms and the homeweork really hard. Plus, his lectures are also really hard to comprehend. P.S. there is only one midterm which is worth 15%, the homework is worth 35%, and the final is worth 50% !!
Really funny, but is sometimes hard to follow. Does not give much partial credit on tests.
Harder than 21D and 22A
it was obvious this guy was a math genius. that doesnt translate into being a good teacher though. the hw problems he would come up with were like his test questions so make sure you know how to do them. he seemed to care about how well his students did but wasn't a very good lecturer. kouba is better
a good class if you are considering a math major, even if its just to eliminate it from your list. he focusses a lot more on theory and proofs than other professors. because of this the midterm was very hard, but the final was fair because one of the old math department finals he posted a link to was exactly like his. hw is mandatory 35% of grade
Take him if you like theory! The class average for the midterm was 37 and on both the midterm and final more than 100 students had less than 49%!!!! The final can make or break your grade because it is 50% of the grade. Hwk is easy coz it is graded on attempt and is 35% of the grade.
this is a really hard class. as other says, he teaches theories a lot than using examples to illustrate. however, if u do hw and Kouba/Dougaw's pracitce exam, getting higher score than others is not that difficult at all. Big Curve!!!
OMG! Do not take him as a teacher. His tests are hard. The lecture is theory based and hard to follow. I learned more from the TA's at the Final review than I did all quarter from him. Only good to take if your a math major. Avoid as much as possible. This class as majorly messed up my GPA forever!
First off, 21C is a very difficult class. Put Waldron on top of that, and you've got a big challenge. His midterm is worded all crazy and for the most part, very hard. His lectures are sometimes confusing, the material is like simple algebra to this guy. His final was long but every problem was doable, just have to be quick enough to do the most.
You really have to be crazy to take him for any math class. The guy is a genius (but I would rather call him an evil genius). He makes the midterms so hard and impossible to comprehend that even the T.A's don't get 'em! Translation: Waldron = 'not a good teacher.'
How well you do on his tests is really based on whether or not you truly understand the theorems or concepts. If you know an equation and only know what numbers to plug into it, you wont get very far on his tests. He expects you to REALLY REALLY understand the background of an equation or concept.
He's funny, intelligent, and serious about his job as a teacher. He gives extremely hard tests. Spring quarter's midterm curbed at 35%! I lost hope and just rode the course out. Mistake: his final was passable. Midterm hard because it had little to do with the homework. My TA couldn't answer some of his homework qestion. He's good but very hard.
Warning:Don't get distracted by his corny jokes, he is the son of Satan. Seriously, he gets fun out of torturing students with his incredibly hard midterm, HW and final.Even the T.A's have hard time figuring out the solution to his HW problems.Trust me, he is one of those weird "know it all" professors who don't give a damn about the way they teach
I pretty much agree with everyone here. Yes his class is hard and for the most part theory and concept based. But the thing I don't understand is: if he's such a genius...why haven't we inhabited the moon yet?...
Too much theory!!!!!!
He's one of those that fits the Devil Professor category... Insane genius, but not very helpful and deliberately hard toward students. May Waldron have mercy on us for our first mid term in 3 days.
Sucks, switch as soon as possible
Expects you to know theories well. Very difficult to bs through, midterm difficult. TA usually helpful, although can be bad also. Excessive amount of homework compared to other teachers. Definitely not recommended for students completely new to calculus. Passable if you put in the effort.
Horrible, too conceptual and hardly any math.
it was really hard for me to hold back my tears during the final and midterm. the only thing stopping me was knowing that it would have brought him more pleasure seeing me in pain.
well, unless theres a huge curve, looks like i'm taking 21A again..
He explains the material very well and cracks jokes while doing it. He expects you to understand what he is teaching just like any other teacher. The homework was relevant to the tests and the lectures. Overall a good teacher if you are willing to put in the effort to learn and understand calculus.
Expects a lot. Wants you to understand first, solve problems later, you must KNOW theories. Midterms and final are difficult, you must study hard. He did curve the entire class grade, a 60% was a B-. Attending lectures is a waste of time if you study the book really well. This is not a class you can BS in and get by with a B, trust me, I tried.
If you have this professor, CHANGE. He is absolutely terrible. The lectures are a complete waste of time because all he will explain is the theory behind the math, not how to use it. Or he will spend a lot of time deriving an equation thats given to u in the book. He also gives an exorbitant amount of homework. Finals and midterms are insane.
Not that great of a professor. Class work is doable, try to get a good TA. He would always go over the material in class after we had done it for homework, so we were always behind.
Lectures 1-20whatever = all proofs. Only went to lectures because I did not know what else I could do to help. anti-american.
Waldron is one of those guys who likes to mess with your mind to see what will happen. He is a decent teacher, fairly clear, but the stuff you do in this class is not taught by any other teacher; he teaches a lot of theory behind calculus. His tests are hard as hell. The nice thing is his bell curve. I ended with a 64%, a B overall.
All I wanna say is that this guy LOVES to torture his students. I mean, seriously, he is one of those teachers who just doesn't care if we falil the class or not. He purposely makes all the tests and homeworks harder so that we fail. Really, Really, Really bad teacher. Stay AWAY!
Worst professor I've taken at Davis. Very unclear in lecture. Does not do any "hard" example problems. Most of lecture is spent proving theorems rather than applying them. Homework is extremely long and difficult. Tests are impossible. Shows up 5-10 minutes late to lecture regularly. A good majority of students failed last quarter.
Waldron isn't the devil teacher everyone says he is. He's really funny, and if you pay attention to lectures, do the homework, and get help if necessary, you'll do fine. His class was especially interesting because I learned the theory behind the calc I learned to use in high school. My friends and I all got As or Bs. You just can't be lazy!
Trust me when I say that Waldron THE worst teacher. I don't even know where to start. His H.W. probs are long and hard, his handwriting is one of the worst, his lectures are lightning fast, he has no interest in helping his students... the list goes on and on. Don't even take him if you are an A-student(like me) 'cause he would make you miserable.
do not take it with this guy, and if you have bad enough luck to land in his class, do not get distracted by his corny jokes, do your homework but make sure to study extra especially the really conceptual stuff.
An easy way to get turned away from math. He should stick to teaching grad students. A 21A class should not have a midterm average in the 30's. He's brilliant, but there is no reason to cover much of the theory material that he covered. Again its supposed to be a 21A course not a grad theory course.
If you want to learn something, find another teacher.
All in all, a very unpleasant guy. He constantly amuses himself with dumb jokes and puns, and gets pleasure from giving very difficult tests and using an inefficient and somewhat unfair system for homework grading. The only thing more annoying than his lectures and demeanor is his opinion of himself. Absolutely not recommended.
