Extraordinarily demanding of the students in his class. The amount learned though is also incredible. The tests are very difficult but manageable if you stay on top of the material and work as many problems as you can. This class is unlike any previous math class I have ever taken, much more based on understanding instead of regurgitation.

Difficult, intimidating, interesting class. Funny guy. Pretty helpful and friendly in office hours (he scared me initially though) and essentially wants students to understand the stuff. Needs to be more in tune with students understanding of his class though - exams too hard. Dropped, however I learnt a lot.

This guy is the master of math. If you do the homework his tests will seem easy. You will get a good grade and wonder what everyone is complaining about. He tells you exactly what will be on the test. So listen, then laugh as most people screw it all up anyway.

Hardest Math class you will ever take. Never collects homework, so it's up to you to learn on your own. (Good luck) DO THE HOMEWORK, as it will show up on the test. If you can't get the homework, he is helpful in office hours. Oh and tests are very very very hard!

Too many people blame the teacher when they don't put in the effort. Sure he's tough, but he's good, not boring, and you'll learn alot (if you put in the effort). Half of the questions on exams are straight from homework, so if you make the effort to understand them through the TA or office hours, you should get at least 50% (which is not bad)

There is a reason Math 321 has the lowest average grade of ALL classes on campus. When I took it, he only gave 1 A. I got lucky and scraped out an AB. That being said, he is an excellent professor and you will really learn a lot from him if you listen in class. GO TO THE DISCUSSION SECTION AND PUT IN THE TIME TO DO THE HOMEWORK. You MUST do the hw

Tough, but incredibly insightful and clear. You must do the homework to learn the material. Without that added practice and insight, the class can be a nightmare.

Best math professor I've ever had. If you don't do the homework, you are screwed. Make sure that you can do every homework problem backwards and forwards, and you should be fine in the class. You will KNOW vector calc afterwards.

Great Professor. Hard Class. He probably expects too much but if you do the work, you are guaranteed to learn way more than you ever wanted to about vector calculus. Wildly entertaining, easy to sit through lecture and pay attention which is important to do since there is no text book.

Absolutely incredible professor; makes the class hard. Great guy to just talk to, keeps class interesting, you MUST do the optional homework

Best professor I've ever had. This class reminded me how much I love math. But this was the hardest class I've ever taken by far. As everyone else said, hw has to be done multiple times to do well. Waleffe is a phenomenal professor, but don't take too many credits when you take math 321, cause you will spend way more than 3 credits worth of time.

His humor references how difficult his class and exams are, and how poorly students do on them. One student emailed him a question and he forwarded to the class with the response "your questions worry me." AVOID IF POSSIBLE!

The hype is real, and then it's complex.

Helpful, but extremely difficult. You will put more work into this class then into any math or physics course I have taken. Believe the hype on this one, this class is brutal.

Professor Waleffe is a great lecturer and you will learn a lot in his class. However, his exams and homework are extremely difficult and he does not post solutions. The exams average in the 50's, the average is a BC, and the entire grade is based off exams, so lots of people get screwed. Don't take this class unless you want to lower your GPA.

Unbelievably hard class, but a fantastic professor. This guy is easily the best I've ever had. That said, his tests DESTROY everyone who isn't totally on top of their game, so STUDY HARD and this class may be the most rewarding you'll take.

The best teacher I have ever seen, but also the hardest class in the entire world. No one gets above 50's on the exams, but he is a great teacher

Waleffe is the type of professor other professors should look to mimic. This isn't highschool, and your taking one of the most complex math classes (no pun intended) available. He's here to make you work and actually learn this material. I recommend this class becuase Waleffe is one of the few true teachers left in the University system

Excellent. Lectures are crystal clear, homework is completely fair, exams are tough. I had him for both Math 321 and EMA 521, both classes had exam averages of about 40%. He is not the professor to take if you want an easy A, or an A at all. If you want to learn, take his class and WORK. He's also probably the funniest professor I've ever had.

