3.4
Quality3.1
Difficulty45%
Would Retake309
Reviews45%
Would Retake
309
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
309 total ratings5
117
4
52
3
56
2
27
1
57
What Students Say
“He will make you hate CS and you and half of the students in his class will feel sooo miserable”
CS211 - 1.0 rating“Worst professor I have had at queens college hands down”
CS211 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
27%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.30 avg changeRatings by Course
1201
5.0
(1)CSCI
5.0
(1)COMPUSCI012
5.0
(1)CS112
5.0
(1)002
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CSC780
5.0
211
4.3
CS90
4.0
CS381
3.9
CS211
3.7
Reviews (300)
Nicest person ever! easy easy easy when you show up to class.
He's good. You don't really have to go to lecture since theres no attendance but its a good idea for the notes. Hes nice and funny too.
good teacher...did minimal work got an A+....definitely recommended
a must take class .. especially if u want a easy b+ easy A if u go to the lab also which are also very easy.
Easy & funny class, he always makes corny jokes. He's very understanding.
hes great--easy A. maybe not so interesting but if u need that lasar seriously take him!! no better teacher for it--everyone told me to take him!
He says jokes during the lectures, not all of them are funny, but he tries. This class is an easy A, especially when you go to lab. He's very understanding, and you can always go to him for help with the class, no matter where you may find in.
He's easy, doesn't take attendance and since 75% of your grade depends upon the lab exams, you don't have to go. But I'd recommend going, or having a friend that goes because he doesn't prepare for the final, but most of it is the internet section. If you go to lab, you'll get an A. Enough said.
If you show up every day . There is no reason you shouldn't get an A in the class.
Jerry: where's the syllabus? I mean... you're a nice guy and all...but just what the heck are we supposed to go home and study? Gimme a break, man.
easyyyy... i never wentto lecture just lab and i got a A... if i can do it .. you can also
this prof. is so easy. I go to the lecture once every week and study the review sheet for the lab exams and u should be fine. Easyyyyyyy A+. highly recomended......dont worry if u cant understand computers just go the day before each exam for review.
Great Prof, dont think to hard, take his class.!!
he is so hot
Totally different from cs012 and cs211. In CS211, there is no syllbus, no reviews, give back the mid term we took early April in the last day of the class. Returns none of the assignments we give to him. 90% of time not in his office hours. He is a nice guy, but if cs111 is all the program exp you got, then you are in bad shape in his class.
class is pretty easy. I was almost never there. I suggest you take the lab with huang, she is as easy as a college class gets. His final was somewhat hard, considering i never went to class. But he gives you a few free-bie questions, and a survery worth 10 pts. Got an a+ in the class. Recommended especially with huang as your lab instructor
HIS CS211 CLASS IS HARD THAN YOU IMAGINE HE USED TO TEACH ADVANCED C++( FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS),HE IS A NICE GUY BUT YOU HAVE TO STUDY REALLY HARD, DO ALL YOUR HW HIS, IT WILL SAVE YOUR GRADE BECAUSE HIS EXAM WILL KILL YOU.
Funny man but the material is very boring.
Very hard exams, no syllabus, I didn't know my failing midterm grade until the last day of class since that's when he gave it out. Didn't anounce the midterm date until 1 or 2 weeks before the actual exam, and the exam was 12 pages long, which no one was close to finishing.
Semi Hard Exams, great guy, good teacher, got an A+ in the course, would take again
If you are interested in learning not just the material but overal regarding a specific course, take Waxman. Although his tests may be a litle hard, he is always interested in knowing that you know and understand what he is saying. I would take him again for any computer class. Excellent instructor.
Loves to ramble. No one asks questions because no one knows what he's talking about. Amazingly incoherent. Ugh. Take someone else.
One of the best professors for CS 211. He challenges you but in the end he curves and is generous with grading.
No Comments
Informative lectures, easy to undestand the matierial. very good professor
He is good, helpfull, easy to understand, and he also provides with more information than needed which are usually intresting...
Not Bad, just dont understand~
easy A and really funny. great teacher ver clear and may i say again that hes really funny. dont even go to class cuz its not nessesary all the grades come from the lab anyway.
Very very good peofessor: funny, clear, easy. The test is almost from the book. highly recommoned.
I never had problem in C++ before,but his class, I lost. And maybe even fail the exam. his is smart,cute,and nice, but not good to transfer information.He always suggest you may know everything first.And then give you a quick review in the class.If you don't know it, you lost.The notes he put on the board are confuse. You may take someone else.
Very clear and helpful. Answer all questions to the best of ability, and doesnt overload with work. 1 midterm, 1 final, and some programs. I dont know what the previous poster is talking about - Waxman returned the exam 1 week after. Prof teaches by example - doesnt ramble about theory, but uses clear real life examples (programs) to teach new stuf
Take someone else before you fail the class. maybe you won't, but he can bring down u GPA. A smart prof. Not smart to teach. He may never truly originized his schedule for the course, he spend a month on 8Q, only have one question. then he rush to another, you just don't know what he was doing. Take someone else if you can!!!
You have to learn everything by yourself. If you really understand what Waxman is teaching in c++, then your potential should belong to Harvard or other Ivy League schools instead of Queens College. Trust me, unless you have more than 3 years of programming experience, his deep theory in C++ will be a waste of your time and money!
Definitely take him in cs012, but don't step into his cs211 class. The way he does in 211 won't work for majority of the students. If you must take him, I suggest do it later on after you finish Java, so at least you will have more experience in programming. That way you might be ok when he rush 2/3 of course material in the last few weeks.
Some professors really should not be allowed to teach. He thinks you already know everything and honestly youre better off teaching yourself off a book than listening to his lecture. not a bad guy over all but when it comes to c++ hes very hard. unless you know it well and have been programming forever fine, but if youre a math major like me DONT
easy class you have to pay attention in lecture for the final and the lab is easy if you do da material in class. the test are easy, they go over it da week b4 and its almost about the same. don't really have to go to lecture in da be first few months but at da end should go for the final.have2 design a webpage doesn't worth much pts 2wards urgrade
I guess hes an okay teacher, but if you already know most of the stuff, he really dumbens it down and it gets kind of annoying.
Nice guy, makes jokes during class which makes the time fly. BUT, he tries to make everything easy by showing how it shouldn't be which makes it even more difficult. He was very helpful but I found the labs to be more helpful and more to the point.
Take JAVA first! And get a C++ book (Not the book he uses- because It is so STUPID!) Don't worry about the exams. He curves ALOT! He takes the square root of your score then multiplies that by 10 (the passing grade is 49 and the test is out of 130+)(that still wouldn't help if your score is too low...Yeah it is kinda of sad if you fail his exams)
This rating system is wrong! There should be two sets of rating-One for WaxmenCS12 Nice Doctor who gives out A's waxmen and WaxmenCS211-I will****your GPA and fail your ass waxmen. lol
I had absolutely no programming experience before taking CS211 with professor Waxman. I came out knowing a lot. Professor Waxman is an amazing lecturer and a genuinely good guy. I generally skip a lot of classes, because I get distracted easily and it's difficult for me to sit through a lecture. But not in CS211. That class was simply fascinating.
Very nice professor and explains everything! He gives you the notes and every so often you have to make your own notations. I learned a lot, great class!
he's a great professor! he explains everything well and very helpful with questions.
Excellent professor, although he doesn't throw you ANY bone on what to expect on the exams. Very generous curve.
This is such an easy class!!! Professor Waxman is a real nice person and makes everything very easy to understand.
Really a nice guy....Loves to teach and wants everyone to understand the work. You really don't need the book. If you know how to work a computer SUPER EASY "A". 3 exams and if you miss one, he will let you take it at a later date. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Just would like to join to the rest of people who think that this guy is great!!! He is all that people are saying about him, and it si really hard to find somthing bad about him. He rocks!!!!