I took this course during my freshman year. What can I say except RUN AWAY, AS FAST AS YOU CAN RIGHT NOW. Seriously, average score of like 30 for his tests! Way too hard.
I think the reason that this professor doesn't have a great score is because his classes might be hard for most people. I am curretnly taking 185A which is complex analysis and I love the class so far. He busts out jokes all the time and makes it interesting. I also like how clear he is.
Good professor. Nearly continuously bursts out with humourous asides. However, he doesn't have a textbook and his course isn't always easy to understand from a big-picture perspective. He is very helpful in office hours though.
He assigns huge amounts of homework. Usually Impossible to finish. Avoid taking him for 22A if possible
EVIL. He assigns 40 problems a week, ONLY 4 OF WHICH ARE GRADED. SLAVE DRIVER. He is either indifferent to the effect all this work has on your or actually takes pleasure in ruining your quarter. DO NOT TAKE A CLASS WITH WALDRON.
I enjoyed his 22a class. although the hw he gives is long and annoying, in the long run it really helps. not to mention he lets you resubmit. i found that his tests are easier than the hw that he makes you slave over. His tests are very theoretical, to do well you cant just plug and chug. over all i enjoyed his class plus he is also quite funny.
FUNNY? his jokes are distracting from his pointless lecture. Homework takes over 5 hours every week. Grading system is very unfair, resubmitting allows for slackers to do well in the class. Midterm was exactly what he said it was. HW average drops every week as more and more people learn how to cheat his grade system. Supposedly gives 50% A's.
It is really easy to get an A in a class. Ok ya the hw is long, but if you do it, you will be fine in the class. He is a pretty funny guy, but sometimes has trouble getting control of his class. Very knowledgable and willing to help you if you stop by office hours
Freaking. Awesome. Hilarious and very friendly and intelligent. One of the best professors in the math department. He adds levity at just the right moments to keep up everyone's interest. I seriously have no idea why people have given him bad reviews. His homework's tough but illuminating, and the tests aren't too bad. TAKE HIS CLASSES.
He was funny and I enjoyed the class.
bad experience. His clarity and rigor were lacking. He didnt seem to care for the course. Rehashed his wifes old homework assignments.
class average on midterms and finals were between 30-40%. hes insane. need i say more?
Average on the midterm was a 46% professor missed a week and a half of class before the midterm (in Europe) Only gives simple examples in class then hard problems on the midterm. no practice test prior to either midterm. On the plus side no assigned homework and lectures were slightly amusing
The one below me sums it up. His teaching is alright. If you paid attention in class, you would understand what he was talking about. But that really doesn't matter when it comes to the midterms. I studied for a good two days because I didn't do too well on the first. Lets just say the outcome was worse.
Very entertaining and manages to keep you awake. His teaching is average... He assigns a lot of homework problems (even #) which appears on quizzes and his exams are very challenging (which means pretty good curves)... I guess it's his way to encourage students to understand the material instead of memorizing the problems. Mat21D was a hard course.
I learned quite a bit, but the tests are extremely difficult. I'll probably get an alright grade in the class, but knowing that a mid-40 grade gets a C+ or so makes you feel bad about yourself. Examples given in class are extremely basic, and they don't help on homework problems (which are mainly even). At least I don't have to take 22A =)
After taking this math class, I have to say his tests are absolutely incomprehensible. Ask anyone who took this class Spring 2009 and they'd probably agree. Tests are extremely theoretical and (90%) and the rest is computation. Enthusiastic guy, but brutal when it comes to his tests.
Avoid this professor. His exams are beyond the book's level.
Absolutely love the guy. Very funny. Love listening to his australian accent. But the tests were brutal, and lectures weren't that helpful. I ended up learning out of the book on my own. Average on final was 38%. Tests are hard and stressful, and each midterm was only 3 questions long.
Oh. My. GOD. This professor is absolutely useless. The exams are outrageously hard, the homework and class lectures are beyond useless. The only positive aspect of this is that if you do well on the exams, you truly understand the material. Average on the final was 25% until he adjusted it... learn to love the curve. You won't pass w/o it.
Midterms and final were ridiculously hard. The class averages were considerably low. Avoid this professor.
i hate this guy, the only plus is that he has a pretty cool accent. his lectures are pretty incomprehensible and even worse, there's a terrible online textbook that is twice as abstract as his lectures. don't take him!
Psh! Everyone's a whiner! If you're not scared to death of having bell-shaped test results with average around 50 (before the curve of course), then you're going to get a lot out of this class. It's hard but that's how you learn the most. Recommended!
had him for 21D and now 22A,lectures are pointless, I can learn more from wikipedia or self taught work. tests are beyond belief terrible. I answered 2.5 questions out of six on the final, and got 52% which was above the avg of 33%. you may or may NOT learn in this class. but it doesn't really matter because his tests make you feel like you haven't
His classes are boring but if you go to office hour. HE IS SO AMAZING. But yea, I wouldnt want to take him again. Two quarters are too much.
Waldron gets a bad rep but he doesn't deserve it - His classes are difficult but that shouldn't be a case against him - He is very helpful in office hours and his tests were not as bad as people made them out to be - If you take him, be ready to work, but you will learn alot
His lectures cover bare basics, but the homework assignments (written, anyway) really force you to figure your linear algebra out, which helps, because the tests are of comparable difficulty to the homework. Overall, a good, passable course. If you don't pass, and your major involves math, consider switching to something simpler.
The class overall should have been pretty simple to understand but the online textbook he uses is extremely abstract, along with his lectures. He gives a lot of time-consuming homework, online hw due every week and written hw due every other. Grading on hw is ridiculous. Average for first midterm was around 50%. I do not recommend taking him.
Go elsewhere if you're looking for a smoother ride, because this guy focuses on theory, as reflected in his written homework problems. Online (calculations) homework was fun, but the lectures were just confusing. Class average for Fall 2009 was 62%.
Everything about the online textbook and the written hws is true. The lectures were difficult to comprehend, and I mostly learned on my own. Midterms could be hard but 2/3 of the materials were from the hws. I got 75% overall and got an A-. You do have to study A LOT on your own, but don?t worry this course isn?t the worst
I had Waldron for two quarters (MAT 21D & 22A)... not fun. Midterms: 2/3 problems are homework problems; 1 from an online hw which is easy, but 1 is from his written hw which is theory-based & hard to understand. He doesn't post the answers to all the written homework, so you don't know if your answers are correct. Go to his and TAs' office hours!
Your book is terrible.
