Does not give nearly enough time for the projects. He just gave a massive project and only a week and a half to do it. We asked him to extend it because we are in the middle of midterms, so he extended it a single day. This project also has very little to do with databases. Do not take this professor he is not understanding at all. 0/10

The professor's lectures lack clarity in explaining complex concepts and he is very hard to understand. When he asks if everyone understands the material only about 3 out of 30 students will raise their hand. The group projects are excessively challenging, and he makes the exams more tricky than it needs to be.

His exams are outrageously tough with unfair, high-point, tricky questions that almost guarantee failure. In addition, he provides insufficient time for both projects and exams. I'm currently taking less than 12 credits and I am still struggling in the class. I strongly discourage anyone with a busy schedule from taking this class.

Literally does not try to help students.

He knows his stuff but he doesn't care for his students. This is a very exam and project -heavy class. Have to do very well in all the tests to get an ok grade.

Awful experience. Exams are difficult and he refused to give supplementary practice.

He is the worst professor to ever teach at UGA . His exams and projects are unreasonably hard. This professor is not worth the mental torture.

Professor Menik is one of my least favorite professors that I have ever taken at UGA. He does not offer any extra credit whatsoever, and if you have any family/medical issues that cause you to be unable to take a test at the scheduled time, he will not let you reschedule the test. He is not very understanding or lenient about anything AT ALL!!!

He thinks too much of himself and is very reluctant to actually help in office hours

How is this professor a professor?

This class is a pain. if you dont HAVE to take it, dont. The projects take up so much time and he does not extend it. This class is exam and project heavy. Exam questions consist of tricky questions that were not explained.

The worst prof at UGA. Doesn't care abt students at all. Any reason my assignments were late (not often) were not taken into account, even if proof was given.

He is a cool and chill guy but you can learn all of the contents on YouTube. Doesn't really know how to teach, and is a bad lecturer. Short project deadlines and weird exam questions that we don't really go over. Overall, please do not take him for Database.

If these reviews existed before the start of the semester, I would have never taken this class. I would not recommend this class to my worst enemy.

He is the most unhelpful professor at UGA. His exams are cumulative and he doesn't release assignment feedback till after the exam so you have no idea if you are doing things right. On top of that, he reads off slides and isn't that good of a lecturer. He argues that we should ask questions and come to his office hours to prepare for the exams.

Sami: "Ok guys. How was the exam?" Literally 10 people in the class: "Horrible"

Awful professor! Other posts explain the issues with his class so I won't elaborate. But AVOID at all costs. UGA administration should look into some of the concerns that have been raised below.

I cannot stress this enough but DO NOT TAKE HIM. I only took him because he was the only one available for the fall semester. I was one of the people who showed up to every lecture even though they were not helpful, just in case he said anything important. I studied 10+ hours for each test and it has not helped a bit.

Even if he is the only prof available DO NOT TAKE HIM, wait a semester.

Avoid at all cost!

Lectures are unhelpful and difficult to sit through. Expect to do hours of self-teaching for projects and tests due to not learning in class. Do not take Prof. Menik

Do not take this professor, just wait one semester for a better professor.

What a joke, this dude is giving HIMSELF good reviews and perfect ratings.

Take the green reviews with a grain of salt. Yes, he's very good at teaching the concepts but his exams are EXTREMELY hard. He puts more details in the exam than his lectures making it more challenging than it already is. Projects are long!

Too hard, extremely specific exams. Expects too much.

Tests are hard. You need to pay attention and READ. Overall pretty dang hard class.

Professor Menik is one of my least favorite professors that I have ever taken at UGA. He does not allow you have any family/medical issues that cause you to be unable to take a test at the scheduled time, he will not let you reschedule the test. He is not very understanding or lenient about anything AT ALL!!!

Worst CS professor at UGA, DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!

RUN AWAY FROM THIS PROFESSOR!! He is an absolute nightmare of a professor who has no mercy and 0 power when helping students with extra assignments or redemption. This guy is the most incompetent teacher I have seen over my 3 years in college and while studying at 2 different universities. Take it over the summer online at GSU!

