2.9
Quality3.0
Difficulty47%
Would Retake84
Reviews47%
Would Retake
84
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
20
4
14
3
13
2
19
1
18
What Students Say
“Midterm: (30%) Probs followed HW mainly, some lecture”
MATH109 - 2.0 rating“Chow gives pretty clear exam range”
20C - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
3%
Textbook Required
40%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.21 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH21C
5.0
(1)20B
5.0
(1)MATH10B
5.0
(1)MATH140B
5.0
(1)MATH21D
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
CALC20B
4.0
MATH20D
3.7
MATH31BH
3.5
MATH109
3.4
MATH21C
3.0
Reviews (84)
Good handwriting, clear voice, manageable class.
GOod hand writing, lectures are helpful... and tests were pretty easy... well except the final, i thought it was hard...
Very nice handwriting and fair exams including the finals. His lectures can be a bit boring...but he tries to make MATH interesting. =]
Good, clear speech and jealousy-inducing handwriting. Unfortunately, it took him about 6 weeks to do an actual practice problem...he seems to have some obsession with doing proofs...but then again, which math professor isn't?
Awesome guy, rather down-to-earth, very reasonable course work n such. I'd take him again if i needed to.
I liked him so much for 20B that I rearranged my schedule to take him again. BIG MISTAKE...don't take him for 21D! The midterms are easy but the finals are substantially harder.
His lectures were really easy to read. But the book and the material made the class impossible. I don't blame him for it though. If I want to solve a diff eq, I'll just look it up in a book. Chow always looks lost outside of class.
He's adorable and he color-codes his work on the board. His hand writing is easy to read, but he erases half of the stuff he writes. He tries to make math interesting.
Chow has the neatest handwriting ever. He is very clear and speaks in english, unline 99% of the math department. I've been to a total of 4 classes this quarter and I've got over 90% on both midterms. Tests are a cinch. I reccomend Chow.
Gives fair midterms and final. That's all I know considering that I didn't go to many of his lectures.
this guy is an ****, he really doesnt care about his students. i went to his office hours before a midterm and he was on the fone and told me to get out so he could finish his conversation... he is totatlly unprepared.. i hated him for wastin our time
I think I learned more from the book than from Chow's lectures, which I did not go to half the time but still managed a decent grade. His midterms are pretty simple and easy. The final is definitely harder than the midterms.
Chow was totally unprepared for the class, and didn't make much sense up on the board. His midterms were realistic (just like the practice problems). The final was EXTREMELY difficult (he grades on a curve.) He's not bad, just don't expect a great prof.
Not hard or tricky at all
Absolutely horrible lecturer. If you can't learn out of the book, avoid at all costs. Unorganized. Will stop mid-example and do other sub-examples and get entirely off-topic trying to prove obscure points. His English is clear, but that's about the only plus. Leaves out all the helpful details.
I hate this guy SO MUCH. Worst lecturer of all time, has no idea how to teach. I seriously want to kill him. The book (Conrad) was horrible too, almost impossible to learn from. We ended up buying a different book to learn the stuff. This guy is a complete moron, AVOID TAKING HIM AT ALL COSTS.
He is SOOOO confusing, but luckily if you can learn from the book it'll be ok. But then again, differential equations is rather a confusing subject.. but still. He is always late for class too, I call him the "master & commander" cause its funny to see him mess up.
Do not take a math class with Ben Chow. It will be painful and you will want to cry in class. He confuses himself and the class in his lectures. The book is no help, it is almost as confusing as the teacher.
Here is some excellent advice: Dont go to lecture and just study the homework and the text, and you will do fine!!!!!!!!
try not to take his class, extremely confusing teacher. Never introduces what hes trying to do, just does some weird stuff on the board. Only option to learn is out of the book, which is almost as confusing. Plus Side: his practice midterms are almost exactly like the real midterms (40% of class)
just study the book. don't go to lecture or you'll be confused out of your mind, even if you already know how to do it. I had a good t.a. though. he was clearer. teacher makes mistakes a lot.
