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Nice guy

He has a very energetic style. You can tell he loves what he's lecturing about. Hell, he made modus ponens fun and threw in a weekly monty python reference in a class about discrete math.

He likes teaching, and he puts a lot of effort on it. Great teacher!!!

Best professor i have had

I had Dave for 311 and 187. He's a cool guy, and an overall good professor. I think he cares a bout his work and makes his best effort in relaying the subject matter. Some of his 187 material was a bit advanced for that class. But his exams are fair.

great guy, great teacher. taking 250 with him is great fun! he's always ready to listen to u and help u, and he knows very well what he's doing. however, u need to have very solid math skills. avoid him if u r stupid (honestly); try his class if u r ok; enjoy his class if u r among the top.

Nice guy, awesome class, horrible teacher. Despite the fact that he's a good guy, he thinks that EVERYONE is a genius, homework is really hard, exams are super hard, if you have to take this class be prepared (especially trying to understand his textbook)

Great class, great professor. Homeworks are challenging, but manageable if you spend enough time. The book can basically be treated as lecture notes, so you don't have to write your own. Exams are easy (easier than hw).

Great professor. Understands material extremely well and explains it perfectly. If you go to class, do the projects, and keep up, you will learn much more than you would in the average class. Highly recommended.

Well our textbook has a lot of errors. He's pretty bad at explaining things to beginners, and is pretty harsh. However, he does try to make the material understandable, and will go over work with you for hours. That doesn't mean you'll understand it more. I think he's better for upper level classes.

Incredibly smart man, but this sometimes leads him to assume you already know things. It might feel like he's going over material too quickly, but you just have to ask him to clarify and he well take the time. Very nice as well and quite willing to answer any questions you have (and you probably will). Overall you just have to put the effort in.

Fantastic Professor. Brilliant guy. very friendly and helpful. cares about the students learning the material. has a unique approach to teaching. students should be ready to work hard and learn a lot.

Great guy, good class. Really wants his students to succeed, but he sometimes has issues explaining his thoughts clearly. Office hours are helpful and he's an invaluable friend and resource to have (pretty sure he's the Undergrad Program Director). Tests were generally pretty hard, but the scales were usually huge.

Great guy. hard classes, just like they all should be. I mean, that's why you are going to college you dumbasses. You'll have a hard time but you'll def learn the material.

Knowledgeable prof, knows his stuff really well!Goes really fast through the topics. You need to constantly keep reading the book. But if you need help he's really helpful, both in office as well on email. Exams are hard, but are curved to the extreme.

I've taken 187 and 250 with him, and he's easily the best professor I've had at UMASS over two years. Everything is presented very quickly but also very clearly. His homework assignments can become extremely challenging, but you will learn more in his classes than any other. He's also a great guy if you ever speak with him.

I took both 250 and 401(now I think 401 became 501 but they are same thing) with him. Both classes cover very difficult materials. I wouldn't say he is not good at teaching. He just goes over them a little bit fast. But if you can follow, or if you go to office hour and clarify, you will know that he explains things vey clearly.

Great teacher. He puts his heart and soul into this course and makes every effort to teach it effectively. He does go fast in his lectures (there's a lot to cover) but he is ridiculously helpful. He will patiently explain anything during office hours or on the forum, and responds to emails in minutes. Yes the subject is difficult, prepare to learn.

Incredibly nice guy. His lectures are very fast paced and tests are really hard. If you can keep up, you'll be fine

He's very smart, typical science's guy, and very helpful. He will try to help you pass this course as much as he can (he added a lot of extra points at the end of the semester). The worst thing about him is the textbook. Don't trust it 100%.

I highly respect Barrington as a difficult professor, but his class was the most challenging and subsequently rewarding class I've ever taken. His homeworks (6 of them) took about 20 hours on average to complete but in the end, if you've done everything you'll walk away from his class a computer scientist. Go to the SI sessions for help every day!

Prof Barrington is one of those genius intellect professors that blaze through lecture content like it's second nature. The homework assignments are great practice for exams. There is a plethora of extra credit given which makes passing very easy if you give your 100%. The issue is that he explains concepts on a level that does not make sense.

Oh boy, where do I even start with the Mixer? As a professor he's incredibley smart but he does go through slides kinda fast. However, the difficulty of 250 is because of the course not because of him. I'd definitely go to the SI sessions for extra help. And definitely get the homework done as soon as possible. Tldr: great professor, awful class

Simply one of the most difficult courses UMass has to offer. Lot of material to cover and he's a genius who can't comprehend that we aren't smart enough to know what he is talking about. Expect to struggle for a passing grade, which the scale will usually help you achieve. Lectures are hard to stay focused on, but you'll do very well if you listen

This is probably the hardest 200 level comp sci class at UMass. Homeworks are long and very difficult, start early and ask for help and you will do well. Exams are much easier than any homework problems but still can be a little tricky. It is very important you go to lecture because iClicker is part of your grade and you will learn better.

David A. Mix Barrington. He is going to make you work harder than you've ever worked before, but you will come out the other side as a computer scientist. The slides are packed with all the information you need to know - study them well. Go to office hours for help on the homework. And stay after class to ask him questions.

