2.8
Quality4.0
Difficulty45%
Would Retake218
Reviews45%
Would Retake
218
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
32
4
49
3
35
2
47
1
55
What Students Say
“Spent the whole lecture talking about easy cases and homework tough like ***”
21A - 1.0 rating“Don't take him I made an account during class just to say how much I hate this class”
16C - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
12%
Textbook Required
15%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.57 avg changeRatings by Course
MAT127A
5.0
(1)19B
5.0
(1)MAT108
4.5
(2)MAT135A
4.5
(2)MAT167
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
MAT17C
5.0
MATH21A
5.0
MAT16B
5.0
MAT115
5.0
MATH21B
5.0
Reviews (218)
He is crystal clear in his lectures. He walks students through problems followed by a a sample problem for students to figure out to understand the concept. The homework is ALWAYS harder than the exams/quizzes which make the midterm/final a bit easier. Fair grader, gives you a majority of points for the correct steps.
Really great professor. He explains everything in great detail and if you ever need help, you can send him an email and he will set up an appointment with you outside his office hours. For lecture he writes stuff down on paper and then posts them online, so if you don't get something, you can just read them. Go to lecture though.
Midterms were easy. Got AA- for all of them. Finals were extremely different and harder. Thomas can be rude and cold during office hours. However his lectures are clear as well as what is expected of you.
Basically he doesn't curve any of the tests, his first test is really easy, then the other two are exceptionally hard. Also, he gives problems on webwork that are graded and due before every lecture--but he never goes over the homework.
Dr. Thomas is a great math professor. I found his lectures clear and very helpful. The tests are hard but that's to be expected in a math class. I would definitely take Thomas again if I get the chance.
Professor definitely knows his stuff, but the class was rushed in order to include polar and parametrics. His lectures go over the generals but lack depth, and the lectures tend to be very dry.
21B summed up in one course is "fair". Do the homework WITHOUT WOLFRAM and you will do just fine. Make sure to know EVERY concept, because there will most likely be one question on the midterm on it. His curve on the class is nice, 2 Cs and an A on my midterms and a B on my final I still got an A.
Overall good professor with fair tests. 6 cookie-cutter questions, 2 challenging questions, and 2 very difficult questions per test. Lectures were very clear and informative (although the 8am factor hindered that). Would recommend doing homework without wolfram to get practice in. 7-15 questions of hw per class.
Webwork takes forever and usually has nothing to do with what he teaches in class. Midterms and final and extremely difficult and usually things you've never seen before. Weekly quizzes in discussion with two decent questions and one difficult question (hard to get better than a C on anything). THANK GOODNESS FOR A CURVE.
He is a pretty good professor, but it is hard to keep up with the amount of material he presents you. This class was really tough, you have to make sure you keep up with everything and ASK QUESTIONS when you don't understand. Idk about all the TAs, but mine was NOT helpful at all.
Covers TONS of material during class. Gives partial credit on quizzes&exams. Will put things on them that he didn't or bearly covered in class. Webwork HW was unbearable at times. Pretty hard if you didn't have help.
Thomas had great lectures, but the tests were RIDICULOUSLY HARD. He'd test us on things we'd never seen before after he always said they'd be "VERY SIMILAR to the homework." they never were. The homework was excruciating too. My TA was so condescending so that didn't help and I still didn't pass even with a curve. Very disappointing.
The class was hard. Test were insanely difficult and hard to finish. He covers the basic material in class and doesn't show how to do the harder problems. Likes to put theorems and make you explain them. WebWork took hours. Barely a curve even though test were insane. Take another professor if you can.
Don't take Rohit Thomas! I took Calculus AB and he made this class super hard. I struggled to finished the test because he put so many questions. He lectures on how to do the easy problems, but doesn't show how to do the test problems. When assigning homework, he literally assigns all the book problems. I didn't pass the class.
Worst class ever! He seemed clear in lectures, but his test weren't anything like his lectures. He said problems from the WebWork would be on the test, but he gave problems that weren't in the book or online. You have to learn everything because he doesn't give out practice exams. Hard to get an A, but easy B.
Did not enjoy this class at all I took good notes and studied a lot but still managed to fail his midterm because he says to go over homework problems and problems in the book but none of it is on the midterm Examples hes never showed us how to do and the problems on the midterm are way more complex than work and lecture examplesDo not take Thomas
Tricks you by showing easy examples during lecture and assigning moderate homework problems. For his midterms, however, more than half of the problems will be outrageously difficult and on stuff he never showed us how to do.
By far the WORST professor I have ever had. His lectures aren't too bad, and they make sense; however, his exams are nothing like what he teaches in class. He puts concepts on the exams that were never discussed in class. Avoid at all costs.
I thought I was okay coming into the class since I got A's on my other math courses. This class was way harder because Rohit made the class hard. He would give questions that we never saw before and there were only 4 questions on most test. If you missed 1 then you're guaranteed a C on the test. No study guides or practice test.
Terrible professor, avoid at all costs! I took him for 21B and it wasn't that bad, cause it was a review from AP Calc, but 21C was a disaster. The tests were ridiculous, but in the end the curve was really good. I had a 75% and that was an A-. Also gave webwork for homework and it was terribly hard, it took at least 3 hours to do 1 hw and 3week.
Expect 2-3 hours of homework due 3X a week online which he will never discuss. Attended every lecture and completed every homework assignment but still bombed the midterms. Extremely unapproachable and occasionally rude during office hours. Light speed lectures leaves you with no room to think, just barely enough time to copy notes from projector.
Webworks 3 times a week (pretty difficult too) Quizzes in discussion Midterm and Final were extremely hard He makes this class way harder than it should be. I would avoid him if possible.
He's my favorite math teacher so far. He is calm, clear and professional. He was always helpful during office hours, I had him check my work a lot for HW and practice problems. Oh, and the curve is pretty good, I got Cs on two of the midterms and still managed to get an A in the class.
Professor Thomas is a good lecturer, and his tests are straightforward. The only downside of the class was the online math program, ALEKS. ALEKS is very tedious and time consuming, but definitely contributes to overall success in the course.
His lectures are helpful but barely cover the material so expect to go to office hours if you have any questions. The ALEKS program does a great job of teaching everything you will need to know for the tests, however, be prepared to spend a few hours every single day completing it (if not you will be confused). Also, the curve is huge.