Really nice and easy class. he does not take attendance and he gives the exam in he lab.Love him so much.
SO EASY! Lectures are pointless he shows up 20 mins late everyday, not worth going. Lab is everything, word, excel, access; EASY 100 on every test. Has you do some DOS commands, minor HTML, and powerpoint. Hardly ever went to lecture. Lab attendence is what matters. Easy A+
Very good professor. I recommend to anyone.
(Advanced C++ Summer Course) Very hard and time consuming class, programs are long and difficult but the class was well worth it. If u commit urself u will do well and learn alot. I landed a job programming in c++ a month after finishing his class. If you want to learn c++ really well, take him! If you are looking for an easy A stay away!
If you have a heavy course load with very hard classes use this one to balance that out.Easiest class you will ever take and you dont need to attend lecture.For the lab tests I would just do the practice exams a couple of hours before the test and get 100%. cant basiscally do your lab work at home with the book.
One of the laziest professors in Queens College. You can tell that he doesn't care about the class because he comes at least 20 min late every time. He also gives work that was not on the syllabus. Worst of all, he doesn't give a hand out on what the assignments are on, he just briefly tells the class, probably because he is LAZY!
Very, very tough course. Waxman's theories and teachings are a tuffy but if you are overall interested in C++ then it should be fun. Choose lab prof, Loupischiez(spelling) she is the best! she challanges you to the limit and thats how you will learn unlike some other lab prof *cough Nixon *cough. Waxman gives 2 exams midterm and final. curves alo
No book for his lecture, just his notes' photocopy from Copy Center at Kessina Blvd. You'll know much more about PC after taking the course. One, ****ulative exam at end of the semester direcly from his photocopy notes, so make sure you memorize his class notes well. Otherwise, this class' not just an easy A+, it teaches a lot about pc. I got an A+.
Very nice man who explains everything very well. Not a difficult course, not boring, and attendance is not manditory but you will want to go,.... great teacher!!!
If you want to learn something - take his class. He is excellent. His exams can go in either direction i.e. easy to hard. No particular text book required and he gives you lots of projects. Take at least one class with him.
Great prof. Not an easy course, but he teaches it well and he curves the final grades. If you take his class you will definitely learn C++.
Great proffesor, he is fun and clear! 3 lab tests(60%), final(15%),copy lecture notes bc they will be checked & graded(10%),2 assignments(15%). Do them all they are easy. Take his class with lab teacher Xiung..shes really nice and leniant! Take this course if u need them for credits or a lasar! U wont regret it trust me!
One of the best classes I've taken. Gets the point across with interesting analogies. A wonderful teacher, very inspiring, intelligent and thought provoking.
Great Professor, the midterm and finals were long and some of the material was not covered in class. However, he does generous curves the exam grades. Another thing was our class received our midterm just a few week before the end of the semester.
would recommend to anyone. although the assignments are annoying but in the end only worth 10%.
Excellent professor. Workload is more than manageable and he tries his best to explain everything as best as he can. Tests are very easy because he gives great reviews. Attendance not mandatory. Assignments are short and are able to be handed in late. Do yourself a favor and take this class with this professor - it's an easy A.
great professor. very easy course. he's very helpful and explain material clearly. Take him because I know I will again!
Possibly the nicest man to walk the earth. In addition hes a wonderful professor who makes the material easy to understand and fun to learn. Not a difficult class either, just do your work.
Horrible professor, rude to students during class, late for class by 10+ minutes every day, then spends ~15 minutes teaching after class was supposed to end. Did not announce a midterm until november; his explanations are terrible and keeps saying the same thing. He uses void main() in his programming as if there's nothing wrong with it. AVOID!
Awesome professor. It probably didn't hurt that I found the class ridiculously easy to begin with, but I thought he was extremely nice and a very good teacher.
if you people have notice all his good comment are from cs012 but if u planning on taking 211 pple you gotta be careful extremely not helpful teacher lazy and if you take his son's lab course it the worst combo in ur college life. only good thing is his curve is ridiculous sqrt of wat ever you get and multiply it by 10. and test is out of 170
Long assignments that he doesn't even check, grade, or hand back - just checks if you handed something in, so don't put too much effort into those. Lab is easy but useless/boring. As long as you do everything he asks, he doesnt care how well you do it. Easy (once you stop putting effort into assignments) but boring & don't expect to learn much.
Yes there are long assignments that he doesn't grade but Elizabeth Accordino and Tamzid Mollah have access to all the old exams from a college coordinator at Jefferson. THey are posting the exam on a site for sale for $400 a piece
Personally I'm already a developer so the class was pretty easy for me. Aside from that while the programs he teaches are hard, he is an absolute genius. He knows his material very well and repeats himself when he notice people are confused. Curve is ridiculously high, you should be able to net a B even if you don't know anything.
dont need to say more about how smart this guy is. Just wanna share personal experience- how to get A+ (Not hard at all). two exams- midterm and final. for midterm, you need to really understand how the code works- 8 queens, adjent cross. for final, memorize SA and RAT class.
He keeps asking if you understand, but acts like you're a moron if you ask a question like what a constructor is. His tests are way too "clever" for the two hour exams, his are the only tests I have ever run out of time doing. Memorize and UNDERSTAND the homework problems and you will get a good grade.
He was very funny, the tests were easy and you do not even have to show up that much because the text book is a printed book of all the lectures. Easy A.
Very funny professor. Almost always smiling. Loves his work,and the material he's covering. Lecture attendance is not mandatory. Most, if not all the material he covers is in the lecture notes he has you buy in the beginning of the semester.
Excellent professor! Also a very nice, very smart person! He teaches you how to think, and how to approach a problem! that's more important to a CS than programming.
Assignments not hard but really time consuming and annoying. Final is HARD and requires watching hours of videos to do well but there is a curve. As long as you try you'll probably get at least an A minus. Not the most interesting class, but CSCI isn't my thing at all. Helped me learn more about Office, although lectures were pretty dull.
Recommend this professor. The lectures are boring. The assignments for the class are easy even though they are time consuming. The exam is not that difficult but requires to watch lots of videos which is time consuming. Take his class.
He's the best
Jerry is a smart guy, knows his stuff. Gives a crazy curve of Sqrt()*10. He just doesn't do a good job teaching. Teaches you how to problem solve in c++, but didn't really teach us the language to well(just skimmed it here and there). If you are good at programming, take him. If you want to learn c++, not the guy for you.
He is a great professor and he loves to write jokes in his tests. hes pretty funny, but he wears the same clothes everyday (he doesnt smell bad though!) His classes r boring but u need to be there for his tricky questions on the exams. Make sure u watch all of the videos and get notes for ur textbook. Hes a cool guy, if ur stuck, ask him for help.
Easy class. Lectures put me to sleep though...
"All cell phones and text devices...gadgets, whatever...AWAY!! AWAY!! I don't wanna see him, I don't wanna hear them!" Yep, funny guy!
Hes easy but alot of wiork not realated to computers like he makes you write a 2 page bolg and alot of stuff like that. his class is so borng u have no idea but u dont rlly need to show up. ok prof.
hes not such a hard prof but his class is so boring its a fight just to stay awake. but the good thing is you dont really need to go to class. he gives alot alot alot of work that has nothing to do with computers like he makes you watch a bunch of boring movies and then makes u wirte a two page blog on them. o alot makes u watch alot for the final.
Very fun, enthusiastic professor. The class is a bit boring and he assigns a few too many videos to watch on your own time for the final (~7/8 hours worth), but it's worth it. I really enjoyed my time in Professor Waxman's class.
