MATH220 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Lawrence Washington MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/25/2016	If you have to take Math220 Larry is the way to go!!! He takes plenty of time to explain things and is very patient with all students. He does not require you to do discussion worksheets like other math professors but instead each discussion is used to ask questions and get further clarification with a 2 question quiz at the end about stuff you literally just went over. There are 2-3 homeworks due per week which arent too bad. Overall he is really great and always so positive and helpful.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Anonymous 05/23/2014	I honestly don't know how Professor Pilachowski received such good reviews from people. The class was a mix of those who had taken Calculus before and those who had not. I was a member of the latter group and suffered the consequences. He expected lecture outlines to be printed for every class (I didn't do it because I didn't want to use so much paper and ink). He moved extremely fast and only used a slideshow. The lessons seemed to be directed only at those who already had experience, and he responded rudely to anyone who asked questions. He was late to class multiple times and gave excuses like "being in his office and not looking at the clock." He was even late to the final! In addition, I had to make up and exam during his office hours and had to do so in the office, making it difficult to concentrate because he loudly (and rudely) explained and assisted other students coming in the entire time. It was an awful experience and I'm so glad I managed a C- to pass (barely, and with a huge amount of tutoring).
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A loganaronhaltfan 05/21/2013	Amazing, amazing, amazing professor! I took this class after Math113 and after having a miserable time with Calculus in High School. He could not have taught the material in a more easy to understand way. So many good examples that were right on the test, always easy to contact via email, and just a sweethearted, nice guy. My TA was bad, but I feel like half the time that is just luck of the draw anyways. Sit in the first couple of rows, I promise it will make the extra difference!
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/23/2013	Pilachowski is crazy. Simply put. Not the good kind of crazy either. He teaches off of powerpoints, some of which are hard to follow. He will literally show up 10-15 minutes late for each class then take another 5 to start class. He rushes through his slides and will not usually take questions. When he does take questions, he uses a very rude tone and can be pretty sassy. Take Fouche if you have choice. Pilachowski will teach you 1+1 but then will give you a test with crazy stuff on it.
Giovanni Forni MATH220 Xi Cheun 05/16/2012	He teach very fast and very confusing. He does curve the class alot but if you are a student who needs to know the material very well I would NOT recommend him at all!
Giovanni Forni MATH220 ronnyb 05/06/2012	This is by far the worst professor i have ever meet in my life. Enough said.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A america299 12/09/2011	Incredible, incredible professor!!! I'm not a particularly math inclined student, but I decided to go the extra mile and take calculus anyway. The reviews seemed too good to be true, but any praise Professor Fitzpatrick gets is not enough! He is one of the best teachers I have ever had. I have received As on all of my exams! He makes a pretty good amount of mistakes, but never in his practice, only because he will forget what he wrote on another side of the board. The students always catch these minor mistakes though, and he thanks them and continues. He knows all of his math in and out, is incredibly sweet, and his lectures are easy to follow and very thorough. His TAs are also really wonderful. I would recommend this class to ANYONE, but especially to people who need to take calculus and are worried about not doing well. Be prepared to put in some time for Webassigns, but other than that the class was an absolute joy to take.
Joel Cohen MATH220 Expecting an A dreamparticles 12/01/2011	Basically, the only way you'll survive this course with a decent grade is if you're proficient at learning from a textbook or if you've already taken a Calculus class in high school. I took up to Calc 2 in high school, so this was all just review for me. His lectures are unorganized. No one can follow them or even read his hand-writing. He tends to do work on the board and thinks aloud as he does it, which just serves to confuse everyone even more. His tests are somewhat unreasonable, but they are doable; the ones he has posted in Test Bank are excellent references because it's basically the same questions with a few minor changes. His T.A. is awesome though, and really helps to clarify everything. He really is a nice guy, and brilliant; he's just not suited for teaching people.
Giovanni Forni MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/15/2011	After the first few days of class I thought I was really going to like this guy. Unfortunately, those feelings haven't stayed the same due to the fact this guy just rambles on about derivatives without teaching. Just to give you an idea how bad of a teacher he is, the class average for the first midterm was a 39. He's arrogant in the fact that he expected people to get everything right on these tests when in reality, they were nearly impossible. The only reason why I'm doing well in the class is because I took calculus last year. I've talked to kids who didn't take calc and are in my class and they are completely lost. There are so many other teachers you can take for this class. I advise you NOT to take a class with Forni.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 08/24/2011	AWESOME TEACHER- kinda corny but knows his math. Uses a powerpoint and provides print outs on his website to follow along during class. Personally I followed along fine without the powerpoints infront of me, but a lot of people benefited from them. Easy to understand, sometimes go through slides quickly dependent on the time, but makes sure everyone comprehends the material and will stop to answer questions. Provides optional homework but you MUST DO THE WEBASSIGN! not only does it help understanding the material and review for the tests, it is an easy 10 points The class prior to a test is a review session- he allows the students to bring in questions to go over that will be on the test.
Charles Levermore MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 07/13/2011	Levermore is a good guy. His lectures are not great, in fact they're quite boring. However, at times he will clarify questions if asked and he seems like he genuinely cares. Go to his office hours and he is more than happy to help. He also has a very generous grading policy. I stopped going to lecture and taught myself out of the book. Easy A.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/19/2011	Tim's a weird teacher. He uses powerpoints to teach class which is pretty unconventional for math if you ask me, but it seems to work. He does kinda rush through the material, and that sometimes meant that I was woefully underprepared for the WebAssigns. There are quizzes in discussion which are actually pretty helpful, and while Tim has a bit of a temper he's overall a reasonable professor and I have learned quite a bit. Just note that the final exam is not written by him, it's a fair bit harder than his exams.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting an A Jenae Ramos 05/18/2011	Course taken: Fall 2010 semester. For those of you who took AP Calculus in high school and despised calculus WITH A PASSION, congratulations! The class was an easy A. Looking down on recent reviews, I don't understand why people give him bad ratings, especially since...THE PAST EXAMS AND SOLUTIONS ARE ONLINE. Pilachowski is the ONLY MATH220 PROFESSOR who posts past exams AND the answer keys. #1 Tip: USE THE TEST BANK, PEOPLE. When I took the class, Pilachowski said that he had to make the tests harder because (surprise!) people were doing TOO WELL on the exams. Exam 3 came around, and the questions didn't get harder. Listen to my advice please. The class is doable, and the teacher knows how to teach the material well. The homework felt harder than the exams that weren't so bad because of the Test Bank online.