Beware. His classes are extremely difficult even for 16 series. His midterms were extremely difficult. He expects you to know little points and finish a large amount of problems in a short amount of time. His lectures seemed pretty clear because he taught the concepts well, but he expected you to know them well for a test. Barely curves.
Thomas is a good lecturer and was very straightforward with the material. The most annoying part about the class was the online homework because it was usually time consuming and you are given limited attempts (5). The tests weren't ridiculously difficult but he doesn't give practice exams so do the suggested problems from the textbook to study.
He is really nice and helpful during office hours. His lectures are clear and straightforward. Do the homework and ask for help when you need it. Do the recommended practice problems for exams and overall his exams are fair.
He was a good lecturer. Tests were more difficult than homework which is okay, but just giving out homework and not having many exam practice problems doesn't give clear expectations of what should be expected of you on tests. He had this homework site called WebWork which was tedious, time consuming, and at times, unhelpful. Overall, eh.
Lecturing is definitely not his strong suit. Not helpful in office hours. Avoid if you can If you fail the midterms, you're screwed. A tip: a NP doesn't affect your GPA. If you fail the first midterm, switch to P/NP grading so that it doesn't affect you too much. (Engineering majors can't do this sorry.) You have 25 days to do this.
Rohit is a clear lecturer and is insanely accessible and helpful during his office hours ( at least during the summer). Toughest math homework I have ever had, the abstract concepts of linear algebra can twist your brain uncomfortably at times. Exams are tough. Grading is brutal; he has no mercy, but is fair.
Lectures were fine. The killer in this class is ALEKS. There's no weekly homework, so it's hard to keep up with. Also, he doesn't teach 70% of the ALEKS topics in class... and most of lecture was about graphing. Exams are based on lectures, not ALEKS! My biggest mistake was just time management and not studying the right material.
Aleks pretty much determines your grade. I didn't get higher than a 70 on either midterm or final, but still got a b- because I did all of Aleks. Complete the Aleks chapters that you will be tested on before the midterm and you will do fine.
Don't take him I made an account during class just to say how much I hate this class. Literally what he teaches you is irrelevant and then the homework is hard. This is coming from someone who got an A in 16B.
Would not recommend taking his class. Does simple examples all of class and then makes the homework way harder. On top of that he makes exams even harder than the homework and gives no practice exams or help.
Highly recommend going to office hours. Do the homework and ask him questions. Midterm was tough, but the final was fair and reasonable. Don't wait until the last minute to complete your minimum mastery requirement. Lectures were fine and notes are posted online after. His lectures are great and he gives good feedback on quizzes .
I was scared to go into his class bc of his low rating but he was honestly alright. His lectures are fine & the curve was pretty decent. His office is crammed during office hours, but he's nice & helpful. He doesn't offer anything like practice exams so it's hard to know what to expect. As long as you really get the homework you should pass tho
Spent the whole lecture talking about easy cases and homework tough like ***.
Three midterms and one final. Exams are not as tough as I thought. Curves are reasonable. Lectures are well organized. He is a nice person. Recommend his classes.
lots of homework
he does simple problems in class but gives hard homework and even harder exams. he gives homework every single class and he expects us to know everything he knows. He doesn't take questions during lectures or ask if everyone is following so people end up feeling lost in his class. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND
First off very condescending during office hours so don't bother going as he explains problems/topics horribly. HW assigned is significantly much easier than the midterms in which certain problems come up that you never see before. Lecture isn't helpful as everything he does is the most easiest stuff possible. No practice exams so good luck!
Don't take him! He teaches fine and his lectures are great, but he doesn't prepare you enough for the exam. Even if you do all the homework and go over your notes, there's always surprise questions on the exams that you're not ready for. He did curve at the end though, but I had to work for my C and I'm not even bad at math. (Have an A in 16B now)
Do the homework and prepare well for the final to get a decent grade. and go over the returned tests because his team made a lot of grading mistakes
He is a nice professor. Do his homework regularly and you will be fine. 3 midterms and a final with a decent curve, can not be better than this. I recommend you to take his class.
Phenomenal professor. He's a very talented lecturer and is always available outside of class to help if you're confused. His class is very structured, so you always know what to expect and when to expect it. The tests are HARD! Super hard. But the curve is massive, and the headroom gives you an opportunity to blow past your classmates.
He is such a fantastic lecturer. He speaks audibly and says words that make sense, which is apparently a lot to ask for from math professors. I had him for an upper division math class and he was great for someone with a background in math, but I cannot speak for someone who took him for the calculus series. Would definitely recommend though!
He's so rude in office hours
Online homework 3x a week, so if you have a larger class load it can be really hard to keep up. His lectures consist of him writing on his ipad which is projecting, and then he uploads that file to canvas after lecture. Which works unless you can't read his handwriting. The tests are massive, but so is the curve, I got a B and ended with a 62%
His lectures are okay, but more importantly he posts his notes online. His midterms are very long, so make sure you can work out problems quickly if you don't want to depend on the curve for your grade. Homework is a lot but it is helpful in understanding the material.
Webwork due before every lecture (drops 1-2 lowest scores). Midterms are insane (50 minutes for 6-7 page midterms). A 4 unit class felt like 8 units. Curve is good tho and he's accessible through office hours. 4 units feels like 8. Prepare yourself for the workload. Nonetheless, I wouldn't take his class again unless he's the only option.
Took Professor Thomas winter quarter for 21A. Didn't receive a C- to continue in the series. The professor I took afterwards, Soshinkov, was better than Thomas in my opinion. I felt like Thomas made every concept more difficult than it was. Webwork assignment due before every lecture. Would not recommend Thomas if you have not taken calculus before
His lectures are comfortable but still engaging. Very approachable, and a committed professor. His grading is fair, and he is quite reasonable. Can't go wrong. Quote: "I will not sleep until your midterms are graded."
His midterms are way more challenging than his lectures and homework assignments. He gives you like a hundred "good practice problems" before a major exam. The wording in his exams is so vague; it took me five minutes to just understand what he wants. To make matters worse, he only gives you 50 minutes to complete a test worth 100 points.
His class is boring and useless for homework. And his homework is heavy and mean for leaning knowledge. He prefers many mean questions that may show you understand the concepts.