Overall very easy course if you master a few key concepts: back-tracking algorithm of the 8 Queens Problem, recursion, and memoization. Can be boring at times, but very interesting course, and tests are quite fun to be honest. This is all contingent upon what lab instructor you have of course.
Have to go to lecture and labs, since all the work for this class is done in there. Assigns a lot of work to do outside the class, and the tests are extremely straightforward and easy. Have to know how to use computers, or you will have difficulty understanding this class.
He is a pretty funny guy, and his class is not too hard, but not too easy either. The lecture isn't mandatory as he doesn't take attendance, but it is a legitimate fight to stay awake, even for the 50 minutes of the class. Overall, he's pretty good, if you can take him, do so.
His class focuses more on general programming techniques and less on C++'s features, which is good, since what he teaches can be carried over to any language. Projects are short but challenging, and his exams are very fair: based heavily on lectures and homework, and boosted by a very generous curve. Stay on top of things and you'll be alright!
Extremely easy if you get the lecture notes and study them....most of the work is done during lab and the lecture is essential for the final...which is about 100 multiple choice...lecture is boring though!!! Nice man and he is very smart!
Best I had so far. He is pretty clear about his stuff.
Difficult class but he will break it down for you to get the material. And he makes the class entertaining
Class is always entertaining. Is the most empathetic professor I had in college. Extends deadlines all the time. Even spends time making videos on Youtube going over the lecture material for those that don't understand the material/missed class that day.
didnt really like his teaching cause it was very boring but he is a good sweet genuine human being. You should Go to class every once in a while just to see whats going on but not mandatory since you have the lecture notes. The most fun final Ive ever taken. lol
Very funny and inserts little jokes here and there. Is very helpful and will stop to explain anything you don't understand. Attendance isn't mandatory but it does help a lot.
He teaches very clear, makes the material easy. An on the tests you need to get 100 out of 170-200.
GO TO CLASS. DO THE LABS. You're guaranteed an A if you do that; generous with A+s too. Best CS teacher at QC; teaches programming technique that is INVALUABLE.
Great Professor! One of the best in the department. Easy course, easy A.
Class is really large. Your graded by you lab professor so he doesn't really do anything besides make the course and give his lecture. Class can be pretty easy if you study word, excel and access. He gives 2-3 internet assignments and a webpage assignment. Class can get annoying. Very boring lecture. don't even bother studying for the final its bs.
Easy class and he is very funny sometime. Attendance is not mandatory. Welling to help you at anytime. One final exam which require you to watch video, but very easy because he curves the final. In his final exam he give extra credit. I would say easy class overall.
Very nice professor! His lecture is pretty straight forward if you come to class and take notes (which will be graded in the lab.) The final has generous extra credit and there are only 3/4 other assignments in the class. I learned a lot from him, and he does his best to make the information interesting. Just make sure to get a good lab instructor!
By far the easiest professor at QC. I hardly went to lecture, aced the lab exams, scribbled random notes in the class notes and got an A. The final is basically common sense so don't even bother studying for it because it's curved by like a million points.
this dude is hilarious, I honestly had no clue what was going on half the time, but I still did fine.
This is the lecture part of the course. There's a bunch of assignments that aren't hard but are time consuming. The only test on the lecture part is the final, which is pretty difficult unless you know computers. But he seems to give a decent curve. He's a nice guy but the lecture can be a little boring.
I have a hard time paying attention in the lectures he has a hard time captivating me even though i find the puzzles very interesting. He obviously knows his stuff and im sure hes happy to help but he also takes the lecture way to seriously. Feels like he still thinks of his students as if they were in kindergarden
Just take him, he is good
Great lecturer. You can tell he is very educated in the subject when he teaches. Great at explaining new concepts. Sure to get an A if you pay attention and write in the lecture book for his class (CSCI12). Truly inspirational, he gives you true appreciation for the subject matter. Prepares you well for the exams. Highly recommended!
The lecture is funny with the corny jokes. The final was a joke(like seriously, the questions are literally funny and easy). However, the material is there and dense and makes sense. Waxman is the definition of having fun while teaching. Maybe more on the having fun side.
Great guy. Serious about his students learning, so put your cellphone away and pay attention. Cares that you learn the subject. Explains things thoroughly. Takes time to help. Excellent educator. Caring. Kind. Inspiring. You will love him.
Enjoyable lectures; professor intersperses his lectures with humor. HW and quizzes take place in lab. Dr. Waxman gives one midterm and a final, each with a massive built-in curve: Midterm was 200 possible points; only need 100 to get an A. Final was 225 possible points. Again, only needed 100 to get an A.
His tests are out of 150+ points, two tests (mid-term and final). About 20 projects, each one is easy if you are in class and a little help from the lab instructor. His curve is square root of your grade and then multiplied by 10. Anything over 100 is a perfect score.
Professor Waxman possesses a wealth of knowledge in his area of expertise. He was very clear with the projects we had to complete, all of which were interesting and rather fun. Attendance isn't mandatory although very necessary to do well on the final exam; which he managed to keep humorous! I highly recommend professor Waxman.
He is a great professor. He's really down to earth and funny. My only issue is that I could not understand what he said at all. It was a combination of his Jewish accent, and his quit old man voice that just made all his words incomprehensible. If you're like me and accents get the best of you, then don't take him. Besides that, his class is easy
Great professor!
His class is really hard. I would say second half of the materials were not easy. You would need a least few years of experience in programming be able to do good in his class. He gives you two exams, one midterm and one final. Both test would be curved out of 180+ PICK YOUR LAB PROFESSOR CAREFULLY!
He is very unclear about some topics. Nice guy, but I'm not to keen on his method of teaching. Make sure you have a good lab professor. No midterm, just a final in his class. He's really strict with the phones too.
His tests are a joke if u have any idea whats flying. great professor
Boring lectures. He makes a huge fuss over cell phone usage (it gets annoying). The lab exams are a piece of cake if you look at the practice exams on the site. The final was not as easy as people said, but he gives you a free 10 point curve if you do this course survey following the test. Everything else is easy, yet tedious.
It's a easy class but the lectures are very boring, and don't even think about using your phone in class. You can learn everything in this class from a 15 minute youtube video instead of a 15 week lecture, pointless class but is required for accounting for some reason. this is a class that google can easily replace.
I took this class because I had to for accounting. Professor waxman is a real sweetheart, the class gets boring but it's school guys: I want to change my major to computer science after taking his course, it's just so much more interesting than accounting and I understand it better or maybe it's professor waxman. 1 final, no cells, no attendence
Prof Waxman is really good prof and nice person. He is lovely and cute old guy. I really like him. In one word he is awesome. GOD Bless him.
only one lecture exam, only count 25% of your final grade, and not easy, but if you do well on lab, you will be fine ,easy A.
He doesn't know how to teach at all!! I've never missed a class and I have no idea what's going on. Only like 4 students out of 150 get what he's doing. You can barely hear him speak, and the mic he wears is useless. Worst prof I've ever had. My overall GPA is 3.72. I'm really smart but how prof teaches greatly impacts my performance.
CS 211 is an easy course with a few of difficult concepts. I took it in the summer, and it was pretty fast-paced without any spare time to practice coding and problem solving. You should be fine if you take the time to understand the each problems in the lectures and homework, and practice by coding. Huge curve will be in your favor. )
I like his style. He knows the subject. Wish his tests were a little easier. Class was hard. He likes students to participate in class. If you give him feedback/ask questions, he will remember you at the end. Got a B avg and he gave me an A-. I always asked/answered questions. He knew I did my reading and understood the subject. It paid.