Like others, I also had Waldron for 21D and 22A. Although Waldron is extremely hard, he is a good prof. He sporadically cracks jokes and teaches in an engaging manner. His homework/tests are abstract, but once you TRULY understand the material, his class isn't so daunting. For 22A, the free textbook was SICK.
If you aren't confident in your ability to do proofs and Homework that has entirely to do with your own problem solving skills and nothing with what is taught in lecture, avoid this teacher. Calculation is easy, but theory work is tough and copious. Big curve.
I love the guy! Written hw is hard, but webwork is giveaway pts. He gives the answers in OH. Online text is helpful, but very concise. He writes real big, gets distracted every 30 seconds (by telling puns/stories). One student says something. then he responds "Oy I'm hearing voices in my head." his stories of galois and hamilton- to die for.
Oh, this guy was ridiculous. Had everyone deriving formulas that are given to you in any other class. Lectures were cryptic and way too vague. Taught the class like it was for math majors when it's supposed to be for scientists and engineers. We don't care why it happens. We just to know how to get the answer.
First off, he is unbelievably funny; like a comedian. I looked forward to lecture. But, his lecture notes lack examples, and he expects you to learn only from proofs. That's not easy. If you think you have the understanding to prove things before you have learned them in HW, then take his class. Otherwise, wait for the next prof. GPA will thank you
Darn good lecturer, and funny as well. The material was't too difficult, and the free lecture notes that serve as the textbook (co-written by him) did their job.
Highly intelligent mathematician, so-so teacher. His Australian accent is easy to understand. The class was very challenging. Take Math 145 Combinatorics before Math 135A Probability. Final exam is curved.
Wally is a funny, witty professor. There is no textbook required for the class, which is a huge plus. He'll make the first exam easy and the next two really hard. There was a lot of homework but the written hw was very mind challenging. Lots of proofs. I always looked forward to his lectures.
Avoid at all costs. This guy is a horrible teacher. I learned more teaching myself from materials besides the cryptic online textbook and lectures than from him. Midterms didn't really have a whole lot to do with the homework, and since he doesn't make practice ones, you have no idea what to expect! Shouldn't be teaching. Period.
He is energetic, and enthusiastic about the subject. His lectures were always fun. You will have a TON of conceptual homework on top of regular webwork but hw is 40% of your grade. His exams were easy if you understand definitions and concepts; both midterms and final were very similar to practice exams. You learn alot; I recommend taking Waldron.
If you take his class, you will have to teach everything to yourself by using Google.... The lectures and the textbook are extremely to understand. If you've taken linear algebra before, you might want to take him. But!!! if you've never taken any linear algebra before, do NOT take him.
This class is very tough, unless you've already taken linear algebra. His lectures are interesting, but the way he teaches is probably one of the most confusing ways to teach. If you have a good TA, go to their OHs. Also, get yourself into a study group for this class, it was super helpful.
Entertaining professor, but one of the analogy guys. He wrote a .pdf textbook for his 22A class, so that's kinda nice. MT1 was cake, MT2 was a bear, Final a bear too. Homework was a Leviathan by this scale. IT's ~10 probs, some derivations, other huge matrix probs. Takes days, and then he only grades 1 of the 10! Would avoid only for the homework.
Professor is funny, always willing to help. Lectures and textbook can overcomplicate many things. I'd suggest downloading another linear algebra textbook to read alongside his textbook. LOTS of work. Most homework I've had so far in college. However, it does make it easier to get a good grade because such a big portion of ur grade is homework.
Teaching style is not for everyone. Uses a lot of proofs and such rather than examples. Was hard for me to understand. I aced the first midterm, but it was worth almost nothing. Failed 2nd miterm, again grade did not take that big of a hit. Your final grade pretty much depends on your final exam and homework. If you do homework, you should pass.
AVIOD! better off not enrolling in the quarter than taking his course. Uses different book that is extremely confusing. Had a group midterm,average was still a 61%. Learned more off of YouTube than from lectures. Problems insanely hard to follow and do. little to no examples, final was impossible. Came away with little educational value
I had to use a different book because the lecture notes he uses are so confusing. His midterm was hard (average F) and his final was death. Hardest math class I've ever taken by far. Avoid at all costs.
This prof is one of the worst I have encountered at UCD. Hes an unfair grader. Apparently 6% makes a whole letter grade. Craig Tracys textbook is cryptic and does not explain Diff. Eqns., it just jumps to physics. If you want to learn differential eqns, this class wont be it. Please save yourself from severe depression and panic attacks and AVOID.
Hardest math class ever! Homeworks are so time consuming and all physics related. The average on the midterm was a 50% and the average on the final was a 20%. His curve was ok, but so not worth it for all the work and stress you go through. Don't take!
This was more of a physics class than a math class. He is an applied math professor, so his entire class revolved around applications and physics. Lots of people got flat out zeros on the final (20% average). Never ever again...
I took this course as an introduction to differential equations. But professor waldron only showed applied differentials as if you already knew how to solve differential equations. He doesn't know how to teach or write an exam, doesn't care about teaching. He failed 25% of the class. And not to mention eight weeks of time wasting group assignments.
He uses an extremely dense free text, but it also has a lot of useful applications. His final was very challenging, but he warned us in advance and curved it generously. A lot of the early assignments are collaborative (including the midterm) and he has students walk each other through the homework in office hours.
Average on midterm was around a 50. Average on final was a 20 before the curve. He uses a free online compilation of notes written by a colleague of his instead of a textbook, and chooses homework questions from there all physics related problems Final half of course grade had nothing to do with concepts supposedly taught in class. Failed.
This is a 10 unit class disguised as a 3 unit class. I have more homework in this class than all my other classes combined. Also, the professor is a "farnarkles" a lot in lecture, meaning he's all over the place and you leave more confused than you were when you entered the class. Textbook sucks, super conceptual, and I'm the class passno pass.
If you're going to take this class, don't. Either that or basically drop all your other classes, because you will have time for nothing else with all the homework he gives you (especially considering his lectures aren't the least bit helpful). Also shows up late to every OH which are only one hour long as it is.
I'll probably pass. At the cost of my sanity. Who gives 50+ problems (26 Webwork, 25 bookwork) for homework during midterms week and then tells us he'll only grade 1 problem? Drop him, take this class another quarter, whatever. AVOID HIM. His textbook has useless proofs written to impress other professors, not to help students. Ugh.
Worst teacher I've encountered at Davis. This is not a 3 unit class, it's more like 10 units with his stupid homework assignements . Also he wrote his own book and it's the worst textbook I've ever had to decipher.
