3.8
Quality2.7
Difficulty89%
Would Retake84
Reviews89%
Would Retake
84
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
31
4
28
3
14
2
8
1
3
What Students Say
“The tests are not too bad, Do the textbook problems, and you should have no problem in class”
MATH2090 - 5.0 rating“Pretty easy for a calc 2 class”
MATH1552 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
16%
Textbook Required
28%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.49 avg changeRatings by Course
1552
4.2
(5)MATH2090
4.1
(27)1550
4.0
(1)3355
4.0
(1)MATH1551
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
3355
4.0
MATH1550
3.3
MATH2057
3.0
MATH2090
2.7
MATH1552
2.6
Reviews (84)
It took a few classes to understand him well. Explains things when asked. Will meet with you if you need help and is their during office hours. You have to do the homework to make a good grade
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Great teacher. keeps class interesting! tests are short but he does examples of the test problems the day before the test. is willing to help you in office hours! does not give a lot of homework or quizzes (which are announced). would definitely take again!
Incomprehensible in not only his speech, but what he writes on the board. The tests are 4 problems each, a nightmare when you don't have a REAL teacher and have to teach yourself, as it's so much easier to screw up. I go to class every day, take notes every day, and I usually have NO idea what we did in class that day because of his teaching.
Calc 2. Although speech is hard to understand and handwriting is poor, he is quite a good teacher. His tests are short and very hard, but if you study you should do fine. He really cares about you learning the material, and is very willing to help. His homework is short and quizzes are easy. I would definitely recommend him. Class goes by fast.
Very nice guy who helps his students to the best of his ability.
Sometimes he is hard to understand, but overall he explains things very well. I've never had calculus be so understandable to me. He is very reasonable and will give you the grade that you deserve. He is also very nice and has witty humor that almost no one understands.
great teacher once you get used to the accent! he is probably the easiest calc 2 teacher out there the subject is just difficult no matter what. do the practice problems he gives you and you will do fine!
Loved Calc 2. Tom leaves it up to you- whether you want to do well or not. Homework is essential. Going to class is necessary. He is very fair and willing to help in any way he can!
Michael Tom is a great teacher. He is really nice and there to help. He made the class fairly easy. take him if you want to get a good grade on Cal 2
Loved this class. I thought his accent was going to be a problem at first but after a few classes you'll get used to it. After a month, I actually enjoyed his accent, very different. Do well on online homework and freshen up some skills before quiz days. For Tests, go to day before test if you are lost in the chapter! Would recommend to anyone!
This professor is terrible.. You can't understand anything he says and he rights in another language. Avoid him if you can...
terrible
He's a fantastic professor. Do not pay attention to the people that say he is terrible. Assigns 1 homework/week, few quizzes(lets you know in advance), and his tests are not difficult. You will truly understand the basics of calculus if you schedule him.
Great teacher.. Exams are the exact same as Test Review so go to TEST REVIEW DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has a an accent but its good enough to understand.
1 quiz a week on most basic problem of material. Test have study guides. Homework straightforward and goes through problems in class if asked. Final is 12 questions but only need to answer 10. If you get an A on the final you get an A in the class. His writing is a bit tricky and he has a moderate accent. I took him for calc 1 and now calc 2
his handwriting: imgur tFSUcqO (put the dotcom and slash back in) accent so thick "derivative" sounds like "debibitib" very nice guy, but completely incomprehensible. tests are all 4 problems, and they all take more time than given.
Dr. Tom is one of the best math teachers I've taken at LSU. He is extremely helpful during his office hours and he makes sure you understand the material. His accent was tough at first but you will get used to it. Homework is usually harder than the quizzes and tests so that's a plus.
I never did the homework and rarely showed up for quizzes and still made an A. Tests are on the easiest problems and he works them out in class before. He also drops a lot of the quizzes and homeworks. Really easy considering the subject
gives several quizzes that are super easy then drops your lowest, homework isn't bad and drops few lowest. Tests are pretty easy and get to use note card. wish i could take him for every math class
He gives practice tests online that are basically the test with different numbers. Pretty easy for a calc 2 class. Only takes the top 5 homework grades and the top 5 quizzes. Take him if you can.
He's a great guy. His Nigerian accent can be tough to understand, but his Tests are easy.
Best math teacher ive had so far!
Easy grading scale (95-100 A+) gives 10 homeworks on webassign but only takes top 5; same with quizzes (he tells you a week in advance when they are) tests are the same as old ones and you can use a notecard. final was difficult. taking him again next semester.
