1.6
Quality4.1
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake86
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
86
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
4
4
2
3
12
2
21
1
47
What Students Say
“He is an awful and confusing professor, and very condescending if you ask "obvious" questions”
MATH100 - 1.0 rating“AVOID TAKING THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS”
STAT213 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.11 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH150
3.4
(5)STATS614
3.0
(1)MATH255
2.3
(4)STATS
2.0
(1)MATH160
1.9
(12)Difficulty by Course
STATS57
5.0
STATS614
5.0
STAT614
5.0
STATSTAT
5.0
STAT120
5.0
Reviews (86)
Found him much to rigid as a professor. Very controlling of all aspects of his class, almost to the point of hindering students from having the freedom to explore alternative means of learning (teaching yourself, getting outside assistance). Grading incredibly stringent on tests.
Quite helpful but veeeery picky on the exams. On last exam nobody got A from more than 45 students (best students got 83-88 points).
Does not curve, does not drop one exam score, still, the average score on the exams is 50.
probably the worst prof u could take. xtremeely boring and sarcastic. rearanges seats 4ever on exam dayz. tests r pages and pages long. ppl got 15s, 50s, 60s. DO NOT TAKE HIM.
Completely socially retarded, very rigid, and he grades VERY hard on tests, will not give you partial credit if you happen to find the correct answer using a different method than he wants. The class avergage was about a 54, yet he refused to curve, drop an exam or make any adjustment. STAY AWAY!
the most rigid and socially backward teacher you will ever meet. his class is boring and he is very sarcastice. even if everyone fails, there is no curve. it was my least favorite class ever and this is all coming from someone who got an a-
dont take him stay away from him u will end up hating math if u take him!!!!
This guy's teaching method is the poorest I've seen. It's threadful to sit in that class for an hr and 15 minutes. He should curve if the mean and mode of the class exams are 40s & 50s (%). He complicates easy material, doesn't convey book info well, and get easily confused himself with everything.
This course is supposed to be a very easy class. However and A student like me got a C in this class. Prof. Soman makes easy problems very confusing. I hated this class.
he is the worst professor I ever had!!! if you do bad on the final exam, you should prepare to get C on report. DO NOT TAKE HIM!!!
Confuses the terminology (and the students), wastes class time trying to figure out problems, comes to class unprepared, makes constant mistakes, and patronizes students. The funny thing - he doesn't realize he's doing it.
DO NOT TAKE HIM!
Okay...I read all the ratings b4 I took hum. Yet I still went ahead and took his class. I care about my fellow students so PLEASE, do NOT take him...even if you have to take Saturday night classes or something. And I actually studied so hard and was at his office all the time. So, please, take someone else!
I do not recommend taking statistics with this instructor. He confuses the students and his exams don't always jive with the manner in which he taught the material. Can be very defensive and patronizing when approached about confusion with material.
Devoid of Personality; He complicates easy material, doesn't convey book info well, is easily confused Defensive when asked about a concept or exams; Notes don't always agree with the text. very rigid, & grades VERY hard on tests, wont give partial credit very sarcastic. rearanges seats 4every exam day I took him Fall '05- Dont take him he SUCKS!
oh my god
do not take this class with this professor unless you REALLY have to.
All negative comments here are true, don't take him unless you really have to. Even if you are a math wizard, you won't get a grade higher than B because he will confuse you and you won't be sure if everything that you've learned before will be accepted by this guy.
This guy is OUT OF HIS MIND. You can go in there with a basic understanding of Stats and walk out of there not being sure how to add 2+2. He is infuriating. My entire class signed a petition against him because of unfair grading.
Took his class, then took Econometrics knowing Zero Matrix Algebra! I don't know what he teaches, but it's not math! Unless you really have to, or are feeling self-destructive and want to kill your GPA, that should be the only reason you let yourself stoop to that low!
Why is this guy still teaching here!?! Perhaps he's good within his profession but he's beyond awful at teaching the subject! STUDENTS BEWARE!
Requires students to sign a 'contract' prior to staying in his class. Probably because so many have complained about him. Real Weirdo! Avoid him like the plague.
he is difficult to understand I get depress just going to his class would not recommend him
Personality wise, he's not so bad, willing to explain things over if you don't seem to understand. But his exams are extremely confusing if you don't study enough. Attendance is definitely mandatory. If you're willing to go to class, pay attention and take good notes, then you might as well just take him.
