For difficult material, Rafter is very clear. Grades are composed of 8 quizzes and 4 tests that are very challenging. But, some of them are group take homes. Solid teacher in all.

Hard but manageable class for math, engineering majors. Helpful during office hours. Nice guy who likes to see his students do well. Take it but do all the HW, practice tests and study!

Rafter is a great prof. He moves through the material quickly but still explains things very well. He clearly knows his stuff. Plus, he is as accessible as one could hope. If I get the opprotunity, I will definitely take from him again.

I only went to him one time outside of class, but he was very helpful then. His personality makes the class a little more interesting

his tests were hard. it was the 1st time I had a B for math class

tough class, tough concepts, but excellently taught. rafter is very clear and concise and helpful outside of class. tests are tough, but all the questions come from homework. keep up and work with other students on the take homes are you'll be great. do HW, it really helps!

The tests are tough, but his way of explaining things makes the material much easier to learn. Wonderful teacher and provides great visual examples. Highly recommended, but not an easy class.

Best teacher I have ever had. Rafter really knows his stuff, and has great teaching techniques. The class itself is hard, but rewarding. Very recommended.

Has the initials "Chain Rule". Funny intentionally and otherwise. Obviously knows his stuff very well and lectures keep you awake even in 175. 8 quizzes (1 drop), 4 tests, 2 exams. Tests and in-class quizzes are hard. DO YOUR WORK or you will fail miserably. Fair class but very hard. Final was rediculous but I somehow did well. Thanks Rafter.

Professor Rafter is an awesome teacher. He is tough, but he explains the material very well. He has a lot of enthusiasm and patience in class and class is always interesting. He is very helpful outside of class. I would definately take from him again.

Fair Class..toms of grades allows you to make mistakes here and there..very smart guy..only bad part is no curve so class average stays at a 75.

If you want a quiz every friday morning at 9:00, and as a result want to never go out Thursday or be hung over for your quizzes, then take this class. He collects HW, just an overall amnnoying teaching style.

Wow. The class was awesome. Sure, there were a lot of grades and the tests and take-home quizzes were sometimes hard, but it was definitly well worth the effort. GO to office hours! They will save you. Incredibly helpful during hours. Class average stays at a 75. No curve or bonuses mentioned verbally. However, he is "lenient" at the end.

Wow, Rafter is a great guy. Probably one of the most amazing professors ever. However...this class...is REALLY tough. Especially compared to the other sections. His tests are amazingly long, and sometimes you walk out just dreading seeing your grade. If you do the hw, you will do well. ALso...go to his office hours. Only B I've had at Vandy.

Calc III is hard! But he tries his best to help you visualize stuff. Will help you in office hours too. Calc III is a hard subject but definitely does his best to teach it to you and to help you do well in his class.

Great professor! Goes over everything on his tests and makes sure that what he teaches is compatible with how the book explains it. Tests are hard but not impossible if you do the homework and do well on the quizzes. I would strongly recommend rafter; you learn the material very well.

Wow, this guy was so hard. Make sure you ace those quizzes because they begin to pile up quick. DO YOUR HW and you will manage. i think the first math class ive gotten a B in. he is a great teacher tho, knows his stuff

This course is difficult to begin with but Rafter helps a lot in clarifying any questions or concerns. There is a quiz everyday so do the hw and you'll do fine. Tests are pretty straight forward just long but you need to understand the material not just memorize in order to do well. Go to office hours if you need help and he's loads of help!

Lots of material in one semester. Not his fault. He teaches very, VERY well. Go to class every day if possible. It will help so much. Also, there's almost always a short quiz, but you can drop five of them. Tests are tough, but easily doable if you've paid attention. Only do the homework if you didn't understand the material *perfectly* in class.

Very difficult. material is explained well, 5 point quizzes on a hw problem every class. tests are very demanding in terms of material and time constraints. do all the homework problems and keep up with the class. our class average on tests was about a 65 and it was only be curved up to a 70. take at your own risk.

Rafter's an absolutely phenomenal teacher, but his class is very very difficult. If you're willing to work your ass off, and spend many a day at office hours, you'll probably do well, but if you like to slack and not do homework, I would go elsewhere.

Material is not very difficult but he usually formulates test questions that make you think. He is an excellent teacher who has the rare combination of smarts and good communication skills. Go to class, if for no other reason than to take the quizzes. Study like no other for his exams.

Gives a lot of insignificant grades. The tests pretty much make or break your grade. He is very knowledgeable with the material, but is forced to move very quickly.