Justin Wyss-Gallifent MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/09/2011	Justin is one of the best professors by far at UMD. Stop looking at any others and just take him! I had him for MATH220 and even though I did terrible in 140, I ended up aceing his class no sweat. He's great to talk to in office hours or via e-mail, very understanding and a very fair grader (he even dropped a question from one of our exams because it was confusing and a lot of people did poorly on it). Great guy - just take him and you'll see!
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/07/2011	I loved Professor Fitzpatrick! 2 years later, he is still the best professor I've had at UMD. It was the first Math class I took where I actually enjoyed going to class! He explained concepts so thoroughly and gave you the real world applications so that what he was telling you made sense. Previously, I thought Calc would be hard - but with him, it was easy and enjoyable! I miss him!
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 04/04/2011	Terrible teacher, by far the worst math teacher I have ever had, and I've had plenty bad math teachers. She spoke way to fast that it sounded like a pidgin and screwed up on nearly every example, to the point that I could barely understand the material. Granted I do not have a heavy mathematic background (but that does not mean I'm fucking retarded at math) regardless she incapable of teaching me anything in this ELEMENTARY calculus course. Her homeworks were annoyingly tedious and her review guides for the tests were terrible/practically nonexistent, to say the least. And i am saying the least here, personally i wish i could retake the course with anyone else, anyyyyone else.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Anonymous 03/16/2011	This guy subbed for my calc 220 class, and boy am I glad I didn't take him. He really rushes through the material and doesn't stop to explain things. Seems like a nice guy, but spends so much time with his stupid jokes and referring to his office hours that he could probably just explain the problems better. In the corresponding webassigns for the classes he subbed, I struggled to get B's. Every other ones I get 100's or at least high 90's. Can't imagine him for a whole semester.
Justin Wyss-Gallifent MATH220 Expecting an A clue 02/06/2011	One of my favorite teachers last semester, and definitely the best math teacher I've ever had. He is very entertaining and makes the information and the class interesting. He goes in-depth and explains everything very subtly. The exams are not difficult -- as long as you pay attention in class and do the practice exams posted online, you should be fine.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting an A Jacob Harrer 01/17/2011	His lectures were easy to follow, and he communicates very directly about what you need to know and what you don't. As a result, you go into tests well aware of what is expected. The tests follow the quizzes and homework assignments, so if you understand those then you will be fine.
Charles Levermore MATH220 Expecting an A Draconian Legacy 01/04/2011	It's true that Levermore's lectures are difficult to follow and often he will go on tangents in which little will be added to our knowledge of calculus. That having been said, Levermore has a great grading policy, one that is more than fair. I get the impression that he really is not trying to make the students' lives difficult. He seems like a good guy and although he threw out one very difficult test this past semester, that was largely to weed out those who were performing poorly. You will have to teach yourself a considerable amount out of the book if you do not have a calculus background. However, if you have taken calc, this is your guy: no homework and he drops 5 quizzes.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Anonymous 12/28/2010	WORSE TEACHER TRY TO AVOID. DOES NOT HELP ANY STUDENTS AND TEST ARE HARDER THAN ALL OTHER MATH 220 CLASSES. HARD TO UNDERSTAND HIS TEACHING.
Charles Levermore MATH220 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/19/2010	First of all most of his lectures are introducing formulas...so pointless to go to them. He gives examples with variables(he is very hard to follow). A couple of his exams had ridiculous problems that were much harder than the quizzes (he did have an 8 point curve on one unfair problem). Although I loved the no homework(webassign) it was hard to discipline myself to actually teach myself from the textbook. I managed and ended up with a B. If you have taken calculus before and dont mind teaching yourself from a book this is the class because he has an awesome grading policy. He drops lowest 5 quizes out of 15 and he drops lowest exam if and only if it is 2 letter grades below all the other exams including the final (aka if you get a D on one exam and As and Bs on the rest..he drops the D b/c it is 2 letter grades below the As and Bs). If you dont remember shit or have never taking it then get another teacher and one that can actually teach you!
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2010	If you took calculus in high school, take this class. It is essentially the same thing. He breaks down everything in lecture with such detail, that this class is almost too easy. webassign (100 pts) weekly quizzes(100 pts) 3 tests (100 pts) final (200 pts) Take this class. You want regret it. Put in a little bit of study time, and you'll get an A no problem
Justin Wyss-Gallifent MATH220 Anonymous 12/13/2010	well for one. i am in love with him. i tell my friends about justin all the time. but all jokes aside he is the best math teacher i have ever had. i took calculus in highschool and failed it miserably. he makes calculus doable. you can tell he really enjoys teaching as well. the lectures are great. he writes down EVERYTHING and he writes down similar problems that will be on the hw, not just the easy ones. he is just great. he says little jokes every once in a while just to make people laugh. hes just really chill. i want him for 221 next semester but i don't have time. so i will wait until he teaches it again. seriously you are a fool if you don't take him and you have the opportunity. he is that great did i mention i am in love with him
Justin Wyss-Gallifent MATH220 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/10/2010	Greatest math teacher ever! Seriously, he is really good. He goes through everything step by step, explains what everything mean. Gives sample exams and throughly goes over it! Possibly the best math teacher anywhere. ALso, he tells a lot of jokes, which is a rarity with math teachers.