Had some difficult material on the second midterm worth 13 of the test and it hadn't been covered in class. Decided 2 weeks later that he was going to teach that exact material. Also gives excessiveunnecessary amounts of homework weekly, even during midterm weeks, and responded arrogantly when I went to ask for suggestions to balance it. Avoid.
Avoid him if possible. Unless you wanna spend tons of time doing weekly homework as well as webwork. His lecture is not helpful at all--at least I didn't learn much from his lectures. I basically studied by myself watching youtube videos to have sense of the concepts he went over in class. I learned most from youtube and tutors, not him.
Horrible Teacher. The pdf textbook that he uses, which he wrote, is not helpful at all. I spent all my quarter studying and doing homework for this class. Avoid this professor.
Contrary to what other students say about him, I actually think he is a great professor and definitely knows his stuff really well. He is always willing to help even on the weekends if you post on Piazza. Although the class was ALOT of work, I learned much more linear algebra than I could've with another teacher. Grading scale is good. 25% A's
This class was absolutley brutal. The material was difficult and Waldron certainly didn't do much to make it any clearer. The book and much of the homework was incredibly abstract and not very useful to non math majors. Submitting the homework was a huge chore as he required us to take pictures of every problem and compile it into a pdf to upload.
This isn't MAT 21C, this is MAT 1221C. Too many proofs. Lots and lots of HW, including a team HW full of theory. Ungraded problems from team HW appear on midterm. Which means you need to become a mathematician to decipher the tests he writes.
I would recommend avoiding him at all costs! It was impossible to keep on top of all the homework and still try to understand the material. I went to every office hour but it was barely any help because he showed up late every time and spent the rest of the time only working on the easiest problems. Most stressful class I've taken at Davis!
Only good thing about his class is he's funny. Lectures are boring and make little sense, he doesn't do a single example problem. Class is all concepts, both midterms are all proofs and curve is near non-existent. Best way to do webwork assignments is do with a bunch of people so that you can get at least some credit. Not for those with weak hearts
I don't think he's the worst teacher EVER but he's certainly the worst teacher I've ever had. I really don't know why he teaches because he never seemed to care whether or not people were learning (maybe this is just 21C though). It was really a struggle and I'm sorry if you end up with him. Please please avoid if you care about your wellbeing
This was 85% book 15% lecture for me. Group projects could've been done by yourself if you didn't like your group partners. Had to submit pdfs of the homework which everyone seemed to complain about but it's like just use a document scanner on campus. First midterm was collaborative. Got a raw C that curved to an A-
Uhhh, so here if you are in Waldron or Wally or Wolly's class, prepare for those extremely hard tests and lots lots of definitions. You'll always feel lost cause everyone does. Think about the curve will save you? Nah it's only a joke here. Better put your efforts somewhere else.
Waldron is a very funny and good professor. However, his class was very challenging. Did not think I was able to pass the class. However, I ended up getting an A- in the end. His curve was somewhat generous! If you want a good grade, just study really hard for the final!
THIS CLASS IS HARD! Only way to do well is do a ton of practice problems out of the book, and really look over the lecture notes. Lectures can be extremely confusing and unorganized. AVOID IF POSSIBLE. Even though I did really well, worst class experience EVER! The tests are impossible. Highest grade on the final was a 116200.
This class is very theory-centric, and as long as you understand the group homework, you should be fine for the test. The book is necessary to get a good grade. His lectures are based off of the book, and his lectures can some times be unclear, as he usually only does one example, and his writing can be difficult to read.
Waldron is a good professor. He was more like a high school teacher with the relaxing lectures. He cared about students and responded fast on Piazza. There was not too much homework. If you are good at definitions and understanding but poor at calculations, Waldron is a good choice.
Wally is funny, but I did not learn from his teaching style. There were a lot of Webwork assignments due each week. His exams are difficult; they're similar to physics problems and really require understanding of the concepts as opposed to just mathematical calculations. I would say to avoid if you can, but if not, you'll survive.
He's not that good but still not that bad. Although he gives a lot of homework and really difficult tests, his curve is pretty generous. His lectures consist mainly of proving theorems that are quite hard to understand, but you will learn a lot from them. If you like the challenge, TAKE IT. The choice is yours!
Avoid this professor at all costs, his classes are just terrible. He is involved with frivolous theory's and thinks he understands everything, even when he doesn't know the slightest bit about teaching. He will make your time at UCD terrible, he really should be defended and fired. He's a big drain on the system and will show no results of his work
RUN. Even if he's the only professor teaching a class you need for the quarter, RUN. Yes, he's funny and you feel like you're passing because there's an insane amount of homework, but lots of people don't pass. I've done well in math all the way until I've had him. Anybody saying that he's not bad is most likely really really good at math.
Unless you want to have an overall terrible quarter, AVOID ANDREW WALDRON AT ALL COSTS. Trust me. Heed this warning. RUN FAR AWAY.
Would not recommend taking him. His tests are all theoretical, very hard, and graders are extremely tough. He does have a generous curve though, and 50% of your grade is based on HW, quizzes, and webwork. If you can avoid him, do it, but if you can't it's not impossible to get an A in the class if you just do well (A) on the 50% you can control.
He's an interesting guy and really funny, lots of nerdy and awkward jokes. Lectures are pretty theoretical and hw is not, so there's a huge disconnect. Tests are like his lecture, very theoretical, so hw isn't much help. Average for tests were around 3050ish, so expect a curve. Gave practice questions for midterms and final, which help a lot.
Waldron wants you to deeply understand math: the "why" not the "how". He asks a lot from his students. Homework is practical. Tests and lectures are theoretical. I learned the "why" in class and then applied it to the homework. Didn't memorize 1 equation, not expected to. Super hard. Learned so much. Final 35%, HW 20%, Webwork 20%, MT 15%, Quiz 10%
Waldron has a great sense of humor and often tries to engage the class with funny jokes! He keeps on referencing ants and jellybeans in his examples which makes them somewhat easier to understand. His exams are overly theoretical and don't help in understanding the concepts!
Waldron is an exceptionally thoughtful person, and will stretch your mind. He teaches with the idea that you will be doing this difficult of math for the rest of your time at college. Don't skip lecture and follow through with whatever he mentions offhandedly in class. The tedious but simple derivation will likely be on the test.
Waldron is incredibly hilarious. I look forward to his lectures because he never ceases to amaze. He's so nonchalant about everything, too - which is great, because he can make very difficult concepts seem like not such a big deal. Lecture-wise, he is not the best and his HW and exams are difficult. But his personality makes up for it. Take him!
