1.8
Quality3.5
Difficulty18%
Would Retake128
Reviews18%
Would Retake
128
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
4
4
7
3
17
2
29
1
71
What Students Say
“coseenos, menos, blah blah blah”
MA242 - 1.0 rating“Give those paychecks to the TA's”
MA141 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
42%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.18 avg changeRatings by Course
MA341
2.3
(22)MA401
2.0
(5)MA305
1.8
(12)MA242
1.8
(36)MA141
1.5
(51)Difficulty by Course
MA401
4.4
MA141
3.7
MA241
3.5
MA242
3.4
MA305
3.3
Reviews (128)
Professor Medvinsky is very hard to learn under. He has a very thick accent, which makes it hard to understand his lectures. He doesn't always explain everything, but rather, just copies his notes from his sheet onto the board. You will need to do lots of extra work outside of class to pass. He tends to be an easy test grader though.
He's a really nice guy but not a great teacher. He is hard to understand and his notes are really confusing. Never got anything out of class always had to do work after to learn everything from class. If you take him use Paul's Online Notes. His tests are really similar to the practice tests he gives out, but it is still hard to do well
Very thick accent makes him extremely difficult to understand. Makes mistakes in lecture CONSTANTLY, sometimes he doesn't even bother to correct them.
Very tough class. Constant mistakes in lecture, sometimes egregious mistakes which require much reworking of problems. Homework assignments were very tough, and answers not provided until after tests were taken. The only benefit from this class was the practice exams were tougher than tests themselves. However, practice answers not always provided.
This professor has a horrible accent and handwriting. Lectures are clear. He explains with a lot of theory, but you will spend lots of time outside of class. Tests would exactly same as practice tests. Attendance was not mandatory for lectures but recitations
Extremely rough accent, poorly written but extensive notes on the board. Has a hard time communicating his ideas, but clearly knows the material. Tests often contained material that was barely covered.
The most difficult part of this class was simply trying to understand him through his lectures. He cannot answer questions well and it is really only because of the extra sources he gives you that I passed at all. The links and videos to other teachers course materials are all thats helpful, and I took Calc 1 in high school. Prepare yourself!
you can't understand a word that comes out of his mouth
Very hard to understand and lectures topics sometimes in a different order than what the homeworks are in, making things a bit confusing. Tests are very hard. Without the TA I would be lost. Don't take him if you don't have to. Gives a practice test before each test and gave extra credit at the end of the semester.
If you have never taken calc before (like me), I highly recommend avoiding him at all costs. Even my friends who took calc in high school struggled. He is a VERY nice guy and good person in general, but the class is a joke, most people skip and teach themselves.
He's not very good at explaining things. The class itself isn't that hard if you keep up with the material. His practice tests are very helpful. If you know and understand how to do the entire practice test prior to tests, you should get at least a B. He's not a great teacher, but a nice guy and wants students to succeed.
Medvinsky is a nice professor, & he is obviously passionate about math. But beware--he has an EXTREMELY thick Russian accent, & his notes are hard to follow. He makes several errors when working out problems that are never easy fixes. He drops your lowest test grade, but if you didn't take calc in high school, you'll have a hard time in this class.
Professor Medvinski clearly cares about his students but is not a good lecturer so be prepared to teach yourself. He gave an extra credit and had a generous grade drop policy which was nice since I had to teach myself almost all of the material. Look at his practice tests! They're almost the exact same as his tests
MA 242 with Medvinsky is an easy A but you won't learn anything. Expect to teach yourself all the material and rely on the TA. The tests and final were exactly like the practice he gives. He's a nice guy but his lectures don't really help. Definitely take it with him!
If you're going to have Michael Medvinsky you're gonna need a good TA. You will learn nothing from Medvinsky himself, the lectures shouldn't even be mandatory as you learn so little. You will teach yourself through a textbook, YouTube, and the homework and then the TA will explain the things you're confused about. Tests are fine, HW varies.
Dr. Medvinsky is a sweetheart. You can tell he really cares about his students. I had him for an online course due to COVID-19, and he sent us a lot of emails updating us on things and letting us know that he's available to help. Lectures were a bit hard to follow and he does have an accent, but tests are almost exactly the same as the practices.
