2.7
Quality4.0
Difficulty41%
Would Retake123
Reviews41%
Would Retake
123
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
21
4
21
3
20
2
22
1
39
What Students Say
“Absolutely awful professor”
MATH111 - 1.0 rating“Do NOT take if you have never taken calc before”
MATH111 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
39%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
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Declining
-0.71 avg changeRatings by Course
MATH211
4.0
(13)MATH212
3.8
(28)MATH112
3.0
(20)MATH214
2.9
(13)MATH103
2.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
MTH211
5.0
MATH111
4.7
MATH213
4.7
MATH214
4.2
MATH112
4.0
Reviews (123)
This is one of the greatest instructors I've ever had. He teaches through examples and proofs of theorems in every lecture. It's important to be on top of your game while studying and doing homework, which I was not. He provides plenty of cushion for grading and his midterms weren't too difficult, very straightforward from what he taught in class.
Prof Trefethen's lectures were very confusing and I spent much time being tutored and trying to learn the material on my own. Homework counts for a large percentage of your grade, but it is very difficult to get As on homework, even if you attend all of his office hours. In hindsight tests are easy, but cover material not covered in class.
Very fair professor. Homework is graded for accuracy, and quizzes are tough but there are three optional assignments that are basically completion and replaces low quizzes/hw. Lowest four quizzes/HW are dropped too. He is very clear in lecture and gives you all the information needed to succeed. Readily available outside of class too!
Overall, an OK guy. Homework is doable, quizzes are challenging and require a good command of the homework. However, he slams everyone on the tests. You had better know your stuff when the tests come. Each question, usually four or five, has three or four parts each. Accessible during office hours. Curves on the final grade. Very knowledgeable.
Nice guy, hard professor. Very conceptual way of teaching. HW and quiz every week. Group presentation. 3 tests. Unless your a math major, don't take.
He is always available for help if you need it. He is very rude in his comments when he grades. There are 3 tests, homework and quizzes every week, and a group presentation that wasn't bad at all. He focuses on the theory behind Linear Algebra.
I don't understand the negative reviews. Trefethen wants his students to succeed. The class was extremely straightforward, and presented in a v accessible manner. Quizzes/tests directly reflect the textbook/lectures. There are many EC opportunities and the option to drop HW/quizzes. Wish we had focused more on theory; helpful to take with MATH 214.
Computer Science students looking to fulfill your reqs, take a different professor. His class is clearly geared towards math majors. Extremely theory-heavy lectures. For the most part the classes were just theories from the book copy/pasted onto the blackboards. Intuitive style learners will not enjoy this class.
I don't get the bad reviews! Stephen is one of my favorite math professors at w&m. Lectures are extremely straightforward. Weekly quizzes and homework graded for accuracy (tough because they are evens w/ no answers in the back) but they helped me keep up w/material and he drops 2 lowest of each. Tests are super easy. (also he is rly goodlooking)
Hes not a bad professor, but he aint that great either. He wants his students to do well and is very well informed about Math. Overall though his lectures are pretty dry, and the tests will break some underprepared students.
Straightforward and easy to understand lectures. Review sessions before each test. The tests are spread out, there's no one huge midterm. Super available for office hours. Penalty-less HW makeups in office hours. 1 quiz and 3 HW / week, it's a lot. HW graded for accuracy. HW is REALLY HARD but there are no curveballs on quizzes or tests.
Tough but fair, Prof. Trefethen is very knowledgeable about calculus and math in general. Everything is graded for accuracy, which is good or bad depending on your grasp of the concepts. There are labs and homework, online and written, due weekly; quizzes are also weekly, unless there is an exam that week (3 midterms total).
Very clear lectures, you could pretty much do the homework just from what hed said in class with maybe a couple refreshers looking at the relevant section of the textbook (which is labeled so its easy to find.) He lets you retry the homework at his offce hours which is really convenient
Assigns lots of homework due every week and is not helpful in office hours. He assigned a long homework due the day of our midterm and the material on that homework was over half of the test, so there was no way to know if you were doing it right or not. In class, he just starts the lecture and writes proofs/theorems word for word from the book.
For pre calculus, Steven was tough because he tended to assume we knew more than we actually did. He curved at the end though, which I was pretty happy about.