Michael Tom has a reputation of being one of the easier professors at LSU, but this is not true for this class. He is a lot tougher in differential equations so take Tom with caution.
For a calc II class, really easy. He only takes the top 5 out of 8 quizzes and 5 of 9 homeworks. Also uploads previous tests to moodle which is the same as the test, just different numbers
Dr. Tom is a decent professor, his lectures are boring but informative. He is one of the best professors in the math department. He gives pretty simple quizzes every week there isn't a test. He also gives a lot of drop assignments so if you do poorly on a few it doesn't effect your grade. I personally got bored but that's more because it was math.
Honestly, he is one of the best professors at LSU. His accent is a little hard to handle at first and, when writing, his "is" can be mistaken for a "5," but overall he is a great teacher. His grading is extremely fair and he is open to class participation. It was the best class I took during my first semester.
He is a bit hard to understand at first and he isn't the greatest at teaching but he allows you to bring cheat sheets for tests and quizzes which makes him bearable.
Tom was a great Calc 2 teacher. His tests were the easiest questions of the material covered, and the homework was very do able. Definitely a good teacher to take for this usually incredible hard class
one of the best in the business
He's definitely the best Calc 2 teacher to take. His tests aren't that hard and he grades very fairly. Do the homework and you'll be be fine. He puts up tests from the year before on Moodle to practice and its very similar stuff.
The best part about this class is that you can literally not attend any lectures, do no homework, no quizzes and as long as you get an A on the final he'll give you an A in the class. For many that is unrealistic though so go to class and study his old exams and you'll be fine. He's a really laid back professor. He writes fast though!
Probably the best person to take for 1552 only because he drops about half the hw and quizzes. He has a pretty thick accent and awful handwriting so you'll need to adjust, but he's nice. Quiz once a week. 4 tests and a final. Your grade depends on the graders and mine were incredibly lenient. I had a 100% going into the final and I despise math.
very friendly grader.
He drops 4 out of 9 quizzes and 5 out of 10 homeworks, lets you bring a notecard to the test, and if you make a 100 on the final, he will give you an A in the class regardless of what your grade was before hand. His hand writing is poor and he has a thick accent, but you can easily adjust to both of those things. He is very kind. Take him.
Tom is a great mathematician and you'll soon realize that upon taking the course. However, he is very quick and does not let his foot off the break--that is unless you ask questions of course. He covers the material in a second so be sure to pay attention, sit close so that you can hear him, and learn while copying.
He's not a good lecturer. He writes too fast; his handwriting is so illegible you won't be able to keep up with what he's writing or what he's saying, and he only works examples from book. I would've been better off skipping class to keep up with the material on my own and then gone to his office hours for questions. Exams and hw are easy, though.
I have absolutely no idea what went on in this class. Tom writes too much on the board, and it's very difficult to keep up. If I could redo this class, I would just skip & watch Youtube! I failed a lot of quizzes, and thought I completely bombed the final, yet I still finished with an A. He's a sweet person and a very lenient grader!
You can put the entire test on a notecard that he allows you to bring in. The previous years tests are very helpful. Easy A.
Michael Tom is the best! He drops half the homework and quizzes, so do well on the easier ones and then you wont have to worry about the rest. He also basically goes over the test before each one because the examples given are very similar to those on the test. If hes available, take him for sure!!
He explained everything clearly in class and every topic I had difficulty grasping, I would go to his office hours and he would explain it to me in a very clear way. The tests are not too bad, Do the textbook problems, and you should have no problem in class. Very Kind teacher!
If I wrote with my non-dominate hand at Mach 1 speed, then I could replicate the legibility of this professors handwriting. If you don't like professors with accents one would consider "strong", or you don't like professors who throw passive aggressive remarks at you for asking about something you don't understand, then this class isn't for you.
Class is easy for the most part, but quizzes and homework add up so don't brush them off. He's a good professor but talks with a thick accent and writes fast and sloppy. Mainly had to teach myself everything to have any idea of what is going on, but that's college for you. Keeps only top 5 quizzes and homework, of which there is 10 each.
He writes very fast and is hard to understand but you'll figure it out after about 2 weeks if you go every day. The examples he uses in lectures are exact replicas of homework problems he assigns. The practice tests closely resemble the actual tests and he allows a notecard on every exam. Also his 2090 class is slightly easier than his 1552 class.