Charles Levermore MATH220 Anonymous 12/06/2010	Levermore is a bad teacher. His tests are confusing, and he likes to trick his students. He does not teach the material well, and his tests are much harder than the other 220 sections. I took calculus before, and still cant manage to figure out this course. Take math220 with a different teacher! he even laughed in my friends face and told her to do better next time when she expressed that she was nervous about her test grade.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting an F Itzahckret 12/01/2010	I hated this class. I had to drop it. I just could not learn from Tim's stupid powerpoints, and he went through them really fast without taking time to explain how he got the right answers.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Anonymous 11/17/2010	Makes the same jokes every day. I haven't seen a single thing that we have learned in class actually show up on webassign, and he has no problem referring students to office hours rather than actually teaching the information during class. Never shows up on time.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting an A aralchen 05/19/2010	I have no idea why she's rated so lowly. People complain about how bad of a teacher she is, but that's not true. She made math really straight forward. She teaches by example, which is one of the best ways to learn for me (but probably not for others), which is why I did so well in her class. Tests are straight forward and come right of the practice problems in the book. Her ample examples make sure you don't get confused. The weekly discussion quizzes are not easy and I think they do a good job preparing you for the midterms. She's a rather nice lady but don't expect somebody very personable. She does her job and that's about it.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A+ motariq1991 05/16/2010	If the ratings can exceed to infinity then this professor deserves to be rated in infinity. I absolutely love this professor. His teaching style, his sincerity, his right on point attitude, and his sense of humor makes the subject easy to learn. I walked into this class thinking that I would struggle in calculus but he proved me wrong. Instead, he made me love it and now I registered for MATH221 all because of him. BIG TIP: If you want to do well in this class, sit on the first 3 rows. I say this because his hand writing is sometimes hard to understand and he gives more attention to the front of the class like all professors. Assignments Breakdown: Webassign (100 points) Weekly Dis. Quizzes (100 points) 3 exams (100 points each) Final exam (200 points) He randomly drops a certain amount of quizzes and webassigns to make life even more easier.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A Sarah Katz-Hyman 05/14/2010	The best professor I have ever had. He is charming and magnificent, but even better the way he explains the math is perfect. I had never taken calculus before in my life and had a general hatred toward math, but after this class I love math and especially calculus. I would consider changing my major to math if I could take all classes with Fitzpatrick, or fitzy is what I like to call him. In addition to his great teaching skills he has a great sense of humor. He cracks jokes and does not even know it and has so many quotable moments you should probably write them down. My friend and I wanted to take a picture with him at the end of the course because we loved him that much and he said "Of course, as long as I get a copy." So he has a great attitude about interacting with students. As far as tests, quizzes and homework go. Quizzes are super easy only got lower than 100 on one, the TAs literally go over the quiz and then give you a quiz in class. Tests are 5 quizzes long and little harder but use lots of example from class. The webassign is actually the hardest part of the class and often takes 45 minutes to an hour but prepares you well for the tests. Overall if you have a chance take a class with fitzy, best decision ever! If you have a spare moment, my friend and I created a video about fitzpatrick to showcase his general awesomeness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5s7em0vzaE
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting a B rose11 01/08/2010	Very enthusiastic and funny professor. He incorporates humor into his lectures which helped to ease the stress of the course material. He teaches from powerpoints and posts lecture outlines on his website which you can print off. There are several homework assignments each week on WebAssign, an online program (you have to pay about $15 to use). There are three tests before the final. The problems Pilachowski uses in his lectures are much simpler than the ones on WebAssign and on tests, but there are many opportunities for you to get help. You must complete a worksheet in discussion each week, worth ten points. But you are allowed to work in groups and help each other. Good professor, I enjoyed having him.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/23/2009	He is awesome. Very professional and made Calculus clear. Very detailed lectures and did a great job of explaining the material. Go to lecture and sit up front (his voice is very soft) and your do well. His test are based off his previous tests and lecture problems. TA's are awesome.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/19/2009	Amazing teacher! He explains everything thoroughly in lecture and is very approachable. His tests are very reasonable and straight forward.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A elfutbolista 12/18/2009	A must take class.. especially if u dislike calc as much as i do.. awesome teacher... examples used in lecture are identical to those on test...No Tricks.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/16/2009	Fitzpatrick is one of the most thorough teachers i have ever had. I have never taken calc before and i learned sooo much. He is very clear and does tons of examples. His tests are very fair. The only reason i didnt give him five stars is because he is not very apathetic. Like i said it was my first time taking calc so i didnt always do amazing on tests and when i went to discuss some issues i had, he didnt care at all. The other thing is that his webassigns have no order. They are very sporadic and sometimes 2 at a time. I would definitely recommend his class especially if you are to calc. I you have taken calc before, this class is probably a no brainer.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/12/2009	AMAZING calc teacher!! i took AP calc in high school so i guess that could have contributed, but even without it im sure i would have done well in this class. he teaches things step by step, goes through everything with tons of examples, and my TA was excellent as well which definitely helped. his tests are straightforward and pretty easy and he goes over all the types of questions that will be on the test beforehand. i honestly stopped going to lecture after the first few weeks except for the reviews before exams, and im getting an A because his exams/quizzes/webassigns arent too difficult at all.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/07/2009	Timmy P is a great teacher. Everything is straight forward, and he is extremely organized to the point of OCD-but thats not a bad thing! His exams are completely fair, and even though he doesn't scale, its usually not necessary. The only bad thing is he can be pretty condescending to anyone who asks a question, even in his office hours. But overall I definitely recommend him! He's engaging and even has his funny moments. And its fine if you're late, he always is too!
Michelle Hugue MATH220 Anonymous 12/07/2009	Terrible. She may be a nice lady but shes a nervous wreck half the time and I just could not deal with her, so I switched teachers. Do not take her class.
Michelle Hugue MATH220 Expecting an A umdcupcakes 12/03/2009	Meesh is an awesome woman with a great personality. Take her Math220 class if you've already taken calculus or you are good at learning on your own. Though I attended every class, only 50 people would show up on average out of 150 students. Meesh says she has ADD and dyslexia, which I believe from listening to her lectures. It was almost impossible to learn from her notes, so I did a lot of outside studying which wasn't difficult. She really does care about her students and enjoys making us laugh and making us happy. I would recommend her for those who have taken calc before and have a good basis for learning more.
