2.4
Quality3.6
Difficulty17%
Would Retake90
Reviews17%
Would Retake
90
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
11
4
13
3
19
2
19
1
28
What Students Say
“Extremely thick accent”
CALC220 - 1.0 rating“Doesn't like to "review" WORST MATH TEACH I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED”
MATH105 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.39 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH303
4.3
(4)105
4.0
(2)CALII
4.0
(1)MATH103
3.3
(6)MATH307
3.3
(3)Difficulty by Course
MATH220
5.0
CALCULUS
5.0
MATH116
4.4
CALC220
4.0
MATH105
3.8
Reviews (90)
Very unhelpful. He can never find the right words to explain concepts because English is his second language. He also comes across as very rude.
Easy class, he goes over all test problems in class (multiple times). No problems understanding him if you pay attention. If you go to class you'll do fine. Really nice guy!
REALLY sweet, REALLY boring, hard to follow but teaches straight from book! No attendance policy, Quizzes are DIRECTLY from homework (which he never checks) and has pretests exactly like the test with different numbers. EASIEST A EVER!!!
Hated this class. He was not a good teacher because he does not explain things well. Expects you to learn it on your own pretty much.
Very nice guy. The class was alittle tough, but not too bad. Funny as crap! Quizzes are straight from HW, and tests are not very hard. Just do your work and you'll do fine.
Oleg is the ish. He's very good at explaining concepts and it's not his fault the kids in the class ask stupid questions. Tests are exactly like practice tests and it's impossible to fail a quiz. He's cute&funny & goes over everything in great detail
Overall the class was very easy. quizzes come striaght from homework and he gives practice tests that are almost exactly like the real thing. boring and the accent is hard to follow, but overall good teacher
He is very hard to understand and from experience do not take math on a tues./thurs. it is sooooo boring. His tests are exactly like the practice tests and gives you a practice final before the final. He is also very helpful though.
Prof. Smirnov is a pretty interesting teacher. He gives good notes, but sometimes class is boring. He uses WebCT. All tests are almost identical to the practice tests he gives. Overall the class is an easy A, high B
test questions tend to be harder than what's covered in class
kinda hard to understand, but easy grader and explains things well one-on-one. Always willing to help, but sometimes comes across sacastic, but I think its just his accent.
this is the WORST prof i have ever had. he barely speaks english, and def does NOT KNOW his math. he is a total jerk when you ask questions too!he takes attendance EVERY DAY! i would not recommend this prof to my very worst enemy!
this guy is communist, he does not speak english well, he give you a blank stare of disbelief when you ask a question, but it is not too hard, but you basically have to teach your self.
Holy crap!!! If you have A's in all your other math classes, you won't in this one! Had to teach myself alot and spent countless hours in the math lab and still got a D. Smart man...horrible teacher!
He is difficult to understand, and often criticises his students. If you like doing your homework it will help you pass. Good Luck
He is one of the worst teachers I have ever had, I never wanted to go to class. He is so rude and stares at people with awful looks. DO NOT TAKE HIM
dont take this class
To be sure, there's a language barrier as others have written about. The material in Calc. is very difficult but this guy was such an easy grader - very liberal with partial credit for incorrect answers. I managed a "B" when I really deserved
Not the best!!
THIS MAN SHOULD BE FIRED! HE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND, RUDE, HE DOES NOT HELP YOU AT ALL OUTSIDE OF CLASS. HE AVOIDS RESPONDING TO EMAIL QUESTIONS THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO ANSWER LIKE WHY HE TAKES ATTENDANCE IF IT DOES NOT EFFECT YOUR GRADE.DRO
Not a bad guy. Doesn't take of for little things like +Cs if you forget it once. Gives old tests which match the ones he gives really well. Very helpful if you see him in his office. Weekly quizes. Allows about 15 min per class on hw problems
Well you do end up teaching yourself but sit back and enjoy your surroundings. I had a great time making up Oleg's life story w/ a friend. But beware it's not an easy class.
I can't understand him!!!!!!
The only upside to good ol' Oleg is that his last name is Smirnov. Believe me, once you get your F, that upside dissapears.
I thought this class was so easy. He gives partial credit on test, and he gives practice test before the real test which are almost identical. It helps if you've had Calc in High school.