Its been about half of the semester and Id say I would die for him. Definitely a caring and inspiring person. There are about 2 hws per week and he gives thorough feedback on every problem. Weekly quizzes and midterm could be a little hard but lecture notes do help a lot. He shows every step and precise definition on chalkboard.
Prof. Trefethen is a very nice professor, but he does not understand how to make his class reasonably difficult. We got more than double the homework than other sections, and his WebAssign settings are unforgiving. Tests and quizzes are very difficult and long. With a full courseload, I often felt it was impossible to succeed in his class. Be ready
HORRIBLE professor. Doesn't answer emails, so if you can't meet during his office hours, you will not get to meet. Not helpful during office hours either, he's VERY awkward and talks too quietly. Doesn't curve, despite the first test average being below a 70, because last semester it was 90. Assigned HW during finals too (BEFORE the exam day)!!!!!!
All he does is write the theorem on the board, prove it in an inexplicable way, then assign hard HW + impossible exams. The book is not helpful as the problems are simple compared to the ones on the exam, so it's almost impossible to properly prepare for. Unhelpful, doesn't curve, cannot be heard during lecture, and is awkward during office hours.
Trefethen is a nice guy with a really hard class. Tests are difficult and homework is heavy, but the homework grade is hefty in the end so it's definitely worth taking the time to do it well. Lectures are really dry but necessary to do well in the class.
Professor Trefethen is a solid choice for Calc II and does a pretty good job explaining the material. He is available outside of class if you have additional questions, however he is not the most helpful at explaining things in a different way if his first explanation did not click. Fair grader and does his best to give a lot of partial credit.
Lecture is clear and he is very helpful outside of the classroom. Responds emails quick and it's possible to set up appointments outside of office hours. His MATH 214 is one of the easiest one! If you can't succeed in his 214 you should not take Math. He is a lil awkward and shy but that's not something academically that you should concern.
A ton of homework but if you get anything wrong you can try again in his office while hes there to help, and the book goes through step by step how to find the answer, so its really easy to do well on that part of you dont do as well on the quizzes and tests, but the homework prepares you well for those too
Attendance is mandatory. He provides examples of proofs and theorems in class, but does not do a good job explaining them in detail for class material, quiz and test preparation, and basic understanding. Office hours did not help at all and although homework assignments were allowed to be done twice, again no help.
I personally didnt gel with his personality hes quite soft spoken and quiet, which didnt fit my style. I had to put in a lot of hours for the class, but know that this wasnt the case for others that have taken Linear before.
rundown of class:writes theorems on chalk board for 50 minutes, do textbook problems for hw, web assign settings of only two tries is horrible, compared to other calc classes we are very ahead , does not care for students struggling in class, tells you to take precalc if you aren't doing well even though I took precalc junior year of hs. plz avoid
Professor Trefethen is an amazing professor. He knows Foundations is a difficult class, and he wants his students to pass. He makes himself available during office hours. He is definitely a tough grader but he wants his students to understand the concepts. Be prepared to do a lot of practice problems to really understand the information.
His 214 is the easiest one. If you feel uncomfortable with his you shouldn't take math proof course anymore. He allows you to redo your hw to get full points and gives a huge curve at the final. Dry lectures but textbook helps
I didn't appreciate him enough when i had him but he gave us feedback on all of our proofs and let us turn in homework corrections for full credit and we had plenty of quizzes that we could also do corrections on for half credit. he was accessible in office hours and had several review sessions before the tests and final. steve i miss you
The nature of calculus requires a lot of practice but Stephen's exams are not hard. HW is 30% of final grade so do homework carefully then you will be good. He is quite accessible so definitely meet up with him if you meet problems. Multicalc is not a hard class and Stephen is a kind person.
Not a hard course and he allows you to replace the lowest midterm grade with the final. He solves problems with you on the board step by step which helps a lot. He is super sweet and caring and gives good feedback for hw. Do HW carefully and you will succeed.
Only take him if you must. Everything I learned in this class I taught myself. Lectures are monotonous and confusing. That said, he is something of a saint when it comes to grades. He gives plenty of partial credit and my grade was half a letter higher than I was expecting. Tests are pretty straight forward if you study outside of class.
