3.1
Quality4.0
Difficulty60%
Would Retake128
Reviews60%
Would Retake
128
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
128 total ratings5
48
4
19
3
10
2
12
1
39
What Students Say
“Run away before it's too late”
MATH261 - 3.0 rating“MAKE SURE TO MASTER THE HW BEFORE THE TEST”
MATH262 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
30%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.68 avg changeRatings by Course
CALCI
5.0
(1)MATH261CALC1
5.0
(4)ASAP
5.0
(2)ALGEBRA
5.0
(4)MATH112
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
2612
5.0
MATH263
5.0
MATH275
5.0
CALC
4.7
261
4.6
Reviews (127)
Good teacher
Spent half the time figuring out what he's trying to say and the other half working out his ridiculous questions. I would not recommend.
Chow's the best. He explains things clearly and likes to inject jokes into the lessons. My favorite was the "toilet paper method for finding the volumes of solids of revolution." His tests and quizzes are challenging, but very fair. If you understand his handouts and do the homework, you should ace this class. I only wish he taught Calculus II...
After taking Calc I with a failure of a math teacher in the fall, Prof. Chow is like a breath of fresh air. He even managed to teach really well despite the fast pace of a winter class. Lots of examples and good opportunities for extra credit! Take this professor and you won't be disappointed.
This guy is FANTASTIC. I had him during the winter session and, after taking calc 2 prior times, he made it easy to understand and broke it down simply which is hard to do over the 5 week session. He is a fair grader with extra points to help pick up your grade a little. Would recommend over any of the other calc teachers easily!
Chow is a great teacher. Love the black pen red pen technique. Warning: homework is webassign but it helps you a lot. He's very easy if you look at the big picture of a problem and see how you can solve a hard calculus problem with calculus and simple algebra. He's a good teacher. Highly recommend . Offers extra credit with every homework .
Doesn't want to help me during the exams. Lots of exams and CALCULATOR IS NOT ALLOWED. He can't teach. Math is very hard and is worse with this teacher. No patient to listen to my family situations and not willing to help. NOT A GOOD PERSON AND A VERY BAD TEACHER. I will not take his class again.
HARD CLASS. I hate and dont understand math. Take this instructor if you enjoying getting loss in the class.
Professor Chow is the best! He really knows his stuff and makes things so simple. His black pen/red pen technique is super helpful and makes calculus much more understandable, so bring two pens! Gives a ton of partial credit for work and is always available in office hours. Very highly recommended!
Hard class caused me a D, I used to be an A student in my country. Enough said...
Thanks for all the super hard exams that ruined my 4.0
Why we can't use calculators on the exams? He makes us remember the times table and do long division by hand. He takes away points if you miss class or turn in homework late. My tutor teaches better than him and lets me use calculators to do the homework. BAD TEACHOR.
This is my first time writing a review on ratemyprofessor because THIS GUY IS SO BAD that made me drop the class after 2 days. JUST AVOID HIM!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
I DID ALL THE HOMEWORK AND STUDY GUIDES BUT HE HAD THE HARDEST TESTS IN THE WORLD.. I DONT KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE END UP EVEN GET A "C" IN CLASS. DONT TAKE HIM OTHERWISE YOU WILL FAIL TOO.
I have to retake M105 this semester because he loves to FAIL students. Don't even bother with him!!!!
The homeworks are extra credit but the tests are hard. If you pay attention in lectures and do the homework you should be fine. Calculus is though! you need to study a lot. He teaches well and his tests are easier than the homework but still really tough.
Do not take him if you want an easy A. His class is tough and lazy students won't pass.
He is actually a very good teacher. He may seem tough at first but if you pay attention and ask questions he always tries to assist in anyway. Very sweet teacher and cute in an adorable way. Definitely would take any class of his in a heartbeat.