Class is very hard. Not a bad person but it is difficult at times to understand him and if you ask him how he did something on the board he will often just point at it, appartently that helps. If you can get another teacher.
Yeah, don't take this class. It's not all that hard, but you have to teach yourself EVVERYTHING! This guy is from Russia, but doesn't speak English clearly, and with math, should you be able to understand the prof????
This class is hard in itself but he is a fairly good teacher. He is always willing to help and will meet with you anytime of the day to help you. His tests are really hard but the once a week quizzes come straight from the hw problems.
He is a very hard teacher. It is true that you have to teach yourself and when you have questions, he really doesn't answer them. It's very difficult to understand him since he's from Russia and his tests are hard. He does give partial credit on tests and quizzes if you just do a little bit of work.
He was alright. I probably went to class all of 10 days all semester and still got a B out of the class. However, his accent is still pretty hard to understand. If you've never had calculus b4 u might want 2 get another teacher.
I got a high A in this class. If you have had a calc class before and did well, this isn't bad. He does have a thick accent but who doesn't in college. The content of the course is very interesting as far as math goes and if you dont mind working a little, its a breeze. Drops 2 of your weekly qz
Dr. Smirnov is a very good professor. If you don't know what you are doing, he will be the first to tell you. He is very organized, and I did not find the accent to be a significant distraction.
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great teacher, great guy. the class is a bit tricky by nature, but ppl who say they can't understand him just dont understand the subject..sets up tests nicely and gives great review packets. answers homework questions before class starts..no homework or attendance policy..take the class.
Dr. Smirnov is a very nice man who really knows his stuff. If you don't do well in the class, you probably don't do well in math to begin with. His accent isn't that bad and he has a good sense of humor at times. Tests are set up in a helpful step-by-step format.
I am not good at math to begin with and taking him for 105 didnt help! Half the time, I couldnt understand what he said. He takes attendance EVERY class... I am praying that I pass this class. The SI guy didnt come to class either so I dont imagine he's much help. :(
Class was pretty tough but you generally get the grade you deserve. Weekly homework assignments that are pretty challenging. No quizzes, but tests are not easy. Very helpful in his office.
If you take the time to go his office with your questions then he is very helpful, but you have to remember to ask for help when you are struggling because this class builds on ideas and you can get behind very easily and quickly. Sometimes it is hard to understand what he is trying to say.
Stupid class in the first place! He is a good professor it just takes a couple of weeks to understand him. He is not too bad.
He is really helpful...he provides practice tests and reviews before each test which help a lot and he's a nice guy whos willing to help!
SUCKS! Has a horrible monotone voice, you can barely understand his accent! Rude and obnoxious. Assumes you already know calculus, and is a total jerk when you ask questions! He will be your worst nightmare!
Hes a cool dude. He expects and demands alot of his students. Its hard stuff but its freggin calculus. Do you really think that your gonna find an easy calculus class. I dont think so.
VERY CONFUSING teacher. I took calc in highschool thank god. Otherwise i;d be so screwed. Hes helpful if you go to his office but veryyy unhelpful and clear otherwise.
im really really bad at math, but he makes it as easy as it possibly can be, as long as you put in some effort youll do fine.
this is not a hard class..i dont know why people think it is. it is an easy A. quizzes every wednesday but they are straight from homework and class problems. if you do the homework..you should have a quarenteed A..if not you are just dumb.
Hard professor, but if you pay attention and do the homework you'll do fine. Had an A at the beginning of semester when i did the homework and ended up with a C when i slacked off. Hard to catch up
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This was a pretty easy class, but you have to teach yourself. He is kind of hard to understand with the accent and he is not great at explaning things.
Dr. Smirnov was a really good teacher. Calculus isn't an easy topic, but the way he teaches it makes it seem easy. There is a quiz every Tuesday which is helpful because it makes u work and helps a lot on the tests. Take his class if you want to do good.
The definitions he uses to explain theories are kind of confusing, but his examples and illustrations bring it all to light. The reviews he gives helps out a lot on the tests. Do the homework consistently, and you'll do fine. Love that he goes over any homework questions before he starts class!