Trefethen is a good guy, and he wants you to do well in his class. His lectures are honestly pretty useless because you can't learn calculus any other way than drilling it over and over. Go to class if you can, be super careful with the homework, read the textbook, and study for the tests, you'll do fine.
good prof and easy class, partly due to his generous curves
Professor Trefethen has very clear handwriting and is also pretty good about giving partial credit on the homework. You also can drop one of your exam grades if you score higher on the final, which really helped me out. He's a little quiet but he cares a lot about his students.
A very clear and nice professor. He explains concepts well, and the tests are about the same difficulty as homework, so you know what to expect.
This class would not have been a difficult course if there was clear instruction. However, his lectures and teaching style are similar to a riddle. The math is not high level but he is not very straightforward when explaining things, and also not very good at answering questions. I will say that he is a very lenient grader and gives partial credit.
Professor Trefethen was a good pick for calc2. Always willing to help with students and his lectures were never super boring for the subject. Homework is graded so be careful!
Exactly what you'd expect/want from a math professor. Good (if a bit quiet) lectures, super clear assignments, and the textbook he chooses explains the concepts in a much simpler way than in class. Clearly passionate about his subject and super nice, would take anytime you get the chance.
Amazing professor. Professor Trefethen is a good lecturer who is kind and will go out of his way to help you. He grades fairly and gives partial credit on exams. I took MATH 212 with him and the content was not easy, but professor Trefethen taught the material perfectly. I had to study a lot for the tests and ace the homeworks to get an A.
Completely unreasonable grader. Provides very little feedback. More interested in proving you wrong than he is in teaching you. Dry lecturer. Overall, hes an ineffective professor who will make you regret taking his class.
Lectures are easy to follow. Very knowledgeable and can answer any question you throw at him. He tries to connect with his students, but it doesn't necessarily land. Responds to emails quickly. Tests aren't crazy hard. He tells you what you should study the day before, and has ample practice available for you to take advantage of (and you should!)
If you think Math Powered Flight is easy, think again. Unless you're pretty stellar at math you're going to struggle. Why? Because lectures are very hard to hear, the material is presented in a manner that is way too complex, and the course's textbook is literally over $1,000. Prepare to learn everything on your own, or pay a grand for the textbook
He's nice and helpful in office hours and a fair grader. Yet, he's a poor lecturer. I had to read the textbook chapters after every class to go over content. Homework problems were usually much more difficult than the concept presented and were always time-taking. Usually 4 assignments were due a week. Exams were at 7:30 a.m.
This class is a lot of work. HW and Labs are graded for accuracy, and will be a determining factor in your grade. Sometimes lecture is a little confusing, so be ready to spend sometime outside of classwork studying (The organic chemistry tutor on YT saved my grade!!). However, he is a super nice dude, and a really generous grader.
I love math and took math powered flight for fun. I don't regret it but I definitely didn't have the experience I expected. He's super dry and couldn't seem less interested in what he's teaching. The material is easy but can't be known without being taught, and he's not so good at that. With a diff prof, the class could be really cool and easy.
Trefethen was a very nice professor. He answered emails at a reasonable pace. The only criticism I have is that he was quiet in person and on Zoom, so I read the textbook a lot to try to understand material. Online Webassign homework, textbook homework, and a lab + quiz every week just about. The TA was very helpful and got me through it.
Everyone complaining about Trefethen's Math Powered Flight is honestly a whiner that didn't ask questions in class or seek out help. Trefethen isn't one of those life changing professors, but he teaches the class just fine and is so accessible for extra help in office hours and email. You will be fine, and you don't need the textbook.
Professor Trefethen is a mediocre lecturer at best. In addition, many of your homework assignments and labs will have questions about material not covered in class, and you're just on your own to figure it out. The TA was truly terrible as well. Luckily, the tests were only on material covered, or it would've been impossible.
The homework assignments were a lot harder than the material we covered in class in my opinion. They got a lot harder after about homework 5. There was some kind of curve on the final. We could do homework revisions for full credit back. I honestly felt like he just went through a bunch of proofs without really explaining how to do them.
Professor Trefethen gave very extensive/specific feedback on all of our assignments including tests and we could correct homework and quizzes for points back. The class is mostly proofs but it got harder toward the end. If this is the first math class y'all take in college (it was for me) then its gonna be tough. Overall great prof
He gives very straightforward lectures and is generally very clear about his expectations for the course. I found the homework load very very manageable (typically 4 problems per class session). He grades very generously, giving partial credit on both homework and exams. If you get bored or distracted easily in class you might have trouble.
