2.3
Quality4.3
Difficulty23%
Would Retake88
Reviews23%
Would Retake
88
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
11
4
10
3
17
2
23
1
27
What Students Say
“This class completely changed my perception of math”
2243 - 1.0 rating“run away as fast as you can”
2243 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
23%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH8651MATH865
5.0
(2)CALC1272
4.0
(2)MATH5651
4.0
(3)MATH1572H
3.0
(1)HONORSCALC34
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1272
5.0
1571H
5.0
CALCULUS
5.0
CALC2
4.5
MATH1271
4.5
Reviews (88)
I had Bramson for Calc 1. He is a complete ****. Firstly, he can't teach. Secondly, his tests are stupid. He doesn't test you on what he attempts to cover in class. Instead, he tests you on obscure material barely covered in the book. Avoid Bramson at all costs.
Worst professor I have ever had. To explain things he simply writes examples out of the book and reads what the book says. His tests are hard for two reasons: he puts things on that he barely covered, and then he grades them very hard. Get this: my TA only got a 3 out of 8 on one problem.
He was alright, but sometimes unclear. HELP AT THE U IS HORSE SH*T anyway. TA's are helpful for this class
A lot of people don't like him, but I think he's hilarious. His tests are tough, though. He has a voice that made me think he was being silly. Until I noticed it was really his voice. And that he's just weird naturally.
his cand bar quizes were fun
He is a very odd man that is a very bad teacher to the point his TA did not know what was going on. His tests are impossible
He told me before the class even started just based on my appearance that I would fail his course. nice guy
Did not explain things very well... and his voice... MY GOD THE MONOTONE... I had to come up with new ways every day not to fall asleep... That said, he is a nerdy guy who was amusing in his nerdiness.
Really tough material without much help. But the professor is pretty hilarious. If you don't have a perfectionist attitude about your grade, you'll have the greatest time laughing at his nerdiness. Otherwise you might get sour if you are not studying up to his standards (pretty nerdy standards too).
Not helpful. Would not take again.
at least he's funny...
I just want to shoot myself in that class. Plus the final was a complete ****.
Very clear and well-spoken teacher. The material he covers in lecture is a bit on the simplified side, but discussion groups make up for it. Encourages class participation and "candy bar quizzes" are a fun opportunity.
Nice guy but bad teacher. He does not explain math but read the book. He also has a very unfair grading system. Average of the 1st exam: 40% and the last exam:46%. 1/4 of the class dropped the class and 1/4 of the class is failing the course. I would recommend another teacher or be ready to study hard core!!!
DO NOT TAKE ANYTHING BY THIS GUY. He's a ego-maniac with white shoes, who tries to fail everyone. Seriously all test scores averaged 30-40% Even though you do the homework and attend all lectures, he tries to see how low he can get the scores. He'll tell you the average test scores will be about a D! How can the 'Average' be a D? MORON!!
Stay AWAY! Like the other poster said he enjoys failing people, and all tests average in at <50%. I went into this class loving math with solid AP Calc AB and some independent study work in AP Calc BC(Calc II) and wasn't able to pass. His TAs are idiots, minus Dan. I went to every lecture, and learned nothing from them. You end up teaching yourself
Okay professor. Went through material quickly. Lectures weren't too exciting but he did make some funny comments at times. Tests were fair but grading was picky. Make sure to do all homework problems. It was also very helpful to do some chapter review problems.
Hard, hard, hard class! Not allowed to use Calculators, hard tests, and often sidetracks teaching. He does have a naive sense of humor though.
Sort of what everyone else is saying--you need to learn the material on your own. The tests are designed to test how much you know and whether you know the information backwards and forwards. If you prepare enough, the tests are not that bad. Yes the averages suck--but he curves each test. Put work into it! It will pay off in the end.
Multiple Answer multiple choice for half of all of the exams-- extremely difficult. Most people aced the first five problems and failed the multiple choice.
DO NOT take this prof for calc 2 unless you really love the topic. Nice guy but not a good teacher. much harder than other teachers yet I don't feel like I've learned that much more. tests were VERY hard, and I ended up teaching myself because my T.A. was useless.
AVOID IF POSSIBLE, HE IS BAD, DON'T GO TO CLASS JUST TEACH YOUR SELF YOU'LL SAVE A LOT OF TIME
Arrogant and pompous teacher. Doesn't care about the students and wants them to fail. Really hard tests.
Terrible professor, arrogant and will straight up make fun of the class. Tests on things you've never seen before; his easiest questions are harder than the hardest questions from other sections. AVOID!