Michelle Hugue MATH220 Expecting a B cgut117 12/01/2009	She is an extremely nice woman and wants her students to do well BUT!!!!! she is the worst math teacher I have ever had. If you're good at teaching yourself math than this is a good class for you. She claims to have ADD and be Dyslexic. She really doesn't teach, she is all over the board, and I really don't have clear notes from the class. She tells funny stories and is really nice. She wants her students to do well, she drops a lot of quizzes and homeworks. However, I would have been able to do much better with a different teacher. I got to the point where after the second exam i started going to different lectures because hers were useless. She has the potential to be a good teacher, but definitely not for math.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 10/07/2009	Best calc teacher ever.. exams are straight forward.. No tricks. Go to class because he reviews problems that are identical to the ones on the test. exams are only 5 problems- all which again are straight from lecture. Also, very good responder to e-mails: something a lot of professors lack.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Anonymous 08/21/2009	Pretty good professor. Explained things clearly and thoroughly, always well organized (uses powerpoints). I learned a lot, and his exams weren't too difficult. Be aware that at least for MATH 220 he doesn't allow any calculators at all on his exams (even scientific), which other professors usually allow. Be prepared for some good old mental math.
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting an A+ jjjohn36 05/22/2009	GREAT TEACHER. I'm not really sure how he could have taught Calculus any better. I've never taken Calc before and I was nervous about how well I would do in this class. Professor Fitzpatrick teaches in a way that is simple and makes sense. Also, each lecture before the exams he tells you exactly what kind of problems will be on the exam. I suggest going to lectures. I actually felt like I was learning something. Make sure you do the webassigns. At the end of the semester the average is the equivalent to a test grade. Also go to discussion because the average of the quizzes are also worth a test grade.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Anonymous 05/22/2009	I don't know why everyone is rating him so low, because I felt like I learned a lot from this class. Maybe everyone just hates powerpoint, but I found it useful because it kept things organized and I could take notes really easily. Even if I didn't really understand what was going on during class, the notes were always easy to read and I could see exactly what he did, and apply that to the webassign problems. It's pretty hard not to do well in this class, since there were plenty of points from the homework and discussion worksheets (which you HAVE to do in groups, so you almost always get 10/10). Tests are fair, though there's always one or two tricky questions. Anyway, I liked Pilachowski, even though he says weird things/tells weird jokes during class. He's a nice guy and a good math teacher.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting a B jaboomday 05/20/2009	I feel bad because she's a nice lady and she's really smart but she screws up during lecture so much that you just become extremely lost. And she didn't curve our class either.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/19/2009	The worst math teacher ever. While he's funny he is an awful math teacher, not worth going to class. He teaches off of powerpoints which are hard to follow and does not convey the information well. If you can take a different math teacher do it!
Patrick Fitzpatrick MATH220 Expecting a B shrfu31 05/15/2009	This guy is simply awesome! Once you can get past his German accent and sometimes messy handwriting (like when he writes a "d" thing for partial derivatives) you will be so glad you took him. HE is very patient and he selected some great TA's (Get Doug Galagate if you can) The Bad: He doesn't drop any tests. The GOOD: His tests are 5 questions long and can be done WELL within the hour limit. He drops a random amount of HW's and quizzes (I guess it is cycle dependent). He spends all the time going through equations on the board that you WILL SEE on your web assign and more importantly, YOUR TESTS! I CANNOT stress this enough. I just finished my final and there was not one "trick" problem there! It was all straightforward, the same thing and situations we studied throughout the class were the ones we were tested on. Isn't that kinda refreshing? You have to go to your discussions though. You get a quiz in each one and they count for a hundred points overall in fact... Test X 3 (100pts each) = 300 Quizzes (10pts each) = 100 Webassign = 100 Final Exam = 200 So it is all out of 700pts Anyway, this guy is fair, is super helpful (he responds QUICKLY to email and will adjust your grade within the hour) and really likes what he does. I don't think there is a curve to this class because there is no need for one. Trust me, THIS IS A GOOD THING. PM me if you want to know the reason why teachers HAVE to curve..
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting an A- TheEnilorac 05/14/2009	I'm really not sure why Macasieb gets horrible reviews. I think she teaches well, and the fact that everyone who has left reviews is expecting an A can attest to her capability as a professor. I like her and she's very flexible. Here exams are pretty easy, problems are similar to ones gone over in class. Weekly quizzes and 2-3 webassigns due on Weds. every week. My only complaint is that sometimes she will skip explaining basic algebra like say foiling out something, but if you have basic logic abilities it's easy to figure out what she did. This class is easy, and I'd like to mention that this is my first time taking calculus.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting a C Anonymous 05/13/2009	I did not like this professor. He obviously has a case of dyslexia which is evident when he attempts to do problems on the board. This does not happen often though since he presents lectures on powerpoint. (in my opinion I do not like learning math on powerpoint because I personally like to see the work done but he zips through all of that). His exams are relatively hard without a calculus background. Many friends who even took calculus before still had C's on exams. He tries to have tricky questions. As a professor I also did not appreciate him. He had a very matter-of-fact tone of voice and would make students feel stupid if they asked a question. Oh and if you ask to repeat a slide sometimes he might straight up say no. I would avoid this professor because he is not my ideal teacher. Perhaps he is for some but I heard there are much better professors. Hope this review helps.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/08/2009	Listen, I've been to two lectures. The first one and the second one. Mr. Pilachowski is a standard professor. He isn't engaging, but how can you be, this is calculus. He is sort of rude when we people ask him questions or do something to upset him, but otherwise he is a straightforward person. Discussion quizzes are easy, the tests are always easier than web assign. Pretty much all you need to do is buy the text book and read anything that is in a gold box. Make sure to go to discussion, quizzes are easy but count for alot.
Justin Wyss-Gallifent MATH220 Expecting an A+ physicalfitness 04/19/2009	The best professor I have had at UMD. If you are taking 220, you need to have him. He teaches the material so clearly and what he writes on the board is what you need to know. My roommate and I took 220 at the same time, and with his professor (one of the authors of the textbook) he suffered a lot and did so much more work. The webassigns are tough, but he dropped your 4 lowest ones. He is known to be the best 220 lecturer. I got an A+ and I know 5 other ppl in my discussion did too.