If you do the homework thoroughly, you will be fine. There is a quiz everything tuesday,but they're at the end of class so you can ask questions on hw before hand. He provides study guides and reviews for the tests(only 2 and a final). So no surprises. The class isnt super easy, you'll have to put in some work. But overall, a fairly good teacher
Probably the worst/hardest teacher I've had. If you have never taken calc, DO NOT take him. he expects you to learn a lot from reading the textbook and does not teach everything that is on the tests. He's also very hard to understand. I highly recommend not taking him...EVER
Professor Smirnov is very helpful, maintains a good routine, and explains thing clearly. Because of his accent, he may be a little hard to understand, but overall is cheerful and helpful. During office hours, he is willing to help and will even sit down and work out problems with you.
Do not recommend. Very boring and hard to understand because of his accent. doesnt give extra credit or makeups. Quiz every tuesday and its only like one question so its hit or miss... he's kind of a one way type of teacher so if you don't understand something, he doesnt know how to teach it any other way to help you understand.
There's no going over any of the newly learned course material, there are NO examples, and he teaches new material during class then gives you the last 5 minutes of class to take a quiz on information taught the class before.(Extremely confusing) Structure makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE. Doesn't like to "review" WORST MATH TEACH I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!
Test are way harder than the practice tests. He is a really hard grader and does not give an leeway. I would never take his class again.
Extremely thick accent. Gets annoyed when people dont understand his explanations and treats you like an idiot if youre one of those people. His explanations and examples are incredibly confusing. Always late to class. Just one guys opinion.
worst teacher ever. he makes no sense and he's rude. also the hardest grader. if u don't fo the problem his way, he grades it as "incorrect". I am dropping the class.
He is a tough grader but is straightforward with what is going to be on the midterm. Reading the textbook is MANDATORY.
Rude, hard to understand, always late to class, super tough grader, and good luck if you have a hard time understanding accents because his is very strong! I had to drop the class because I couldn't understand a word he was saying and he treated me like I was an idiot when I asked him a question.
I seriously regret not dropping
DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS. Math comes easy to me & I bombed this. You can understand the problems on HW and examples in class, but the quizzes & the tests are completely different than what is taught. Quizzes are taken in the last 5 mins of class every Tuesday, if you have a class scheduled 10 mins after you are screwed bc he doesn't give enough time.
Has a thick accent, but I have no problem understanding him. One quiz per week, typically one or two questions so you pretty much know it or you don't; he does give partial credit on them though. Sweet man and does want you to succeed, but you have to show you care and work for it. ALTHOUGH IT ISN'T GRADED, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!! HELPS SO MUCH & READ
Hardest class Ive ever taken. Thought I was good at math until I took this class. DONT EVER TAKE FROM THIS GUY! Hes so hard to understand, and gets mad if you ask questions! I went to tutoring for this class and still failed. The tests and quizzes are nothing like the class work or homework. Take from another professor else if you can!!!
Very nice guy who definitely wants each student to succeed. He is really smart, and he has a very straightforward grading policy. He is always willing to review and go over problems students don't understand. Overall, Dr. Smirnov is very smart and wants to make his grading system as simple as possible. He has definitely improved my math skills.
Between being on zoom this semester, his thick accent, and the hard material, i had to drop this class. Very disappointed in his teaching style and couldn't care for the kids
Do not take this class. I have always been a good math student and got to this class and had to withdraw because I was failing. I tutored multiple times a week and still failed almost every quiz and test that was given. His teaching method only makes sense to him. Would not recommend if you need a good grade.
This is probably the worst class I have ever taken. He has a thick accent that makes him difficult to understand at times, his teaching method is one that only makes sense to him, and the textbook he requires seems to have been made with the intention of making you gauge your eyes out. He makes you hate math. More than you ever thought you could.
This is the worst professor I have ever had in my life. I spent the WHOLE semester watching youtube videos trying to teach myself. There is not one single piece of information that was helpful in learning the material and when it came time for quizzes I could not focus because of his content remarks to other students. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!!
I tend to think Im pretty good at math, but this class was the worst. I have never made below an A in math, but this guy did not explain material and left me confused. He only provided one example with notes, our quizzes were 1 question, and our tests were 5. He got mad when we asked questions, and his office hours were no help. Glad I passed.
He is pretty fair guy. Definitely very interesting. I am pretty good at math so that helped. Always ready to answer a question. I didnt study at all but did homework. Passed with an A-.