Drones on during lectures and makes cheesy jokes; good hearted human being but extremely boring. Can make the material confusing when explaining; it's a mandated class if you want afternoon classes so my advice is to sit up front to try and pay attention. Good notes and a good lab instructor really help. Lots of algorithms & less OOP, be prepared!
Best class taken. 10/10 would take again.
Worst professor ever. I learned absolutely nothing in his class and I paid attention, He comes to class 15-20 minutes late, so basically the class is only 30 mins long instead of 50 mins. He teaches in a lazy manner. I wish i had checked his class out before registering. He uses a mic but it's useless because u can barely hear him.
Dr. Waxman is an excellent educator. He is extremely well versed on the material, and will explain whatever you didn't understand at first. Just make sure to ask him during lecture, or immediately after lecture about anything you do not understand. usually the students who complain about the class are those who were texting in class all semester.
Honestly I often skip his class because it is so boring. If you do well on lab exams, you will be fine. And the lab exams are very easy if you do the practice on the book. The lecture exam is quite hard but curves a lot! Do excellent on lab exams and so-so on lecture exam, You will probably get an A! Choosing a nice lab teacher is more important.
He is a good hearted professor. Having said that, he doesn't know how to teach. He gives convoluted lectures and you have to rely on your lab professors to actually teach you. My advice, take him BUT take a good lab professor. Only then you'll actually learn.
so boring lecture
Not a very easy professor, you have to try hard to understand what is going on. He relys on your lab instructor and if you have a bad instructor then you have to get extra help.
He is a great hearted professor. Gives one of the best curves on the exam. Just explains the algorithm and one has to write the code by themselves. Make sure you take a good lab professor
First off: If planning to take, Just put the phone away. Nothing is going to happen if you disconnect for the hour. He's super clear in his lectures, giving great examples and such. Just make sure to ask questions when you don't understand. The lab exams hold a bigger chunck of the grade but they are also easy. He's really smart. Enjoy.
His lectures are sometimes pretty unclear but he tries so hard to make everyone understand by posting videos and giving handouts. Out of class, hes such a nice guy and really helps you with anything you need. Labs are must! His curves are ridiculous. 175 points on the tests, only need 100 and your final test grade is the sqrt*10(64 pts is an 80)
Easy A! I choose this class bc Accounting major requirement. He is a very friendly guy. You need to choose a good lab instructor, because all grades will determined by lab instructor. Do well in lab exam, and do all the homework, do so so in final , you will get a A.
Easy A. Gives MASSIVE Curve. Square Root of your grades and multiply by 10. You literally have to try to fail this class. Do the Homework, Practice exams and have a good lab instructor and it will be an easy A. Plus he is overall a very chill guy. He talks to students and does his best to help.
Doesn't let you use electronics in class. Great lectures, make sure you sit near the front. Exam always out of 160, so that's 60 extra points for you. Have video tutorials but with horrible quality. Inspiring teacher. Easy grader
I'm sure I'm alone on this, but this guy is awful. I have no coding experience besides CS 111 and I was lost after the first few assignments. He doesn't give real hints or notes for the assignments. My lab teacher was useless & the review sheet he gave are useless. He just keeps piling on assignments. The test are hard especially the final.
Took this class over the summer. be ready to work on programs everyday. luckily my lab prof (landau) was nice and just wanted to see if we started it. lecture is informal, i dont think he has a set lecture plan for everyday. interesting assignments, makes you think as a programmer. midterm and final was easy if you did the sample exams online.
Waxman is a nice guy and he is very intelligent, but he is completely unavailable to his students outside of class. Your ability to do well will be based just as much on your lab professor as Prof. Waxman. You'll usually have to wait in a long line to talk to him after class because he never answers his email and doesn't have office hours.
No electronics in class. Funny lecturer, but his approach to assignments is very strange. Gives extremely difficult assignments, but basically has the lab instructors give you the answers. If your only coding experience is CS111, you might feel overwhelmed or lost and you'll probably need to lean on your lab professor a lot.
Jerry Waxman is a really funny guys. His humor really makes the lecture painless. His coverage of the material is a little unorganized -you'll have to skip some pages and get to them back later, or get back to them yourself as the lecture notes are graded- but his explanation of the material is good. You can tell hes had many years of experience.
He's ok, just really boring. And he calls you out if you're on your phone.
Lots of outside assignments that are irrelevant to the topic. Soooo not necessary to go to the lectures. He gives a lecture notebook that you can use to teach the info to urself with the help of google. not tested on info in lecture until the final. Nice guy but hard to follow his thought process because he mostly teaches abstract ideas.
Dr. Waxman is all about various possible ways one must think of while solving a problem. A lot of conceptual work. He knows much more on the lower level languages so he explains a lot with how things work and why they work the way they do. Exams are very creative (he curves both mid. term and final) but I performed poorly.
He does not teach you anything, expects you to know everything by yourself. He just explains the homework and does not tell you how to code. DO NOT TAKE HIM. You are going to be lost in his class. waste of time and money.
You don't learn much about object oriented programming, I would suggest other professors who is willing to teach you well
Waxman's class is the most useful you'll have at QC if you want a career in software, and I say this as a developer for 5 years. He provides a great balance of theory and application of comp. sci. He is not going to teach you how to code. If you are not motivated to practice that after CS 111, just change course now. You are not well-suited for CS.
Lectures are very important this is a hard class compared to cs111. Everything gets harder but if you go to class and lab and study and do the work write your codes you will be fine. Gives test with 160 points and curves. Funny guy.
I think Waxman is passionate about teaching. I have to admit that going to almost all his classes helped me prepare for the final. I am not a computer sci major by means (naturally do not like this content of area), but he made the materials very fun and practical. I thought his final was fair (I read the lecture notes 2x and felt prepare!
He is a great professor. The stuff he teaches is interesting. tests are based on homework and if you do the homework you will pass his test. HUGE curves
This is supposed to be an intro class, but he treats it like a computer science workplace. Expects you to know computer science inside and out, teaches computer scientist-level stuff like programming and coding, and gives tons of computer scientist-level assignments that are impossible to complete. I know he's better off being a computer scientist.
Difficult, harsh, mean, time-consuming work. Avoid at all costs if possible!!!!!
teaches us computer scientist-level material, especially programming and coding, and gives tons of time-consuming computer scientist-level assignments, all of which we know nothing of. This is not our thing. We are not computer scientists. If he wants to treat us like computer scientists he should BE a computer scientist and not a professor!!
This professor does not know that we're only students, not computer scientists, for he teaches computer scientist stuff and gives computer scientist-level assignments that he gets the lab instructors to grade and not himself. The labs are even worse than the lecture assignments, which is why I have to agree with the previous 5 comments. STAY AWAY!!
Teaches stuff that are way beyond our level, as if we're computer scientists. Also works us beyond our abilities. Avoid him! You will be burned out!!!!
Overall he's a good teacher and very approachable as well. However, a lot of people may not prefer him if they don't have a strong background in computer science already. I usually understand everything he talks about in class, but when I try to do the assignments I feel as if I don't know anything.
He teaches us computer scientist-level stuff that none of us can understand. He gives four assignments, but they're all long, and they have multiple parts to it, and they're based on computer scientist-level material. I guess he prefers to be like a boss of computer scientists rather than being a true professor. He was funny on the final though.
Professor Waxman is a gem at Queens College. Yes, there are a ton of assignments, but lecture is basically ONLY about explaining them, and lab is also solely for hw help. After this class, I feel so much more ready to program- You will learn real skills and solve real problems. The projects are really not super hard, and tests have a huge curve.