Timothy Pilachowski MATH220 Expecting a B Anonymous 04/18/2009	He was very boring and he would make sitting through class the most dreadful thing ever. He uses power point to teach the class and it works well. His tests are very fair.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Anonymous 02/27/2009	I sometimes think about shooting myself in the head after having to take in the amount of crap that comes out this lady's mouth. She does give good notes, but SHE DOESNT EXPLAIN ANYTHING...
Justin Wyss-Gallifent MATH220 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/23/2009	Very nice guy. I missed a scheduled exam and he let me re-take it without question. Great professor. Makes calculus concepts simple and easy.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Anonymous 12/16/2008	She is by far the worst math teacher I have ever had. I had never taken Calculus before, and she was almost impossible to follow or to learn from because she would move extremely fast, not respond well to student questions,and I dont think she made it through a problem the entire semester without making a mistake or being corrected by a student at some point or the other. My TA didn't even speak english which didn't help things either. I hear most of the other math220 teachers are a lot better so Try to avoid taking her class if you can
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Anonymous 12/12/2008	Dr. Macasieb has her knowledge of calculus. I understand her making mistakes on lectures because she's a human being as well. But here is the problem. She did not provide her students (or at least me) a proper instruction on the exams that resulted in point deduction. I had the numerical answers correct but because I forgot to put the units of measure, I was deducted of points. I mean...it could've been my stupidity but I was kind of on the run as time ticked away...an exam that could've been an A turned out a B because I did not put units...it really made me think twice about this lady... I hope she realizes that it's NOT O.K. to assume that her students would know things she knows because we sometimes (or most of the time) DON'T unless told.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting an A rblood 12/11/2008	A background of me, I've always excelled in math, i'm passionate about it, love it, and it comes easy to me. Ms Macasieb is highly knowledgabele on the subject she teaches, there's no question. But as a teacher, she is just terrible. She can't explain really what she does, get's impatient as if we should already know, and she's merely reminding us of the content. I breezed through online homework, and always helped my friends do their homework, and i think it's safe to say that i taught better than she did, for the mere fact of explaining. Just today, i had a question on a webassign homework, that i wasn't able to finish, and she asked if we wanted to see anything. I told her I'd like to see how to do it, and when other students said they did it, she just said you should've been able to as well. How helpful of her. Because of her teaching habits, I failed to maintain an A as I hoped I would. I recommend a different teacher if this is your first calculus course or if you aren't a quick learner. Because she covers so much content, rarely explaining it. Another thing i disliked was that when she would introduce a new topic, she would do example problems out of the book, which didn't help me, because I already look through the book when reviewing the content.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/09/2008	Wow, not much to say. First, I'll say that I am getting an A in the course only because i had a fantastic calculus teacher in High School. Second, if i hadn't taken this course in HS, i would be failing, because this woman, CAN NOT TEACH. She runs through almost 20 full chalkboards a lecture and loses the majority of the class within 5 minutes, she does not encourage students helping other students because she feels that she is smarter than everyone, which i guarentee, is NOT TRUE. Macasieb IS THE WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD FOR MATHEMATICS. If this is your first time taking calculus, I highly recommend not taking it with her.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting an A bkretzer 12/09/2008	Overall, she knows her stuff. But she does not present the material well. She makes a lot of error on the board and is very impatient with the students. I took calc. in high school and this is why I am doing well. If I was learning this info. for the first time, I would be lost. If you are new to calc., find a new teacher. There are quizzes weekly during discussion sections and web assign homework weekly. If you have experience with calc. this is an easy course.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/08/2008	I took a very simple calc in high school and we only went over simple derivatives. If I hadn't had the background, I agree that this class would be hard because she isn't the best, most engaging teacher. But it's not like I learned everything from the course in high school. You just have to take notes and look in your book. It's not that hard if you really try. A quiz in every discussion. WebAssign due every week. 3 Midterms, 1 Final.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Anonymous 12/03/2008	she makes too many errors and glosses over the subject like she were reading it off of a report. there is very little engagement between students and professor. you find a better teacher in your calc textbook.
Melissa Macasieb MATH220 Expecting a B breezy 12/02/2008	She was the worst teacher for Calculus. She writes good notes on the board, but she is always impatient and doesn't explain herself. Thank God I took Calc in high school or I would have absolutely no idea what was going on in class. If you already took Calc, she will give you really nice notes, but if you haven't taken Calc already... I suggest another Calc teacher. She posts her homework online, its generally 2-3 assignments due every Friday. 2-3 Midterms and a Final. Midterms are 100 points each, and Final is 200. You must go to the Discussion sections.
Justin Wyss-Gallifent MATH220 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/01/2008	OMG! hes an awesome prof!!! i had pilachowski last year and had a D in calc. but i retook it with Gallifent and may i say i once was lost but now am found!. hes the awesomest prof ever! explains everything!!!! i am usually the C student but this case the teacher was fair. he doesnt put mean problems on his exams and has an awesome sense of humor!!! the homeworks prepare you for the exam and the TA's can be really helpful. overall i would really recommend him to average students (especially bio majors who have other more important classes to worry about) =)
William Schildknecht MATH220 Expecting an A gkay 09/19/2008	Professor Schildknecht is a great professor. It is very easy to do well as long as you go to class and pay attention. Just make sure you get A's on everything up until the Final. The final was really hard and I doubt I broke a C but still got an A in the class.
William Schildknecht MATH220 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/12/2008	If you're looking for a teacher to keep you awake during class, this is the guy. He has a very distinct voice and is a pretty funny guy. The course material may be a bit challenging, but he does a good job explaining. His T.A. Russell Halper did an excellent job.
Joel Cohen MATH220 Expecting an A vlee89 01/08/2008	class was easy in the beginning but got harder in the end. if you have him, i would recommend reading the book and going to discussion. the TA was better at teaching than him. exams are a little difficult and take more effort in studying. some questions on the final are tricky and require some thinking.