Dr. Thomas genuinely cares about his students. His lectures are great and he repeats things a lot for clarity. To score well on exams, I'd recommend going through the webwork problems, as most of the tests are derived from those. I'd also recommend going through the discussion worksheet problems.
Dr. Thomas had us take 3 midterms and 1 final. There was a lot of Webwork assignments that could take some time to complete. It's always due before the next lecture. He sometimes rants about bikers who don't know how to bike. He writes the notes on his ipad and I thought it was useful because it showed what to write when I'm taking notes.
Honestly, if you can avoid taking MAT 17A with this professor please do. He is one of the worst teachers I've ever had in my life. He doesn't really know how to explain concepts well. He goes very fast in lecture. His handwriting is only partially legible. I ended up using my notes from high school for most of the class because his teaching was bad
I loved taking Professor Thomas' 17A class. His lectures were super clear & easy to follow and he posted his notes online. His homework assignments really prepared you well for the midterms. There were 3 midterms and 1 final all of which were about equal difficulty. Studying the practice problems he gives out before each test is super helpful
Super difficult. He teaches us as if we were math geniuses. He is very flexible with his office hours. Replies to emails. He is a nice and caring guy just maybe isn't the best professor. He posts notes on canvas. These notes are written like essays, he writes down what he says as he is speaking. It is difficult to keep up with his pace.
Honestly, the worst professor I have had in the 17 series and I cannot wait to never see him again.
I had no issue with his lecture. I learned a lot from him in class but I could never do well on his exams. His exams seemed to come out of nowhere and purposefully tricky compared to the homework. He gave zero practice exams, no exam solutions, no class averages. We were in the dark all quarter. Exam grading is unforgiving and harsh.
Lectures are interesting. The class is pretty difficult and the tests are long, but the curve was AMAZING. An 84% turned out to be a solid A! Rohit is such a nice professor and is very helpful in office hours. Just put in your best effort and you'll do great. Understand the homework questions and discussion worksheets and you'll be fine.
He starts out every lecture by saying, """"OK so, last time we..."""" This man also shows like no emotion. He's kind of like kawhi leonard. His posture in office hours were amazing. He always put his hand on his head, lean back, and position the fan in such a way so that it always blow his long curly hair back. Rohit, more like RoLit.
Maybe not the best judgement because this is my first math class here but this professor was such a downgrade from my high school teacher. I feel like he speaks to himself and not the student. He's not very inspiring and every class is same old same old. Honestly classes are equivalent to reading a textbook and the tuition you pay is worth more.
Everyday I wake up at 7:30 for his 9am lecture where only 16 out 60 people ever show up. I walk into class telling myself that I am going to understand everything that he says, but to no avail I am lost in the lecture 5 minutes in. Whenever he asks if anyone has questions he looks at the ceiling and ignores the many hands that want to be called on.
Honesty, I've learned all of these in high school before, his class is still challenging for me. The way he taught us is very insufficient and hard to understand. In my opinion, it will be more reasonable for him to teach at a higher level. He never taught us shortcuts and make everything so complicated. Also, his test his harder than his homework.
I took AP Calc in high school (learned all of the same material before) but I am still struggling in this class. Rohit's lectures aren't helpful at all and the homework is so difficult. In class, examples are easy but then you're on your own for the complicated ones on homework and exams. Not the greatest experience :(
This is the first math class that I have taken in college and I am really not impressed. His lectures were spent more on explaining the real world uses of the subject mater rather than teaching us how to actually do calculus. I found online videos to be way more helpful than anything he talked about in lecture or even in his office hours.
I had already learned the material in high school and still struggled. Professor is a great person but poor lecturer. The tests were extremely difficult. Records lectures and posts them, helpful office hours, and supplied additional practice problems. Taught about bike safety. The grade I earned did not fit the amount of stress this class caused.
Be prepared for a big workload in this course. He has good intentions, but I personally think he should be teaching an upper div course rather than 17a in his lectures he makes a lot of shortcuts in his calculations. If you struggle with math this just isn't the prof for you. He gives no practice tests and his tests are incredibly long. I'd avoid.
The review below said that he should be teaching upper division classes. Well they are wrong. This class was extremely difficult and hard to follow. Midterm averages ranged from 39 - 44% and the Final average lied somewhere in between.
WORST EXAMS EVER!! the homework is easy but the exams will DESTROY your grade. i found studying the webworks to be most helpful but he doesn't give any study guides which makes it even harder to prepare for the exams. it's either you know calculus or not. if you're currently taking this class and strugglin look up @OrganicChemistry on youtube!!
Not for those who didn't do well in AP Calc. He teaches as if everyone came in with a 5 on the AP Calc exam. Webwork homework before each lecture. Exams were pretty tough. He was a pretty nice person, but I would avoid him, especially as a freshman.
The professor does it a good job of explaining and is clear about what will be on the quizzes. Bad thing is no study guide for exams and a LOT of homework. A lot of people in my class struggled with the workload (3 assignments a week that go beyond his lecture, conceptual weekly wksht, weekly quiz). First math class that made me cry over the hw
Rohit is honestly a great guy, and very accessible during office hours. However, he assigns 3 long homeworks every week, and his lectures are fast-paced and loaded with content. He gives weekly quizzes and discussion worksheets, both of which are difficult and intensive. Unless you really like calculus, I recommend a different professor.
Rohit is a honestly a great guy, but has unrealistic expectations and assigns difficult HW three times a week. Unless you love calculus, you will definitely struggle.
His lecture is easy to follow, but the homework problems are harder than his examples in class. He doesn't give practice exams and just ask us to do the practice in the textbook, which is not so helpful because his exams are very difficult.
Don't give your students a survey if you won't even take the feedback. Lecture examples are also not very useful as you get further into the WebWorks homework; the textbook is just way more helpful. Ineffective teaching style doesn't reflect the amount of work assigned/exam difficulty.