He is hard to follow, and his lectures were all over the map. Homework and labs are time-consuming. Book is pretty useless. I recommend OASIS with Dante...I think I learned it all there rather than in lecture.
Absolutely the WORST teacher I have encountered at UCSD. He confuses himself in lecture and often makes mistakes on the board. His examples are unclear and often difficult to understand. The book itself is quite confusing and MATLAB work is time consuming. If at all possible do not get him as a prof
MATLABs suck, but all 20D professors are required to use them. Material itself is not too difficult, but I took Oasis with it. Professor isn't that bad, i've definitely had worse. Nice guy :) Writing is super neat. I love his colored chalk!!
not the greatest teacher ive encountered. makes mistakes on the board a lot and even though it might seem like he's using simple phrasing, he often ends up confusing both the student body and himself. also, i emailed him several times and never received replies. don't go to lecture; go to sections.
Lectures are completely pointless. He doesn't have an accent, and his writing is neat and organized, but what he says is irrelevant. Just read the book and complete (and memorize) all of the assigned homework problems and you'll do fine.
This guy sucks. Do not take him EVER! Avoid him at all costs. And this is coming from a math major. He is never prepared for class and he is HORRIBLE at explaining important concepts.
Guy below me should change majors. Very organized notes and clear lectures, but they are entirely out of the book. Not much point in attending lecture if the textbook is good. Reasonable length on the hw assignments and the tests are very easy to do well on with studying. So-so.
He writes clearly but that's the only part of lectures worth anything. He's scatterbrained and not very clear about the topics he lectures about. I guess it could be worse. My suggestion, take 20A and 20B when everyone is on the same schedule and takes the same test.
He constantly screws up his examples which only ends up confusing you and makeing you learn how to do things the wrong way. He is very unprepared for lectrures. On the bright side the midterms are not to hard although the final is difficult.
i hated this class he couldnt teach without his colored chalk so he said but to me he wasnt teaching students but rather talking to the board very hard class and tests, well since i didnt learn anything... but somehow came out with a C not a C- a C
Easy. He doesn't go as indept as other 20C profs. Midterms and finals are just like the homeworks, basically--same kinds of problems. Straight foward stuff, no tricks. Homework is easy too, by the by. Refreshing way to end the 20 series, if you're not a Chem/Phys/Engineer/Math/CogSci mayjor.
The only good thing about this professor is that he has very neat handwriting....
avoid this teacher at all costs! his lectures suck and you'll leave super confused. the good things about him:his quizzes are just homework problems. if you are one of those people who can teach themselves from a book be my guest.
Chow is a very nice, very neat guy. He is genuinely funny and while he can indeed be a little scatterbrained in his lectures he shows a clear approach to solving almost all types of problems in the homework. His review sessions for midterms and finals are extremely helpful. He taught us how to make pot pies.
His quizzes and tests are really easy--quizzes are homework problems and he basically tells you exactly what's on the test. He has really neat handwriting and he tries to crack jokes every once in a while. He's a really easy teacher!
Clear lecturer, makes math interesting.
Most unclear, unfocused lecturer ever. While his speech is clear and his handwriting is practically computer type, he only lectures by proofs, introduces nothing before he starts it, and can hardly communicate what the whole point of an exercise is. His midterms tend to be pretty easy, though I haven't taken the final yet. AVOID or learn from book.
He's a nice guy, but is extremely unfocused and does not relate topics together. Half way through the course he began rambling and lectures rarely reflect course work. Easy midterms though so far, the class average was an A- on the first one.
He has the easiest quizzes. They are always homework problems. This quarter, his exams were pretty hard. The first exam was easy. By the final, many students were having A LOT of difficulty. He is a huge fan of arbitrary variables. His questions on the final seemed a little too involved for a basic level of understanding. Be ready!!!
Nice guy, well-prepared. Exams are more challenging now.
Nice professor and well prepared.
Probably the easiest math professor I've had at UCSD. There are a lot of professors worse than him (in terms of difficulty) so if you have trouble with Prof. Chow, I suggest you study better.