Very good teacher who is willing to help a lot out of class
it's crystal-clear that he knows his stuff and loves it, but he can't manage to transfer his own enthusiasm or understanding to his students. his lectures are fast-paced, and I only survived the class (calc 1) because of my two years of AP calc in high school:/ overall a very sweet and shy guy
Professor Trefethen is a kind and nice person, however, where he fails is adequately explaining and giving lectures to which students can follow and understand. He simply goes through the motions of class and its extremely difficult to get a full understanding, I ended up teaching myself the content.
In my experience his explanations aren't great, I feel like he is explaining it like a math professor and the result is that people who aren't math professors get lost. Besides that he is great, one on one is especially helpful.
His lectures are pretty much just writing the textbook on the board in an abbreviated form with some explanation here and there. I frequently had to take notes out of the book to understand the material. It was easily the hardest course I have ever taken. That said, he is pretty lenient with grading, and he gives a lot of partial credit.
Unless you took AP calc in high school, you will be lost throughout most of the semester. Went to tutoring and still did poorly on exams.
I have never put in so much work for a class to still barely get the minimum grade for my major. Tests asked us to have a deeper understanding than what was presented in class, but we were never told that this was expected of us. The assigned homework questions did not match the difficulty of the exams.
Trefethen is a good prof. Grades are based on written/online homework, labs, quizzes, and 3 exams with the final replacing the lowest exam score. So, a bad quiz/exam grade can be balanced out. Lectures walk you step by step through problems but exam questions mostly come from homework rather than lectures. The final was exactly like the practices.
Dr. Trefethen shows exactly why you should avoid Mathematics at William and Mary. He shows a clear lack of passion for the content and his students. Exams miles harder than in class content, treats you like an idiot when you inevitably don't understand. Unpersonable, unkind, unwelcoming. More interested in seeming smart than helping you to learn.
Had him for 212 and 213 last year. His linear lectures are super dry--stay awake. Multi was much more interesting (quadric surfaces on laptop, for example). He's super accessible outside of class and is very accommodating for literally any reason, especially as an athlete. Has a final replacement policy, gives amazing feedback, sometimes quizzes.
Trefethen was nice in class, moved fast and gave hw every day BUT only 2 problems. If you previously took calc and know how to apply yourself you'll be fine - otherwise study HARD. Final was not completely written by him so it was similar to practices. You need to put in the work for this class but prof is very nice and knowledgeable.
Prof. Trefethen is fantastic at explaining things clearly and gives lots of partial credit. There are generally 2 graded HW problems per class, and 1 online problem set per week. There are 3 midterm exams, which provides good grade cushioning. His class is definitely worth taking, and you'll do well if you're willing to put in some hard work.
He is a great teacher for calculus if you're on the route to major in math or become a professor in the future. If you're someone taking it as a requirement for another major or just taking it as a math class his class is not for you. Lectures zoom through content way too fast, very strict grader for hw and exams. Literally a challenge to pass.
Trefethen is the toughest grader I have ever had. No matter the problem, he will find a way to take off points in one way or another. Although he is a hard professor, he does teach well and is very easy to access outside of class. He is also pretty accommodating for extensions. Only take his class if you want your GPA to drop.
Trefethen's lectures aren't super interactive and can be boring, but he explains all of the concepts clearly and answers questions. Your total class grade combines the daily homework assignments, 2 midterms, and the final. He gives lots of partial credit.
Very good lecturer; however (as other reviews have noted), he is a crazy tough grader on exams. Sometimes it's generally befuddling what he'll take points for. Still a great professor.
He is not a great lecturer. He grades every. single. assignment. for accuracy. There is little to no room to improve on your grade. AND his handwriting is not easy to read. However, he is very accessible outside of class. Also, if you miss one class, you are screwed. If he recorded his lectures, it could help.