Insane homework load but if you asked for extensions he gave them. The homework is hard but the exams and weekly quizzes are harder. You think you know the content but then you realize you really don't. Also we didn't get most of our grades until week 10
Lots of work and hard assignments/quizzes (might've cried once or twice) but honestly he's a good lecturer and clear with explanations. Took a while to release grades but that could've been the TA's fault. Tried to help us with passing by even doing multiple grading systems. Although it was a really hard class, he's an understanding and a good prof
Lectures are clear but they do not reflect the difficulty of the homeworks. Quizzes every week; they aren't as bad as homeworks. Midterm avg was 50%. The curve is okay and he'll superscore. Overall not bad but it does get stressful, especially the homeworks.
Took 21C during COVID online classes. He's about a mixed bag as you can get. He explains stuff well in lectures and you think you get it, but the online homeworks make you want to rip your hair out, as some of the problems you are insane. However, he is very accommodating, will give HW extensions, and made the final optional which was very clutch.
MAT21C is inherently a difficult class, and Thomas makes it a lot easier to cope with. Considering finals week overlapped with the protests and pandemic, he was very accommodating to the students and even reweighed everyone's grades individually to optimize them. However, exams and homework are very difficult; hw took me around 12-15 hours a week.
I enjoyed the lectures, and I would recommend this professor.
His lecture is good and it is easy to follow. The homework should spend some time to figure out, and the final is an oral exam. The professor gave a list of final exam problems and we can bring our pre-written solutions while having an oral exam. It's not too bad. Anyway, I would recommend this class.
Overall a good experience. Some of the homework was challenging, but not too bad especially if you already have knowledge on how to do proofs. The idea of an oral final exam scared me, but it actually was not that bad. His lectures aren't the best but he explains concepts fairly well.
Nice guy who explains concepts and problems fairly well. HW could be downright infuriating at times w/ stuff that wasn't even in lecture, and tests and quizzes are a bit easier, though you're working against an incredibly short time period for those. Took a while for everything to "click" but he's alright if you get what he's talking about.
Good lecturer! Nice professor! The homework with 8 problems every week was hard but prepares you well for the oral exam. The oral exam was not hard since you have all your pre-written solutions while doing that. And the professor was so nice to you. I recommend this professor!
Overall not a bad professor when it comes to letures, and he always makes sure you have a chance to prepare, but the class moves quickly. Most frustrating thing, though, is that he repeatedly doesn't post assignments on time. There will be assignments that should've had 2 days that he posts within half a day of their due date.
If you have a choice between multiple professors, definitely stay away from him. As this is an online course, he makes sure that his quizzes and tests are taken in the shortest amount of time possible, which is pretty stressful even if they are overall easier than expected. Doesn't post assignments in time and doesn't respond to emails in time.
What is worse than graduating from HS and get this kind of professor for your math course in college?
If you dont want to drop the college, you should not choose this class taught by him
Totally a disaster, the final is hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you have other choices, choose other professors
I will not take his class again. He always delayed everything, including surveys, prep assignments, and all the grades. We didn't knew short tests' grades until final week! The final week was also a disaster. All the assignments weren't posted, and the professor didn't come to class! The explanation was just personal emergency, which was unaccepted
good guy, great lectures, really long/difficult homework (but not too bad) quizzes reflect hw, tests are just really hard he delays posting hw a lot and he's just always behind on everything, didn't even start grading until few days before finals
MAT21B goes by fast -- make sure you don't fall behind. This quarter Thomas was super behind on grading and we didn't get the test grades (any of the 4) back til the last week of class. The day before the final he graded the 3rd test, and the last one wasn't graded until after the final. Other than that, all his lectures are clear. HW hard
The homework assignments are somewhat difficult to do, but he is very helpful during OH. There is one oral final, of which the problems are given two weeks before the final week.
One of my favorite math professors. His lectures are super clear and organized. The final is oral, but it's not that scary. I would definitely want to take his class again.
Was an okay teacher and explained concepts pretty well. The survey before the lecture was helpful bc he would go over what most people struggled with. Was pretty bruh moment when he dropped off the face of the earth for a week-very stressful :(
Easily the worst prof I've had. Lots of busy work (surveys, readings, videos, papers). Discussion basically mandatory and worksheets are extremely challenging if your group doesn't know what they're doing. Exams are nothing like hw, and nothing is graded on time. HW takes forever to do. Doesn't respond to emails and cancels OH with no explanation.
Dr. Thomas is an outstanding professor. His lectures cover what you need to know. Though he covers one chapter almost every other day, he has resources like surveys and pre-lecture assignments for you to stay on top of work. He is very understanding. Short tests and final don't have many questions so make sure you know how to answer them.
I had a really bad prof for my first quarter of calc, but Professor Thomas's lectures managed to get me up to speed and made me confident in math again. Super easy to follow lectures, and he answers all questions without making you feel dumb for asking. There is some group work but as long as everyone puts their heads together it is manageable.
End of week 9 and still no grades. Save yourself from pain and do not take this prof if your grades and mental health matter to you. No feedback on work, doesn't respond to emails, insanely long hw and disc, and gives short time to do quizzes and tests (which are nothing like hw). How are we supposed to know what to improve on if nothing is graded?
So so so so bad. Never again, please don't take him you'll suffer. No communication whatsoever. He doesn't respond to emails or messages or anything ever. The way he conducts the class is very confusing. He has these engagement points that are so all over the place. Very little time for tests not enough. Doesn't post grades and we're in week 10.
He seems to genuinely care about his students but there are a few challenges about the class. Lectures do not often reflect hw difficulty. I went to OH once for hw help and even the TA did not know how to assist me. Tests and quizzes are graded late (last week of the quarter) which is frustrating because there is no consistent feedback.
HW takes forever and isn't like tests. 5 quizzes in a limited amount of time but I thought they were pretty easy to get 100% on. Doesn't respond to email at all. Nothing. I thought people were exaggerating when they said he takes forever to grade tests but it's all true. Cancels OH, no communication, "class engagement points", could not recommend.
Just stay away from this professor and your GPA will be grateful.
Professor Thomas is the best math teacher I've had here so far. It's true that the grading was slow, but he actually teaches, and does it very well. He provided a lot of resources and his quiz/exam problems were pretty reasonable. My least favorite part was that there were a ton of assignments: pretty much daily work for this class.
Lectures and Canvas structure is amazing, it is definitely the best online class I had yet to take. OH is great, lecture preps are alright yet helpful, and overall very understanding. His cons are he isn't too accessible by email and very late on grading (midterm grades came this week). If grades being released are important dont take the class.