One of my favorite professors and this class was incredibly enjoyable.

The class gets a rep for being very difficult with Barrington, and for good reason. However, the amount you learn makes the work worth it. Lectures are fast, so read the text (great read) in advance and attend office hours (they're surprisingly empty for how hard the class is). Very fair grader too, you have to legit do nothing to get below a C.

P. Barrington will make you work harder than you ever have. Just following along with his lectures is like playing mental olympics. He is a professor that can go from step A to Z in one go, leaving all the non-geniuses in the room spinning their heads. This is the only class I have ever needed to go to nearly every TA office hours for. Excellent.

Professor Barrington is hands down one of the best instructors I've ever had. His class was difficult, but that comes with the nature of the material. His lectures are very efficient, and he knows the material extremely well. Very approachable professor who cares about his students. Don't take notes during lecture (it goes too fast), just absorb!

Barrington is an amazing professor. 250 is the hardest course I've taken at Umass but I still found it oddly enjoyable. It takes a lot of effort to understand the material, so be sure to read the textbook before class, absorb the material during class, and read the textbook again while doing the homework. Exams are hard but there is partial credit.

He's a really good professor who knows his sh!t. If you don't like his style of teaching, you should buy another discrete math textbook; it will help a lot. He does talk really fast, but his exams are way easier than the homeworks.

A brilliant prof, he speaks fast but is understandable and his arguments and examples make the matter much more understandable

250 is a hard class but after taking it you will feel like you can do any compsci class at Umass. Dave is really good professor. He talks really fast but he's super smart and really cares about your understanding of the material. The homework is tough but doable, weekly quizzes aren't fun but the tests are manageable.

D.A.M. Barrington... His class is tough, but he is an awesome guy who genuinely loves teaching. He is very patient. You can ask him the dumbest possible questions and he won't give you any sass and tell you you're supposed to know that from your previous course. Start early on HWs and always be on top of everything. Work piles up super quickly.

A very good professor for a very difficult class. He is genuine and cares about the students learning. He is pretty funny and also very understanding. Once again, the class is difficult, but you could probably ask him 100 clarifying questions and he will answer all of them.

I dreaded taking this course because I'm not great a math. So I made 250 my priority. I ended up spending 20-25 hrs/week on 250. I tried to go to office hours and SI but only went to a couple sessions. And it was all worth it! Barrington talks really fast but he's very patient and will answer all your questions, even stupid questions.

Work with people on the homework concepts and weekly quizzes. His lectures are super fast, taking notes is risky, he talks a mile-a-minute, but if you read along in his textbook (sold for printing cost at copy-shop) before class it helps. He's really sweet and happy to help with any questions at office hours, but can be intimidating at first.

He gives a lot of homework, so be prepared to spend a lot of time. iclicker is used, even though it is worth only like 4%, it's a good boost because he gives partial credit for just answering the question. He curves literally everything, which I think is because he knows how difficult his class is, so as long as you work hard, the class is doable.

Barrington is a quality professor but he certainly moves quickly in his lectures. The textbook is written by him and is very concise, but you need to work hard, pay attention at all times and put in work after class to pass

CS250 was by far the hardest class I have ever taken at UMass. The homework will kill you and even if you work through it with friends, which you should. You will still spend hours on it. That is not Barrington's fault though. There is just so much material. The topics you learn are very useful later on though. Barrington does a great job.

Great Professor!!! Horrible class!!! I mean since CS majors need to take CS250, he really is a great professor to have. Yah, it's gonna be a rough class, but having someone as knowledgable as DMB does help. Also, he basically looks like a reincarnation of Socrates, so that's a plus.

Probably the hardest class I have ever taken but Barrington is basically a genius. His lectures can be a bit dry and very dense but he is very kind and will answer any questions. There's tons of work so you'll want to start the HW early and compare with other people for sure. The scale at the end of the semester is pretty forgiving too.

Great guy, super smart. Put in the work, you will learn. If discrete math/proofs aren't your thing you will have to work really hard or you will struggle hard in the course. However, I wouldn't take 250 with any other professor. I learned so much from Barrington.

I took Barrington for CS250 and CS250H. I received a B in 250, and an A in 250H. CS250 is homework heavy - the homework problems are very specific, and took a lot of time. However, they were rewarding once you managed to solve them yourself. In 250H, we read Godel, Escher, Bach, and talked a bit more abstractly about a lot of CS topic which was fun

He's really smart and will answer any question you throw at him. He does a great job, but 250 is a very difficult, often punishing, class. It sucks that CS majors have to take it, but Barrington makes the experience as bearable as possible. Get ready to study REALLY hard. Get started on the homeworks 2 weeks before they're due!

Amazingly smart guy and is really charming. The homework can be overwhelming but the exams are not as bad. Prepare to work really hard especially because of the raw amount of material covered in class. Couldn't see anybody else teaching this rough course apart from Barrington, he really makes it the best experience possible

Barrington talks like he has a PHD in Math so be ready to pay close attention so you don't lose what he's talking about. But he's a really good teacher who's very willing to help and is very helpful if you catch him outside of class. Also just a super friendly guy.