If you only care about grades, don't take this class. However, if you care about learning multivariable calc, do take this class. He will teach the material and you will get graded accurately on how well you learned the material. Homework is 4 problems per class which sounds bad but helps massively when it's time for the test.
grades everything for accuracy, including homework (most calc profs don't). homework every class. he teaches in abstract terms that can be super hard to follow. doesn't post notes which is normally fine, but he's hard to hear in class and his handwriting is hard to read. seems like a nice guy, but his teaching style doesn't work for everyone.
Professor Trefethen means very well and is a very smart person, however his class was not my favorite. It was extremely fast paced and lecture heavy, which made things hard to follow. After every class I had to go back and try to reteach the material to myself. He also had limited office hours which made it hard to get extra help directly from him.
Trefethen is a great professor for Calc 3. I knew nothing about Multivar coming in, and he taught me everything well. Homework was worth 35% of the grade. Exams were very fair compared to the homework. He also gave a hefty curve at the end of the year. I have heard from friends that his calc 2 class is difficult, but calc 3 is very solid with him.
If you want an A in this class, don't take Trefethen. However, if you want to learn a lot, then you should also not take Trefethen. His homework assignments are extremely tough, the concepts aren't explained well in class, and it is just a super tough class altogether. This class and professor single handedly made me drop the Math major. Beware.
Lectures were mind numbingly boring. He was a very subpar teacher and did not assist when Calc II got more difficult. He assigns a ridiculous amount of homework that he nitpickingly grades for accuracy. Exams are very difficult. Do not take him.
Trefethen is ok; his lectures are long and doesn't start simple, he derives formulas and then does examples, not exactly how I learn. Homework is worth a lot, so make sure you do it well. Tests are similar to homeworks, maybe a lil harder, but they're long. He does grade kinda harshly which is a lil annoying, but overall I'd say it's an ok class
Multivariable Calculus isn't the hardest. This class was "bout right;" lectures were kinda long, but you did get a lot out of them. There is a lot of material, so pay attention in class. Homeworks are worth a lot, and grades them harshly, so make sure they're done well. There are 2 exams, similar to the homework, but can feel a little long
Trefethen is a good prof, but his lectures are long and very dense, so pay attention. He grades homeworks harshly, and they're a good chunk of the grade. His exams are fair, very similar to homeworks, but sometimes long. His fall 2024 final exam however was very difficult, mostly because it was long (so much material to cover)
Lectures are dry, but IMMENSELY helpful. The way Trefethen lectures is very well organized, so take notes on everything he writes. If you're confused, go to office hours. He absolutely knows what he's talking about and is very helpful. Majority of grade is HW, so take time with it. Overall, not bad of a class.
Trefethen's teaching style didn't quite work with me (deriving equations). Show me the equation, what you can do with it, then show me where it comes from. HW is graded harshly, and is worth a lot. There are 2 exams, similar to the HW, but his final exam was one of the hardest math tests I've taken (it was long)
Take this class if you care about math, not your GPA. I felt like I learned the content in this class very easily, although there was lots of memorization. The two issues are that A) The exams are a lot harder than the HW and B) Trefethen isn't a very approachable teacher, and will often make you feel dumb if you ask a bad question.
Trefethen is a tough grader on homework and quizzes, but he was supportive and helpful during office hours. I often got lost easily during his lectures, but the textbook helps a bunch.
Multivariable isn't a hard subject, but with very tough grading on homeworks and exams that were long and harder than the homeworks, this class was annoying. Homework is worth 35% of the grade, and he grades them so harshly, so be careful. This past semester he gave a ridiculously hard final, nearly everyone stayed the entire 3 hours.
Took Sp24. Your lowest test grade can be replaced by the final which saved me. He's a tough grader but I think the deductions, although annoying, are always valid. People don't like him but I thought he was good and gave good lectures. My only qualm is when I went to office hours he seemed slightly annoyed that I wasn't understanding something.
He is awkwardly funny in the best way possible. Grades HW kinda hard but if you go to class you'll understand what he wants. Would recommend.
homework heavy, tough exams, decent grader. if i could go back i'd pick a different prof as a non math major just GPA wise. but otherwise nice guy, tried to be helpful (lack of recorded lectures/notes was rough).
Trefethen is a VERY intelligent professor, he knows his shit and teaches well. However, he is an extremely harsh grader; HWs are graded for accuracy. His exams are fair game, just way too long. The only thing I didn't like about his teaching is that he provides no resources; all his notes are on the chalkboard, he doesn't upload anything. STUDY.