Lawrence Washington
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/25/2016

If you have to take Math220 Larry is the way to go!!! He takes plenty of time to explain things and is very patient with all students. He does not require you to do discussion worksheets like other math professors but instead each discussion is used to ask questions and get further clarification with a 2 question quiz at the end about stuff you literally just went over. There are 2-3 homeworks due per week which arent too bad. Overall he is really great and always so positive and helpful.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Anonymous
05/23/2014

I honestly don't know how Professor Pilachowski received such good reviews from people. The class was a mix of those who had taken Calculus before and those who had not. I was a member of the latter group and suffered the consequences. He expected lecture outlines to be printed for every class (I didn't do it because I didn't want to use so much paper and ink). He moved extremely fast and only used a slideshow. The lessons seemed to be directed only at those who already had experience, and he responded rudely to anyone who asked questions. He was late to class multiple times and gave excuses like "being in his office and not looking at the clock." He was even late to the final! In addition, I had to make up and exam during his office hours and had to do so in the office, making it difficult to concentrate because he loudly (and rudely) explained and assisted other students coming in the entire time. It was an awful experience and I'm so glad I managed a C- to pass (barely, and with a huge amount of tutoring).

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
loganaronhaltfan
05/21/2013

Amazing, amazing, amazing professor! I took this class after Math113 and after having a miserable time with Calculus in High School. He could not have taught the material in a more easy to understand way. So many good examples that were right on the test, always easy to contact via email, and just a sweethearted, nice guy. My TA was bad, but I feel like half the time that is just luck of the draw anyways. Sit in the first couple of rows, I promise it will make the extra difference!

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/23/2013

Pilachowski is crazy. Simply put. Not the good kind of crazy either. He teaches off of powerpoints, some of which are hard to follow. He will literally show up 10-15 minutes late for each class then take another 5 to start class. He rushes through his slides and will not usually take questions. When he does take questions, he uses a very rude tone and can be pretty sassy. Take Fouche if you have choice. Pilachowski will teach you 1+1 but then will give you a test with crazy stuff on it.

Giovanni Forni
MATH220

Xi Cheun
05/16/2012

He teach very fast and very confusing. He does curve the class alot but if you are a student who needs to know the material very well I would NOT recommend him at all!

Giovanni Forni
MATH220

ronnyb
05/06/2012

This is by far the worst professor i have ever meet in my life. Enough said.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
america299
12/09/2011

Incredible, incredible professor!!! I'm not a particularly math inclined student, but I decided to go the extra mile and take calculus anyway. The reviews seemed too good to be true, but any praise Professor Fitzpatrick gets is not enough! He is one of the best teachers I have ever had. I have received As on all of my exams! He makes a pretty good amount of mistakes, but never in his practice, only because he will forget what he wrote on another side of the board. The students always catch these minor mistakes though, and he thanks them and continues. He knows all of his math in and out, is incredibly sweet, and his lectures are easy to follow and very thorough. His TAs are also really wonderful. I would recommend this class to ANYONE, but especially to people who need to take calculus and are worried about not doing well. Be prepared to put in some time for Webassigns, but other than that the class was an absolute joy to take.

Joel Cohen
MATH220

Expecting an A
dreamparticles
12/01/2011

Basically, the only way you'll survive this course with a decent grade is if you're proficient at learning from a textbook or if you've already taken a Calculus class in high school. I took up to Calc 2 in high school, so this was all just review for me. His lectures are unorganized. No one can follow them or even read his hand-writing. He tends to do work on the board and thinks aloud as he does it, which just serves to confuse everyone even more. His tests are somewhat unreasonable, but they are doable; the ones he has posted in Test Bank are excellent references because it's basically the same questions with a few minor changes. His T.A. is awesome though, and really helps to clarify everything. He really is a nice guy, and brilliant; he's just not suited for teaching people.