Prof Barrington is one of my favorite professors. His courses are such that if you work hard, you will get a good grade. He gives a ton of homework, but you learn from doing the homework, it was given for good reason. In the last few CS math courses I received low grades and didn't learn anything. In this course, I learned and understood.

One of the best professors I've ever had. Good amount of work, but at the same time it forces you to learn thoroughly. I've gotten the most out of his classes out of any CS course I've taken here. Very open to answering questions, and will do everything in his power to make sure that you understand the material before walking out of office hours.

Very accessible during office hours and beyond. Although the subject can be convoluted, (and sometimes his book contributes to this) his grading is quite lenient. Homework is quite long, but again, lenient. Definitely recommend.

Very helpful in office hours or otherwise asking questions. Tests aren't hard. I didn't like the grading system for challenge problems, it was impossible to get a 100 overall and each problem has essentially no partial credit. I liked Barrington and the class as a whole though.

Overall I don't think the major reason as to why 250 is so difficult is Barrington himself, I think it's more the content itself that makes 250 one of the hardest classes. Even though Barrington does breeze by stuff in lectures, he's very helpful outside of class on piazza for homeworks and such.

His textbook is super helpful and taught me most of the course. The course itself is very hard, but he does a good job teaching it and I learned a lot from taking it.

Lectures were mandatory via iclicker. Discussions are graded. Homeworks are really hard and take alot of time. There are 6, due every other week. Weekly quizzes are also easy, just take a look at the practice quizzes before (hint). Dave is very understanding with situations if you are sick, or reason why you have to take the make-up exam.

Barrington is not a great lecturer, and the class involves a lot of work including very theoretical concepts. However, Barrington and the course staff are great at answering questions during office hours and on Piazza. Barrington is also very understanding as far as course policy, and the grading is pretty lenient (massive curves on exams and HW).

Although 250 is a hard class, he's incredibly accommodating if you need a makeup/sick/ etc. That being said, it's easy to fall behind if you skip lecture. HW is difficult, but can save your grade if you do decent, and make sure to show up to TA office hours. The last 20% of the course isn't intuitive at all, so study a lot for the final.

240 is hardest with Barrington, so make sure to read the textbook often. HW is very difficult, so ask questions on Piazza. Exams are hard, and heavily weighted but all assignments are sort of curved. Takes a while to get used to the grading scheme. Professor is interested in the subject, and if you just "think out loud", he'll lead you to the ans.

250 is a difficult course with any professor, but Barrington knows his stuff, writes the exams, and has been teaching this exam since before I was born. So, if you're gonna take 250, take it with him.

The material in 250 is VERY hard, but Barrington is the best person to take it with. Most people can get a B or so. An A is attainable if you're willing to put in the work & not cut corners. Everything is generously curved and exams are fair. Complex content can make lectures confusing, but Barrington is a very smart guy and explains things well.

He is a great guy, and a caring professor, the only issue is that sometimes he doesn't know why his code isn't working. Would take again

Incredibly knowledgable and a pleasure to take his class.

Barrington is not the best lecturer but he is very knowledgable on the homework he assigns which I would say is the hardest part about the class. Exams are lowkey easy just study the past exams. Generous curves on homework and exams.

He's not the best at clearly expressing the material, but he's very knowledgeable on the homeworks which are worth a lot in this class. The material's hard (but interesting) and so are the homeworks and the midterm, but if you find a group to do the homeworks and the quizzes with, this class is okay.

Strict professor teaching hard stuff on mathematical proofs. Demanding strong evidence and carefulness. Homework is a lot and sometimes unclear. Had a tough time securing A in the class.

Barrington's class is challenging but worthwhile. Homework is tough, but using unstuck AI and study groups helps a lot. Exams are manageable with practice. Worth the effort.

Same person as last review, wanted to balance out for being too harsh, the slides are great. Stop playing god and charging for the book you wrote. The philosophy makes zero sense when so many students who are in need are paying for the book you wrote out of pocket. Says there is a free link but it doesn't even work. And you need it for his quizzes.

The expectations for this class are very reasonable, so long as you are responsible and on top of your stuff. All you have to do is go to every lecture/discussion as well as do the HWs and quizzes and this will prepare you more than well enough. Barrington is a delight but he has a tendency to mix words and be unclear at times.

I don't care what ANYONEEEE says Barrington is the GOAT!!!! Very sweet and flexible. Loves his dogs. 250 can be rough, but I truly enjoyed his lectures. He helped me find the fun in something I hadn't previously been interested in. :)

The class is exam heavy, and the exams are so long, repetitive and rushed that it probably increases risk of joint issues - I'm not a doctor. Exams are painful but you know what exams look like, fairly standard. The discussion exercises are catered to top 10% of students who already do well, legit harder than exams. But grading is generous.

This class is generally hard but managable if you pay attention during lectures. The grading is generous and the boundaries are clear. Be prepared to write homework a couple days ahead. The course is content heavy but it's not too hard to get good grades if you understand the material. The exams may be difficult sometimes but there is a curve.