Nice guy, would take him over any other math professor any day
Quizes every thursday but drops 4 out of 9, same for hmwk, drops 4 out of 9, teaches clearly but moves at a decent pace so helpful to glance over the material before class, he explains concepts & just does examples straight out the text book all class, test are exactly like the reviews just different #s, also ask ?s cause he will gladly try to help
Best Calc Teacher here. However, you will be teaching yourself most of the material as he is very hard to listen to and his handwriting is barely legible. He does allow you to use a notecard on each exam which is crucial to everyone's grade. I strongly recommend him as he is a very nice guy and a much better teacher in office hours.
He is a good and fair teacher. My biggest complaints are that his handwriting can be unbearable at some points, and since most of his lectures are just going over examples if you can't read them you are kinda screwed. Luckily for the tests and exam he gives you a previous years one which is almost identical. If you try you will do fine.
Before taking the class I was nervous because I saw others talking about his accent and handwriting. After taking the class, its not something to worry about. You get used to it fast. Also he drops a lot of you worst grades making the class pretty easy
Read the book and review the practice tests you will be fine.
Dr. Tom provides many example exercises during his lectures to help with understanding the material. The homework can get really tricky, so if you master the homework you'll do fine on exams. Once we started chapter 11, half the class dropped, but don't let that get you down. Sometimes, he does write faster than you can process what he's writing..
The best professor for math 1552 by FAR. Class not mandatory and the only thing he does every class is work problems EXACTLY from the book, so if you read the book you dont have to go to class besides to take the weekly quizzes. Tests are a breeze compared to homework and he allows a cheat sheet for every exam.
If you have not taken AP Calc in high school, I would not recommend Prof. Tom. He basically rewrites the textbook on the board in messy handwriting, so if you have no clue about calculus, it will be hard to understand. His accent is also pretty thick and hard to understand. I thought the class was super easy because I had already taken AP Calc.
Good professor overall but your calc skills for this class must be top quality or you wont be able to solve the problems. He explains concepts very well and tests are similar to practice exams
Dr. Tom is the best mathematics teacher I have taken at LSU. He goes over the material well and does a lot of examples. The practice test he gives out are very similar to the actual test.
Lots of partial credit and practice exams are so similar to exams! Sweet professor even if he has a little trouble explaining things in depth sometimes. Lots of quizzes to boost grade
When I first sat down in Tom's lecture, I thought I was going to have to drop the class. He mumbles severely and his handwriting can be illegible at times. However, you get used to it, and if you take notes in class you WILL find yourself learning the material in-depth. Allowed 1 notecard for the test, abuse it. Best option for 2090 IMO.
Professor Tom is a great teacher and very clear when it comes to class structure. Quizzes once a week when there is no test, although he drops a few of them at the end of the semester, homework every two weeks. There is a learning curve for his class through both the material and his handwriting. Allows an index card for the tests.
Prof. Tom is not that great of a professor. He's really hard to understand because of his thick accent and messy handwriting. Don't bother asking questions because he won't have a good answer. The only reason I gave him a 3 is because he gives GREAT partial credit and practice tests very similar to the actual exams. The class is an easy A. 4 EXAMS!
He gives good partial credit and allows for an index card for exams. You won't be able to understand his accent or his handwriting. He reuses all exams except the final. He also will not bump your grade or drop any exams. I'd give him 0 stars if he hadn't reused exams, the final is what tanked my grade.
Exams are extremely similar to practice exams. Don't bother writing down the complicated theorems and proofs he writes, just focus on the examples and the practice exams and you will be good. Allows and index card on exams which makes most of them easy. Only keeps the 5 best quizzes and homeworks which is good too.
Very nice guy. The lectures sometimes get a bit confusing, but the tests are easy -- questions very similar to those in review sessions.
It is very hard to understand him in the lectures so I just taught myself the material from the homework's and used the textbook and online resources to help teach me the class basically. His homework's take a lot of time so make sure to set time for them. His tests are identical to the practice tests with just a few differences. Quizzes every week
The class started off rough just because it's a very different approach than any pre +4000 level math class, but it gets much better throughout the semester. He's very king and I would recommend him for this course easily, however it is quite difficult
Dr. Tom was very straight forward and did not deviate from his original outline/syllabus. I appreciated Dr. Tom extending homework assignments and allowing us to use notecards on tests. His tests and quizzes reflected the content covered and types of examples very well. There were even a few times he joked around with us.