The midterms and final were based on conceptual questions. It requires more then learning the topics from the book. You must study a lot in order to be able to pass. The homework for this class takes a long time to complete.
One of the worst professors I've taken. Horrible communication, takes a long time to read emails or just leaves you on read. Takes a long time to grade stuff, gave 1st midterm's grades in the last week of instruction and gave us our 2nd midterm's grades during final exam week. Despite having decent lectures, our grades don't reflect that. 2.1/10
Professor Thomas is a guy good at Math but not good enough at teaching. He posted pre-recorded videos before lectures, and he only talked about people's questions and some examples in classes. Lectures were not that helpful. He released scores slowly. That was sooooo bad!
Homework was way harder than lecture example problems, every lecture had a pre-lecture that had to be completed before lecture for points and took at least an hour to do properly, way too much homework, uses webworks for assignments which sucks for inputting answers, doesn't really emphasize important stuff sometimes, and gives an ok curve.
I took MAT127C with Professor Thomas. He is one of the best math professors I had so far. He can explain things extremely clear. MAT 127C is a very difficult class, and I'm happy I took it with professor Thomas. I hope I can take his MAT 167 class next quarter.
so much unnecessary work that he didn't even publish until halfway through the quarter. Never responds to emails. Ridiculous amount of categories and work. Quizzes & tests are nothing like what you've learned- he doesn't prepare you. I got 43% on MT1 after studying for 10hrs. Expect to teach yourself or get a tutor. stupidest workload ever.
Explained things pretty well. It's Calc, so it is hard. Read the book before class. It helps.
Very well organized class.
Thomas is a good lecturer and you'll learn in his class. HW usually reflects lecture but there's a lot of it. Midterms were extremely difficult and fairly different from what you see in the lecture examples/HW. All I can say is make sure you know the concepts extremely well and do the weekly discussion worksheets.
My fav prof. Speaks super clearly, easy to understand. Concepts took time and effort to understand outside of class, but homework and exam prep was super helpful. Final was an oral exam super easy and comforting. Can def see how ppl wouldn't like him, but he's really nice, easy to talk to, and accommodating. doesn't reply to some emails tho.
He's super nice and caring about his students. He may assign a lot of homework, but I found it manageable, and he has lots of time to meet with students outside of class if you're struggling.
This class will be hard if you didnt take calc in hs or are just not that good at Math. The professor tries his best to be clear and explain the material but sometimes he skips steps and makes things more confusing. The tests are pretty hard and you really have to spend a lot of time outside of class to study for this course.
Professor Thomas's classes are incredibly disorganized. He procrastinates at grading, his lectures are incredibly confusing, and his communication is terrible. He sets his students up greatly for failure. Avoid this professor at all costs.
First off, I came into this class with prior knowledge of calculus from high school. He spent lots of time in class going over example problems. His tests were straight forward and similar to the discussion worksheets. I would recommend going to his or the TA's office hours. Overall, it was a good class.
I thought he was alright until he ended up not curving grades at the end after making it seem like there would be a curve all semester. With the grade based 65% off exams, the average exam scores in the 50%'s, not sure why or how he didn't curve. So many people failed. He also barely communicates with us and grades exams over a week later.
The greatest advantage of this guy is not because of his teaching useful stuff (svd, qr factorization, machine learning) but his personality is great on teaching. His HWs solidified my understanding of lecture material and were good introductions to new topics.
You know the tiktok sound, "it is so bad I wanna give it a zero, but that's not possible, so I give it a one" that is EXACTLY how I feel with Thomas. I really believed that it was me who wasn't getting it, it was me who was failing and struggling. But no, almost everyone else was but yet no curve was given whatsoever. I do NOT recommend at all!!
The lecturer is responsible and caring. He gives a lot of office hours to help students learn.
He does not curve whatsoever when he misleads you the whole quarter into believing that he will. He also poorly explains each process and the homework does not relate to the tests at all.
good lecturer but hw isn't similar to exams so it feels like a waste of time. posts assignments at inconvenient times- sometimes a couple hours before its due. takes over a week to grade exams but does go over a lot of problems during office hours & is pretty good at explaining things. you'll pass if you took calc in hs (& understood it LOL)
First of all, he will post lecture prep assignments in the middle of the day and it was due by 9pm so he doesn't really give much time to complete those for class engagement points. He uploads assignments late, which make it hard to keep up because I end up rushing the assignments due so soon. Tests are dependent on discussion worksheets!
I wasn't a fan of his teaching style; the lectures didn't help me prepare for exams, but discussion sheets were a more useful study tool. Also, you only needed 50% right on the hw for full credit. He said that he'd curve if you improved on each test, which seems to be true since I got a 67% and a C-. Decent professor, but not my first choice.
lots of homework and class engagement points are annoying, but he's a good lecturer and good at explaining hard topics in simple terms. he's sometimes bad at communication w/ due dates and responding to emails, but the TA's are usually really great at answering questions and they give good insight on the exams. tests are fair but frequent.
Lectures are boring. HW after most lectures that you only need to do 50% of for full credit. Midterm averages are around 50% with no curve. He says he might curve the class instead. Midterm topics are from lectures, discussions and homework. I'd rather live in the cow pen than take this class again. Only take him if there is no one else.
i truly don't understand how he has so many bad reviews. he is super helpful, gives great examples during lecture, and uploads explanations for all discussion worksheet problems. yes, his exams are difficult and unlike lecture problems, but that is expected in a class like this. usually pretty good TAs too. imo one of the best math profs
Good prof despite bad reviews! Hard to reach sometimes but overall not a bad teacher. His explanations and lectures are clear! 3 midterms & 1 final (normally everyone bombs one) & class engagement pts (they're not bad). I took him twice cuz he's really just a middle-of-the-road type teacher. Worth it if you put the work in!
Tests are very similar to discussion WSs and he gives a lot of practice/hw! You only have to get 50% on hw for full credit and it's really helpful. Tait is a great TA. Tests are hard, there's normally one that everyone fails but there's usually a small, not chem level, curve that can help. Thomas is hard to reach but understanding and clear.
Solid lectures if you pay attention, but test problems require a lot of logistical/outside the box thinking to do well. Difficult tests, curve may happen may not.