#frastrated. The first time I dropped a class during my 5 years at Pierce College. His class is only for math geniuses. Yes, he let you use graphing calculators but the majority of the class still fail. He doesn't let me retake a test or quiz. Just avoid him, sigh***
Best prof! Knows his stuff and techniques are very helpful! Do not be intimidated by these low ratings, I was at first but I am glad I ended up in his class! Math is my weakest subject but after taking his class I feel so confident about my math skills and ready to move on. Do HW and CW and take the time to understand it, you will pass the class!
GPA Killer! I regret..
THANKS FOR FAILING ME MR. CHOW!! Now I need to take calc 2 again, and guess what! all the classes are full. I can't express my frustration with this guy!!! Great, it is going to ruin my chance and delay my time to transfer to UCLA. It's all your fault if I can't transfer. DEAR READERS, PLEASE AVOID THIS GUY!!!!!!!!!!
I've taken three calc professors at pierce, and I highly recommend chow. His tests are reasonable. His homework is extra credit, and he goes out of his way to explain even the most basic concepts to help you understand how to solve all types of problems. Don't listen to the bad reviews. I am actually supporting this review with facts.
**Be aware** He puts the weirdest and hardest questions on the tests that makes everyone to fail. Not a nice person. Doesnt care about the students are failing or dying. Take other professors and you will be happier!
HORRIBLE TEACHER , DOESNT KNOW HOW TO TEACH, NO EXTRA CREDITS AT ALL, HAS TONS OF CLASS RULES! MUST AVOID!!!!!
Self Centered, Cold, Does not care! has no "student perspective" at all! I was a all A student - GPA Killer! Take other profs. do not take him. if you already know Calculus, then ok, otherwise, you will be in a very disadvantaged position! 60% drops - and then he gives 2 or 4 A's that's all!
No this guy is absolutely horrible. It's because he is a newbie, he doesn't really know what he's doing. seriously, there's something wrong if only a few students are doing well (probably the students taking the class over again). he's a rookie to the grading system. Students did not know they failed until they received final grades,he ruins lives!
Chow doesn't care about students. He confuses us by teaching some hardest problems and put them on the exams. No partial credits! Aslo, when the students receive low scores on the exams, he will just fail the students at the end without warning or offing extra credits and exam retakes. All my friends failed his class last semester and this semester
I had Professor Chow my first semester at Pierce in '13. It was his first time teaching at Pierce, and since then I've heard he's gotten pretty hard. For my class, we had a lot of homework, quizzes, and tests but he was SO CLEAR with the material. I loved his teaching style- definitely the best math teacher I've had in a long time.
These ratings are pure bogus!! Chow is amazing! He is definitely better than any of the teachers in the math department.. if you dont believe it, go speak to him and you'll find out how nice this guy is!! There is no way these ratings could be true. At all!
He makes the class so much harder than it needs to be ! the only people that are doing well in his class are some of the engineering majors and that's only because they are math geniuses ! I am honors student and I passed my Calc 1 with A but this class is the most ridiculous class I have ever had ! I did not believe the ratings and I regret it now
He is so amazing. He cares about his students and really loves his job. He takes time off his weekends to make video solutions to the homework (which is extra credit). He is so straight forward in lecture and makes hard concepts seem so simple. For ex, he comes up with his own phrases that are so cute(know your integrals, and believe in ur limits).
VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD. He is tough that is for sure, but this is Calc2 so what do you expect?I just came from a horrible calc1 prof so I really struggled in this class. I learned so much from this professor. There were some topics I thought I'd never be able to comprehend but somehow I was able to because of him. VIDEOS REALLY HELP! Def not an easyA
Best math professor! Expect a lot of homework. He's nice if you're nice. Don't skip class and don't be late or else he will drop you. Exams are easy if you will study hard! He's ALWAYS willing to help!
MAKE SURE TO MASTER THE HW BEFORE THE TEST! DONT START THE HW THE NIGHT BEFORE! YES THE HW IS EXTRA CREDIT BUT YOU HAVE TO DO THE HW TO DO WELL IN HIS CLASS! cutest professor ever!!!!!