Overall he's pretty good. He spends a lot of time on theory, but doesn't work enough examples to know what to expect on homework/quizzes/exams. That said, his lectures are clear enough and grading standards are very fair. He also seemed much more animated and enthusiastic about his class than other professors I've had.

The actuarial exams are pretty difficult and he teaches to them. This gets you ready for it. Also good if you are a Math/Econ/FNEC major. You will treat this class like it is your life, but in the end you will be great at tricky financial analysis type things. Worked like a dog, had an 81 roughly, got a B plus. Great help / office hours.

If you get an A from this class, brag about it, put it on your resume, consider applying to MIT because it's that hard. Anything you will ever take in the future will look easy.

Not a bad guy, but I would take Ratcliffe instead (your grade will be higher guaranteed). Rafter is hard and expects a lot from his students. Helpful during office hours, but they were at inconvenient times for everyone and he's not on campus Tues/Thurs. Both sections of MATH 221 have excessive hw for the material.

Rafter is an incredible prof. He is really good at explaining concepts. He makes you think a lot in the class. I took his class this summer and it turned out to be an awesome one.I had doubts about taking his class at first but now I feel glad that I had him.Tests aren't that bad.Quizzes are super easy. Homeworks are fine. Overall,highly recommende

Rafter is the man! his classes are really fun and productive. The best prof i've ever had. Math 175 requires imaginations and he makes things really simple to imagine.

Good teacher, chill guy, explains concepts well, but he makes the tests extremely difficult. You will need to do all homework problems and study hard in order to do well in this class. An A is very difficult to get. The professor to take if Math is your major or this class is very important to you, because you will learn a lot. Daily quizzes.

The best teacher I've ever met. I would recommend to take his class but, you still need to work hard because he make the tests hard. He also explains the concept very well and make the material somehow easy. Excellent teacher.

Rafter is a good teacher, just very demanding. Although time tends to drag along during his lectures, he presents the material well. Daily quizzes, most are easy. Attend every lecture possible- you will fall behind quickly if you don't. Tests are tough, you need to thoroughly understand the concepts to do well. Problem sets are very time consuming

Daily quizzes are overwhelming at first, but quickly manageable. Offers many ways to "pad" your grade: each quiz is 5 pts, 100pts of hmwk, 100pts of take-home tests. Compare this to other 175 classes where your grade is based solely on your test scores. His lectures are clear, and mostly enjoyable. You'll work hard, but enjoy it with this prof.

Rafter is a great teacher, but this class will challenge you.

He is a good guy. He likes to ask response from the students when he gives the lecture so that the students can keep up with a new materials. This class requires a lot of imagination. Go buy a clay to make it easy for you to visualize. A fun class to take during summer session!!

Awesome lectures. You actually learn the material so the homework isn't as bad. Very helpful when a question is asked and makes sure everyone understands before moving on. Test are challenging but if you do the homework and take good notes in class (especially any example problems) you will do well in the class

Love this class, if you're at all interested in actuarialmathematics take it. This class prepares you for FM exam. He's very good lecturer and teaches everything very clearly. HW is not hard if you go too class. Tests are tough but always based on covered material. He curves if needed on tests.

Rafter rocks. He really gets the class into it, and it's obvious how much he loves math. His tests are really tough, but he also gives huge curves (lowest curve was 8%, highest was 16%). If I can take him again, I will. Wonderful professor, wonderful person.

He is super clear and precise in his lectures. The flow of his teachings is even better than the textbook's. He makes sure the students participate in the lectures by asking them questions. The best professor I have ever had at Vanderbilt.

Rafter is a very intelligent and accessible professor. He derives pretty much everything instead of just feeding you information you'll quickly forget. Quizzes everyday taken from homework (definitely helps with your grade in the class). Fairly challenging homework. Tests are hard, and the final was very difficult. Great prof, highly reccommend

Directory of undergrad studies for Vandy math dept. Really awesome prof. Clearly cares more about whether you learn the material than anything else and will use grades to show that. Easygoing on deadlines, etc as long as it's clear you're not trying to pull something. Lectures are good - definitely worth going to everything.

He's a fun guy, and his class is always lively. He cracks some really funny quips too. Overall, he's a pretty good prof. He always answers questions, and really makes an effort to make you understand the material. He has really flexible Office Hours. Definitely pick him over the other instructors for this course - he's by far the best.

MATH2820 is a beast. I'm not sure exactly, but probably around 1/4 to 1/3 of the class withdrew by mid-semester, so good luck. I was looking at tests from this class from previous semesters, and I don't know what professor was teaching then, but significantly less material was covered.