This class is a good class if you want an easy A by just studying the practice exams. His tests are almost identical to the practice test except for changing different numbers. I would NOT recommend this teacher if you actually want to learn the material but if you just want an easy A by studying the practice exams then go ahead.
Avoid at all costs. Disorganized lectures, can't understand him, lectures are useless. I taught everything to myself and this is not the course you want to do that with.
Very unhelpful when answering questions. Teaches quickly and is difficult to understand. You will have to rely entirely on the textbook or the help of the TA to understand the material. The test questions are very similar to the practice test, so if you want a good grade without actually understanding any of the material this is the class for you.
Supposedly he used to give out tests that were the same as the practice test, but not anymore. So like, don't take this man's class. Also -sinmenos seenos in his dialect.
Lectures are wildly disorganized and incredibly fast, so I had to teach myself the entire course from the textbook or learn from my (admittedly wonderful) TA. Tests are nearly a copy and paste of the study guide.
Lectures can be confusing, but the TA/recitation helps a lot. Teacher can make mistakes and ramble. Tests are fairly easy material and weighted to help students. Provides extra credit. Final was very difficult but curved. Would recommend for easy grade but will be difficult for someone taking calc for the first time.
DO NOT TAKE AT ALL COST! Overall, he is a nice man and cares about his students, but does a terrible job at explaining the material and notes are very hard to read or even understand. If you have a good TA and you are in this class then you will be able to easily get a good grade. However, if you can switch then switch!
I can't think of a time where attending his lectures helped my understanding of the material. The TA carried most of the class. Not to mention, he is often hard to understand.
The worst professor or teacher I've had in my academic career, by far. Goes through proofs all class, stumbles over words, THICK Russian accent, no practice problems or notes.
Dr. Medvinsky really knows his stuff and cares about his students. He teaches in his third language, which is an amazing feat, though it sometimes makes him hard to follow. His exam content is always made clear and his practice exams are great study aids. He is a generous grader and wants everyone to pass. His lectures can be tedious, but helpful.
Can't understand him.
Medvinsky is a great professor and MA141 is a great class unless you don't want to study.
Thick accent to where it is hard to understand his lecture and sometimes brushes over questions. Luckily I had taken Calc I during Highschool so most stuff is review but other then that I learned from the TA.
Once you understand his accent, the lectures become a little easier to understand. Be prepared to use Khan Academy in order to make a PASSING GRADE in this course. He barely does examples that can be understood Or will be applicable on either the homework or the tests. He sometimes will not take questions seriously or will explain them correctly.
He goes very fast in lectures and sometimes makes it seem like he is making fun of your questions, but that is just his personality. He is very quick to respond to emails and always extends homework if you just ask. He is tough, but really caring.
Honestly, if you can learn by yourself you can pass. The lectures aren't useful, I hardly went after the first few weeks. But the tests are almost an exact copy of the practice test, so if you practice the practice test and have a general understanding on test day, it'll be alright.
Don't take this professor unless you already know calc 1. His teaching is the worst because you can't actually understanding what he's saying. Honestly, knowing Russian should be a prerequisite for this class because of how strong his accent is. The only reason why I got through this class with a good grade was because my TA was amazing.
Michael Medvinsky is a caring and sweet professor. He was sometimes hard to understand in the beginning because of his accent, but I got used to his accent quickly. He gave us a lot of handouts and problems to practice with which was super helpful. His tests looked just like the practice exams, so it was fairly easy.
I would recommend Dr. Medvinsky as a Calc 1 prof if you have taken calc in highschool and only need a refresher on the material/to get credit. The practice tests and exams are almost identical to the real tests. You will do well on the test if you practice them multiple times and work out how to solve the problems. Otherwise, do not take this class
Seemed like a nice dude and was very passionate about math. However, it was very difficult to understand him. His lectures consist of a lot of writing and minimal examples. I would recommend not taking him if you haven't taken calc already. On the upside, tests were easy and recitation was useful. The study guides were very similar to the tests.