He may be smart BUT can't teach anything. You better be a math genius to take his calculus classes, otherwise you better stay away! More than 60% of the students failed, if that helps
HORRIBLE MAD TEACHER. SUCH A GPA KILLER AND I KNOW SO MANY STRAIGHT A'S STUDENTS EITHER ENDED UP DROPPING OR GETTING A "C" IN HIS CALC CLASS. PERHAPS YOU CAN TAKE HIS ALGEBRA CLASSES BUT MUST THINK ABOUT IT TWICE BEFORE YOU ENROLL IN HIS CALC CLASS. BY THE WAY, NO MATTER HOW BAD THE CLASS DID ON EXAMS, HE WILL NOT CURVE AND HE WILL NOT CARE.
The usual "best" math professor at Pierce College.
I took him in the Summer (5 weeks) and it was GREAT!! He uses a black pen and a red pen to teach. It surprisingly really helps! He is so sweet, so helpful and hilarious. He's the best Math teacher I have EVER had. I really miss his teaching style now that I have a new prof. I got an A in his class very easily. He's adorable! I recommend him!
I swear it's better to drop his class and take calculus with other teachers! Run away before it's too late!!!
Mean and not approachable! Has the hardest exams and quizzes ever! I do not recommend him.
He is a tough grader and demands that you understand the subject. With that being said he is setting you up with the required skills to succeed in Calc 2. He is very approachable during office hours and posts helpful YouTube videos on problems from the book/homework. lectures are as fun as they can be too
Chow really takes the time to teach each lesson and answer numerous questions. Super clear about what he expects from you. If you do all the homework and study guides you are ready for the tests. Don't miss class because its nearly impossible to get back on track. Does not give extra credit, but is super kind and funny.
Hands down Professor Chow is the best. His class is a bit tough but he tries his best to help students as much as possible. He also makes helpful Youtube videos and his lectures are the best.
I enjoyed professor chow's class. When he teaches he is so clear with the steps and the study guides were almost exactly like the tests. I do think though that he could have prepared us for the MET a little bit more
Professor Chow has been the best math teacher I have taken! He is extremely helpful and clear on material. He also posts tons of video lectures giving step by step solutions to the homework problems, which are extra credit!
His classes were extremely long and boring. No extra credits and no curve on his super hard exams. Good luck if you are taking him.
He did have videos on YouTube and he was very good in explaining the stuff, BUT his exams were very tricky! He didn't even tell you that he had two different forms of the exams. I got a 94% from my calc 1 class but I barely passed his calc 2 last semester. He wanted the students to fail instead of getting an A in his classes.
Horrible, just horrible! when you are lost in the class he will keep going so you can get more lost in the class. Great.
Chow is by far the best math professor I've ever had! He explains complicated topics in a simple and easy to understand manner. Homework is extra credit and he has youtube videos as aid to the homework. Of course his class isn't easy, but calc 2 isn't supposed to be easy, but he does try to help you learn and understand the material.
Not for the weak! Professor Chow is a nice, smart and funny professor but BEWARE. HE IS HARD. Take it from an A student. Calc 2 is HARD & Chow will make you sweat. HW is EC for each exam, and he is organized and there to help you and will try to make class fun but dang is he challenging and I do not recommend him unless you have a lot of time!!
Best teacher I've ever had. He has an accent but he's so well organized with his work and explains so well that you will understand completely. He really makes it stick in your head.
He's a very tough grader and does not explain the material so that you can reproduce what he wants. His lectures are broad overviews of the section and you have to struggle through the homework to understand the concepts. He always refers to his YouTube channel when you ask questions because of his limit on time. I do not recommend taking his class
People get afraid of him, but all he demands is respect, which seems to be lacking with people nowadays... If you think you can skip through, forget it.
Excellent professor. Clear lectures, funny, genorous, answers all questions, offers extra credit, which is just the (optional) homework. Tests are tough but doing the homework questions twice will prepare u well for the tests.