GET AWAY WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!!!!!! I HAVE STUDIED FOR HOURS FOR THIS TEACHER AND AM BARELY PASSING. I DO WELL ON EVERYTHING ELSE EXCEPT THIS CLASS.
Good professor that knows what he's teaching. It is up to the student to make the connection between topics. He amply gives the techniques for how to do homework problems and in turn his tests. Keeping on top of homework is key. Otherwise, good experience in his class.
Avoid this professor if you can! His lectures are unclear, he tests on problems we've not seen before or on concepts that were briefly touched on in class and weren't in the book at all. He does have office hours, but he'll make you feel like an idiot for not understanding what we're doing. Everyone does awful on the midterms, they are brutal.
His tests are really really hard.And there are 5 multiple choices problems in midterms.It really suck!Avoid!!!
Lectures were OK, while exams gave me so much fun. If you think u r smart and good at math, DONT miss him. I enjoyed his exams pretty much nd the final was really easy seriously.
Worst experience EVER! Math has always been my 'thing' and this guy just makes it impossible. His lectures are worthless, he just reads and copies examples out of the horrible book. 3/4 of the time he copies the examples wrong. His tests are impossibly hard. He's a megalomaniac that tries to fail everyone.
This is the HARDEST math class I have ever taken. I took AP calc in high school and took 1271 at the U. If you don't like math, don't take his class. His lectures are somewhat helpful but don't prepare you for the test. His grading is super picky, so you'd better know exactly how he wants a problem done. Thank god my TA, Jason Owens, is a lifesaver
Bramson is probably one of the hardest Calc II teachers at the U. His lectures are pretty ineffective and his tests are very difficult. The practice midterms Q's are nothing like the actually midterm Q's. If you want to pass Calc II with a B or higher don't take Bramson.
I think Bramson gets a poor reputation due to the difficulty of Calc II. He's not a bad teacher at all, and he's got a great personality and sense of humor. Calc 2 itself is just a crazy difficult course. He's mentioned that he tried to petition to lower the content twice, unsuccessfully. He makes the class fun, though. It's just hard.
He is a funny man. Though he makes some typo mistakes, he is trying to make everyone understand the materials. Exams are really not that easy as I thought. However, I do learn a lot from his classes. BTW, he do not use moodle to post anything!(so never throw away you syllabus!)
take it! don't miss this class. you dont have to go class! no attendance check like cal 1! super easy midterm and quiz! take this class
While he explains things well and has thorough notes, his exams are tougher than other professors most of the time. Do your homework and try not to skip lectures and you will be fine!
Not clear what he expects a passing grade to be, his midterms are so difficult that by the time you get to the final you're already stuck on a C. The other professors are much more reasonable with their midterms Maury finds pleasure in giving random problems!! DO NOT TAKE HIM
Good guy, he is funny. But he is a horrible teacher. Not good at explaining overall concepts. Hard to listen too. Would strongly recommend to take a different professor if possible.
He gives practice midterms, which usually (half the time) have similar problems to the actual midterms. Not only that, but sets aside half a week to review the practice midterms and goes over them. What's the catch? Midterms are obviously fairly difficult, but he gets you ready for his final exam And that final exam was HARD.
Calc2 is an extremely difficult class to begin with. It makes things worse when your professor just reads off notes in class. The quizzes and tests are hard, class averages are failing. But that is on purpose, because, oh look, your 45% is actually a C+, fancy that. Hard class w/ poor teacher, try to find someone else.
Really HARD midterms.And his samples of midterms are too easy. It will make you think his midterm is easy. But, in fact, it is wrong????
the prof is totally insane. extremely hard and tricky problems in quizzes and exams. His lecture is not helping at all, just showing his notes. Her voice tones makes me sleepy. Avoid him if you can!!!
His class is really really tough. Hard midterms and his samples make no sense. If you want to have a good grade, don't take his class.
Maury is hilarious. By far the lamest professor I've ever had, which made him that much funnier. He's definitely a prodigy in the field of mathematics, but isn't all that good at explaining it. He assumes the students are as smart as him. Use the old midterms and worksheets to study and you'll be fine. He has about a 20% curve, so a C+ is an A.
Grading is impossible to understand--it's done through the whole math department, and I still don't get how the curve worked. TAs are SUPER important. Bramson is pretty clear about everything, MUCH better than my previous math professor, although his lecturess can be kind of dry and he sits while going through his notes on the overhead.