He only uses a whiteboard, and there are barely any online resources. Sometimes makes a lot of tiny mistakes during classes. He doesn't answer questions and his handwriting is pretty bad. He sometimes explains the theory in the middle of the example, which is hard to understand. Only survived because of TA. Don't take if first time taking calculus.
Do not take this class if you haven't taken Calc. in highschool. His lectures were hard to understand because of his accent and lack of examples. On the upside he drops the lowest exam, and some webassigns. The exams were similar to the practice exams. You can find his lecture notes online if you google his name.
Professor Medvinsky is a very intelligent mathematician and a very clever, kind, and witty individual. He is not a good lecturer. His lectures are useless. Note what topics you went over in lecture, and then look them up on khan academy that same day to learn. Tests were easy, final was hard. Ask questions to your TA if khan doesn't cover it.
This professor was very difficult to understand because of his accent. He seemed to make the lessons a lot harder than they should be and his tests were so difficult for no reason. If you are going to learn anything from this class pray for a good TA. The only reason I passed was bc I had already taken Calc 1. Would not recommend.
DO NOT take a class with medvinsky. He is an intelligent man but he is not good at explaining concepts and is a bad lecturer. HE has a very difficult accent to understand and makes mistakes regularly throughout lectures. He types his lectures on a powerpoint and it makes it very difficult to take notes. Covers unneded material
A kind professor who cares about his students, as if they were his own kids.
Worst math teacher I've ever had. TA taught me everything.
I had him for MA341. He is not a very good professor, but his practice exams are extremely similar to the actual exam but it's still hard. This is good, but it is still difficult to figure out the practice exam even with TA's help. The homeworks are also extremely difficult. You will have to teach yourself, the lectures are not helpful.
Dr. Medvinsky is a nice guy, and he can be funny, but he is not a good teacher. Most of my learning came from the textbook and YouTube. His teaching method was typing up slides as he explained stuff. Seems like a VERY generous grader, so you will probably pass the class with a decent grade, but this is not the place to really learn math.
PRO: He is a kind professor who wants you to succeed. His tests are essentially a copy of the practice tests he provides and he is a VERY generous grader. There is no reason not to do well in his class. CON: He doesn't speak English very well so his lectures are difficult to understand. I had to teach myself everything from outside material.
Really smart and caring guy, just can't teach to save his life. Hard-to-understand lectures, none of us showed up for class after the first week since we learned more from youtube. Tests are very similar to the practice exams though, so study and know those and youll do fine on the exams. He loves his trig identities though
He is nice and always responds to my emails. However, he is the worst math professor I've ever had. His lectures are hard to follow because he lectures by typing, copying, and pasting stuff in Mathtype and Powerpoint, and often switches between the two. These lectures are suited for junior or senior pure math majors, which his students are not.
Negatives: can't teach, mediocre materials, difficult examinations, MANY homeworks Positives: curves HEAVILY, very accessible through email, great textbook, many grades dropped, extensions easily granted, nearly guaranteed passing I reccomend to learn this class: use online textbook, professor leonard, paul's online math notes.
He is not the best at teaching differential equations, made many mistakes in his lectures, but his grading is super lenient. The tests are curved by like 10-15 points, and he also dropped the lowest of 3 tests and dropped lots of homework grades too. His accent isn't really that bad but you might have trouble towards the beginning. Show up to class
Lecture is optional so self study to survive.
I personally think the lectures are fine. The fact that they're optional makes it better too cause sometimes I study better online (I took most of my courses online when I was at community college so its what I'm used to), but the lectures do help whenever I get stuck or confused.
Dr. Medvinsky is not a great lecturer. He chooses to write and solve his example problems by hand in class, make a mistake, requiring him to go back and correct it, making most of his notes unintelligible. His tests are very lenient and almost identical to the practice tests, which is a major part of the grade. I would take his class again
Good guy, absolutely awful at teaching. He knows the material very well but all he does is copy his notes from a paper onto the board without any explanation. The lectures aren't useful at all so just read the text book and you'll definitely survive. Not very much homework and the tests are graded very lightly and very similar to the practice test.