Professor Chow is the first professor I've felt such an urge to rate. He is a caring, funny teacher. He gives relateable examples that make concepts easier to understand and ease tension in the lecture. Calc 2 is not an easy class, but professor Chow makes it simpler. It's a math class, so expect homework! Definitely would take him again :D
I should have trusted the bad comments here and NOT taken this professor.
Best math professor I've ever taken. Not having studied math for years and being afraid of math, I absolutely loved professor chow's class. He made me more confident and less afraid of math. I have learned a lot. Will definitely take his class again.
Great teacher! Mr Chow is fair grader, When you work hard on the assignment he'll make the fina easier with 25 questio given his student a second chance to pass the class with 20 mulitply choice and 5 gives you answer the blank. I was amazed with this wonderful teacher who cares about his students. Study hard, finish HW and youll get good grade!
HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PROFESSOR. HE IS NOT CLEAR WHEN HE TEACHES AND ONLY SHOWS VERY FEW EXAMPLES DURING CLASS AND EXPECTS YOU TO KNOW EVERYTHING! THE EXAMS ARE SUPER DIFFICULT AND HE DOESN'T GIVE OUT MUCH PARTIAL CREDITS NOR EXTRA CREDITS. I WILL NOT TAKE HIM AGAIN.
He is an amazing professor.
His class was boring & NOT helpful! All he did was lecturing lecturing & LECTURING! His "extra credits" were very useless & wont help to pass the class! In fact, his videos were useless as well because they weren't related to the any exam problems. I am a civil engineer major but didn't learn anything from his calc class. It was a waste of time!
Professor Chow is the realist math professor. Highly recommend him to anyone who is struggling with math or hates math. He will make math fun for you. His lectures are really good, he is really funny, and just an overall awesome professor! Trust me, and take any of his math classes!
Chow is new at Pierce and that is why he doesn't know how to teach well. Other instructors have more experience and care more about students' grades. Chow gives out 3 exams and 1 final and that's it. You must pass all the exams in order to pass the class! Btw, none of his jokes were funny nor useful. It wasn't a good class.
Not the greatest professor just okay. I wish his exams were easier and more straightforward (more similar to the HW would be helpful.) Also, his HW and exams had nothing to do with the common final that caused many of us to fail the final. I did like his jokes and stories and he is pretty good looking.
Nice guy but bad teacher. Exams were ok but mean grader. Not for us.
Certainly the WORST teacher that I have ever had. No experience in teaching. Boring lectures. In-class examples were NOT useful for the hw nor the exams.
I should NOT have taken this professor. I regret so much now because I will have to wait for another year to be transferred to UCLA.
He is really bad.
He was probably one of the best math teachers I've ever had. He explained the problems to make sure everyone would understand and I love how he used different colored markers to show the problems on the board. He would help you on any of the problems you weren't sure on as well! I'd definitely take him again if I needed to.
His lectures are clear and organized but but his tests are COMPLETELY different then what was taught in class or on homework. His tests are very hard. Don't rely on getting a good homework grade to help boost your overall grade because it doesn't count much there is no curve, no extra credit no participation points. It all comes down to the exams
He's a young, fine gentleman. He wants you to pass the class and move on. He wants the class to be fun and engagaing, so the class doesn't drop dead. So, he makes jokes here and there, but don't be fooled by his fun character, he can tough, too. He loves explaining and lecturing, so engage in class and you'll learn very well. Great teacher.
Chow is a funny guy, I never hated having to come to class although he's not great about answering questions. He lectures on how to do the simple problems, the homework problems are harder and you have to figure them out yourself, but the test problems are like the example problems he gives on the board. 4 Exams: Final-200pts Exams-100pts HW-100pts
He is a brilliant professor and has a lot of explanations on his youtube channel BlackpenRedpen. Only thing about this professor is he teaches you methods and theories on how equations are worked out but he rarely goes over practice problems and examples. If you do not do the homework I guarantee you will not learn anything or pass the class.