Bramson is the hardest math professor I've had, but he will try to explain some concepts to you if you need it. Study EXTREMELY carefully on the practice midterm and final. PS, if you so average on the midterms, you can still study hard for the final, which helped me get an A
He is pretty clear but don't expect to get a good grade . He is one the toughest graders in the U.
He is a hilarious dude and tells some pretty cool stories. It is easy to follow along and is very clear when lecturing. The worst part about it is that he gives impossible exams. If you can take a different professor I would highly recommend it because you'll have a better chance of passing and getting a better grade.
take him if you want to experinece life and don't care about your GPA anymore and want to know what dead inside feel like. i now hate everything thanks to dr. bramson.
run away as fast as you can
I hate my life. Sincerely thought about quit college after the quiz today.
Tests are hard, essentially difficult versions of the practice exams he gives out. Always seemed willing to help, almost everyday after class a line of people are asking him questions. I found it harder as a math class because there are a lot of new concepts that were harder for me to grasp. Lectures are extremely informative, be sure to go!
Worst professor I have ever had. When I read the reviews on him, I thought that I could deal with him as a professor. I was wrong. I strongly suggest against taking Linear Algebra with him. I like math and he made me dislike it.
I thought that he was a really great teacher. He presented everything very clearly and really got into the ideas behind the math. I was frightened after reading all the negative reviews, but even if the tests seem hard, they're pretty heavily curved. The only time I had to work was when I missed a couple of days and had to cover the material myself
This class completely changed my perception of math. I have done well in all previous math courses here at the UMN but then this one, what?? I spent way more time in class and lecture and spent more time outside of class cuz I knew he was tough, but never the less I am forced to retake with another professor.
hard tests.
Professor Bramson is hilarious. His class is constant humor, and he sincerely cares about his students learning math the right way. As a result, I think among non math students he gets a bad rap, and it is true that he is a hard grader. But he is a wonderful guy and wonderful instructor, so I recommend him.
Professor Bramson is known for giving out hard tests. His lectures are clear and he is very helpful if you go to his office hour. You are expected to WORK HARD if you want to get a good grade.
I've started skipping his lectures because he barely gives an overview of the mathematical concept, rather than explaining step-by-step analysis of the concept and/or how to do it. In short, he teaches the class like a review rather than new material. But it is necessary to go to class because he is not consistent with the assigned chapters.
Most of the bad reviews stem from the fact that he is a tough grader. However, you shouldn't be taking 2243 or 2263 to get a good grade-- they're conceptually difficult classes. That being said, Professor Bramson teaches the material quite well, and he comes to each lecture on time and ready to go; he makes lecture worthwhile. I'd highly recommend.
Don't take him unless you wanna fail.
Professor Bramson gets an unfair bad rep because his tests are very difficult. However, he is a very nice guy and a good lecturer as well. He is extremely helpful during office hours too. You will have to work extremely hard if you want to do well.
My least favorite professor at the U. He doesn't seem to really care if you pass of fail or even learn anything. His tests are hard and although they're heavily curved theres little to no room to recover from one bad test. Take from any other professor if you can.
Best advice is to just take the class from a different professor. He doesn't really teach the material. He gives old tests that are nothing like the tests he will give you. Grading is hard, there is a steep curve, but if you don't pass one test drop the the class. If you don't drop it you'll probably get a D or an F.
He is an amazing professor. Low scores from many because the tests aren't the easiest thing in the world. But it make you get ready for the finals and makes you understand what you should be learning in this class. Very humorous as well.
I'm a math person and I found the content in this class very easy. The homework was easy, I could do all the example problems; HOWEVER half the exams are the most difficult multiple choice questions you will encounter ever in a math class. He likes to talk about fossils and paleontology. He is a math genius but this harms us more than helps us.
Maury is brilliant, but unfortunately he has a difficult time teaching down to the student's level; I found myself barely paying attention to his lectures and relying on the TA to explain the material during discussions. The multiple choice questions on his tests are brutal and unforgiving, but he does curve them generously.
Honestly, Bramson is one of the worst professors I've ever had. Lectures are hard to follow, isn't clear on what is due when for homework. He puts problems on the tests that he did not teach, and even knowing the material the tests are still extremely difficult.
Not a helpful professor. I ended up using my one time drop to withdraw from the class. Does not teach clearly. Does not do the math on hand. Relies on his previously illegibly written notes. Very difficult tests with some weird multiple choice. I hated him with a passion I did not know I had.