A real treat taking an Engineering class from a genius like Waleffe, very rigorous mathematician, but incredibly engaging and deep understanding of the materials makes any class with Waleffe worthwhile for a passionate student. Would recommend every time.

He is undoubtedly one of the smartest professors I've ever had. He explains things very clearly in the lectures. My only problem was retaining that understanding once I left class. This is a very hard course, but at the same time, very rewarding once you get though it. It teaches you to not memorize formulas, but learn how to analyze problems.

He is a hard professor but not in understanding but in what he expects from you. If you are looking for a easy class this is not the class to take but if you are ready to put work into the class it is an amazing class and you will learn a lot. He will answer questions if they are appropriate and thought out. Quote from him: "Are you happy."

Excellent professor, really teaches you how to learn. By far the hardest class I have taken, but it will prove to be worthwhile down the road.

He is the kind of professor I am always looking for on maths. Lectures are extremely involving. He really is really a master at what he is teaching. Easily one of the most intelligent people. His way of doing math will make you feel the beauty of it. If confident in your math skill, then take his course and you will get the most out of your money.

Waleffe is brilliant, but moves at a breakneck pace. Unless you understand the homework and read the textbook, you're going to be lost. This is moderated by co-teacher Matt Allen. Responds to questions, but often gets impatient when we don't understand something. You essentially need mastery - which takes a significant amount of time, but is doable

I think he's a nice professor. He is very helpful, and good at teaching. Sometimes I get confused, but his notes are very clear. Open-book quiz once a week, sometimes tough sometimes okay. He curved F from 60% to 30%, and BC from 78% to 58%, WHICH IS AMAZING, so the letter grade is up to everyone's test grade. 320H with him is very recommended.

Don't understand why there are group work this semester, which is ridiculous. This content class is not as hard as I expected, but the final is way beyond my expectation. Quiz are fine if you read the book carefully. GO READ THE BOOK! GO READ THE BOOK! Everything in his lecture is covered in his book though a few exceptions

Real tough class, but he knows the content extremely well. You'll learn more by taking his class than 320 regular, however, I'd advise against it if you're trying to meet CoE progression. Huge stress on reading the textbook in addition to his lectures. He teaches for general systems and applications, so expect to only use variables in class.

One of the best professors I've ever had; he has truly mastered the art of lecturing. He knows the content extremely well, and is great at explaining it. Likely the hardest math class I've taken, but also the most rewarding. It is a lot of work, exams are tough but fair, and he does use a generous curve for those who stick it out. Highly recommend.

Gives a wretched curve, got top 20% in the class and barely scathed away with a B. All assignments are group homeworks so pray you get a good group, exams are fair and based off the textbook problems. Solid lecturer and professor. Also grade distribution is scuffed by the group homework because slackers get carried and still make away.

Very difficult but if you put in the requisite work you will learn a lot. It helps if one is contemporaneously enrolled in some of the 300 level physics classes.

Dr. Waleffe has a reputation for being a very difficult professor, but this isn't totally justified. While the material can be tough at times, Dr. Waleffe was a talented lecturer, helpful in office hours, and the class was well organized in general. In my opinion, the class was no harder than 300 level physics classes or 400 level math classes.

One of the smartest and best profs I have had at UW Madison. You will get a good grade if you GO TO CLASS, DO ALL THE HOMEWORK, and READ THE TEXTBOOK. A lot of people hear that this class is bad and then just accept that they will do poorly. Office hours were very helpful, and hardly anyone ever went there; go to them!! Class is 80% Exam, 20% HW

Amazing professor. He teaches out of his own book, which is kinda weird but its available for free through the library and you have basically an outline of the entire class content. The material is really tough, but his exams are at least 50% just taken from the homeworks, so get familiar with them. Don't expect a good grade, even with the curve.

People take Math 321 thinking the class is impossible and then accept defeat when it gets hard. It really isn't that bad you just have to make sure you understand the major concepts. Content can be difficult but if you thoroughly understand the content rather than just how to solve the HW problems, you will do well in the tests. Learn the Content!!