Giovanni Forni
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/15/2011

After the first few days of class I thought I was really going to like this guy. Unfortunately, those feelings haven't stayed the same due to the fact this guy just rambles on about derivatives without teaching. Just to give you an idea how bad of a teacher he is, the class average for the first midterm was a 39. He's arrogant in the fact that he expected people to get everything right on these tests when in reality, they were nearly impossible. The only reason why I'm doing well in the class is because I took calculus last year. I've talked to kids who didn't take calc and are in my class and they are completely lost. There are so many other teachers you can take for this class. I advise you NOT to take a class with Forni.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
08/24/2011

AWESOME TEACHER- kinda corny but knows his math. Uses a powerpoint and provides print outs on his website to follow along during class. Personally I followed along fine without the powerpoints infront of me, but a lot of people benefited from them. Easy to understand, sometimes go through slides quickly dependent on the time, but makes sure everyone comprehends the material and will stop to answer questions. Provides optional homework but you MUST DO THE WEBASSIGN! not only does it help understanding the material and review for the tests, it is an easy 10 points The class prior to a test is a review session- he allows the students to bring in questions to go over that will be on the test.

Charles Levermore
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/13/2011

Levermore is a good guy. His lectures are not great, in fact they're quite boring. However, at times he will clarify questions if asked and he seems like he genuinely cares. Go to his office hours and he is more than happy to help. He also has a very generous grading policy. I stopped going to lecture and taught myself out of the book. Easy A.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/19/2011

Tim's a weird teacher. He uses powerpoints to teach class which is pretty unconventional for math if you ask me, but it seems to work. He does kinda rush through the material, and that sometimes meant that I was woefully underprepared for the WebAssigns. There are quizzes in discussion which are actually pretty helpful, and while Tim has a bit of a temper he's overall a reasonable professor and I have learned quite a bit. Just note that the final exam is not written by him, it's a fair bit harder than his exams.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting an A
Jenae Ramos
05/18/2011

Course taken: Fall 2010 semester. For those of you who took AP Calculus in high school and despised calculus WITH A PASSION, congratulations! The class was an easy A. Looking down on recent reviews, I don't understand why people give him bad ratings, especially since...THE PAST EXAMS AND SOLUTIONS ARE ONLINE. Pilachowski is the ONLY MATH220 PROFESSOR who posts past exams AND the answer keys. #1 Tip: USE THE TEST BANK, PEOPLE. When I took the class, Pilachowski said that he had to make the tests harder because (surprise!) people were doing TOO WELL on the exams. Exam 3 came around, and the questions didn't get harder. Listen to my advice please. The class is doable, and the teacher knows how to teach the material well. The homework felt harder than the exams that weren't so bad because of the Test Bank online.

Justin Wyss-Gallifent
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/09/2011

Justin is one of the best professors by far at UMD. Stop looking at any others and just take him! I had him for MATH220 and even though I did terrible in 140, I ended up aceing his class no sweat. He's great to talk to in office hours or via e-mail, very understanding and a very fair grader (he even dropped a question from one of our exams because it was confusing and a lot of people did poorly on it). Great guy - just take him and you'll see!

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/07/2011

I loved Professor Fitzpatrick! 2 years later, he is still the best professor I've had at UMD. It was the first Math class I took where I actually enjoyed going to class! He explained concepts so thoroughly and gave you the real world applications so that what he was telling you made sense. Previously, I thought Calc would be hard - but with him, it was easy and enjoyable! I miss him!

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
04/04/2011

Terrible teacher, by far the worst math teacher I have ever had, and I've had plenty bad math teachers. She spoke way to fast that it sounded like a pidgin and screwed up on nearly every example, to the point that I could barely understand the material. Granted I do not have a heavy mathematic background (but that does not mean I'm fucking retarded at math) regardless she incapable of teaching me anything in this ELEMENTARY calculus course. Her homeworks were annoyingly tedious and her review guides for the tests were terrible/practically nonexistent, to say the least. And i am saying the least here, personally i wish i could retake the course with anyone else, anyyyyone else.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Anonymous
03/16/2011

This guy subbed for my calc 220 class, and boy am I glad I didn't take him. He really rushes through the material and doesn't stop to explain things. Seems like a nice guy, but spends so much time with his stupid jokes and referring to his office hours that he could probably just explain the problems better. In the corresponding webassigns for the classes he subbed, I struggled to get B's. Every other ones I get 100's or at least high 90's. Can't imagine him for a whole semester.

Justin Wyss-Gallifent
MATH220

Expecting an A
clue
02/06/2011

One of my favorite teachers last semester, and definitely the best math teacher I've ever had. He is very entertaining and makes the information and the class interesting. He goes in-depth and explains everything very subtly. The exams are not difficult -- as long as you pay attention in class and do the practice exams posted online, you should be fine.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting an A
Jacob Harrer
01/17/2011

His lectures were easy to follow, and he communicates very directly about what you need to know and what you don't. As a result, you go into tests well aware of what is expected. The tests follow the quizzes and homework assignments, so if you understand those then you will be fine.

Charles Levermore
MATH220

Expecting an A
Draconian Legacy
01/04/2011

It's true that Levermore's lectures are difficult to follow and often he will go on tangents in which little will be added to our knowledge of calculus. That having been said, Levermore has a great grading policy, one that is more than fair. I get the impression that he really is not trying to make the students' lives difficult. He seems like a good guy and although he threw out one very difficult test this past semester, that was largely to weed out those who were performing poorly. You will have to teach yourself a considerable amount out of the book if you do not have a calculus background. However, if you have taken calc, this is your guy: no homework and he drops 5 quizzes.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Anonymous
12/28/2010

WORSE TEACHER TRY TO AVOID. DOES NOT HELP ANY STUDENTS AND TEST ARE HARDER THAN ALL OTHER MATH 220 CLASSES. HARD TO UNDERSTAND HIS TEACHING.