Maury Bramson's lectures consisted of him pointing at his prewritten notes on an overhead. He's not the most engaging professor, and makes you work hard for the midterms. He puts interesting multiple-choice questions on exams (with more than one right answer), but grades the tests with a large curve. He's a smart and funny guy, but not the best.
If you can, do not take Professor Bramson's classes. The entire, and I mean the entire, lecture consists of him reading a projection of his handwritten notes. Sure he is funny, but he does not teach. All he does is read. In addition, his test are extremely difficult. I'm talking less than 50% averages on some. If you don't pass the first, drop.
Professor Bramson is very difficult to handle. His multiple choice got even useless and people did worst on the second midterm. Don't take him unless you studied the course BEFORE. He only relies on his notes.
He is a decent professor, but can be difficult to understand and rarely goes into unrelated stories. Halfway through the course he got tired of no one responding to lectures and started giving out candy when people answered a question. He has his own way of explaining things, and I needed many outside resources to understand the course material.
Horrible lectures
Maury Bramson is a BRILLIANT man. However, he is one of the WORST and CRUDE instructors that I have ever had. He has no idea how to run a proper lecture; he literally reads straight off of prewritten notes that are ten years old. No joke. His tests are theory-heavy - don't accurately judge how well you know the material. Not very accessible either.
Class is bad because he cannot teach. Sadly lots of people have to take it. I would roll the dice with cse linear algebra next time.
His idea of lectures is to put sheets of notes on a projector and read them off while people copy them down. He is inflexible in his lectures and often doesn't clarify when asked. He will berate students who are confused on occasion.
Very very very smart guy, can be kind of crude. Lifelong learner in general and will be more than happy to discuss intellectual material with you. He expects a lot from his students but given the resources available you should do fine if you try. Don't expect him too be too flexible though, he's fairly set in his ways.
All he does in lecture is point at his pre-written notes that are sometimes very hard to read. I would recommend copying the notes down before class so you can follow along. The tests are hard, especially the multiple choice. I failed the first midterm, but bounced back and got B's on the rest of them. My TA and other resources saved me, not him.
As the previous comments states he just points at his pre-written notes and his midterms are very difficult! If you had to choose between CSE calculus 2 and Bramson GO FOR THE CSE CALCULUS 2!!!! Their exams are really much easier than his. Also, the students are more capable in calculus 2 than 1 so the curve might be higher than you expect it to be
Not good at teaching, mostly boring but tells some bad jokes, loves the german language and culture for some reason, uses examples from the book but doesn't explain them nearly as well, tells lots of unnecessary information, just learn from slader and you'll be fine
I found that when I focused on the content of the lecture that I did well. I ended up recording them and studying these and his notes very carefully. I really appreciated the coherence of this course. Yes, the exams are tough, but there are enough of them that you can manage to get a decent grade. He genuinely cares about his students learning.
Quiz every week. Three midterms and a final. He sucks at teaching. Go to discussion and let Slader teach you. For some reason he's obsessed with German lang/culture/jokes. Sometimes his quirky-ness is funny. Calc material is not bad, just memorize the processes each week so you're not stressed for the midterms and finals.
Bramson was a decent professor, and he cares about our learning process. He originally lectured using pre-written notes, but began writing them out in class after asking us which way we preferred. Exams are brutal so review your notes, do your homework, and go to discussion. If you fall behind, it's going to be hard to catch up, I barely passed.
He is one of the worst professors that I've ever had, he doesn't teach the material and the exams are impossible. Luckily the class is graded on a heavy curve, otherwise I definitely would not have passed.
Online lectures actually were solid with Maury. I enjoyed how he wrote over pre-written notes. However, the homework and tests will test you thoroughly. I wouldn't have survived without my study group and the 3/week office hours he held. Beware of "trick" problems. If you want to truly understand probability theory, take this with Maury.
This is not going to be helpful, but I think a review is necessary. I love and enjoy all three courses: excellent content, interesting topics, and very interactive teaching. I understand why many students had negative opinions since you have to be genuinely interested in math as he does so that you can enjoy his lectures. Best math classes ever!
He is a big name in probability theory, very sharp, and proves/explains advanced thms/materials very well. He also cares about the students, but not an easy grader. One needs to understand the materials very well and work hard on the HWs.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
23%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH8651MATH865
5.0
(2)CALC1272
4.0
(2)MATH5651
4.0
(3)MATH1572H
3.0
(1)HONORSCALC34
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
1272
5.0
1571H
5.0
CALCULUS
5.0
CALC2
4.5
MATH1271
4.5