Steph Tref is the best math lecturer I have had by far. His biggest flaw is his grading. First of all, minor mistakes will cost you many points on tests and homeworks, also he did not get our midterm back to us until 3 days before the final, and my final grade seems to be curved even though he never mentioned anything about that.
Prof. Trefethen is an amazing professor and his lectures are very informative and helpful. He's very nice and knows what he's talking about. Homework is graded on accuracy and makes up a fair chunk of the grade, but overall it is very manageable. Participating in class makes a huge difference so definitely answer questions!
Hardest class I took at W&M. Read the textbook and take notes, recompile your class notes AFTER lecture. Honestly helped a lot so that when studying. Make flashcards to memorize formulas, and specific term definitions. Get ready to work your butt off but it is so rewarding. Got a 83.5 on final and midterm and ended with an A
This class did not need to be as difficult as it was. While the concepts in Calc 3 certainly aren't easy, Trefethen's tough grading made them significantly harder. Most issues came down to notation; however, knowing proper notation was not clear as we got little homework back before the exam. He is at least available during office hours.
Just talks to the chalkboard- YOU NEED TO TAKE CALC in highschool or you're cooked
makes everything seem much more complicated than it is. Do NOT take if you have never taken calc before. Notes are so confusing. Asking for explanations doesn't help with clarification. homework is graded extremely harshly, points off for simple notation errors. Even if end answer is right, points off! Same for tests.
Makes Calculus harder than it has to be. Grades like we're nobel laureates and will find a way to tax points from you even if you get the correct answer. DO NOT TAKE CALC WITH HIM (unless you have some prior calc knowledge from highschool). You will be essentially teaching yourself/mastering all of Calc AB + extra topics in 2 months.
do not take with him. if you did not take calc in high school you will be failing this class and he will not care and encourage you to withdraw.
Take Calc anywhere else but here. TA unfortunately barely speaks English and doesn't know what she's talking about or how to teach it. Trefethen will remove as many points from an assignment as he wants. People were CRYING in his office hours and he offered no support other than "withdraw". Save yourself the suffering.
Don't take with this professor please. Calc 1 with him is very bad especially if you haven't taken calc before but even if you have it's still very bad. Save yourself the trouble. Heed the warning! His tests are ridiculously harder than they should be. None of the other professors tests are as bad as his.
Absolutely awful professor. Lectures are useless; he scribbles on the board & mumbles. Treats students poorly and is incredibly dismissive. Tests are absurdly difficult (I took calc in HS and got an A), on HW he takes off points wherever he wants. Rather than help you, he sends emails encouraging students to withdraw. So far below the W+M standard
You'd have better luck teaching calculus to yourself with solely the textbook. Unclear schedule for quizzes (you have no idea what the content being tested is until he reveals it in class). Too shy and dismissive to care about students. Genuinely have no idea how he became a professor.
Save yourself. Do not look at these reviews and think that you may be the exception. This class makes me feel so dumb and helpless. No one explains the extent of how harshly he grades, 50s and 60s on quizzes for doing little things wrong. the exam/quiz questions are always tricks and so much harder than class. Literally sets us up for failure.
DO NOT TAKE WITH HIM!! grading is based off of vibes literally no exaggeration.
he actually wants you to fail the class.
In the syllabus, he forgot to state his expectation that you be miserable the whole term.
Studying for the final right now and want to warn everyone to stay away. The grading is so harsh it doesn't matter how much you study because there will be some obscurely hard trick question and you will get no points on it.
I have nothing good to say about Prof. Trefethen and his course. You can study 50 hours for an exam, and he will find a way to fail you. You can get every answer right on an exam, and he will find a way to fail you. Cares so little about your needs in the course. Entirely ineffective as a professor. You will be helpless if you take him; don't!
It doesn't matter what caliber of student you are, you will not do well in this course. You will not be the exception. Trefethen is kind and accessible, but his grading makes it nearly impossible to get above a C in the course. His lectures and desired notation aren't clear either. Take with another professor. Avoid!!!
Tref lectures to the chalkboard and when you have a question that may seem simple he lowkey gets offended that you do not know how to do it. Tests are graded so difficulty; you can show so much work and get little to no credit. Homework every class that is also graded so harshly. Feedback on graded assignments is like trying to read hydroglyphics.