His lectures are boring, hard to follow, and riddled with mistakes. He is weeks behind his pacing guide, constantly has three assignments due in one day and then shifts deadlines the day before things are due, misinterprets questions, etc. AVOID taking Medvinsky if you care about learning OR want an easy A.
Dr.Medvinsky is very nice and approachable, however I really did not learn a thing about linear algebra in his class. It's a shame since a good math class is always a treat, but this was not it. Stopped going to class because it really was a waste of time. I willl say he is very lenient with test grading and will give extensions.
His lectures have lots of examples but he goes too fast. And he does NOT follow the textbook from the syllabus. So his lectures are hard to follow but he asks if anyone has questions. He cares about students learning so he will do his best to explain; hes very nice. The practice tests are very similar to the tests. The lowest test was dropped.
Having Medvinsky made me struggle more than I bargained for. How he introduced the material was as if he was teaching HIMSELF instead of the class. I learned more from the TA than from him and I'm lucky to get away with a B-. Beware of him at all costs! You might have to be teaching yourself everything. As for tests, he gives no meaningful feedback
It's an easy class, but it's insipid. Medvinsky doesn't make it obvious from where in the textbook he is teaching, but he's at least approachable with questions and will respond to emails. He helped bump my grade up, so I gotta give him an "okay."
Very bad teacher. Most of the students did not show up to a SINGLE class because there was no point. If you ACTUALLY want to learn Diff Eq do not take him. I passed with a good grade and did not learn a single thing. Only good thing about him was that he would sometimes make jokes. They were only funny if you could understand him though.
Awful lecturer but a lenient grader especially considering the tests are very similar to the practice tests. (Still, study since they're not identical). You will teach yourself everything the lectures are bad. His in-class examples are confusing and filled with mistakes. He is responsive over email. He wants his students to succeed and score well.
He writes super small on the board so good luck seeing anything. His lectures are not like the homework. If you want to learn anything I suggest watching Youtube. Attendance is not mandatory and don't even waste time going because it will be a waste of time.
He's not a mean person, and he seems very willing to give extensions on homework. I don't think he's a bad person. He's AWFUL as a teacher. Aside from his accent, he has a pretty lousy grasp of communicating concepts to students, and his lectures consist of him just doing examples on the board without explaining anything. You'll need the textbook.
RUN!!! The absolute worst instructor in the history of this school. Literally made me hate my life. He has no teaching skills. He gets his test questions from outer space. a VERY awful professor overall and I wouldn't wish him for my worst enemy.
Calculus used to be my favorite subject before taking this course, but not anymore. Get ready to study on your own. Exams were literally impossible. Lectures didn't just not teach me anything but made me even more confused. If he's your only option for this course, don't take it.
Lectures are pointless, he just copies his notes onto the board. No resources available on Moodle apart from practice exams (for the first exam, only half of the posted questions had solutions). Class is graded pretty leniently and homework is infrequent. Not a hard class but you need to teach yourself, you won't learn anything from Medvinsky
Worst professor I've ever had and hopefully will ever have. Completely ignores the fact that all classrooms have projectors and writes everything on the board in terrible, small handwriting. His accent is like nails on a chalkboard. He's impatient, constantly makes mistakes, and does the bare minimum to maintain his job. AVOID.
Write's everything out on a whiteboard, and does a really bad job of explaining what everything is. Leading up to the second test he literally only described proofs, with everyone in the class visibly confused as to what he was doing. It was only until the class before the exam that the TA properly explained the material in a way that made sense.
Better claim a seat in the front row if you ever want to see what he writes on the board. He is hard to understand and very frequently makes mistakes that take him the entire class to find and fix. You better hope you get a good TA because they make or break the class. His grading is nice, dropping 9 homework's and the lowest midterm but beware!
He is not as bad as people are saying. He is hard to understand and writes small on the board, but he makes the class easy and the tests are the exact same as the practice exams but with different numbers.
Medvinsky is one of my least favorite profs I've ever had. He writes on the whiteboard, so you can't rewatch lecture recordings. He is hard to understand because his lectures are wildly disorganized. I had to teach myself from the book and online videos. He provides practice tests, but the actual tests are longer and a little more difficult.