Waldron is funny and I thoroughly enjoyed his jokes and commentary , but funny doesn't make a successful professor. Homework was convoluted/took forever, both HW and quizzes only graded as participation points, and the final exam was 50%. Had no idea what I needed to study going into the final, and my grade showed it. Final avg. was 32/100.
Very tough class. Ridiculous homework assignments (four of them over the quarter). The homework takes all day to complete and you end up getting less than half of it right. Quizzes are tough too, but make time to understand them (he's conceptually heavy). Take substantial time to review for the final (no midterms) and you will pass the class.
Waldron's lectures are all theory based, with little to no calculations. Homework and quizzes are graded based on participation, and only a final, worth 50%, was given. Practice problems for the final were posted online, which were very helpful for the final. Do not take unless you can study throughout the quarter on your own.
50% of the grade is participation points for homework and quizzes and the other 50% is the final. His lectures are theoretical with no examples, and the problems he gives are theory based with minimal calculation. Average on the final was 36/100, which shows how poorly everyone understood the material. To do well you have to teach yourself. AVOID!
Professor Waldron guarantees that anyone who does all the homework and weekly quizzes will pass the class no matter their grade on the final. Don't expect anything above a C though. His final was impossible to pass. I thought I did well and I ended up getting 23%. If you're taking his class it better be the only class you're taking.
I thought that his class will be different from the rating. It happened once but not this time. He guarantee 50% of your grade through homework and discussions but that's it. Everything else is a nightmare. His lectures are complicated and did not follow textbook. I did ALL questions on final and get 30% and I am a Math major. Please choose wisely.
always don't know what he is taking about. Not logical enough. he talks about theoritical knowledge a lot, always telling us definition but i want more practical knowledge. even though he's got no midterm, i still want to drop it. actually i also cannot get used to his handwriting and australian accent.
One homework assignment every two weeks. Weekly "quiz" (only one is graded) at discussion. No midterms, just a final. He makes his own questions, which are strange and don't make sense. He focuses WAY too much on concepts and proofs, making simple things seem complex. His lectures are funny/entertaining. He should be a comedian, not a professor...
Dr. Waldron is an entertaining lecturer. His handwriting is a little hard to read, however his accent isn't as horrible as people claim. Total grade was based on 5 HW's and a final. HW took a while but was fair, the final was a nightmare. This is mainley because I could have studied more, so STUDY FOR THIS CLASS, his finals are crazy!
Prone to mistakes that can get distracting. Some questions can be answered with simpler methods. Very hilarious, keeps lectures engaging. Homework and quizzes usually require thinking outside the box, but for the most part, credit is given for completion. final has high weight and is one of the few assignments graded based on accuracy.
Waldron is a really fun professor, and its clear he puts a lot of effort into the class. If you review the textbook before class, and take time to understand the homework, youll do fine. The class is very conceptual, and is a fun challenge if you go into class with the right mindset.
So good! Although his lectures are hard, he gives scores very loose. I like him especially after the final exam
He's a really nice guy and always try to make the class engage. But this class is way too conceptual and he often makes easy question more complicated than it actually is. Homework every two weeks and its very hard, but the webwork its fairly easy. No midterms, final counts as 40% of the overall grade. Got 5 on AP and got B in 21A. Don't take him.
He teaches very conceptually. Lectures are often confusing the first time so you're going to have to review your notes. Homework is equally difficult and conceptual but you have two weeks so it's not a big deal. There are weekly quizzes but only a few of them are graded (and your lowest grades are dropped). Only the finals really matter for grade.
Waldron is very theoretical. His quizzes were as long as you show up ite something you got full credit & as long as it seemed like you tried on your HW you also got full credit. There was no incentive to study. The avg on the final was 33% i got like a 23% & still passed. TBH I should've tried harder, but even the TAs called it a crazy class.
Only take his 21A class if you want to do the hardest thing you have ever done. I don't feel like I learned a lot of math formulas (take Kouba for that), but I have built a lot of character. This class has taught me perseverance (because the homeworks were impossible and the final was everything), so I recommend it for those who want a challenge.
THIS ISN'T A DRILL! PLEASE AVOID TAKING THIS PROFESSOR FOR MAT 21D AT ALL COSTS. His lectures were conceptually challenging. While he could talk Riemann sum, he kept saying cutting some potatoes. I appreciate his effort trying to make abstract things easier to understand, but he was just making everything worse. Hard homework. 50% Final. So, please
My first math professor at UCD. He pays more attention to theories and how to prove them. He never gives us typical calculus questions. His homework, quizzes and exams are different from other professors. There is only one exam in the quarter. The questions in exam are strange. If you perfer to learn uncommon calculus, you can choose him.
I like Andrew, because he wouldn't let his students fail unless they did not go to discussions or did not do their homework.
If you want to learn random chemistry on a math class then you shouldn't miss out on this professor's lecture for sure :)
Very hard to understand. Spends more time trying to be funny than actually teaching. Extremely slow. Homework is on a completely different level than what is taught in class. Drop unless you want to learn extremely random things, such as chemistry and facts about Australia. He is making a living out of something he isn't really good at.
Description of a typical class: Bald Aussie guy comes to class and tries to teach but deviates in 5 minutes and laughs at a joke he makes. One student laughs, thereby giving him motivation to waste more time.
The absolute best math teacher I've had in my life. If math isn't your thing, I can see why you don't like him, but for those of you who love math he is unbelievably fantastic. Teaches you the real core of things rather than just making you memorize random stuff. First person who explain to me why the derivative laws are true.
I took calculus in high school and easily aced it, but this class is on another level. He's a good teacher but the class is extremely hard and basically all you do it prove things. If you know how to prove everything (and I mean everything) then you should do okay in the class.
Please avoid choosing this professor's classes. Meaningless webwork! The only thing you can do is typing rather than thinking. The homework is ridiculously difficult and troublesome. The quizzes are pretty tricky too. There are no midterms, but the quizzes were not that easy.
Not a very good professor, that's all I have to say.
homework is difficult and doesn't even apply. Quizzes are extremely difficult, but graded on a curve. Speeds through lectures and doesn't cover everything. Webworks is mostly just typing tons of parenthesis. Bad professor
Absolutely annoying homework that doesn't really help you improve but instead throw you into complicated calculations. Lecture was to be honest not clear and lacked content. The only good thing about this course is that A isn't that hard to get if you work hard.
Bad thing that he taught by concepts. This style isn't for everyone. I understood all of the concepts he explained, but he gave a us very limited examples, and it was really difficult to apply what I learned in class due to the lack of class examples. The homework he gave were unnecessarily hard and the other classes didn't have such homework.