You better work really hard. There's 5 assign; Scratch(easy only because I paid attention in lecture) blogging(boring but very easy) Prezi(time consuming) Opensource(Answer 5Qs in parag. form) HTML(time consuming but possible) & answer Qs in book $30. 3 lab quizzes (Word, Excel, Access) they help out (45%)! Only 1 lec exam 20% (just go to class)
Wasted a month of lecture on outdated methods. Some assignments are more meaningfully challenging than others. Students were not able to follow his lecture, which consists of explaining the upcoming assignments. Do not be discouraged you'll learn more meaningful teachings in 212. He has instructors teaching the students.
This class has two components. One is the lecture and the other is a lab. 50% is relied on both, missing either jeopardizes your grade which can ultimately suffer, thus making your GPA suffer. His TA are awful, they dont teach the material and expects you to read the textbooks. He was chill and gives an enormous curve on the final.
His lectures are okay, but assignments are irrelevant to the topics covered in class and they're really complicated and take you more than 1-2 days to complete. His TAs proctor the final, and if they catch you using your calculator even for a math problem, they would speak to you loudly for everyone to hear.
Ok this prof is a nice guy ... but sometimes he does a bit too much. He can't cover the material on time and properly and the way he explains the stuff is good if you already knew the things before but for new computer science students, it's going be a VERY hard class. But if you are really dedicated to the work you will see that you can improve.
Nice person funny too. Just cant teach. Maybe if he would just, put a bit more effort and enthusiasm into teaching, then maybe kids can benefit and learn. He messes up the learning curve. They have a decent professor for cs111 but for cs211 this guy increases chances of ending their programming life. The students have to rely on tutoring & themselv
Exams are beyond hard. Doesnt teach well at all. Always comes in late at least by 10 mins. No office hours. Students feel lost in the class because his teaching isnt great. Handwriting is unlegible.
If you want to take this professor you need to know how to read and understand code really well. You won't pass if you don't. He will only explain the concept of the code and nothing else. Exams are difficult and only 2 exams are given. Only saving grace is the curve. Wish I didn't go to his lectures. It's much easier to learn it online.
Get ready to work a lot on assignments, those are not easy at all to do on your own. Make sure you do them though because you will get tested on them. Watch the videos on his website and make sure you fully understand the assignments. Tests are hard but you get a ridiculous amount of points available as well as very generous curve, just take him.
Worst professor I have had at queens college hands down. Did not learn a single thing. Tests are nowhere close to the review sheet or anything we do in class. Much easier just to learn everything yourself..
For those coming from CS111 please don't take this professor, he wont teach you anything. I cant stress this enough please don't take him. His review sheets are unrelated to the midterm/final. He will make you hate CS and you and half of the students in his class will feel sooo miserable.
so boring i can't even explain. This class was so pointless.
Hilariously boring but you need to show up since his exams includes things he mentions during lectures, it isnt straight from the textbook. Waxman curve is a blessing, turns your C into an A.
The tests are super easy to pass due to the "waxman curve." A 50 becomes an 85, and the test is over 150 points so if you get 1/3 of the exam right you get an 85. BUT he does test you on the codes + random stuff he happens to mention in class. But since you only need to know 1/3, you can either A) show up to class or B) Learn the code, or both.
This class is not as easy as CS111, you will actually have to think! For professor Waxman, it's not as much C++ as it is problem solving and learning how the computer actually thinks! If you put in the effort you will learn alot. Exams have lots of questions to choose from and grading is generous if you study alot and put in the maximum effort.
Advanced C++ The grading criteria was unclear to the very end. The midterm and final questions were absolutely unpredictable. The lectures are great! Learned a lot. A lot of reading assigned from manual books and journals used in the industry. No textbook cost! 7 projects that solidify understanding of the concepts.
Easy test grader. However, I really don't like his quizzes as its questions on the homework is so vague, that people that did the projects/homework on their own in a different way are so shafted.
Hilarious guy but very hard to understand. Sometimes you'll walk out of lecture feeling more confused about the course than you were before. He has a passion for CS but he's not the best at conveying ideas. Also consistently starts class 5-15 minutes late, and will make you stay later to make up. You will miss LIRR trains if this is your last class
C++ is a hard class, what you learn in lecture is never enough. You have to utilize outsources to do better in this class. Pay attention to his lecture, he teaches very important materials, his lectures are very clear. His projects are based on lectures. Exams are hard but still you have chance to pass because he gives you curve.
To put in a nutshell: - Sweet, funny older gentleman - Writing is so hard to understand - Can be extremely confusing - Midterms are based on homework projects went over in lecture but still confusing - Some questions on review sheet are unrelated to midterm
While this class may not be OOP in C++ (which is glossed over in the end), this class is really learning how to implement different algorithms that you'll see later on. Waxman's teaching is a little bit confusing imo, and you're forced to use his algorithm for exams and quizzes. Very unpredictable, and i never bought his book btw
Really great professor who can sometimes can go on a tangent. He gives a thorough explanation of the material and is always available for questions. Definitely one of the best professors in the department.
Expects you to already know everything. Always interrupts when people are trying to ask questions. Handwriting is terrible and his way of teaching is very confusing. He started off teaching material at a good pace but eventually he was speeding through topics and not explaining things well. Exams are unpredictable and review questions do not help.
Honestly, for all the people that have been hating on Waxman, just know that teaching a class for 50 minutes is not enough, especially for a CS class. he teaches the material thoroughly and if you ever have a question, he'll answer it. His curve is also insane on tests: sqrt(base grade)*10. That means a 64 becomes an 80. P.S. he's mad funny
I hated the guy until we got our midterm grades back. His extremely difficult class pays off, because he gives insane curves. My class got sqrt(raw grade) * 11. Another class got sqrt(raw grade) * 12. That means a 40 literally turned into a 75. Do the lab HW and this class is an easy B at the very least.
a very cool person also very funny. His course work is very difficult and you are forced to memorize code for his exams since some code are fill in the blank , which in my opinion a very bad practice. The things you learn in this class are important concepts. With his massive curves , it is hard to fail so ,If you failed or barely passed, drop CS.
Dude needs to take a penmanship class
In programming, you need to learn to read other peoples code. This is exactly what this class teaches. If you are looking to solve problems on your own for assignment and pass exams, don't take this class (you'll fail exams w/o his code ). This class teaches you to read and memorize Waxman code and apply those topics in your personal projects oyo.
This is not a true C++ OOP class. This class will teach you how to properly think about how to approach a problem. Will also learn what is really going on when you write common lines of code. If you want to take a true C++ OOP class, take another professor. If you want to learn concepts that are harder to self teach than OOP in C++, take J. Waxman.
Overall, ok professor for CS12! He came in about 15 mins. late every class but thought the material we needed to know. Other than the 3 lab exams, he only gave one final where half of it made no sense whatsoever. His lecture notes cost $30 which is also 10% of your grade. There are a bunch of assignments that you need to do so just be on top of it!
sigh. I wish I listened to people who said not to take him. He assigns way too many complicated projects, and he doesn't explain them well. Most of us are new to coding, and do not know the generic things that should be taught to us. There is the curve, but perhaps you also have a horrible lab teacher; you're not setting yourself up for failure.
He has high reviews here because he curves. Besides that, he isnt a good professor. You wont learn how to code, he teaches in an auditorium for over 100 people and it is impossible to hear him. He never explains things fully. He moved the final to 5 days before our final date just because he didnt want to make 2 versions of the exam, Awful!
Professor Waxman is a nice person, but isn't the best instructor. His curriculum involves topics that are far more advanced than what they should be for what is most students' second CS class, and he speeds through material too quickly towards the end of the semester. His exams are also ridiculous - his curve is the only reason most students pass.