Dr. Medvinsky is a very smart man, and cares about his students. However, his lectures are unintelligible and he makes lots of mistakes when doing examples. Writes with a faint marker on the white board, which was hard to see. Most people learned the material on their own. Exams are very similar to practice tests. Also, seenos meenos.... iykyk
It's hard to understand him, he writes super small on a whiteboard, and spends all class fixing mistakes. I relied on textbook for the first half of class and later watched YouTube videos. The TA and his recitation was super helpful in actually understanding the concepts. Tests are 90% similar to practice tests and super easy grader.
He is not the worst professor, but be ready to teach yourself. He is very hard to understand as he has a very thick accent. His teaching style is doing problems on the board from handouts he posts on Moodle, which is probably why most don't like him. His tests are pretty easy, they are similar to the practice tests, not the same but very similar.
Prof. Medvinsky warped my view of NC State as he was one of the first professors I had. In my opinion, he was an extremely poor lecturer who never responded well to questions or criticism. He often seemed to be uncaring or blatantly rude to many students. Thankfully the TA was amazing and was able to teach the class where Prof. Medvinsky failed.
his test guides are EXTREMELY similar to his real tests. Just watch Dr. Bevin Maultsby on youtube or some other calc 3 prof if Medvinsky isn't cutting it for lectures.
Save yourself
His lectures are hard to follow and he does not really explain content in an easy way to follow. Does a lot of unnecessary proofs. But the tests are the same as the practice so not terrible you just have to teach yourself.
Do everything in your power to avoid him! He's absolutely not a bad person, but is awful at teaching. He only mumbles and faces the board. His tests are a lot like his practice tests though, so you have at least that going for you.
Find a professor worse than this guy. I dare you.
This professor really made me more passionate about calculus... as I was in the air running of EB3.
coseenos, menos, blah blah blah. It's impressive how this guy literally does the bare minimum every day to not get fired. Don't bother to tell him to get a darker marker or use a projector, as he knows that you can't see, but he simply doesn't care. You will not learn anything, but you will certainly feel more confused about what you already knew
never learned much in class. TAs, tutors and studing is where you'll do most of your learn for him
this man does not speak English however he is a very easy grader. The lectures do not help at all skip if possible
FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM FIRE HIM... Give those paychecks to the TA's
Dr. Medvinsky has a very thick accent and will not teach any applications, only confusing theories. That being said, his tests are quite easy and follow the same format as his practice exams. He is actually pretty chill, and always rips darts right after class ends. Go to class if you would like to stay on track, but feel free to learn out of class
TERRIBLE! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!
I took calc I previously so I didn't really pay attention. If I could leave a review for the TA we had though I would. Jacob was incredible and made every recitation helpful in some way. Very lenient grading on exams and understanding of homeworks. Professor is hard to understand sometimes and makes easy concepts hard and vise versa.
Awful, worst teacher I've ever had. Do not recommend taking any class he teaches.
Are we sure he was speaking English? And writing in English? Dr. Mezvinsky is an amazing mathematician and a terrible teacher. He spends 10 minutes explaining how to do a question, realizes he was wrong, spends another 5 minutes trying to fix it, does it wrong a few more times, and finally writes the right answer without explaining what he did.
Where do I even start, I seriously don't think it gets any worse than “this guy”. Even if you could understand him, he spams practice problems without actually teaching the material. Dude is an actual joke of a professor, and a disgrace of N.C. State. You will have to teach yourself everything. How this guy even has a job amazes me. Goodluck
Not a very good professor, the TA's carried the class. Never take him.
He somehow managed to get a job here. If you value your time, take Dr. Kurtz and actually learn things. His tests have the same format as his practice exams. All of them, so do the practice exams and you will be fine. I would love to give him a 0, but it is not an option, so I will give him a 1.
Medvinsky isn't a good professor, but his class isn't that bad. He gives test relatively similar to the study guides.
I'd only suggest taking Medvinsky if you have already taken AP calculus and have a strong foundation, if not stay clear. His lectures suck and offer nothing, his tests are way harder than those given out by other professors, and the homeworks are tedious and also way harder than anything you're gonna see on an exam.