Do not take this professor, at ALL COST! Material is not difficult, but Waldron makes it way more difficult than it actually is. There is a lot of online homework, in addition to regular homework that you turn in for credit. There are weekly quizzes, but Waldron is not willing to say what topic quiz will be on. Highly recommend to avoid him.
During the quarter I had Waldron, I was a big fan. I had heard he was the hardest math teacher at Davis, so I figured that he would prepare me for future classes, but he didn't. I still did well in those classes, but I realized that the reason his class was hard wasn't because he asked hard problems, but because he was a crap teacher.
The start of this class was very frustrating and mentally exhausting. He grades written homework by completion, and online homework by accuracy. He calculates your final grade based on 50% from homework, 25% from quizzes, and 25% from the final. If you do all of the homework, you'll get a good grade.
By far the most difficult class I've ever had. Messed my GPA up for the rest of the year. Do not take if you have a choice.
The best!! Waldron sometimes jokes for minutes on end, yet he gets through the material in a very clear way and he is good at showing different approaches to problems. His midterm was quite easy (and curved). The take home final was extremely difficult, but it was fair given 2 weeks to work on it.
Really hard class but huge curve. Had a C average on quizzes and D on the final. Still got an A because everyone was doing worse than that.
Good guy, Bad Bad teacher. Doesn't teach you the stuff you will actually need, even if he teaches it, he doesn't let you know what exactly he teaches. Don't be fooled by the fact that this guy has no exams -- coming to this class will make you wish for your entire grade to be given by exams.
I don't know how he is with in-person instruction, but his remote teaching is really bad. He only writes proofs and doesn't teach you how to do any of the actual work (21D). Because we're all remote we had no tests and homework due at end of term, but that left for zero structure. I wished I took the other prof who had due dates, quizzes, exams.
Since we are in a pandemic, our grade was basically dependent on the homework. However the homeworks were very long and quite difficult. It was very hard to do the homeworks just from his lectures because his lectures are so theoretical and proof heavy. If you did all the work you got an A but it was incredibly time consuming. Concepts are hard.
Lenient, very nice professor. If you take his class during online instruction you may not have exams. The homework was a lot, but most 21C students have to do the same homework on top of exams and weekly quizzes. Not to mention, the calculus room is open five days a week and they were able to answer most of the problems I went over with them.
No exams due to pandemic. Easy A if you don't procrastinate, but the lectures are proof-heavy and aren't very helpful for the homework. There's a lot of homework, but it was very manageable if you went ahead of the prof. Relied heavily on the textbook and self-studying.
skip class - you will pass lol. idk how he is in person, but remote waldron gave no exams so grade was based all on hw. dont fall behind and finish them all and you will get an A. (there were 30 for 10 weeks). he's a terrible lecturer and makes self deprecating comments about students not liking him or his lectures because they're proof based.
The professor makes expectations clear and had offered no tests whatsoever due to the pandemic. It was mostly up to the homework which can be easy to ignore and pile up as it wasn't due until the end of the term. The lectures were very concept-heavy and didn't focus too much on any actual examples that were needed to understand the homework.
he makes you write notes based upon each lecture which considers as 10% of your grade, I wrote about 150+ pages of handwritten notes(as wanted) which he gives activities while teaching, Also, he rushed 3 chapters in 3 weeks, and also want you to do all of the Webwork, because he claims some students have done all of them before the last two chapter
Lectures were only attended because we need to take notes to submit them for later. The class is just conceptual, so if you like conceptual math this is the class for you if not avoid at all costs. I felt that I learned nothing from this class. The homework was very conceptual and quite confusing.
He will go into every minute detail and derive every single theorem you do so be prepared to re-watch lectures and use online sources when doing homework/webwork if you're confused. This might suck but you'll understand the concepts more than most other 21D students I've talked to so.
funny guy, has an Australian accent, class wasn't easy but he's a good teacher
Funny Australian man who cares for his students. Organized two review sessions where he bought us all cookies and coffee. Class didn't have midterms, but weekly quizzes, and he drops the lowest 3. Take-home final is (very) difficult but collaboration allowed as long as we cite the source.Very low HW load, but they can be hard.
Cares about his students and sets up office hours w free coffee and cookies. Very conceptual, teaches like a physicist. No midterms, just quizzes and a final project. HW/Final Project is easy if you do your research right, did some textbook work, and wrote down lecture notes. WebWork has infinite attempts.
He was a TERRIBLE professor. His lectures are slow and just end up explaining the formulas that the book gives you, and he gives no practical examples. His quizzes and discussions hardly feel similar to his lectures, and his homework is very conceptual. His jokes would be tolerated if I actually learned in his class. Definitely do NOT recommend..
Few homework assignments but were very difficult. No midterm or final, just weekly quizzes and a final project. The curve in this class is amazing. Weekly quizzes and homework mainly based on real life physics examples rather than the usual "plug and chug" in calculus.
Too much laborous work to do. Really torturing. Will never take again.
Get ready to do laborous work. Horrible lectures, you don't understand a word. Literally self-teaching based on TONS of homework. Discord will be your best-friend. Use symbolab whenever you can, don't be extra and try to do it yourself. You'll learn nothing in this class. It was traumatizing.
Chill professor who is caring. However his lectures were sometimes confusing and homeworks were hard. Get ready to do a ton of webworks they will eat your time. Kind of hoped he would be supportive of the TA strike and cancel the final or reduce assignments but he just ended up grading them himself.
He has clearly put a lot of thought into making this class manageable and low-stress. He's friendly and personable, and gives great lectures. I would highly recommend taking this professor if you can.
He is hilarious, lectures are fun and sometimes confusing. The Webworks will take forever to complete, I had a group of friends we shared the workload so wasn't that bad. 70% of the class was just assignments, had only finals no midterms. Did horrible in my finals but with the curve got an A. Need to do alot of work yourself.
This was the first college math course I took. The class has lots of homework: 4-6 long problems roughly every 2 weeks which takes 6-7 hours to solve and online webworks (20 sections with around 15 q's)which can be exhaustive. There were no midterms , although there were 1 pt quizzes every week. Attending the lectures may help but it's confusing.
Waldron is a funny and caring individual who provides great on-demand tutoring every Wednesday (he also gives Peet's Coffee to anyone who shows up). However, he teaches with a conceptual approach, so you will have to change your mindset to try and 'make sense' of what he teaches. Final exam wasn't memorization based. Huge curve.
Prof. Waldron is more theoretical than calculation based. I personally didn't like his lectures because of the lack of examples. On a good day, he'd give us two examples that weren't sufficient. There were two types of homework, ones that he created and ones that were given by Webworks. Both homeworks were difficult. No midterm, test = theoretical.