This teacher knows his materials, I'll give him that but my opinion is that he can't convey what he knows into something that is understandable. He makes just as many mistakes as the students and he is very rude. He makes you feel as if you are stupid when you ask him a question. I could never understand him while I was in his class.
Avoid at any cost! I will pay you to not go to his class... be smart and avoi b/c not only you put ALOT of effort into his course, he basically does not teach you a thing!!...you will end up self educating yourself and waisting your time in class.... Does not give opportunities to improve the grade... discourages students from progressing...
Because of schedule conflicts I had to take his class and even though I was prepared for the worst, he is OK. He does try to help you but his main problem is lack of personality, some students show him off. His exams are easy, no curving, but the book by Leon is awful, don't buy it, rather study from the Web. Pay attention to outline notes.
I agree that he cannot help you to understand the concept. As a professr, he is ...., but as a teacher, he is very nice to help you, make sure you understand, send you email as soon as possible. If you are not bad in maths, you can try. At some point, he is a little cute.
The fact that this man is still teaching math at Hunter is a testament that the college is truly desparate for math teachers. Time and again, the basic message in practically every review here is that HE CANNOT TEACH THIS SUBJECT!
This professor is quite possibly the worst professor I have ever had in my life. His ability to convey knowledge of the subject is so minimal, that you might as well have a 2nd grader teach the class. If you're good at math, you'll do fine without much work; otherwise, prepare to spend some quality time with the book.
He is a bad professor. Boring too. He shouldn't be teaching.
TERRIBLE, he is by far the worst teacher i have ever had my entire life. im 28
He suckss and he is the reason why a math student like me got a C+ in his class....right now I feel like cursing him so bad, I don't know how I am controlling myself. From worse of the hunter math & stat profs he is the worst.
Worst teacher ever ever ever ever ever ever!!! DON'T TAKE HIS CLASS.
He is a joke...probably the worst professor I've had in my academic career so far. Very condescending & will confuse the hell out of you...HORRIBLE professor!!! Take any other professor BUT him if you have a choice & if you do end up in his class i recommend that you drop it while you can!
He is really rude and makes people feel uncomfortable for answering questions wrong but then gets mad at the class when no one responds. He doesn't teach what he puts on the tests and what he does teach is very confusing and sporadic.
Worse Professor at Hunter College......Student Beware. Laughs and Rolls his eyes at you if your wrong. And wears the same blue shirt or burgundy shirt every class with beige pants and converse sneakers.
avoid him!even for a student home for math like me (i always get A+ for all the other math or stat courses). there are 5 tests in total, although homework is not required to be hand in, he wants so much from his students. his test covering every corner of the text,and has very strict grading policy. u always only get 70s when u expected to be 90s
personality wise mr. soman was actually nice to me i thik it was because i showed interest in the class. BUT that does not change the fact that he is a horrible teacher. I along with all of my other classmates was always lost and sometimes he would get confused himself with the nonsense he said. My advice is not to take him at all. RUN FROM HIM !!
horrible professor!boring and having aggressive eyes, he never finish his lectures ontime, we have to stay extra 10minutes for every class until the next class's professor come in to ask for classroom. his tests are so difficult, even like this math-related course, he test so many definition stuff.we have to memorize so many.anyway, avoid him.
He is the worst math professor ever. He doesn't know how to teach at all. He makes students even more confused when he tries to teach something to the class. Doesn't give much individual attention. Told him I needed help with one problem and he just walked away from me. Exams are hard, long, and doesn't reflect what we learn in class at all.
Absolutely horrible. Rude, awkward, unhelpful, and just plain confusing. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Worst teacher I have ever had in my entire academic career. I am working on my second degree and this guy truly made me feel like I was an incompetant idiot. He lacks all teaching and social skills and really can ruin a students life and transcript.
His appearance does not concern me but his condescending demeanor and poor teaching skills do. Overall, the underlying complaint in all reviews here express that this person is a terrible teacher. I had him several semesters ago and I cannot believe that he is still teaching.
I always was good in math, but did most of study at home and never listened during class before. For the first time in my life I listen to math professor and so spend less time on math at home.I like his class and his attitude. And, by the way, he is really very kind person.
Almost all our group took credit/no credit! Including people who know math very good! DON`T TAKE HIS CLASS!
Avoid him at all costs. He does not review all the material that is necessary to pass his hard and doesn't-want-to-make-it-easy-for-you exams. In one of his test, 98% of the class failed due to problems he did not go over during class while putting on the exam. This is not a professor you want grading you.