He knows the material very well, but he is not a good lecturer. He shows the class a lot of pointless videos that are just a waste of time. His answers to your questions aren't very clear but, his youTube videos are much better than his lecture, so watch them. Good luck!
He has a Chinese accent so it's kinda hard to understand him sometimes. But overall he is a good professor. He caught a cheater during the last test and that made us the hard-working students really happy.
I really like his class and his way of teaching.
Took Calc1 in his summer class, really nice guy. Lots of HW assignments with deadlines met each week. Quizzes/exams were tough. His lectures are nice; he provides videos with examples on his youtube page "blackpenredpen". Offers extra credit opportunities. Overall his class is challenging, put enough effort practicing problems and you'll pass.
It was a privilege to have Mr. Chow as my professor. I wish everyone could be so lucky. His lectures make calculus easy, he is a natural teacher. Tests are challenging but if you do the HW diligently they won't be a problem. Can't recommend him highly enough. Nice but firm teacher with good sense of humor.
I enjoyed his way of teaching. I took his class for Winter, class was about 5 hours, he would make time go fast giving examples. He uploaded videos that helped me a lot. Would take him again.
I took this class during summer which is my fault for being so confident. Gives 3 quizzes, 1 extra credit quiz, 3 tests, 1 cumulative final, and homework is due on test days. All of this was accomplished in 5 weeks which can be tedious with other priorities. Has a youtube channel that a he frequently recommends for help.
Professor chow is the greatest math professor that I have ever taken for any math course. The way that he teaches is as clear as it can get. He is very logical and tries his best to answer all questions his students may have. He also offers great resources as he has a Youtube channel where he posts and explains problems we do in class. BEST EVER!
Absolute legend
One of the best math professors I've had. He does assign a lot of homework, but it is really good practice for the exams. Definitely recommend.
Steve Chow is an amazing professor. He's the type of professor you take to learn as much as possible. He has a famous youtube channel all on math called blackpenredpen. He explains things so well and really wants to help everyone in his class. I took his calc 1 class over winter session and I worked my butt off however It was worth it.
The way he teaches is amazing!! He gives more practical work that will help us understand...
Im taking him for calc 2, and literally hea the best , his class is hard although he makes everything clear he gives an extra credit quiz and his youtube channel helps a lot!
Man he is great.
Wonderful presentation, nice easy explanation!! He is great!!
Don't count on partial credit miss a simple Minus and you probably lose 70% of grade
The smartest person ever. Long live calculus!
Prof Chow has a good Youtube channel Blackpen Redpen that I have found helpful for other math classes. As a teacher chow is the worst. He doesn't explain things well enough. He needs to just stick to youtube.
Don't get me wrong, he is a great guy full of life and energy. His lectures were great in class. During the covid-19 situation, he has not really laid back class in terms of hw and test difficulty. He still expects us to learn at our full potential and fails to acknowledge that some people cannot study at home due to a noisy family. Rating 4.3/10!
Is a great professort
This guy is a genius!!! I took MATH120 and I was expecting the class to be easy. It was a real challenge! At the end of the course, he brought us all cheese breads!
His test dont match his lectures or the homework . You have to be a math genius to get his tests.
I wish he was nicer, he was never nice to mean and was very mean
He is the god of math. I'm gonna start a new religion based on his teachings.
DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. He is by far the worst professor ever. He doesn't let you ask questions and he is insensitive. He is sarcastically rude and its not funny. I've never hated a professor more.
Unless you want your life to be math you are not getting an A. There is NO CURVE and they are incredibly difficult. If you plan to transfer, don't take this class. A lot of the class dropped, and for good reason. He is a math genius, and that is the problem. He expects a level of understanding that is not possible in this type of course & timeframe
gives good feedback. accessible outside class, hilarious caring and cares about participation
He should concentrate his side-job on YouTube channel instead of teaching Calculus in the classroom. His teaching was so awful and terrible. He is smart at Math but does not mean he is a good lecturer. No Curve, No Scale on Exam. The Exams are too hard. Terrible and Horrible! The university needs to find another teacher!!