Quite disorganized and requires more self study. He focuses on the conceptual in lectures and tests, which makes them difficult. However, he's a funny guy and communicative. Make sure to stop in any office hours available - he wants you to succeed. Only one test worth 30%, but 70% of your grade is free. Theres better options, but he's not that bad.
This class was awesome!! Waldron's lectures were very entertaining and I enjoyed going to them. He has a great personality but teaches very conceptually, so if you aren't good with that kind of learning this class might not be for you. There are no midterms and you get full credit for the weekly quizzes and homework if you complete them.
Bad teacher, funny guy. Class graded by only homework and final so easy to get a good grade, but material is not taught clearly.
I mean yeah the grades are only based on a final and homework. However, the avg on the final was 40%. Let that marinate in your head. I didn't even know how to study for the final cuz I knew it was gonna be BS proof questions even tho hw is all computations. Can't even understand his accent in lecture so I just stared at his amogus drawings..
Great guy, but not the best teacher - lectures were funny but somewhat hard to understand. There was HW due every 2ish weeks, but he had generous late submission deadlines. Class was very test heavy (20% MT 40% Final), but he had a very generous curve (80+ was an A, 65+ was a B) to make up for it. Overall, not bad if you can put in the effort.
Funny and nice guy. His final is 30% and mostly conceptual questions. His lectures cover every proof and concept you need to know. You will probably understand 21D better than other students who didn't have him. Personally, I didn't like the disorganized lecture style but the textbook was helpful when lecture wasn't.
Waldron loves to utilize very conceptual examples when teaching topics during lecture that can be generalized to most problems (i.e pyramids in bathtubs, etc.). Additional reading of the textbook helps reinforce topics as well as going to Coffee and Calculus! Grade distribution: 3 Written HWs: 20% 3 Quizzes: 20% 10 Online Webworks: 30% Final: 30%
Lectures more conceptual and physics based rather than usual plug and chug calculus Professor really knew the material but not the best at teaching. Homeworks were difficult along with quizzes and final exam, but I learned a lot and found it helpful that he taught us applications rather than just formulas.
Waldron is very conceptual. Having quizzes replace the midterms was really nice. Lots of his lectures are him proofing lectures and you will have to understand the proofs and be able to prove those equations to do well in his class. Easy to pass but hard to get an A in as the final test is very hard so it is curved.
Waldron is a really good professor, holds OH every week with coffee/chocolate. Grade breakdown in %: 30 webwork, 20 written HW, 20 quizzes, 30 final. Read the textbook regularly, it explains topics well. I watched Prof's lecs and Grant acosta's lectures in youtube. Prof posted some practice questions on canvas, the final was based off that.
Really funny and caring prof, even though the material was really hard he made it enjoyable
Very conceptual, not a lot of plug and chug so be prepared. Lectures were ok, it can help you understand on a basic level but it's best to look for outside help especially on calculations. Homework is half the grade and quizzes replace midterms, but they and the final especially are tough. He does care about students and is pretty funny though.
The professor makes the course engaging with real-world examples. Though the material is challenging, lectures and the textbook are helpful. Unstuck ai was a great study aid alongside other resources like YouTube videos. Overall, it's a rewarding class if you stay on top of the work.
Since there are no midterms, just a final, it's really challenging for me because I have to cram a lot of material at the last minute.
Grading scheme was 50% homework & 50% final with no midterms. He posted a practice final but did not post solutions. TA also did not post solutions to homework, so lazy. Would consistently show up 10 min late to a 50 min lecture. Wasted time talking about money and horses instead of math. Did not respect his students at all.
Extremely messy hand writing, unreadable. Also extremely annoying
Midterms aren't graded, huge final. Lectures are incomprehensible and proof heavy, which contrasts the computations on WebWork homework.
An evil professor. I can't listen to his class at all. If you attend his lecture, you can only watch him indulging in his flowing handwriting. You won't learn anything else.
The first math class in my life that makes me want to die. The board notes are always incomprehensible. The proofs skip all the steps and jump straight to the answer. The quizzes are entirely conceptual and theoretical. The TA doesn't know anything whenever I ask. The content has to be self-taught through WebWork. Can learn nothing, DO NOT ATTEND!
The first math class in my life that makes me want to die. The board notes are always incomprehensible. The proofs skip all the steps and jump straight to the answer. The quizzes are entirely conceptual and theoretical. The TA doesn't know anything whenever I ask. The content has to be self-taught through WebWork. Can learn nothing, DO NOT ATTEND!!
Very unclear lectures. Makes the quizzes and exams all theoretical and proof heavy which is extremely different from the homework. Basically the class feels like an upper division real analysis class instead of calculus, and it confuses everyone. Do not take.
STAY AWAY! My friends who've aced 21C with other prof's have no clue what they're looking at when i showed them our practice midterm. No graded midterms, 50% Final, 15% quizzes, HW is 30% and completely unrelated to anything on exams or lectures. Lecture Notes are graded for 5%, in a really weird way. I love math, but not this. Find another prof.
does not follow the UC Davis 21 series standard at all lectures are proof heavy which wouldn't be a problem if the class was meant for that, no other 21C professor teaches this way. webwork hw is not based on lectures and needs heavy textbook reading or prior knowledge Quizzes and practice midterms extremely difficult, lowww averages AVOID
not even the TAs know what's going on TS PMO TS PMO
do not take his class
Do not take this prof. Writing is incomprehensible, homework is almost nothing like the tests, quizzes are inconsistently formatted, no clear grade breakdown, syllabus was mostly a tangent about youtube. I am normally an A student for math and science and my current grade is 67.5.
The first half of 21C will be completely theoretical and incomprehensible to any normal calculus student, but everything will start to feel more normal after series and sequences. Lectures are pretty hard to understand. Get ready to study proofs like crazy
He drew a horse to teach us everything besides what is covered on the assignments, homework, and tests. He assigns multiple homeworks a week. Absurd considering they cover subjects we aren't being taught. From my personal experience, the only thing I have learned from this professor is what learning from an unqualified professor is like.
Get ready to not understand anything during his lecture. Lecture is incomprehensive for me due to conceptual stuff, prof handwriting is a mess, literally what works for me is just self taught through youtube and AI. I tried to understand his lecture,review materials beforehand and be extremely attentive during lectures, but I still learned nothing.