So bad you really don't even know what to say about it. I've never felt so academically hopeless in my life. I tried every way I could to do well, but I don't think I will pass the course. Studied for hours a day, went to his office hours countless times. His grading and instruction are just awful. Take someone else
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. He grades everything harshly, taking points wherever he sees fit. I did not even try go to the office hours as he does not even seem to care during the lectures. incredibly dissmisive even when he sees that the whole class is lost. He will make you feel like you never took math in your life.
Very nice guy outside of class but holy. He was one of the worst teachers I have ever had. He would just talk to the board; questions he gave us to practice were nowhere near as hard as the ones on the tests he gave us. I highly recommend that you DO NOT take him. Pls avoid by all means.
Wouldn't be so awful if his exams weren't as hard as they possibly could be. His grading makes it unbelievably difficult to succeed. Trefethen is also not a strong or enaging lecturer, but the guy knows his shit. He was at least available during office hours. Still, his section was harder than others by far and it is very hard to get an A or B.
If you haven't taken calc in high school AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Lectures are extremely confusing, exams are absurdly difficult, and practice questions do not prepare you at all. Studied hours and hours for his exams and every time I was stumped. Available outside of class but no guarantee it will even help. DO NOT TAKE.
As my mother used to tell me, if you have nothing good to say — say nothing at all. So, I'll keep my complaints short: this is the most egregiously difficult and poorly taught course that I have encountered in my academic career.
Worst experience of my academic life. You will struggle and fail despite giving your best effort and he will not care. A significant portion of students gets Fs on his exams despite studying for his class - even though they already took it in high school. Such a tough grader. No clear formula for how to do it, he just marks you wrong. Don't take!
Yes, he had to tell us "don't be scared of all the red marks on your homework". But he let us do HW corrections for full credit, and quiz corrections for half credit! I don't doubt it would be more frustrating having him teach a class where there aren't any do-overs, but I enjoyed the class, and I feel like I improved at proof-based logic.
I always felt a little bit behind in this class, like I should know or remember something from previous iterations of calc (or from previous lectures) that I didn't. If you feel lousy after getting back an assignment covered in red ink, don't take this class. I did alright on the midterm and final, but I wouldn't have gotten an A without the curve.
Good luck if you end up in this course. Students fail left and right and it never felt like Trefethen cared. Doesn't matter how hard you work. Prepare for a C, D, or F as your final course grade even if you have taken calc before. Toughest grader ever. Avoid!
Makes calculus insanely difficult, just lectures to the chalk board the entire class. In office hours he acts annoyed that you don't understand a topic and tells people to withdrawal. This is not anything like AP calc, take any other professor, strictest grading ever. Can't tell if he's rude or shy, but either way he's unhelpful, dismissive and bad
Really difficult grader. Marks off points everywhere. Not very responsive to students lack of success in the course. Don't take
Trefethen was nearly impossible to take calculus with. His grading and exams will bury you. I took calculus in high school and got an A; I fought hard as I could to get a C+ in this course. Don't think your case will be any different. Not a smile to be found. Wish I had something good to say. Sorry to say I don't. Find a different professor.
Trefethan is a nice guy, but not the best professor. If you haven't taken AP calc, you will struggle. Lectures are unhelpful and boring. Weekly quizzes are overly difficult with little time. Exams are among the hardest for MATH 111. Frequent HW & labs are graded STRICTLY ON CORRECTNESS! Take another professor if possible! Avg final grade was a B-
I did fine in AP Calc, then I took this class and struggled to pass. His feedback is vague. He wastes time on proofs in class and speeds through actual methods to solve the problems. He's bad at answering questions and if no one knows the answer, we'll sit there for 1min until he answers. Everyone in my class was doing poorly and there's no curve.
Class was always an all-time low. Lectures are so boring and no one will understand and Trefethen will not care. I never saw him smile unless he was arguing against a student. His grading would make a B on any other exam a D/F. No curve to make up for this. Felt like he didn't care. Don't take this course
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
39%
Textbook Required
0%
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Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
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MATH211
4.0
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3.8
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3.0
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2.9
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2.5
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MTH211
5.0
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4.7
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4.2
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4.0