Put your phone away! Lec is just 1 final (20%), but I assume he curves bc idk how I passed. Lab is the bulk of your grade so get a good lab instructor. Do the assignments on the course website (don't overdo them bc the lab instructors just want to see completion). He comes late often, can't hear him sometimes, buy the class notes ($30) worth 10%
Pay attention, sit up front, and dont miss class! I cant stress this enough! He goes through a ton of topics super quickly and forces you to really think like programmer. His curve is also straight from heaven sqrt(your grade) *10 or 11 depending on how the class does. Tests are out of 160 pts so you can literally just get 50s and pass no problem
This class is 90% how much work you put in for the lab. He clearly does the same lecture every semester, but he loves telling the same corny jokes so it seems fresh. He is very good at breaking down topics and making them easily digestible. He stated several times that his class has many people fail and many get an A. Dont be the one who fails.
He has really high expectations for his students and doesn't consider that some of us are new to programming. He discourages you and tells you to drop the class if you're confused, speeds through topics and barely gives notes. Probably one of the worst cs classes i had to take because I felt like he was just making us memorize pages of code. So sad
not a good professor. Doesn't really teach, just expects you to know. very discouraging.
Jerry Waxman is not a good professor. I took cs111 with Ryba and got an A++ and deep love for computer science. after taking Waxman I lost all that love. he does not explain anything well and gives extremely difficult tests and hw that he expects everyone to figure out themselves
I'm sorry, he sucks. He didn't know how to use online tools and once he did he used the online platform to push 5 classes a week instead of 2. He assigned a ton of homework, with a ton of quizzes on the homework, but the test wasn't even on it. Assigned stuff late, forcing us to do homework during finals week. STAY AWAY. CURVE NOT WORTH IT AT ALL.
Its time for this professor to retire and make way for younger better professors that care about teaching and cares about their students actually learning the material. He is cant teach and will make you miserable in the CS field.
I hope I pass his advanced C++. He usually assigns around 10 projects for his 381 class, but this semester only 3 bc of corona. Midterm was a hard coding problem which he never taught the topic of but gave 2 wks for it. Final is soon, very scared since this is the last semester for many that need to graduate. He made it harder, very fearful.
Knows his stuff and I feel does a good job explaining material to students. But he's terrible in preparing students for his exams. No clear outline what to expect, terrible online teacher during COVID, doesn't respond to email, no live lecture to ask questions, just records videos. Passes all teaching responsibilities onto the lab TA's.
Completely dropped the ball once the semester got derailed by covid. Disappeared for a month, reappeared assigned an insanely hard midterm , and is now assigning a final project on the last day of finals. Insane and 0 respect for his students. Even before covid he would show up 40/50 mins later regularly. Absolute joke, should refund the class.
I have taken the class before and was expecting the same thing but because of COVID this midterms and finals got extremely hard. Nothing from this lecture videos came in this test. He posted a lecture video literally hours before the final. Regret not passing the first time, should have paid more attention. Ngl probably the hardest class I taken.
worst professor ever. If u want to show learn nothing and get a good grade. go for it
This was a tough C++ class, but the material I learned is enough to stand above a student taking a typical OOP in C++ class at another college. For the tuition?? You can't beat that. Would I recommend this professor? With the notorious "Waxman curve", I definitely would, if you're willing to work hard.
He needs to learn how to help students prepare for their exam, the lectures barely helped, half of my class were lost, said he would make the second one more doable, yet, it wasn't much change, and the grading is terrible, 40 percent for homework, 60 on test, means doesn't matter if you did all work, you still can fail, and exams were hard as hell.
This is for both CS 211 and his 381/780 class. Waxman is a kind and brilliant mind. His lectures are incredibly informal and deep with how the many intricate things with not only C++ but the algorithms/data structures used in class. The class was hard only due to the TA's for his 381 during the spring 2020 session. Hopefully won't happen next time.
Waxman is a legend. The class is OOP in C++ but your really gonna do algorithms all semester. You will barely cover OOP, but what you do cover is more important. Absolutely legendary class. Curve is other worldly but it's still not easy. Exams have a lot of questions but many are bonus points. Legend. Do yourself a favor, take Waxman.
I took Intro to Python with him over the summer. He is very good at explaining concepts about Python and programming in general. We used Blackboard Collab for lectures and sadly, he is awful at running an online course. He does not know how to use BB at all and there were many tech difficulties. Tests were very different from lecture/HW.
Currently taking him right now and he is horrible. He is being so anal about cheating that he decided to make a horrible test format just to combat cheating. In the end, that hurts honest students and encourage more cheating and I can't blame those that cheat in this class. It sucks that hes the only one cheating 211. wish he would retire already.
So hard to follow through his lectures. His handwriting is horrible. He doesn't go into depth about the code because he expects you to come in knowing C++. Didn't know what I am supposed to expect on tests because again, don't get the concept we were learning. Come in with the expectation of learning algorithms and backtracking.
His handwriting - ATROCIOUS. His internet connection for blackboard - ATROCIOUS. FORCES you to buy his 30$ lecture notes. Tests are EXTREMELY DIFFICULT and more than 100 points total but thats why his curve is also considered to be the "waxgod" curve. THE GATEKEEPER FOR HIGHER CS COURSES ALONG WITH MAXWELL WHITE.
Grading was lenient; very thankful, esp. with COVID. Lectures take too long to get to the point so it's just confusing. The site has too many documents; they are good sources but if it's not distilled and condensed, it's too much material. The point of paying for a course is to save time by asking a pro otherwise I could just read the book.
Big curve so you'll likely pass. Required us to buy his textbook that we barely used. Sometimes complains for half the class because we're behind but doesn't realize it's because he spends half the class complaining, then gives extra material to watch to catch up. Very lenient but a bit frustrating to deal with. If you're trying to learn then meh.
This class was super weed-out. Thanks god for the credit policy. Legit destroying peoples GPA here
They don't know how to grade. Try to not take this class online. Waxman is good at teaching but good luck getting good grades. Even if you are good at c++ they will find ways to make your life miserable by giving you a 0/40 because you have "bad code formatting" . Blackboard can't format code and they stuck with the same system that doesn't work.
Beware of him online. Most students that this semester or last semester only passed because of the credit policy and his curve. His midterm and final are hard as heck. Some questions on those tests can be a project and theyre worth the most points. unnecessary rules on the the test Also he needs better TAs to grade the exam.
Waxman is a really good professor and he knows how to teach. if you take him and study every day you will definitely learn something, but I believe his tests are harder than google tests. If you get a B in his test, definitely you deserve a job at Google.
This class was super hard for no reason. The professor is pretty good, he knows the material and is a decent teacher at it. But the exams will give you nightmares. There are only two exams. If you mess up one, you have one more chance to get it right. The professor makes the class super hard. And he is sarcastic, which is not a problem for me.
professor Waxman is good but he took too long to explain a small concept. an online course would be as hell especially with his exams. he is too suspicious of cheating. so his exams are so long and you should explain your code. the time for the midterm wasn't enough to get enough points. you should be already good on CSCI 111 so u can pass cs211.
Yeah... no.
don't take this class. the lecture is easy, but the exam is hard. You can't understand the description of the exam question. Pls, don't take this class.
Don't take him. Though you can see people saying he gives good curves, but no use of that. His question is too hard. The materials given in the exam are not taught in the class. I did every class and did all my assignments still I did horrible in the midterm. It really makes you lose your hope. You'll suffer badly if you take him.
First of all, this is a riddles class. Every problem set is literally some stupid algorithmic riddle. Except they're SO hard that he LITERALLY spoonfeeds you the template/code for the problem set and makes you fill in some remaining logic. The tests are literally you MEMORIZING code snippets. Awful. Hate this school
Class is called "object oriented programming, but he doesn't even teach object oriented programming. This class should be renamed to an introduction to algorithms.