If you took AP Calc, didn't do well on the exam, have a strong foundation, and just need a good grade, take his class. Practice exams are like the actual exams, lowest dropped. Final was easy since it was made by the entire department without his questions. HW is WebAssign (pretty hard sometimes). Lectures are trash, teach yourself. Make friends.
I didn't think he was terrible, but I definitely taught myself the material. I had never taken AP Calc and went in blind. Thankfully I also made friends who had taken it, and were able to help me out. If you can help it, I would try to take someone else. Could've done just as well taking it online.
For MA 341 - Applied Differential Equations, he was not the worst teacher. I've seen better but certainly not the worst. His lectures are difficult to understand and his writing is illegible if you sit anywhere but the front, but the notes are informative. The exams are exactly like the study guide so if you stick to that you'll be fine.
Don't take this professor unless you know what you're getting yourself into. He lectures in a thick, mumbled, Russian accent and his handwriting and train of thought is difficult to follow. If I hadn't taken calc 1 in high school, and if it weren't for our incredible TA Jacob Miller, this class would have been very difficult.
I was in the lecture hall a total of 6 times: Day 1 and 2, three midterms, and the final, and still walked away with easy A. He is super lenient on grading and all material can be self taught on youtube.
Definitely don't take this professor. If you can avoid getting this professor for any calc class, but he does teach any math you can thing of. For the final try to find easier questions form what he gives because the math department doesn't allow his questions on the final, at least not for my final.
One of my favorite professors I've had at NC State. Very kind individual doesn't deserve all the poor reviews.
Y'all hating on my boy MM too much. So what if sometimes he make silly meestake and forget meenoose sign in front of eeks? Once you learn how to translate medvinskian the class really is not that bad. Tests are relatively easy and similar to the practice exams. If you're stuck taking one of the "bad" 341 profs, medvinsky might be your best option.
He isn't that difficult to understand it's just confusing to follow along in lecture because he just writes down everything on the whiteboard in black and doesn't explain things well. However, the tests are very similar to the practice tests and the TA's give a lot of partial credit. Also the recitations are very helpful.
I tried to go to lectures, but I had no idea what was going on, so I stopped going. He was nice, though, and his tests were almost exactly like the practice tests. If you take him, you'd be better off learning from Paul's Online Math Notes.
To start off, I took AP Calc in high school and had a strong calculus background before coming into Dr. Medvinsky's class. His lectures are often hard to follow, and he overcomplicates simple things, But he is a funny guy and cracks some jokes, which I enjoyed. Overall, if you haven't taken Calc, don't take him. Our TA, Jacob, was excellent.
Man where do I even start. for lectures he constantly scribbles on the board and reads off worked out worksheets that he writes on the board not to mention his lectures don't go according to the exam. I had a really rough time understanding the content due to his accent menos this cosinos that. Other than that he really is a nice guy.
Take any other math professor if you can. I promise it'll be 10x better. You can barely understand him, he writes tiny on the board and blocks it, and it doesn't align with the textbook. If you have to take his class pray to whoever you believe in and hope you get hit by a car. YOU WILL NOT LEARN FROM HIM. Go to the TA's, and math tutor site.
CLASS IS USELESS. He scribbles his own notes (from textbook) which is ONLY proofs. If you take MA305 with Medvinsky, you will have to teach yourself the content; You won't learn anything from class. Within the first few weeks of the semester, the size of students attending class was already down to 1/5 of the total class size. Take ANYONE else.
Probably the worst college professor I've ever had the displeasure of being "taught" by; Prof. Medvinsky scribbles aimlessly with a dry expo marker and makes no attempt to actually teach anything. If I had not taken AP Calculus in high school, I would have failed this course. GO TO RECITATION because the TAs are the only way you'll actually learn.
Medvinsky is overall a nice professor, his lectures can be hard to follow. I would reccomend watching youtube videos and making sure you understand the webwork. The main thing to succeeding in this class is DOING THE PRACTICE TESTS as long as you can do those types of problems, you can walk out with an A no problem.