Gave solid lectures. He does his best to prepare his students for exams so doing all the discussion worksheets as well as the given practice problems really help. He gives good explanations but sometime you do need to learn some stuff on your own. Overall, pretty good professor, just make sure you have a good understanding of the concepts.
Coming from a very average math student with test anxiety, this class will be a serious challenge. But joining the 17b co-class helped immensely. 100% take advantage of this resource. The content is doable but you need to reach out for help early. Discussion sheets are the closest practice you'll get to the actual exams.
First, he is never on time. Grading papers took forever but that is at least understandable. He always said he will upload surveys or written report assignments for participation points but never did until the last day of quarter. He didn’t even give us final grade when quarter is already over. Overall, I would recommend you try to avoid him
The worst professor I have ever met. This is a math class, but you have to spend lots of time reading articles, attending workshops, writing reviews to earn participation points. 3 tests and 1 final in total, all the tests are ridiculous, once your answers are incorrect, you will get 0 point for this problem, he didn't give any process point.
Not sure why the professor makes students do readings and articles for class engagement. He's kind of monotoned so beware if taking morning classes. He rarely responds to emails and also takes forever to update the homework if you ask for an extension. Overall, he wasn't awful but definitely could be better. I wouldn't say avoid but beware.
Dr. Thomas is not who you want to take if you want to pass MAT17A. There is no curve, though the class averages of every test were around 55%. He is a good lecturer, but his 20 min midterms that are a huge % of our grades have zero correlation to class. Our TA did their best to help, but even they didn't know what Thomas was doing. Don't take him.
I took this professor for 17A and 17B and I regret it. He does not curve at all. His discussion sheets are the closest thing to his exams, except he does not teach how to solve them. He is also inconsistent in uploading homework and grades. I took calculus in high school yet still did terrible. Do not take this class if you want to save your GPA.
Dr. Thomas is a good lecturer, however, his lectures barely relate to what he puts on exams. He chooses the easiest problems to do in class and then puts the hardest on the exams. I believe for most midterms the class average was around 50%. He usually does not curve and a lot of students end up failing. TA's didn't know what was going on.
Absolutely the worst professor I’ve ever had. He grades exams unfairly and often won’t explain why he’s taking off points. Doesn’t post class engagement assignments until the last week of the quarter and won’t update grades regularly. Even if you score above the curve for every exam, you could still fail. I would know.
Dr Thomas is not very accessible out of class if you are trying to contact him. His tests are difficult and do not reflect the content taught in lecture as well as it should. Discussions were brutal and lectures were a pain. Not the ideal professor for a class like this. Do not recommend.
Doesn't curve, tests very hard. Bs assignments and the homework doesn't relate to the tests at all. Avoid if you can.
Dr. Thomas's lectures may be relatively straightforward, but the examples we go over in class and our homework problems do not accurately reflect the content on the tests. My main issue with Dr. Thomas is that he is not accessible outside of class AT ALL. He makes it extremely difficult to contact him and does not respond to any emails or concerns.
Dr. Thomas is honestly an amazing professor. I took him out of necessity for MAT17A and loved his class so much that I took his MAT17B class. His lectures are very clear and detailed with lots of examples that mimic homework and exams. Exams are hard, but doing the recommended practice problems is more than enough to prepare for them.
I was worried about having Dr. Thomas as my professor but I love him! I found his lectures to be very straightforward with lots of examples that I could easily look back it when doing my homework and studying. He does not give out any study guides but I found his lecture notes and going through homework helped a lot. I definitely recommend him!!
Avoid this Professor if possible! Only good things are HW only requires half the questions to be answered correctly to receive 100% and you can always get HW extensions. He barely goes over info that is on HW. He NEVER replies to emails. No test prep materials. Very unclear. Bad at explaining material. Tests are super short and super hard. NO CURVE
I feel like Dr. Thomas isn't that bad. The material is hard and he honestly does not answer questions much during class, but the homework, recommended textbook questions, and discussions are pretty similar to the exams. You need to practice a lot, but I feel like math is just something you need to practice a lot anyways.
I've had this prof for 17A and 17B. The class is difficult, but as long as you read the readings (they aren't too long), do the homework on time and understand how to do it, and understand the group worksheets (this is what the tests are most similar to), its passable and you are likely to get at least a B.
Great lecturer, provide extensions on homework, and tests are not too hard. Also, there is a reassessment opportunity available on each midterm(except the 1st one) to raise the score. Overall, decent professor to take.
Took this professor Fall 2021. Passed, but had to retake class. PAY ATTENTION TO DISCUSSION! The bio word-problems make up the majority of his exams, not really homework. If you're new to calc, it may be v difficult. Sometimes tutors couldn't even help me bruh! He explains lectures clearer than others & is available for office hours. Barely curves.
Math has never been my strong suit and 17A was pretty tough for me. However, Professor Thomas is a pretty good professor. You have to go to the lectures and come to actually learn because the practice problems he puts in his lectures are an indication of what's going to be on the exam. You have to be willing to put in the work to get a good grade.
I enjoyed this class more than 17A. He allowed students to make up points on past tests with questions on the next test, which really helped my overall grade! Three midterms, one final. Weekly discussion worksheets (which he gives answers too) and (voluntary) hw given really prep you for tests so I would suggest doing them. Would highly recommend
Make sure that you pay attention during the discussion! Use the discussion problems as a study guide and practice test. Thomas is a very understanding professor and accepts late work as long as you submit a form. I think that his lectures are not necessary to attend, they did not help me, but he is still a good professor.
He lectures really well and explains concepts really well but the homework and tests are nothing like what we do in class
Lectures really well
He explains concepts really well and in-depth during lectures. There is homework and pre-lecture reading that's due each time there's class. You have to attend discussions to complete group worksheets. He doesn't give practice tests but instead more practice problems from the textbook. Tests are fine; he always makes sure they aren't overly long.
His exams are basically his discussions and the homework assigned on webwork. He's literally so goated. He provides a step-by-step solution to his discussion worksheets. For my year, he did this thing where, for example, if you did terribly on midterm 1 exam but on ur final, you do good on that section, then he boosts ur midterm 1 exam grade.