Trust me. "Do not take this class" All these bad comments are 100% true!!! If you take this class after reading this, you are a MORON. Don't waste your money and time.
Oh my god avoid this teacher at ALL costs. He is constantly making mistakes while teaching us and confusing us. His tests are ridiculously difficult and even those who are good at math do poorly on the exams. More than half the class opted for credit/ no credit. JUST STAY AWAY! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Professor Soman is AWESOME!!!!!! Take his class. It's a breeze!
I agree with the individual below me. Mr. Soman is a good teacher. He is very predictable in terms of the test what is going to be on it. He expects individuals in the class to study on their own.
Please PEOPLE, if you value your time and money, AVOID this fat guy at all costs. His tests are extremely difficult and not the stuff he teaches in the classroom.
Worst teacher I've ever had. Instead of testing on relevant comprehension, I found his test extremely and unnecessarily difficult.
Hunter College has been struggling for get a better image about the students that graduate from here, but it is impossible is you keep professors like Soman, he doesn't teach, he doesn't know how to explain, when you go to the math center they have knowledge about it, and said that he has been teaching for many years. DON'T TAKE THIS CLASS .
Ok, you will get surprise at the end of the semester. I taken him in previous semester. In final exam we even didn't understand some assignments, final was horrible and had NOTHING IN COMMON with any previous exams. stay away from him!
Absolutely awful teacher. He can't teach. He is awkward, cannot convey the material in any adequate way. Most everyone is confused and he makes it even more confusing. Yesterday we spent 45 min on one hw problem because he kept making mistakes, and it was never resolved. Exams are horrible, unlike assignments or textbook.
I tend to be the person whose response to people complaining about a professor is, "Well, they're not that bad." Saran Soman IS that bad. On more than one occasion, he has spent an entire period puzzling over one homework question. He can't explain the material to save his life and is downright rude on top of it. Avoid at all costs.
He makes many mistakes,puts answers in board &topics 3 days before exams,you must spend all these days to study for exams,which require total understanding text/he requires,not easy.Had better ask for help in his office hours & be nice to him;a brownnosing girl,submitted the final and then came back to say forget doing some,was allowed to continue.
In some sense,he is nice;but hard.He made many mistakes and corrected next class,wasting much time;sometime he did not know and if you wonder,please discuss with classmates.Exams are not easy;in last exam,there was neither in his lecture nor the text.Let me give you some sense:you are 1 smart not hardworking,B;2hardworking,A-;3smart,hardworking,A.
Taking his class is absolutely a waste of my time and my money! He is unprepared and incompetent.
He's a fool. He takes attendance every class, though it isn't counted on his syllabus as included in the grade. His work is all over the board and follows no easily seen pattern. He regards students who attempt to correct his flawed work with contempt. He only explains the work in his way, even if students do not understand it that way.
This is definitely not an easy A class, but I did managed to earned. The lecture willing be extremely boring if you don't read the materials before the class. Make sure you go to his office hours, it will help out a lot. Besides, no one usually go, it is a really good opportunity for one to one tutoring.
This guy is so all over the place, it's amazing he keeps his head on his shoulders and remembers to come to class. He is always unprepared and spends way to much time trying to explain a problem in his bird brained way of thinking. Attendance is not required, but he always takes attendance--why?!?
He is a bit of a tough grader and takes off many points for small mistakes. He makes many mistakes when he does problems on the board. BUT...he does give review sheets and he's willing to help doing problems if you come to his office hour. I didn't think he was bad and i actually enjoyed matrix algebra :)
I am a math major, and I usually give people the benefit of the doubt, but this guy is the worst teacher I have ever had. He reads out of the textbook and repeatedly makes mistakes on the board while teaching. And I'm not talking about minor errors: wrong processes, equations, and sketches of functions. NEVER TAKE HIM - WAIT TILL THE NEXT SEMESTER!
Anyone who says this guy isn't bad either already knows what they are doing or is crazy. Never take this guys class. He isn't a bad guy but he makes things unreasonably difficult. He lacks any clarity and sometimes misses concepts.. This class is damaging my GPA and am very disappointed with the class and with the college for this one.
Ever encountered a professor who spends most of the class time struggling with a problem while making many mistakes? This guy is one of them. The fact that he has poor etiquette is not helping. His classes feel more like a poor high school experience rather than university lectures.
If you get him as a professor, drop out of that class immediately. He made me hate math even more and he's not helpful at all. He's a confused person and I guarantee that your semester will be miserable with him.