Take this from a student who was afraid to take Medvinsky because of the ratings. You won't learn a lot from the lectures, but they are still helpful because you have seen the material before you study. The tests are super similar to the practice test, and he gives hella partial credit. Found this class way easier than PY205 and MA242. Chill dude
IF YOU ARE PURSUING A COMPUTER SCIENCE MAJOR AND ARE TAKING LINEAR ALGEBRA WITH HIM. PLEASE, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND AVOID HIM AT ALL COSTS. If you seek pleasure in brain-rotting boredom and confusion, all I can say is never practice his homework; they are useless, they're never on the quiz. Study more than the practice quiz, skip his classes.
Very poor English to the point where it wasn't worth going to lectures. TA was the only reason I even passed.
It can be tough to follow his lectures. He is funny and gives his lectures a genuine effort. His practice tests are incredibly similar to the actual tests, so study those a lot. He is not the best but he's *nowhere* near as bad as the ratings make him seem.
Dr. Medvinsky is a nice guy, but don't take his class if you're not prepared to just teach yourself from the textbook. He kind of just mumbles at the whiteboard as he copies his notes from a piece of paper in his hand. His exams are very similar to the practice tests, and the homework has unlimited attempts, so easy class to pass if you prepare.
Honestly not the worst option for diff eq, be prepared to teach yourself all the content as he just doesn't teach however all three tests and the final are similar to practice tests (some trig here and there). He is very nice with the partial credit. Lectures are optional and honestly are a waste of time
He spent 75% of class deriving the formulas which wasn't helpful. Not to mention he waited until almost the end of the semester to begin teaching line integrals which is probably the most important topic of calc 3. On the other hand, the exams were easy and extremely similar to the review. Be prepared to learn the material by yourself.
I would personally avoid taking him. Dr. Medvinsky is very nice but the way he teaches the class is not great. lectures are confusing so you end up teaching yourself, and I found it really confusing leading to stress and anxiety whenever I thought about the class.
I succeeded in this class by practicing the practice tests and watching youtube videos. Medvinsky is a nice guy but I couldn't take much out of his lectures, so I never went. Even though I ended with a good grade, it didn't feel like it because I was just memorizing how to do specific problems. Take another professor if you want to actually learn
These reviews are too harsh. I ended up with a B, and I thought that was a poor grade due to only attending 5-7 lectures throughout the semester. Dr. Medvinsky is a very lenient grader. Although his lectures are near incoherent due to his accent, he is very generous with test points. If you want to learn though, be prepared to self teach!
I feel bad giving Medvinsky this review because he is a genuinely nice person, but simply a poor teacher. Good luck trying to understand his lectures. The majority of learning will be through your TA and the textbook. Learn from my mistakes and start going to the math tutoring center as soon as you can (the one in SAS, NOT the ASC).
For much of my time in this class I have been wondering if I am stuck in a sitcom TV Show. I spent half the lectures laughing as he stands directly in front of the notes he is telling us to keep up with and explaining. The practice exams are filled with typos and you need irrelevant skills for half the problems. Test grading isn't too harsh though.
He is extremely nice and funny. However, the lectures are difficult to understand and I ended up teaching myself.
worst teacher all time
Medvinsky could be a good option for you depending on your situation. If you're in stem and just need the 341 credit, you should take him. You do not have to go to lectures, there isn't too much homework, and his practice exams are identical to the real exams. If you're in the math department, or need to actually learn diffy q, look elsewhere.
I could not understand a single thing he was saying during lecture, I taught myself all of diff eq off of youtube. Thank you organic chem tutor and dave explains. The practice exams are almost identical to the actual exam so make sure you do and understand those.
My boy Michael is a sleeper pick, although the course isn't the easiest, he wants his students to succeed. He has a lot of homework assignments to help you practice, but then drops most of them. You will have to teach yourself, but his exams are exactly like his practice ones, only slightly different, and he prepares you well for the final exam.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
42%
Textbook Required
0%
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Predicted Grade
B+
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+0.18 avg changeRatings by Course
MA341
2.3
(22)MA401
2.0
(5)MA305
1.8
(12)MA242
1.8
(36)MA141
1.5
(51)Difficulty by Course
MA401
4.4
MA141
3.7
MA241
3.5
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3.4
MA305
3.3