He is not good in answering the question and teaching his class. The test does not match with the homework and the lecture. He needs to find another way to improve the lessons. It is so difficult to follow because he taught very fast.
long. Live. Calculus.
cool man
Professor Chow is extremely unhelpful and a poor professor. I had asked him personally for help in the class multiple times and was given zero assistance. He is very knowledgeable on his subject but that is his downfall, he expects all of his students to be on his level at all times and does not explain new topics well. Please avoid this professor!
Great professor, would definitely take again!
Professor Chow is one of the worst professors I have ever had. If you care about your grade do not take him. He goes over the material so fast and is not really good at explaining it. His tests do not match with his lectures or homework. He's a very tough grader and doesn't give any partial or extra credit.
You will only do well in this class if you have prior experience in Calc 2, and forget it if you take any other classes. Mr. Chow is a choosy, arbitrary, and harsh grader, does not curve, and seems frustrated with his students for doing poorly rather than seeking to understand why that is. He is great at calculus but very bad at teaching it.
If you want to transfer to a good university or care about your GPA stay away from this professor. He expects you to be a God at math. There were 15 students in the class and towards the end of the semester there are 7 or 6 students, that's how bad he is. When it comes to the review most of the time you are on your own in finding the answers.
very good professor.
I only recommend his youtube. In class he goes way too fast. Tried to show up for office hours once and he did not show up to his own office hours. He is funny. I DO NOT recommend him to those who don't claim to be good at math. It is just self learning class with minimal help. Overcomplicates material. Highly recommend prof. Veiga instead
I don't want to recommend this professor. His teaching was super poor ( More than worsen). I had dropped in the middle of term to find other teacher to study. He should stick on YouTube rather than teaching at college.
I need to refund the tuition fees from him, I am not happy with his service. The university should have refund policy for bad teaching to get poor grade. Bye!
i love this man
i love this man i really do
Great professor! As long as you do the homework, understand the questions, and use the previous tests he gives out to study you should do well on the exams. His final was difficult and he doesn't curve the tests. I would absolutely take his class again if I had the chance.
Mr Chow has been a great inspiration to me and my fellow colleagues, pushing me to advance my mathematical prowess even further, teaching a range of topics such as complex analysis, abstract algebra, and basic arithmetic. We received a proof of utmost excellence that 1+1=2 utilising tools such as complex analysis and multivariable calculus. He good
He is so bad in teaching. Do not select it! I don't anything from his mouth. He needed to find another job. Please refund my tuition fees!!
He is the worst professor in my life. Waste time and money. Learn nothing from him.
best
I self-studied calculus 1 and 2 for AP Calculus BC test and got a 5. He helped me self-study.
This class is a real struggle. The lectures are tough to follow, and it's hard to learn the material. But using Unstuckstudy along with the free textbook has been a lifesaver for study prep. Overall, a challenging but manageable course.
DO NOT take this professor unless you're a math savant and have hours of time in your week to do math. He's extremely smart and knows what he's talking about, but he does not know how to effectively teach. He's a tough grader, does not curve, and has extremely difficult test with questions we don't cover in class.
Detailed and engaging lectures with great examples of different concepts. Clearly someone who loves his subject. College-level calc is not for weak so the material was challenging, but I felt his grading was fair. Heavier workload, but the practice was helpful. Befriend classmates early, because if you miss class you'll NEED the notes.
Professor Chow is a great math teacher he has dedicated years to Pierce and even has YouTube videos on math. Homework is pretty normal and the tests provide formulas most of the time but definitely requires participation and attention to the lessons. The study guides and notes are your best friend.
he was a rated bloke
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
30%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.68 avg changeRatings by Course
CALCI
5.0
(1)MATH261CALC1
5.0
(4)ASAP
5.0
(2)ALGEBRA
5.0
(4)MATH112
4.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
2612
5.0
MATH263
5.0
MATH275
5.0
CALC
4.7
261
4.6