Definitely the toughest class Ive taken at Vanderbilt. There is a possibility of a quiz every class session. Tests are extremely difficult. On the bright side theres a pretty heavy curve. Rafter can be a pretty engaging professor and pretty funny in lecture. Also good in office hours

Took 1301 w/ him in the summer. Tests are hard, but as you long as you can do the harder HW problems, you'll do fine on tests (esp. since they're curved). You also get a copy of the test after you take it to finish as HW, but you can work together/use the text. He's good in lecture, and also suggests further math courses that might be interesting.

The best professor I've had at Vanderbilt. Doesn't give bs in class, grades extremely fairly, even curves the grade at the end of the semester.

John Rafter is an incredible professor who can teach you a lot about math if you care to learn. Look at the other negative reviews; people give him low ratings because they struggle in his class, but this doesn't mean he is a bad/uncaring professor. He certainly doesn't give out easy A's, but I learned more from him than anyone else at Vanderbilt.

Took this class because it's required for my major and was dreading it, as I've heard many horror stories; however, this man is easily one of (if not the) best profs I've ever had. Tests are horrible, but he knows that and curves, and homework counts a lot. I loved Rafter's teaching so much that I am now taking 2 more of his classes next semester.

This was by far the hardest class I've taken; the material is brutal albeit interesting. Dr Rafter is known for making some beasts of exams, and that rumor is true. I was relieved when I received above a 50 on the 1st midterm. Rafter does do a great job of teaching horribly complex material, and though he's tough, he's easily the best prof I've had

This man is a legend and for a reason. He can and will answer any question you throw at him in a clear way without ever being negative. This is likely his one of his fav sub to teach, and it shows. The exams were the hardest I've ever taken, but he gives so much partial credit. Great guy, difficult class, super cool material. Take if you love math.

Professor Rafter is a serious professor whose course, Introduction to Financial Mathematics, requires decent attention and effort. However, he's brilliant and does a great job applying the class to real world situations. I think I've picked up more in this course than any other math course thus far.

He really is a great and caring prof. Intro to Financial Math is the best math class Ive taken. Super interesting and actually useful. It requires A LOT of time and energy, but hes a fair grader and seems to curve final grades. I would def take another finance class w him P/F. You definitely cannot miss class tho

John Rafter is very clearly passionate about two things: math and teaching. He is very fair, however he does expect an incredible amount from his students. I'm not sure I've ever learned more from a class, but that means there was a lot of work. Frequently worked 8+ hours on the weekly problem sets. DO NOT TAKE JOHN UNLESS YOU LIKE MATH!

John Rafter is an amazing lecturer and this was probably the most interesting class I've taken at Vandy. This class is not to be taken lightly though- the problems sets are incredibly time consuming and the tests are difficult. He does, however, curve tests fairly and is responsive to regrade requests. This was a hybrid class.

Probably the best math lecturer Ive had at Vanderbilt. I learned way more in this class than most math classes Ive taken. The tests are hard, but they test your knowledge well.

He cares about his students and teaching the laguage of math. However, he doesn't give out A's very easily. Grading is "fair" doesnt knock down points and you usually feel like you got the score you deserve for a given quesiton. Taught summer 1301 very well despite volume of content. A much better pick than most other professors in the department.

Professor Rafter (John) is a great professor. He makes sure to use class time very wisely, and I have learned more in this class than any other math class at Vanderbilt. That being said, you won't do well if you skip class, as every class is jam packed with material you'll need to know for each weekly homework.

I mean, like hes a good professor. But like literally, his problem sets are so DIIIIIIIIIFFFICCCULLLT! Sniff sniff sniff

Wonderful lecturer, easily the best I've had. However, the class itself is very difficult, especially the tests. Test averages aren't released because they are probably very low, but just make sure you put in the necessary work and good grades are easily achievable.

If you are interested in a career in quantitative finance or just want to learn more about the math behind markets, this is a must-take. Tests and homework are difficult and attendance (although not required) is pretty much necessary to get a good grade, but you will learn a ton of very applicable and interesting topics!

Dr. Rafter is very good, but sometimes it feels like he is too smart to be teaching single-variable calc so his explanations can seem convoluted sometimes.

No doubt he is a hard professor, but he is the single best teacher I've had throughout my education. He truly cares about his students succeeding in his class and in life. He is inclusive, welcoming, and kind. If you are not afraid of some hard work, his classes are very rewarding. Thank you Dr. Rafter!

Rafter shows an effort to make the painful experience of learning calculus a bit more bearable in class. Does a decent job of explaining key concepts. However, he provides little to no resources for test prep other than 'suggested exercises'- thus coming to class and taking your own notes is essential. Tests have questions never seen in class.