Really great lecturer. So much homework. Lectures are recorded but try not to skip class because you will fall behind FAST. Office hours will help so much so definitely go if you can. Professor accounts for growth after midterm by replacing midterm scores with your final score if you do better on same material - brought my grade from a B to an A!
There's homework due for each lecture and they're pretty time consuming. His lectures are very simplified versions of what you need to know for homework and he can be slow at times. You can't see your grade until the end, but he grades pretty generously. If you read the lesson in the textbook or take the co-class, you'll be fine.
Lectures are clear and helpful for understanding material.
I think Thomas is one of the better MAT17 professors. His lectures were okay, and he assigns a lot of homework. But, his homework was extremely helpful, and he provides extensions. His tests were difficult, but reflected what was on the homework. He wants his students to succeed, so he's your best bet for a passing grade.
He's an awesome lecturer, seriously really good at explaining concepts and giving example problems and showing all the steps. Math is not my strongest subject, but I left lectures feeling like I understood what he was talking about. Homework is difficult and I needed help from the TAs a lot (TA Crystal is amazing!). But don't count on him curving.
He have survey (about the textbook) before each lecture and homeworks after almost every lecture. Although there are lot of work, he explained the materia greatly. His tests are kind of difficult but if you prepare well with the hw and extra question in the textbook, you will be able to do most of the question in the tests.
Dr. Thomas is organized and his lectures make sense, but fast-paced. He has 3 exams and a final with NO CURVE even though he told us throughout the quarter there might be. He assigns 3 Webworks per week with 7-10 questions (lowest was 3, most was 24) that you have to get 80% on for full credit. He's not that approachable, never responds to emails.
He teaches clearly but that's because the stuff in class is the absolute basics. The homework and tests are a million times harder. Really need to self-teach and go to TA office hours to get a good grade. Co-class with Grant saved my life. No curve, 3 exams, 1 final, with 3 hws on Webwork and discussion worksheets due weekly.
THIS IS FOR MAT 22B Dr Thomas has too many assignments. He has a reflection survey after each and homework assigned after every lecture. The homework is due before each lecture but he gives unlimited extensions its assigned through webwork. The software makes the homework feel like punishment. With homework worth 10% of your grade, it feels painful
Dr Thomas is a great lecturer, MAT135A has been my favorite math class taken at UCD thus far. He is willing to help out on homework questions during his office hours. My only gripe about him is that he does not respond to emails reliably and seems impossible to reach outside of class and office hours.
For MAT 22B (not 22A, I don't know how to add a course to the list): He has amazing lectures with lots of examples and really helpful homework. He splits up the weekly problem set so that a few (3-5) problems are due before each lecture. He also has reflection assignments. Tests are difficult but fair. Take him for MAT 22B.
For a new course, it felt like he had taught it before and I enjoyed the emphasis on real-life application. However, this course is very homework-heavy (an assignment after every class) and can be very time-consuming. Just stay on top of work/lecture material. He adjusted past test scores after the final exam for improvement. I went from a B to A-!
Lectures were clear and quite easy to follow. There is a good amount of homework, so be sure to utilize office hours. Tests were pretty difficult in my opinion, but you can make up points during the final exam. Previous test scores can be replaced if you score higher on the portion of the final. My grade went from a C+ to A- that way.
So much homework, wayy too difficult, and NO CURVE!! AVOID if you value your GPA!
Thomas is a great professor and hilarious, his lectures are very concise, and as long as you do the lecture prep (class participation) you won't be too lost. There is a lot of homework, which is mandatory but it's all very similar to the exams. Pay attention to the discussion worksheets too, he posts the solutions, they show up on the exams.
Never teach important things for the rest. Never teach students how the equation work. No study guide for test. Seat allocated during test and each students have diff version of test.
A LOT of hw (3/week) + class participation points fulfilled by reading/writing lecture prep summary for every lec or through workshop reports. No study guide, only gives a bunch of questions from book. Lectures only go through basics, hw and tests way harder. A lot of self studying required. Wouldn't recommend if you had the choice.
Good lecturer, explanation clear, extensions granted, office hour helpful, cutoff points somewhat granted, class pace well-arranged. Heavy workload, HARD HW, hard Dis WS, tests HARDER than lectures and HW, curve not guaranteed. In general I think he's not that bad.
Avoid his class! He gave almost nothing for students to study for, and he was hard to contact with. The only thing provided to study for besides homework is to circle up all the questions in the textbook, which also barely relates to his exam. The difficulty of his lectures and the difficulty of his homework and exams are three levels of difficulty
Dr. Thomas is top tier. I appreciated how much clarity his lectures provided in class. He has super flexible office hours and I really like his class structure. The only thing is lots of homework.
Not a bad prof (better than most) but goes over surface level concepts that take more learning to be able to understand hw Pros: final score can replace some of your 3 different midterm scores (helped me go from a B to an A) Tips: relearn lessons and concepts on your own, be confident in all disc. wkshts (they're often on tests), use the calc room
This class moved at a fast pace and there were three homework assignments due each week and you had to score at least an 80% in order to receive full credit, however you were only given 5 attempts in each problem on Webwork. Tests were very challenging and consists of both mathematical and conceptual questions which was something I did not expect.
Lectures are easy enough to understand but homework and discussion worksheets are way harder. Not much of a curve. Be prepared to watch YouTube to teach you the content of the course. Content is fast-paced, but lectures felt SLOW b/c prof repeated things so much it was a waste of time to go in-person, I just watched lecture videos and skipped thru.
His lectures were okay and fairly easy to understand. There is alot of homework and for exams he does not provide any practise exam or problems, the textbook will be helpful though. The exams themselves were fairly difficult, the co-class was very helpful for me personally to prepare.
Lectures were clear, but the class moves fast with lots of challenging homework and exams. Unstuck study was a lifesaver for studying - highly recommend! Overall, a tough but manageable course with a helpful professor.
a lot of homework, so stay on top of it. Tests are 75% harder than homework and homework is so hard already, good curve though.
although he does give a lot of hw, he gives unlimited extensions and honestly the hw really helps you prepare for the exams. his lectures are really good and he is really nice and his ta's are also really helpful.
Labs were group projects on a programming site, not very helpful for understanding the class in my opinion. Tests were very similar to the homework. Homework was tedious and took a while to complete. Professor is slow and posts lectures, so I stopped going to lectures after a bit. I had already taken calc AB so the class wasn't new content.