I am usually amazing in math until I got into this class, where he does an awful job explaining the subjects. Also the examples we practice off of are nothing like the quiz questions.
By far the worst class I've taken so far. I would wait to take this class until you can find a good professor. If you ask questions he makes you sound stupid when answering them. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!
Gets mad at questions, isn't enthusiastic with work, not flexible at all. Terrible professor and would never take his class again.
I believe Smirnov is one of those profs thats too smart for his own good and cant put simple terms into simple terms. You also absolutely have to have an electronic for his class or you will fail in Charleston its a little risky carrying a laptop in the rain.
Pretty much everyone in the class either got an A or below a C. Tests are 85% of the grade, but if you get higher than an A- he does offer an exemption from the final, which is very nice. He is also a very nice and funny guy. Would take again.
Professor Smirnov is just ok. There is a quiz every week and while he give partial credit he doesn't always explain why something is wrong. He is not the best explainer and I had to spend lots of time in the CSL math lab, when normally math is my best subject. Only take his class if you have to.
Worst professor/educator ive ever encountered. a close person in my life passed away while i was in his class so i had to take some time off dealing with after death responsibilities that fell on me. i told him. then i got sick and diagnosed w medical condition which i explained to him. he gave me zeros on everything and refused to let me make up
you have to teach yourself the entire class. his accent makes the entire class seem like a joke (in a good way). while the other reviews may seem like he will belittle you, he just has a very heavy Russian accent. but honestly? possibly the worst class at CofC. take literally any other teacher. a rock is a better teacher than him
He seems like a good guy but he isn't a very good teacher. He doesn't provide graded homework at all (only ungraded practice problems) and you are only graded with weekly quizzes and tests. The quizzes are short with one weekly quiz being a single part one question quiz, so if you missed it, enjoy the zero. I wouldn't recommend him. I withdrew.
He is a nice professor however, he is a difficult teacher to understand. His teaching style is just not good. He assigns quizzes every Friday to test if we understand the basics, and towards a point, the class average is a D. I even tried reaching out to him over email, but he doesn't try to make much effort. I think it is better to drop, IMO.
Just not good. Automatically assumes you know what he's talking about. You do end up teaching it to yourself. Writes little to no examples on the board, just spoken lectures. Is not willing to work with his students and can be condescending. Quizzes are the only grades besides exams. Unfortunately one of the most unpleasant professors I've had.
you are kind of on your own for the most part with homework. he teaches you a whole lesson quickly and then gives homework.
He's just very obtuse. Stubborn and condescending to ANY questions asked (even though he asks for questions). He will lecture as much as he can with little explanation. His quizzes and tests are all you are graded on, which can be a bad thing. I like how his quizzes and tests technically represent what he says will be on them. But he's not great.
He's a good professor and a nice guy. He'll help you out if you don't understand stuff, and the class is well organized. He also did final exemptions for us if we did well enough on the tests and quizzes.
I enjoyed his class. Showing up and doing the nonmandatory homework will more than enough prepare you for his weekly quizzes and exams. He was happy to help students understand the topics if they asked a question. Pretty straightforward class and happy I took it with him, bad reviews are probably from students who aren't that great at maths.
He does not teach very well, you are better off learning the material on your own. But, he also grades a very specific way and if you have a slight difference in the way you answer it will tank your grade. Class based on just test and quiz grades, which sucks when he decides on a whim how many points a mistake is worth.
He teaches way too many topics in one week and gives weekly quizzes. If you don't answer exactly how he taught it, he'll take points. No extra credit, barely goes over homework, and if too many people ask questions, he refuses to answer. If you Miss a quiz, expect a Zero. My class took a test and everyone did bad, he didn't care. DO NOT TAKE HIM!!
the most condescending teacher i've ever taken. he was rude and mean while also trying to make you fail. couldn't figure out how to use the textbook for atleast 2 months. quizzes every week on stuff he barely teacher, so lots of csl visits. only pro is his exams are exactly like his practice tests, except of course for the final.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
71%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.39 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH303
4.3
(4)105
4.0
(2)CALII
4.0
(1)MATH103
3.3
(6)MATH307
3.3
(3)Difficulty by Course
MATH220
5.0
CALCULUS
5.0
MATH116
4.4
CALC220
4.0
MATH105
3.8