He is a nice guy and a pretty easy professor. Don't rely on him explaining stuff to you in class, it doesn't help and the book is trash too. The online homework can be a pain at times. Recommend a lot of self studying and if possible, attend another profs lecture.
He is a nice guy. And that's about the only good thing i can say. His lectures often leave me lost and the online homework is a pain to say the say the least. His tests are outright ridiculous. You are expected to answer roughly 5 questions that each require at least a page worth of work in just a 50 minute period. AVOID HIS CLASS!
He is a nice person, but dont understand what he is teaching about, maybe too deep for me. The only thing I can do is to read textbook by my own in order to pass this class.
Really nice and always crack jokes during lecture. His midterms are very straightforward from homework assigned! Definitely a great teacher.
He's a nice guy, but truly his teaching is impossible to follow. I sat in the front, went to every lecture, and read the book before class and still found my friends and I looking at each other after each class asking "what was he talking about?" Maybe it's because he's so tight about keeping schedule that he rarely finishes a subject..
I love Chow. His tests were pretty easy and he was enthusiastic in class. He makes jokes and it's easy to pay attention to him. His writing is super neat and I think his lectures were clear, though they did lack a little in material.
He has a clear handwriting, and that's it.
Had him for summer session 1. Lectures are pretty easy to follow and his handwriting is extremely clear. Midterms and finals are fair if not easy, especially if you have already had calculus AB before. Very nice guy as well- he is always willing to answer any questions you have. His practice midterms & final were also really helpful - use them!
Professor Chow is a pretty cool professor. He makes the material clear and understandable. Homework is mandatory but a top of 20 or less problems per assignment. There are two midterms and one final. You are allowed a page of notes for each exam with is awesome. He is corky and fun to learn Math from. I would highly recommend him.
Ben Chow isn't a good professor by any means for math 109, he does have practice exams available but those only help so much. In class he often dwelled on very conceptual proofs which he got lost in. The class introduces a new way of thinking mathematically but Chow does a poor job of delivering these important concepts. A nice guy, but stay away.
Initially I didn't like him. However, his way of teaching grew on me as I became more adjusted. He curves extremely generously. The class itself is hard so watch out for that. He's definitely not the worst choice out there for this class.
Professor Chow is not very engaging in his lectures and tends to make everyone fall asleep. But aside from that, judging from his explanations, the guy knows his stuff down to pat. If you have any questions about pretty much anything, shoot him an email or visit his office hours to explain a question/proof. His exams and HW were easy as well.
Prof Chow is a fine choice for MATH 109. Although he covers much more materials, his tests are very fair, and most of the problems were similar to past exams and sample problems covered in lecture. However, he often makes mistakes, so you should definitely asked whenever in doubt.
Lectures: Often very unorganized, although informative if able to follow along. HW: (20%) Followed mainly from book, and some from lectures. Midterm: (30%) Probs followed HW mainly, some lecture. Final: (50%) Only 1/4 probs followed HW/Lecture, 3/4 DID NOT!!! Most probs overly difficult/not covered directly. DO NOT rec prof for final alone!!!!!!!!
So by past finals he posted and the midterm, I expected that most of the problems would be similar to the homework and lecture problems with a few of them being extra difficult. I'm not sure what happened this time around but the final was ridiculously difficult with only a few similar to class problems. Prof did not prepare us for final at all...
The final was so hard; a lot of students say that they just have no idea what happen with the questions.
I find it adorable that he knows so much about pop culture and has tons of jokes on it. theres a lot of hw but math takes practice anyway. the exams are fair and we are allowed a cheat sheet. lecture is not mandatory but if you dont attend and dont read the books, its gonna be hard.
The best math teacher everrrr. His tests are so easy that are just from homework.
Chow gives pretty clear exam range. Unlike other professors, chow focuses more on proving and understanding concepts. Hes always passionate during class. Great overall!
The midterms were easy to get full score, but then comes the finals and you have no idea how to do many of the problems! Overall, the lectures are useless. Just do the homework and borrow another classs notes to self study. I skipped most of the classes but attended TA office hours and it proved to be right.