He doesn't give practice exams so make sure to study extra hard.
Great lectures but his tests were relatively difficult. Made the mistake of not really studying for them and ended up with a B. Take your time with the homework, be sure to split it up because they can take a long time.
He's FANTASTIC. Explains concepts clearly and explains as if we're 5 (which I love cuz it makes me understand things in a snap). I never fully understood logarithms in my entire life, but after his one lecture about it, it all made sense. I took Calc BC and this class is around Calc AB max. If you took BC, you'll survive for sure. 10/10 prof.
If you are new to math, this would be the best professor to take. He explains everything very slowly and clearly. If you aren't new to math, don't take him as he is very slow. To everyone who just started taking calculus for the first time, he explains it so clearly even if it is slow. Everyone seems to have a problem with it but its perfect for me
He gives out so much HW, he allows for as many extensions as you want (which you will need) but the Homeworks STACK UP. The Homework and discussion problems are also very difficult compared to the test questions. The tests seemed fair, go to lecture and you should be good.
This is the most terrible professor I have ever had. He used some super easy example in his class to mislead you, and you will be screwed over in every single test. You can look at all his reviews of him on the Internet, and over the last ten years, there have been a lot of bad reviews, but you will never see any change in him in his class today.
for the whole of 19a, he wouldn't show the grades at all so you wouldn't really know what you had until the end when it appeared on your transcript. He throws out that the possibility of a curve, but he didn't even curve it at the end. Why would you mention a curve and a grading scale change and nothing was implemented. Its misleading
I don't get the hate this prof gets, I thought his lectures were good and the examples were understandable. As long as you are able to do the homework without a calculator, you should be fine bc the exams are like the homework. If you do good on your final exam it can replace your midterm score. I thought that the final was easier than the midterms
Prof. Thomas explains things super clearly and very slowly. I took calc in high school, and 19A has been straightforward for me so far. Emphasis on functions, limits, and derivatives. The labs feel tedious, though, and lab questions appear on exams. Overall, if you're like me and have a hard time w/ math, I'd recommend this prof, he's chill.
the class goes by way too fast honestly, he only teaches the concepts at a super simple level yet for the homeworks he puts extremely hard versions of them, same goes for the tests which are also super super difficult. plus he doesnt even show your grades the entire time basically which is so annoying. im not passing this class.
Pros: has office hours after every class, willing to explain concepts again and talk about test grade, allows late work Cons: Lots of HW (3x week). HARD EXAMS. They're not lying. Its bad. 2hr lab every week. Also no practice exams. I really tried with this class, but it just wasn't it. Don't take unless you have to, get a tutor.
Very patient, teaches slowly (I think this is good), and uses good analogies. Lots of homework and due at weird times, but you can request as many extensions as you want. No curve tho. There is a math lab, usually takes an hour to complete.
Impossible to know your grade and where you place in this class until the very end, and there is no clear curve. Tests were quite hard, especially considering each test had a question related to the labs, which made up like 20 points out of the 100. I think the average for one of the tests was like 43%.
lectures were very clear and educational and he is an incredibly supportive teacher when you communicate! spam the homework, practices, labs etc on repeat before the exams and you will ace the class. he also gives opportunities to get something like extra credit through little participation activities.
Would avoid this professor if possible. No grades shown on Canvas, and no idea how you're doing until final grades post as he says there MAY be a curve. No practice exams, and lectures only cover one example per topic. Tests are harshly graded with little partial credit. Materials like webwork and the textbook don't reflect actual exams well.
I had Dr. Thomas for 19A but I liked him a lot more in 19C. The lectures were very engaging and all I did to study for the exams was redo the homework. Plus, the labs were easier. He is super accessible outside of class-go to office hours!
While the lectures and homework aren't too bad, the tests are so much more difficult than anything else in the class. Avoid if possible.
Professor Thomas is objectively a good professor. Exams for 19A are similar problems to those discussed during the lectures, not like the homework, which is slightly harder. His lectures are quality and recorded. You will need to study for midterms after the first one. Labs are somewhat difficult, but you get infinite regrades in a one week period.
He's a great lecturer, and his notes are organized in class. However, he only covers the most basic idea of the topic in class, leaving you to figure out the difficult problems by yourself. The homework assignments are VERY time-consuming, and the tests are extremely difficult. I wouldn't take him if you're not already strong in calculus concepts.
I doubt this cares bout his students at all. I had sever personal issues in during this quarter and when I reached out to him to be able to get though this class he NEVER responded to my emails or reach out to me after filling out his "contact form" on top of that he would only lecture on easy examples but the test were extremely hard in comparison
Before taking calc, YOU NEED THOROUGH algebra skills. P. Thomas is a really great lecturer, breaking down concepts for his students to digest easily and apply to all kinds of problems. Calc is a SUPER visual/ theoretical course, and he explains well. IMO tests were straight forward if you practiced frequently/did all the things he told you to.
simplified explaination in lecture compared to HW which takes a day to complete. explains concepts too fast or too slow. avgs for midterms have been a 58, 55, & 53. you don't know your grade till the very end: for the final, if your score on the portion covering one of the midterms is higher than your midterm score, then it will replace your score
Prof. Thomas is well-versed in Calculus and explains topics well, but he creates exams as if everyone in the course is as knowledgable as he is. The lectures and homework assignments barely scrape the surface of the difficulty of the exams. I took AP Calc in high school, rarely studied and got an A, and I'm not even sure I passed this class.
The class itself (MAT19A) is difficult, but honestly Dr. Thomas isn't that bad. I like his style of lecturing and he records them all. Definitely form a study group to do homework with, and make use of AATC and office hours. Labs suck, but you can submit regrades. It's good to know some basic stats/probability before taking this.
If you aren't planning to go into economics or haven't ever taken a Calculus class, steer CLEAR of this professor or at least take an Econ class. Explains topics with an assumption you already know them, provides no guidance on homework, and his tests are unpredictable at best. If you have to take it, I highly reccomend the co-class and AATC.
The lectures are very helpful and he is accessible outside of class. The main drawbacks of this professor are the homework and the tests that are tough with harsh grading. Massive amounts of points taken off of tests for small errors. Easy to fall behind with the homework assignments.
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12%
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