This class is chill lectures are hilarious, great jokes, as far as the material goes DO NOT FALL BEHIND go to class keep up with the material bc trust me this class can snowball out of control the quarters almost over and you have to learn the entire mat21c material in 2 weeks as well as his odd exam style #lifeisgreat :( but there's a curve :)
I'm appalled by this class. Incomprehensible lectures, prof rambles about specific material without connecting it to what we need to know. Office hours maybe every other week, with quizzes, midterms, and OH announced two lectures before at best. TAs are kept in the dark, prof doesn't answer questions. No syllabus, poorly paced course
This professor's lectures are extremely hard to follow due to unclear explanations, incoherent delivery, and illegible handwriting, which he strangely brags about. No midterm, with the final exam worth 50% of the grade. Expect a heavy WebWork assignment load. If he's your only option, consider taking the course next quarter—it's not worth it.
His Blackboard is illegible, unorganized, and frustrating. His lectures are unprofessional and whittle down to irrelevant rambling. His lecture videos do not show the Blackboard properly, and sometimes, he doesn't even use the microphone. He expects us to know the proof of math itself.
Just overall terrible. Exam questions are very tedious, and the final is worth 50% of the grade. All theoretical questions. Avoid if you can.
while math was never considered a subject that i "hated" or struggled at. this professor solidified my hatred for math. forever. not very good considering im studying to be an engineer. :[ awful prof, never take at all costs
made me genuinely hate math, this guy pmo bru. PLEASE TAKE THE GOAT SIR JOHN CHALLENOR IF YOU ARE ABLE TO
Literally teaching myself during the whole quarter, DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!!!
taught myself by using gpt and textbook for the entire course, you will learn nothing in his lecture NOT RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!!!!
Just incomprehensible. Feeling lost all the time despite putting in work.
Incomprehensible lectures that are extremely proof-based and barely gives any actual examples; quizzes and final were more computational. I learned the material this quarter with YT and the Co-class. He gave a 10% curve though, to make up for his **** teaching. Still not worth it though I struggled the entire quarter, my mental health plummeted lol
Professor Waldron was an amazing teacher. Overall he was super caring and put his students above all. Some of his lectures were confusing but he was very clear about what to study for the quizzes and final. Very lenient grader who dropped low homework scores and had a great curve.
Unless you're 90+ile in Math at Davis, do not take this professor. His lectures are indecipherable, writing illegible and overall stressful course bc I stopped going to lecture midway to self study the book with AI. Quizzes and discussion sheets are very very theory heavy. 50% final. Dont take unless you want to be a Math major. Heavy curve though.
Yeah the curve is good but you have to work extra hard for a good grade. The only reason I did well is bc of the TAs and self-studying for hours. I probably won't remember anything from this class he only became comprehensible during the last few lectures
He's a nice funny dude, but his lectures are practically incomprehensible, not just due to the heavy emphasis on theory but because the flow is all over the place and hard to follow. The 3 hour review session my TA held before the final helped me more than every single lecture combined. During the final the person behind me cried the whole time.
Some professors become too smart and become out of touch with us freshman engineering students. Waldron would be great if you want to become a math major/schizophrenic, but I don't feel prepared for 21d. PAYOFF: Extremely graceful grading. You'll probably pass if you don't miss homework deadlines. Learn what he says to learn for discussion quizzes.
Professor Waldrons lectures were sometimes muddled and confusing, but his assignments and tests were fair. He made extra time outside of class to help students, and his curriculum helps build good understanding of 21C if you put in the time.
Wally has a really strong curriculum, his homeworks, discussion worksheets, and practice exams do a good job preparing you for the final. My biggest complaint is the lectures, if you are unwilling to spend time outside of class reading the textbook or OH, you wont receive a good grade. The TA's definitely carried this quarter, but Wally was fair
I had Waldron Winter 2025, and this was my favorite class of the quarter. His lecturers are very entertaining. I missed like 2 lectures out of the year and created study groups for the class. Managed to end with a good grade. I won't lie the final exams are ROUGH but hw is doable and a very gracious curve is applied at the end. Highly recommend!
Most things he has taught did not relate to calculus.
Led lectures on Theorems with no numbers. This confusing material left me feeling behind when taking the upper division math courses.
Run for your life
Very conceptual heavy, run
Please just don't take this professor he gives such hard problems. All the other 21A kids I talked to have so much easy tests and questions. Too conceptual. One final worth 60%, no midterms. Terrible. Spent our first lecture talking about chem. Just don't. save yourself.
The lecture notes are very messy and often illegible, and the professor focuses heavily on complex proofs rather than practical applications. There are no midterms, only a final exam, which is very strange and complicated. The homework assignments on WebWork are numerous, complex, difficult, and hard to input.
"Smart" Professor but horrible lectures, DO NOT GET THIS PROFFESOR!!! unless you are a math major, 60% of grade is final and 70 percent of test is either theoretical or proof related. Class itself isn't extremely hard (it's Calc 1) but Prof makes it unnecessarily harder than it should be. For the sake of your GPA don't take him
Horrible Prof, Lectures not worth going too, DONT TAKE HIM IF YOU CAN!!!!
lwk terrible proff w/ confusing lectures . Webworks are excessive and don't match his extremely difficult exams. He's aware about the nasty stuff people say about his lectures and I think if he's getting so many of these comments he should do some self reflection. He's a great guy and I can tell he cares, but as a proff run the other way.
run. just run. like if you don't hate yourself, just pick another proff.
Yes he is very conceptual but his curve is extremely big. I got a 68% on the final (final was 60% of grade) and got close to 100 for hw and discussion (which is 40 of grade) and still got A. He is very caring and funny, and you can see he is passionate about teaching. He is a good professor - his teaching methods just might not be for everyone.
Take time to get used to his lecture style. Every webwork is lengthy and difficult(training endurance fs). Survived this class by the grace of my goat TA, shoutout to Michael, and textbook. Lots of concept he teach in class are honestly understandable only if you kind of know it a bit. So, do read a bit of the topic before you come to lecture.
I took this professor because I had thought that the other reviewers were lying when they said he was hard, but oh boy he is hard. He is funny, so I'll give him, but other than that having no midterms and then giving us a final that was 60% with mostly theories was insane. Run for your life, do not take this professor,
genuinely thought I was gonna fail this class. thank god the final curve was so good because how did a 50% get me a B. the class for me was very much self study. the lectures were always confusing for me and his handwriting is very hard to read. i never took AP calc so i walked in knowing nothing, but reading the textbook every night helped.
Professor Waldron spent lots of time focusing on basic theorems on lectures. However, his final is difficult. There are lots of self study and Webwork assignments. But the professor gave a high curve on final.
60% final,20% webwork,20% webwork.. huge curve, basically got it curved from 140 to 116 and then after that, for an A, u would need 80% on top of that,for B 70% etc. lectures are okayish!
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