Nice guy. Very tough grader and doesn't give good feedback when asking questions on HW's or projects. The tests are also very tough and he gives no leeway on changing the exam times or trying to be accommodating. I would definitely take the other CS1302 professors.

Very nice guy, unfortunately falls short. Not a great lecturer, and everything is mandatory. Has 0 leeway on anything, and does not give good feedback on projects and tests. When I asked how I could do better next test he said "You should try studying"(ok thanks!) Avoid this prof. I am potentially losing Zell bc of this dude.

Hes a nice guy, but not a good professor. The tests in this class are insanely hard. I studied my butt off and still got low grades on them. 4 words: avoid at all costs

No concept of deadlines, assigned hard and long projects that are BARLEY relevant to database, have to have multiple extensions because he'd only give a week to complete it. If you're in a group with random people, good luck and hope they actually do the work or you're going to fail. He's a cool dude though. Oh and exams are very hard.

Did not learn anything in this class. It was a waste of my time and money. Exams are difficult and not an accurate reflection of the content we were "taught". For a database class, we barely did any actual SQL practice and application, which absolutely sucks since this an important skill to know for jobs/interviews. Take someone else if you can.

Let me start this by saying Sami is a nice man. That being said that doesn't make him a good professor. Sami doesn't have good presenting skill which makes following his lectures difficult. He doesn't prepare his students for his exams well. All of the work he assigns is done in groups (if your group mates don't do well your grade will suffer).

His class is a mess. If you value your sanity I would stay away.

not a good professor. The tests in this class are insanely hard. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Terrible professor. The tests are same across all CS classes but the other professors actually teach and prepare you well, this guy doesn't. He has 0 power and no leniency. So basically, you have to be literally dying to get any extension, nothing else will get you one. His lectures are really boring. Course is outdated and not relevant today.

Very difficult professor and a harsh grader!

This professor is literally the worst professor at UGA. He is the professor that does not teach the material, and make the exams and projects for no reason.

He knows his stuff but he doesn't care for his students. This is a very exam-heavy class. Have to do very well in all the tests to get an ok grade.

Awful experience. Exams and projects are difficult and refused to help or curve the test grades. DO not take this professor, I repeat!

Dr.Menik is truly the worst professor I've ever had. His exams are so difficult because there impossible.

He's a good guy and very nice but not a good prof. His exams and projects are hard for no reason!

Worse experience and probably the worse professor at the University of Georgia. The professor is nice but his exams and projects are hard for no reason. I wish future students Good Luck!

This is the hardest course I've ever taken. By the first class, I was lost. I would try to approach him with questions and he would not answer me. Throughout the semester, everything was unclear and I should've just dropped his class in the beginning. Though I give him a bad rating, he does seem to care, AVOID!

Menik is a good professor for other classes, but not for CS4370 Database Management.This dude does not know what he's even teaching, and tests are hard seemingly randomly hard for no reason . A friend and I struggle on the group projects. He grades them harsh!

This was so hard. i tried so hard. im so sad. i taught myself everything. the exams were always not like the study guides and yeah.

Dr. Menik was the easily the worst professor I have ever had. I attended some office hours in order to ask questions, but he wasn't very receptive to answering. His test and group projects are insanely hard for no reasons. The class average for the test had to be below 55!

Easily the worst teacher I have ever had. He was very condescending towards multiple students in my class. As far as the class, I could have done better than I did had I done more outside of class. The material is hard but you will have to practically do it all yourself to do well. The tests and projects are ridiculously hard for no reason!

To be honest, I think a lot of these reviews are way too harsh. While the class is sometimes difficult and can be frustrating, I don't think it's THAT bad. Be prepared for some exams and projects that aren't really representative of course materials, but if you study and do your work it's not too difficult to receive As and Bs.

Avoid at all costs!

Dr. Menik is by far the worst professor that I have had during my time at UGA. No one knows what is expected of them and there is a consistent F average on the exams

Just run. If you see his name pop up on the course honestly just wait for the semester to be over. I used to like CS but i've never hated CS as much as I have with him teaching it.