Chow is completely lost. He began by reading what the professor before him (also 20C) wrote on the board and said something like "you all get this right? If you get this raise your hand"... then, no one would raise their hand because he hadn't even grazed that topic before... "ok perfect" and began to prove some theorem no other class was taught.
An interesting professor who is funny at times and has exceptional handwriting. These positives are overshadowed however by the disjointed way he moves through the 20C topics, picking the topics based on how he feels, not what makes the most logical ordered sense. Homework is challenging Tips: work with your peers to understand all topics in depth.
Lots of homework and usually spend 7-8h finishing it without doing any other thing. You have no idea what he says during the lecture.
He mumbles a lot to himself and talks to the board instead of to his students. Instead of doing specific examples he makes up problems in his head that usually confuse himself and uses a lot of theoretical explanations. His lectures always end early and he never seems prepared for class. His lectures confuse me and I feel like I haven't learned.
Professor Chow is a zero effort professor. Skipping lectures actually helped in this class since he only confused me. He wouldn't even prepare a lecture and would simply try to teach from the Math 20C class that had the room before us. However, I got a B without learning any of math 20C so there's that
His lecture is very confusing and he writes on the board very unorganized. People gradually left the room after the beginning of the class. His final is way harder than the midterm.
He focuses on theoretical concepts of calculus rather than only applying it for which I respect a lot. He also tries to connect Linear Algebra to Calculus, which is interesting. The boundary of exam is clearly stated, with bunch of former exam examples, which if you take will make you get a good grade.
I first did not like his way of teaching because he sometimes doesn't give you enough details during lecture, but because he wrote his own homework, made me work for it to solve it, instead of copying from a solution from online. If you spend time to do his hw then you'll be okay on the exams. He prepared me for upper division proof base classes.
He explained all the concepts fairly clearly during lectures except for occasional calculation errors. There was a lot of homework for the course and the final was not easy, but overall, he is a great professor to choose.
I can get A/A+ in exams. I can do the homework without much trouble. However, I dont know what he is talking about in lectures.
He made his own homework problems but he went over the problems in class. And he helped to solve the homework in his office hour. The exams were based on in-class review and homework problems. If you understand the homework problems perfectly and study hard the in-class review, it is easy to get A.
Just don't take his lectures. If you could understand all the material he gives as homework, tests are easy.
He's a very knowledgeable mathematician, but it doesn't make him a great professor. He always leaves out chunks of concepts and tells the students to do it themselves because "it's rather trivial". He never gives the full picture of the material, and his lectures are all over the place. Only 15 kids attend his 100 person lecture, so it shows.
I never watched his prerecorded lecture and rarely showed up during his office hours/actual lectures, but if you do the homework and practice midterms and attend his additional office hours before the exams, you should be fine. He gives a lot of hints on what he will put on the exams. He is a generous professor and is willing to curve for student.
His lecture style is not for everyone and he has trouble explaining concepts concisely sometimes. But he is very accessible outside of class and answers homework questions in office hours. His tests are also quite fair and are similar to the practice problems he gives. Overall a solid professor in my opinion.
The course content is significantly less difficult than the simple act of understanding this man's lectures
Do NOT MISS this WONDERFUL professor because of this rmp grade for him. The 2.8 is WAY TOO LOW for this good man
Don't be intimidated by his Asian name! He has no accent at all and is a great lecturer and an awesome teacher! The 140 series is literally one of the hardest series in UCSD math major, but he taught it in a way that is much easier to understand than any other professor here. I have experienced 3 professors in the 140 series and he teaches the best
Super solid professor. He was funny in class, and his lectures provided good intuition about the subject. Probably the easiest professor for Math 140. Definitely take his class if you see him!
Lectures are very clear and organized, although a bit slow. He's very knowledgable on the topic and has written a whole textbook on it.
Hard to make out what he's saying during lecture.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
3%
Textbook Required
40%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.21 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH21C
5.0
(1)20B
5.0
(1)MATH10B
5.0
(1)MATH140B
5.0
(1)MATH21D
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
CALC20B
4.0
MATH20D
3.7
MATH31BH
3.5
MATH109
3.4
MATH21C
3.0