Professor Soman is a very intelligent man, however not all intelligent people should be teaching. He made the material very difficult to understand and wasn't good at explaining it most of the time. By the end of the semester half the kids dropped the class and i took it for no credit. if you need this class wait for a different professor.
Not a bad person but was a horrible professor. He didn't even understand the material himself so he'd confuse himself while teaching and wasn't clear at all. The only hope for anyone was probably learning from the book themselves. Most the class did credit no credit.
Homework's don't correspond with classwork, he doesn't explain anything thoroughly and you'll basically be relying on teaching yourself the material.
If you read this common and still want to take the class from Saran Soman, you deserve it!! go ahead an take it. He does not now how to teach!!!! he is confused, He will make this class the boring and harder than it is.i guarantee you! He will not give you review questions, no explanation about your project but he will tediously search for mistake
this guy is the WORST of WORST ever!!!!!!. department will never spend two more dollar to hire full time profs. he has no idea what is he talking about in the class. no review questions. definitely no extra credit ( whoever said partial credit and voted him 5 is totally liar, not even a student im sure) no explaination on project what so ever
if he can teach everyone can teach. he chooses the hardest exams from the bank, no review sheets or sessions no extra credits. No help! sarcastic. he spends more time to learn your last name so he can point you out in class an shames you with questions. he is confused on questions. entire class signed petition against him. shockingly terrible!
You NEED to purchase an online textbook, which is used at home and in class. He seems a bit unsure of things sometimes, but he gets back to you as soon as he finds out. There is a project that must be done for this class, and he gives you critiques that could be used to redo certain parts of the assignment. Overall, he is an okay professor.
I wouldn't take his class again. He's constantly confusing us, not clear, and makes me hate math. He's a good man, but not a good professor.
This class is actually extremely easy. It's basic math and if you pay attention you WILL get an A. However, this guy can't teach. Everything he says is just nonsense. He confuses himself, doesn't explain project details and deducts points for EVERYTHING, calls on you to humiliate you, mocks you in front of the whole class. Just horrible.
In the last three weeks of classes, he assigned 3 test that were suppose to spread throughout the semester according to the syllabus. When it comes to the project. He was not clear in the sightliest on the project and would take many points off because you didn't do the project says though, like previously stated, never explained any of it.
He's so unclear he consistently confuses himself. Much of the class time is spent watching his confused face as he strains to remember things. The homework never correlates with the topic we're currently learning, which is pretty impractical. If you're good at math you should be able to pass, but if you're not, heed my warning: do not take him
Absolute worst professor ever: no clear lesson plan, confusing, and poor knowledge of the subject at hand! If you are thinking of taking some easy math course just to get the credit, think again! This professor will make any course difficult to learn, passing the course will require you to study the entire course all by yourself on your own time!
Terrible teacher, one of the worst. Goes off tangent often. You can only do it his way. He makes things a lot more complicated than needed. Extremely picky on his test, 1 word changes all. Not Clear. Bunched up his test near the end of the semester. Warning: NO INCOMPLETE,either drop out early or fail, if needed.
If you're considering taking a class with this man, I beg that you do not. He is an awful and confusing professor, and very condescending if you ask "obvious" questions. If you try to leave the class at all, he will ask you if it's "an emergency." Treats the class like children and doesn't curve exams, even though most people do poorly on them.
I've taken this man for the second semester in a row and I believe it to be the biggest mistake of my life. Comes to class unprepared and late almost everyday and has the NERVE to be such a harsh grader! for each semester students gather and try to talk to the department about him. AVOID TAKING THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS.
Homework are not related to his quiz at all. He seldom response to emails.
The WORST professor I have encountered at Hunter College. So rude to students. The homework are hard and unrelated to the tests. The tests are even harder. You're lucky if you get a C in this class considering he doesn't curve and almost everyone fails his tests. Absolutely wouldn't recommend!!
It's been nine years and I cannot ever forget how horrible this professor was. I've never met a man who cared less about a class, his job or his profession. Twice a week, this man stood in front of a class and read directly from a textbook, refusing to answer any questions Or elaborating on any content. I sincerely hope he's not a professor anymore
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
C
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.11 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH150
3.4
(5)STATS614
3.0
(1)MATH255
2.3
(4)STATS
2.0
(1)MATH160
1.9
(12)Difficulty by Course
STATS57
5.0
STATS614
5.0
STAT614
5.0
STATSTAT
5.0
STAT120
5.0