I'd advise anyone not to take a course with him (its for your good!). Incredibly difficult to understand anything he says during lectures. His exams and projects are hard for no reason and the material is more difficult compared to Georgia Tech CS.

This was so hard. i tried so hard. im so sad. i taught myself everything. Good Luck Future Students!

Avoid!

Not a good professor... His in class lectures don't make much sense and he always tries to make sure people understand, but whenever we ask questions he always gives a more convoluted answer than before.

Makes a intro level course very difficult!

I did not like his teaching style. He honestly made me feel stupid at one point in his office hours. Hes a great guy but teaching this class isnt for him.

Difficult exams and group projects, and Lectures were boring!

Please listen to me. Do not take this course with Prof. Menik. The tests are all online for some reason, which wouldn't matter if they weren't IMPOSSIBLE. The projects are insanely time-consuming and he never covers them in class. There is BARELY any extra credit, and they are NOT forgiving with grades. The worst class I've ever taken in my life.

in general, the class itself is hard. regardless of your prof youre going to have to spend a lot of time doing the readings. menik just make the class even less enjoyable in my opinion. he seems sweet but any other of the professors would be better. on the bright side tho you can go to other professors office hours like barnes or cotterell.

Sami Menik is an insecure professor who relies heavily on classroom engagement that he never receives. His lectures are confusing and very roundabout to the topic in question. He will defer questions until "later" only to never actually clarify anything. He is disrespectful to students with real questions but will elaborate on very simple topics.

Worst professor I have ever had. I took this class last Spring and his explanations were incredibly roundabout and confusing. I believe he might be knowledgeable about what he is teaching, but he has a very poor way of communicating it. I would recommend that no one takes his class, if possible.

Try to evade this guy. Lecture is NOT ORGANIZED, makes me more confuse if I ask a question. What I am regretting the most is attending his lecture, and those total polls for bonus credit are like 1-2 percent of the overall grade, so if you're not in a desperate situation, I would recommend putting more time into either projects or homework.

Insufferable.

Professor stinks at teaching.

Just don't. I did well in this class, but you might not because I spent a stupid amount of time on this class because my other classes we comparatively easy. I was not goated last semester, just a no life because of this class.

Lecture style is incredibly ineffective. Rarely explains broader topics, only goes over example code during the whole class. I have witnessed multiple times he has struggled to help confused students. In my opinion he is a lazy lecturer. Try to take the course with Barnes or Cotterell. Avoid him if you want to actually learn during lecture.

Easily one of the worst classes I've taken. CSCI1302 is already a hard enough subject, and Professor Menik has only made it harder and more inefficient. Our lectures were boring, slow, lengthy, and often did not even relate to the day's required reading. Tests were also hard and very different from everything else done in this class.

Try to avoid him if you can, he's a pain in the butt about everything really. He also is really bad at teaching, pointless and ineffective lectures. He kind of just codes in class and expects everyone to follow along without any type of explanation for what is going on.

Don't take him. He has 74 now 75 1 star reviews for a reason ridiculous amounts of work poor teaching and overall a nightmare.

The class was only manageable because of the class materials provided by the other professors teaching this course. Take someone else.

Do not take this professor he is the absolute worst professor I have ever had

The class was boring as he was just coding on the screen while occasionally asking questions. He was like in his world talking over an example project without really stopping for questions and when he did no one knew what he was talking about.

He's a genuinely nice and caring guy but he's extremely hit or miss when it comes to teaching. I had him for both CSCI 2725 and CSCI 3360 and it was a night and day difference. He was very organized in Data Science I and had fair and clear grading standards and followed the syllabus closely. For CSCI 2725 he didn't even follow the syllabus.

This professor dumps a massive amount of busy work on students with zero regard for our time. The grading is a mess; I spent more time writing regrade requests for correct answers than actually learning. The final project required a 75-minute video presentation, which is completely unreasonable for a class assignment. Avoid if you can.