Before I heard Waxman is a good professor but my experience was completly the opposite. The first material he taught is graduate-level and most of the stuff is useless. His exams are not even 50% from his lectures. Even, if you take notes, the study just as I did, you will still struggle. I recommend dropping the class instead of taking him.
Waxman was fine, and I suspect he's better in person. He's really passionate about computer science and teaches some extra stuff about what's actually going on underneath your code. HW gets kind of repetitive but it's nice to see how the same algorithm can be applied to many different problems.
Do yourself a favor and don't take his class, instead do and e-permit and take it somewhere else. Most people have to retake the class a second time and the tests are incredibly difficult.
The class itself is hard. He's a great guy. Not an easy A class but he has a generous curve enough for you to pass.
Be prepared to do everything yourself. His class had so many problems, He has the worst handwriting I have ever seen which makes things extremely difficult. His explanations are horrible and confuse you more than help you learn. You will have an easier time using online resources than coming to his lectures. His exams are hard af as well.
Easy class, he just talks about backtracking and some basic algorithms. If you think this class is too hard, you better change to another major. Currently, all computer science-related companies would like to test your algorithm skill. If you confuse his test, then the computer science is not a good major for you.
hes a good professor for this class, tests in person are easy if you go to class. If the class tests are online avoid him at all costs he's a nightmare. he's funny but bad bad handwriting. overall pretty ok
This class is useless/time consuming as he speaks a million words per minute so you have to rewatch his lectures to actually understand what he is saying and yet still made us watching hours of videos on our own time. His final was an absolute joke which was way more complex than anything he taught. You won't learn anything useful. Ruins the major.
Both his midterm and final exams were fair at worst; anyone who has failed this class clearly didn't take the time to study and understand the assignments. Although the class is titled OOP in C++, it was only taught in the last two classes of the semester. Get ready for a lot of algorithms and reading sloppy handwriting. Req: $30 for lecture notes
If you want to improve on your problem solving skills, this class is needed. I've seen such an improvement in my problem solving skills throughout this semester. Dr. Waxman is not an easy professor, so you will need to work hard. His class focuses on a similar way that can be used in different ways. Yes his class is hard, but you need these skills.
Focuses mainly on the understanding of code/psuedocode instead of doing actual coding in this class. Gives great and clear lectures. The material covered is very interesting and deepens your understanding of C++. Take him so you can assess how much you really understand about programming in C++. Crazy curve that is pretty much impossible to fail.
boring class tbh part of that is because not a lot of people participated in the class. it costs $30 for the lecture notes which you NEED. only like 2/3 tests, most of the assignments are through the lab class. lessons can go by fast so if you miss a day you kinda miss a lot.
Great professor to pick if you want to completely hate CS and switch majors after just one semester. Hes a nice/funny guy but a terrible instructor. A lot of his confusing projects tend to keep building on previous ones, so if you dont understand the first one well, you wont pass. Also, despite the course title, he teaches virtually zero OOP.
Had him for Python Programming and he was great. Was a definite plus that I had Python experience beforehand. He does tend to teach off the experience of the most vocal person so if you are lost then let it be known. Had 2 exams, both doable but tricky wording will keep you guessing. If you need an elective this class is an easy YES
Waxman is a legend. He knows his material and his lectures are interesting. He's a smart dude and will answer any question you have. He's also polite and respectful when you don't understand something. I enjoyed his class, especially his wit and humor. He is one of the few at QC that will inspire you to improve yourself as an engineer.
The content being taught is interesting. Professor himself isn't a very clear lecturer, but he is funny and tries to make the class fun. Midterm made no sense but his curve is top-notch. Outside of exams, the assignments were simple but time-consuming.
Pros - That curve. The programs are easy to learn. His lectures are engaging. Only 2 exams overall. Cons - This really isn't a OOP course and he rushes whatever you learn for the last 3 weeks. Gives us 90% of the code, and the exams arent a walk in the park. Need to buy lecture book. No phones during class. Tips: STUDY THE POINTERS!!!
I didn't like this professor for many different reasons. His lectures are extremely boring. He cries if anyone has a device out/is talking because he is so old school. The highlight of the lectures is if he was late. Hw's are easy, and the midterm and the final are in the lecture part of the course. The exams were hard but curved very well.
He wants to make sure you understand the material. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You have to attend lectures so that you know how to do the programs. One bad thing is you have to remember the general way you implemented the programs for the tests. He is a very nice and caring person and his curve is amazing. Great professor overall!
He will say you won't be learning OOP here. You will learn theories and algorithms which will be very useful. His exams really test you if you truly understand the material. You will see that students gets A/A- while the others fail; hardly any in-between. Do your lab very well! Have friends for study sessions. Expect the unexpected in exams!
Professor Waxman is definitely not an easy A, but if you put in the effort, you can definitely do well! While the tests are very hard, Waxman will curve it. The lectures are a little boring, but he teaches very well overall.
He's definitely not the easiest professor to get an A. But the reviews definitely are mixed because there are those who do really good in this class and others who fail. You have to put in the effort to see the results especially when you're given opportunities for extra points on an exam.
I would rather do a backflip off the clock tower than take this class again, he's a very nice dude with a good curve though
This guy focuses on making you a better thinker, not a mindless programmer. The key isn't memorizing code but learning how to solve problems. Exams have a huge curve. I failed nearly every lab quiz because of laziness but I did well in the class. No textbook but a $35 notes packet. Don't skip class, you won't pass.
Waxman is an engaging lecturer that really knows how C++ works under the hood. The problem is the pacing of his class is all over the place. He spends way too long on backtracking, and then speeds through the rest of the topics in his notes (that you are forced to buy) afterwards. Also, his exams are formatted horribly and worded poorly as well.
PROS: extra credit on exams, curve on exam grades, lecture is interesting, he is charming-- one of those guys you can't help but find funny, also easy to talk to so take advantage of that if you need something CONS: hard exams, time consuming projects that builds on prev. Grade Distr: 10% Lab Quiz, 20%Projects, 10% Class Notes, 40%final, 20%Midterm
He made us buy his book to take notes in and it was so useless!! I didn't learn anything from his lectures because he does more talking than writing. I had to learn everything from youtube and my lab professor's slides. He doesn't post reviews for the midterm or the final.
His lectures are really all over the place one moment he will be talking about the project another he would be talking about something that has nothing to do with it. Also his test are super hard averages were in like 20.
I took advanced Python programming. The entire class grade is dependent on only 2 exams which is unfair. Taught easy stuff in class but the final was hard. Not easy to pass.
Good professor, heavy curve basic understanding of class material will take you far. Projects are all on github, the tests are hard though. Everyone who doesn't like this class is doomed to fail CS, this is certainly one of the easier classes.
CSCI211 should be renamed "Algorithms in C++" because that's all you learn. Objects are taught in the last 3-4 weeks of class (maybe). No laptops, no phones, mandatory book of notes that you have to buy ($35). Will make jokes -- 50/50 if they're funny. Just show up to class, follow along with what is happening, and pray you have a good lab prof. GL
He is very helpful. He will try his best to help you understand. You have to really spend your time studying to pass this class
he gave you the code for a majority of code for projects. he explains everything well just try to stay up for them bc class is so late in the day that I fell asleep sometimes. other than that huge curve and he answers questions. show him you care and you will see results. pretty decently easy class if u studied the codes and review the notes
Took him in June. Honestly speaking, if you're decent in python, this class will be very easy to pass. Alot of people were worried it may be difficult due to the fact that your grade is based off of 2 exams. He did curve the midterm grade but the final exam grade wasn't curved at all. Overall, he's a fair professor.
If you're debating on taking him- do it.
Just understand what he taught in class, easy A. Exams are hard but huge curved.
Test may be challenging, but grading is fair. You can learn a lot from his lecture.