I took Linear Algebra with Dr Tom around 28 years ago and still regard him as one of the best professors I have encountered. Highly recommended.
hard to understand him and his writing but you get used to it quickly. tests are very similar to practice tests and you get a notecard each test. quizzes are similar to examples done in class. homework has unlimited attempts and he is flexible with extending the time. also only takes best homeworks and quizzes (not tests tho)
No observable knowledge in the subject of calculus 3, his method of "teaching" is regurgitating the textbook back at you.His handwriting is barely legible and his accent makes him very hard to understand.The only thing that makes this class passable is that his practice exams are pretty similar to his actual exams.
Pay attention in his class, he goes over the work and posts tests that are almost identical to what he actually does. Super lenient and he's the GOAT! Requesting extra time is easy with him, and he may sound condescending with answering questions, but its just how he speaks. Be careful of his writing and make sure you know what he's writing (ask).
Professor Tom did a good job explaining the concepts and overall this was a really easy class. His tests are almost the exact same as his practice tests in addition to you getting a notecard for the test so the tests are not a problem. The set of material on the third test was the most difficult but it stemmed from the difficulty of the content.
Very nice professor. You get use to his handwriting, but GO TO CLASS. If you go to class, the material sinks in and examples done in class are similar to the quizzes. Practice tests are similar to the test, but the test usually is a littler harder. He keeps 5 best quizzes and hws, but his hw takes a while to do so start in advance.
Tests are just like the samples he gives- do them on your own at least once. Pay attention in class, and get the notes if you miss. Break up homework into at least 2+ sessions. Ask for extensions if needed. Dr. Tom makes this math class pretty easy (especially for 4 credit hours), just think ahead and be prepared. Would 100% recommend him for 2057.
Class moves faster than you can write, with hand writing you cant read. Class is laid out for you to copy things down then try to go and understand them on your own. Will skip steps and not explain why he does things.
He is a great teacher and very intelligent. Lectures at lightning speed though so be prepared. Tests for the most part followed the practice exams, with a few exceptions. Drops half the quizzes and homework so its easy to get a good grade.
He drops a lot of the quizzes and homeworks. The practice tests are basically the tests! I was going to get an A- but he rounded me up to an A+ bc I got a 100 on the final (which was just like the practice test with different numbers.) He's also awesome in office hours!
your grade is composed of your 4 exams, top 5 quiz grades, homework grade, and final. exams are pretty much exactly like the practice exams he gives you. lectures move quickly, but it is not difficult to keep up. class is not mandatory at all. as long as you keep up with reviewing the material and study the practice exams, you will do well.
One of the best math professors at LSU. Quizzes are everything on Friday. Homework is simple. Only uses the five highest quizzes and homework for the final grade. Exams can be simple or challenging. Just practice, you will be fine. If you make a 100 on the he will pass you with an A- in the class. Hard but not impossible.
This professor is very knowledgeable. He is incredibly gifted at teaching this class and is able to break down the material in a way that is able to be clearly understood. He also is very responsive to emails. There is not a lot of homework in this class. He gives out great practice materials for the test and quizzes.
Great professor! He has an accent but you get used to it. Exams are almost identical to the practice exam posted on Moodle. Also, a note card is allowed on every exam, including the final. Dr. Tom is very knowledgeable and explains topics very well with lots of examples. There is minimal homework and a quiz every Friday.
The class is pretty daunting at first, but really straightforward once you get the rhythm down. The speed and handwriting comments are valid, but at the end of the day as long as you get the main few points and can do the practice test, you're set. He's also pretty funny. If you like the Green Bay Packers he'll be your best friend.
The most difficult thing about this class is reading his handwriting to be honest. To study, I would suggest doing textbook problems since everyone stopped going to lectures towards the end of the year. Class is super test heavy, and theres not a lot of opportunities for points outside of it but he is really good about partial credit on exams
Pretty laid back class. Exams were pretty much identical to practices exams in moodle. quizzes weren't hard and he says in advance which topics are on them. just do practice exams and problems in textbook and you'll be fine
Average. Not great lecturer, but not worst. Spewed theorems & work onto board w/o explanations of WHY. Poor conceptual teaching. 5 Exams+7 Quizzes+8 HWs=Grade. Best 5 quizzes & HWs kept. Practice exams given. Real exams similar w/ minor curveballs. Good partial cred. Nice guy. Emailed back quickly. Not good for deep learning; good for easier grade.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
16%
Textbook Required
28%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.49 avg changeRatings by Course
1552
4.2
(5)MATH2090
4.1
(27)1550
4.0
(1)3355
4.0
(1)MATH1551
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
3355
4.0
MATH1550
3.3
MATH2057
3.0
MATH2090
2.7
MATH1552
2.6