Professor Rafter is a very engaging lecturer, however, he rarely does practice problems in class and teaches mostly theory and proofs. This means the tests and assignments are very hard to do without extra office hours or help. This class isn't hard to pass but very hard to get a great grade in.

Rafter was great for Financial Math. If you are interested in trading or financial markets this is a must-take to develop a baseline in interest rates, bonds, financial derivatives, and arbitrage. PS were difficult and tests require a solid knowledge of the material. If you've survived either of the rafters for 2820 this class is very manageable.

I just came out of my first midterm in this class and it was the worst thing I've ever taken. He's a great lecturer and I've learned so much. However, that midterm tested very little of what I learned. Even talking about that most recent test gives me PTSD. I thought I was okay at stats until I took that. Yikes. Help me.

very very difficult topic, but dr rafter made it so much better. he's a great lecturer, is really good at engaging everyone, and is very accessible outside of class. responds to emails fast, too. would absolutely take a class with him again.

Definitely the hardest professor for 1300, but his class is not designed for anyone to fail. You have to do the homework and oftentimes learn from the textbook. Lectures are hard to follow, but great if you need to understand why the math works (i.e. math majors). Wouldn't necessarily recommend, but wouldn't steer clear of either.

he is brilliant and knows what he's talking about, thinks a 60 exam average is perfectly normal, lectures don't match tests very well (very theory-based). possibility of a pop quiz every class (though lowest ones are dropped), and an 85 is needed for an A-. he is caring and somewhat fair (grades harshly for small mistakes)

Seeing the "Rafter" name on my student registration for this class scared me until I actually took the class. Dr. Rafter is genuinely SO engaging and cares about all his students fully understanding the whole scope of the course. His energy about math is contagious, and while his class can be tricky sometimes, he's open for reasonable office hours

The exams gave me an unbelievably hard time but there are several assignments that are designed to bump up your grade. There are pop quizzes but you know the questions in advance. Dr. Rafter is an engaging teacher in the best way and is extremely intelligent.

Professor Rafter is a great pick for linear. The class itself is pretty hard, but Rafter is a very engaging lecturer and wants all of his students to succeed. Tests can be hard but Qs are often same/easier than PS's and assignments/textbook Qs. He offers padding with weekly Low Stakes Assignments, Problem Sets, and Test Agains. Highly Recommend!

If you're taking this because you ended up not getting 2810, don't do it its not worth lmao. I did it and my GPA tanked so hard this semester, it was at the point to where I studied less in my other classes just to try and pass the tests in this class. He has a great teaching style(if you are a math nerd if not tough luck buddy). go to office hours

Genuinely a great lecturer in class and very engaging. Probably the most I've learned in a math class at Vanderbilt of the material taught although my grade didn't reflect that. Tests are very hard to complete and have very low averages. If you want to learn, take him! If you want a good grade, don't.

Dr. Rafter is very passionate about math. There is very little fault I could find with him as a lecturer. However, this class squeezes a lot of content into not enough time, along with the content being very difficult. This course has the reputation it does for a reason. Take it seriously and put more time than you think you need into it.

If you have to take MATH 1300, choose John Rafter. He's by far the most generous math teacher that I've ever had (not to say that you can slack off). He proves things in class, so that you can use whatever equation or theorem for homeworks. Follow past-students advice to a tea, attend office hours (no matter how cocky you are), and you'll be fine!

Best class at Vanderbilt. Great Prof

i absolutely loved linear algebra because of dr. rafter !! the material is difficult but he is very accessible outside of class, understanding of other things coming up, and clearly cares about his students. the "low stakes assignments" really prepare you for the exams. and talking to him in office hours, not just about math, is really enjoyable :)

John is a passionate and amazing lecturer who truly wants his students to succeed. This was the hardest math course I have taken so unless you must take the course for your major, do not take it to satisfy AXLE. If you want to succeed, you MUST do all the suggested HW and be willing to spend more hours on this course than other classes combined.

John Rafter is an amazing professor and you will learn a lot. However, the tests are brutal. If you want to learn, take him! If you want a good GPA, then don't.

Excellent pick for Linear. Hard class, sure, but that's because you're learning something that is probably completely new to you. Professor Rafter is an amazing lecturer and the class is setup for your best success. He brought out a passion for math in me years after I took this class with him. Cannot recommend taking his class highly enough!

Rafter is a passionate lecturer, but the class is challenging. Doing all the homework and attending office hours are musts to succeed. unstuck AI was a big help for streamlining study prep alongside the textbook.