This class was taken during the winter 3 week time crunch, so there was a lot of material to cover. If you have prior Python experience, this class will be fairly easy but those without any Python experience will have to start studying. Grade consists of only midterm and final, BOTH of which are curved. Waxman knows the material, so do take him.
I knew a decent amount of python but I still learned a lot because this class dives in with list comprehensions, generators, decorators, and a lot of little things in python that you may not know. Your grade will only compose of your midterm + final, which waxman curves. He is extremely fair with grading and exam difficulty. Great class!
He is the best professor and life changer human being I have ever met. I was blessed by Ha'Shem to have crossed with Dr Waxman in my life. He was Firm, Fair and Friendly
Waxman's 381 python class is one of the better CS courses. Even if you come in knowing a decent amount of python you'll probably learn a few things because he goes into topics that you probably don't use that much when working in your own time. Teaches the course content mostly through doing examples. Tests are moderately difficult but curved.
His lectures are important and helpful. He provides notes that you have to buy, which is mandatory but worth it. He gives massive curves and his test consists of questions that give you opportunities to pass. All you got to do for this class is just study.
If his handwriting was better he could have been a 5. He explains concepts really well. Genuinely understand the code don't memorize it or copy everything.
Waxman has horrible writing but he has great explanations and he really wants you to use your thinking and solve problems. Exams require an intensive amount of thinking but if you put in the effort to understand the codes from assignments, you will be in a grade spot. Great teacher
Waxman's class is very good, very interesting, caring for students, the exam is a little stressful, but just need to work hard
Waxman is a great lecturer, this class is more an intermediate level intro to algorithms course, not much of a focus on object oriented programming at all.. rather its a course that teaches you how to decompose problems and break them down to find solutions via projects/lab. study hard and you should be able to succeed.
Waxman is ok, half of his lectures were understandable and the other half were not. His teaching style wasn't for me, he mostly taught based on different problems to solve instead of topics to know in OOP. He'll make you buy his workbook only to skim past most of it and not even finish half of it. But he does give good resources and reviews a lot.
"you guys should know this already", why am i paying $1000 for then? Now i gotta pay and i'm not even getting credit. Had to drop, almost half didn't pass. Only a good 12 people participated out of 40. Choose another prof unless you have a very good background with python and know how to code as if you were in a job interview.
only midterm and final (60% for higher grade and 40% for the other). he teaches everything like a child at first (111 stuff) then after the midterm BOOM it hits like a truck and the class becomes brutal. Would recommend, but we didn't have a curve on our midterm because the average 'was too high'. Show up and participate and he might give a boost.
Waxman is the better choice for 211 (Alayev is brutal from what my friends told me) but this class was the most disorganized class I ever took. Reason I gave him a 3 is because the first 3-4 assignments are built on top of each other using same algorithm. So if you're lost on the first one gl cause you're screwed on the others. Exams are fair btw
SPRING 2024: The midterm was straightforward, with many getting 100+. The final was harder, yet still doable and both midterm and final were curved with a godly curve of sqrt*10. Thus, it is effectively impossible to fail the course, if you give even half effort. Free projects, Waxman will spoonfeed code. Pay attention and take good notes for exam.
His class is somewhat easy but tedious. Since his tests are really hard, he gives a really big curve. A 60 could get you an 80. The projects are a bit hard but most of it is given in his notes that you have to buy. One midterm and a final, and around 14 projects plus biweekly quizzes in lab.
The curve for the class is insane. I would have got a C or b- in this class but i got A+. Its easy to pass.
This was my second time taking Waxman (first for CSCI211). I can confidently say that he's a WAY better lecturer for his 381 class; I genuinely enjoyed his lectures and I learned a lot from him. Even if you have a Python background, you'll come out having learned a lot of new stuff. Prepare to expect the unexpected for the exams, though. Good luck!
He is a great professor, I recommend attending as many lectures as possible to pass his class. The homework will be extremely helpful for studying and make sure to look back on the programs you are tasked to do. Overall, great lecturer and very respectful person
He makes you buy his packet from Amazon for $25 even if you don't need it. I got an email saying he will be checking if we all purchased the packet, and will be giving points whether notes are filled inside packet. WHY can I not take my own notes why does it have to be through this packet. I already know C++ anyway so this packet is useless to me
Waxman is okay. Lectures are mid and the $25 textbook is useless. He's nice and wants you to pass. Exam curve is sqrt grade × 10 or more, depending on class performance. No review sheets. Barely learned anything—YouTube helped more. OOP is taught at last week. The class focuses on algorithms but doesn't teach them well. Take someone else if you can
this isn't really an OOP class until you reach the end. the whole class seems erratic and highly disorganized. exams are definitely something to study extensively for (even tho the sqrt x 10 curve is a lifesaver.) makes you buy his $25 notebook as a portion of your grade (which contain a lot of materials directly related to the lab assignments.)
Exams are worth 60%, labs 40%. Exams are extremely tough to study for. Professor Waxman gatekeeps what's on them, so it's hard to feel prepared. Despite that, the curve is very generous, I passed even when I thought I failed. He's a great lecturer who explains concepts clearly and in depth. You must come to class or you'll be very lost in class.
Waxman was by far the most stressful professor I had. His final and midterm were full of surprises—completely unpredictable! I swear there was no way of knowing what he would put because he was so random. I felt defeated because nothing I studied actually mattered. If you can take another professor, please do. lowkey surprised I even passed.
as usual his questions are random and i didn't know anything but the waxGod blessed me with his curve. If you took him in 211 then this class is the same except its in python
It's hard to hear him unless you sit up close. The class isn't OOP until last class and it's mostly thinking how to program. If you like coding, this isn't a bad class but take someone else if you want true OOP. 1 hard exam, 1 easy exam, curved into Narnia. 40% for lab. If you're not getting at least a B+ you're trolling.
He is a really good person. As a professor, he just goes through the material in class, but if you have anything questions during the class, just ask, he will explain to you. Test is hard, but with high curve.
if you want a good grade, study hard, even though there is a deep curve
was surprised we weren't allowed to use our computer or any electronics. His lectures were okay, it didn't help me, tho. You have to buy the textbook to take your notes, and his review was so-so. The exams were mostly writing, then coding. There were unexpected questions in his exams; he has a big curve, but I will not take his class again.
Waxman gets a bad rep, but honestly 211 is more of a weed out class. At the end of each test, we were given a graph that shows how well you did and more than 60% of the class did so bad, which ends up helping you cause he gives a massive curve. Currently taking 300 level courses, and there are people who still don't know how to create Classes.
Worst experience in QC, you won't learn anything besides memorizing projects. Waxman loves to gatekeep what is on the test and will make his exams as hard as possible to the point where his curves can't even save you. Learned more from 211 review sessions that weren't even from him than all his lectures combined. Please avoid him and his textbooks.
Explanation aren't the best and test reviews are not useful. Lectures are sometimes a bit to follow
Waxman is a charismatic guy but his explanations can be overly complex sometimes. He gives a vague idea about what would be on his tests but they're moderately difficult since all you have to really do is remember the projects. His curves ease the stress and his tests are mainly fill in the blanks or “enter the output” questions.
I took his class in the fall, and the experience was very difficult. His handwriting was hard to read, and no technology was allowed. If a phone was used, he would stop the lecture to address it. I found it easier to learn the material on my own. I would not recommend this class if GPA is a concern.
I never went to labs so I got a B. His exams were trivial, i.e. you should have no problems if you did the work. Waxman himself is actually reasonable and nice, it's that he's seen so much BS from students over the years. Just do the work and it's an easy A+. If not, lock in because CS gets much harder than this.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
27%
Textbook Required
33%
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5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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5.0
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4.3
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4.0
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3.9
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3.7