Charles Levermore
MATH220

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/19/2010

First of all most of his lectures are introducing formulas...so pointless to go to them. He gives examples with variables(he is very hard to follow). A couple of his exams had ridiculous problems that were much harder than the quizzes (he did have an 8 point curve on one unfair problem). Although I loved the no homework(webassign) it was hard to discipline myself to actually teach myself from the textbook. I managed and ended up with a B. If you have taken calculus before and dont mind teaching yourself from a book this is the class because he has an awesome grading policy. He drops lowest 5 quizes out of 15 and he drops lowest exam if and only if it is 2 letter grades below all the other exams including the final (aka if you get a D on one exam and As and Bs on the rest..he drops the D b/c it is 2 letter grades below the As and Bs). If you dont remember shit or have never taking it then get another teacher and one that can actually teach you!

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2010

If you took calculus in high school, take this class. It is essentially the same thing. He breaks down everything in lecture with such detail, that this class is almost too easy. webassign (100 pts) weekly quizzes(100 pts) 3 tests (100 pts) final (200 pts) Take this class. You want regret it. Put in a little bit of study time, and you'll get an A no problem

Justin Wyss-Gallifent
MATH220

Anonymous
12/13/2010

well for one. i am in love with him. i tell my friends about justin all the time. but all jokes aside he is the best math teacher i have ever had. i took calculus in highschool and failed it miserably. he makes calculus doable. you can tell he really enjoys teaching as well. the lectures are great. he writes down EVERYTHING and he writes down similar problems that will be on the hw, not just the easy ones. he is just great. he says little jokes every once in a while just to make people laugh. hes just really chill. i want him for 221 next semester but i don't have time. so i will wait until he teaches it again. seriously you are a fool if you don't take him and you have the opportunity. he is that great did i mention i am in love with him

Justin Wyss-Gallifent
MATH220

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/10/2010

Greatest math teacher ever! Seriously, he is really good. He goes through everything step by step, explains what everything mean. Gives sample exams and throughly goes over it! Possibly the best math teacher anywhere. ALso, he tells a lot of jokes, which is a rarity with math teachers.

Charles Levermore
MATH220

Anonymous
12/06/2010

Levermore is a bad teacher. His tests are confusing, and he likes to trick his students. He does not teach the material well, and his tests are much harder than the other 220 sections. I took calculus before, and still cant manage to figure out this course. Take math220 with a different teacher! he even laughed in my friends face and told her to do better next time when she expressed that she was nervous about her test grade.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting an F
Itzahckret
12/01/2010

I hated this class. I had to drop it. I just could not learn from Tim's stupid powerpoints, and he went through them really fast without taking time to explain how he got the right answers.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Anonymous
11/17/2010

Makes the same jokes every day. I haven't seen a single thing that we have learned in class actually show up on webassign, and he has no problem referring students to office hours rather than actually teaching the information during class. Never shows up on time.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting an A
aralchen
05/19/2010

I have no idea why she's rated so lowly. People complain about how bad of a teacher she is, but that's not true. She made math really straight forward. She teaches by example, which is one of the best ways to learn for me (but probably not for others), which is why I did so well in her class. Tests are straight forward and come right of the practice problems in the book. Her ample examples make sure you don't get confused. The weekly discussion quizzes are not easy and I think they do a good job preparing you for the midterms. She's a rather nice lady but don't expect somebody very personable. She does her job and that's about it.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A+
motariq1991
05/16/2010

If the ratings can exceed to infinity then this professor deserves to be rated in infinity. I absolutely love this professor. His teaching style, his sincerity, his right on point attitude, and his sense of humor makes the subject easy to learn. I walked into this class thinking that I would struggle in calculus but he proved me wrong. Instead, he made me love it and now I registered for MATH221 all because of him. BIG TIP: If you want to do well in this class, sit on the first 3 rows. I say this because his hand writing is sometimes hard to understand and he gives more attention to the front of the class like all professors. Assignments Breakdown: Webassign (100 points) Weekly Dis. Quizzes (100 points) 3 exams (100 points each) Final exam (200 points) He randomly drops a certain amount of quizzes and webassigns to make life even more easier.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
Sarah Katz-Hyman
05/14/2010

The best professor I have ever had. He is charming and magnificent, but even better the way he explains the math is perfect. I had never taken calculus before in my life and had a general hatred toward math, but after this class I love math and especially calculus. I would consider changing my major to math if I could take all classes with Fitzpatrick, or fitzy is what I like to call him. In addition to his great teaching skills he has a great sense of humor. He cracks jokes and does not even know it and has so many quotable moments you should probably write them down. My friend and I wanted to take a picture with him at the end of the course because we loved him that much and he said "Of course, as long as I get a copy." So he has a great attitude about interacting with students. As far as tests, quizzes and homework go. Quizzes are super easy only got lower than 100 on one, the TAs literally go over the quiz and then give you a quiz in class. Tests are 5 quizzes long and little harder but use lots of example from class. The webassign is actually the hardest part of the class and often takes 45 minutes to an hour but prepares you well for the tests. Overall if you have a chance take a class with fitzy, best decision ever! If you have a spare moment, my friend and I created a video about fitzpatrick to showcase his general awesomeness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5s7em0vzaE

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting a B
rose11
01/08/2010

Very enthusiastic and funny professor. He incorporates humor into his lectures which helped to ease the stress of the course material. He teaches from powerpoints and posts lecture outlines on his website which you can print off. There are several homework assignments each week on WebAssign, an online program (you have to pay about $15 to use). There are three tests before the final. The problems Pilachowski uses in his lectures are much simpler than the ones on WebAssign and on tests, but there are many opportunities for you to get help. You must complete a worksheet in discussion each week, worth ten points. But you are allowed to work in groups and help each other. Good professor, I enjoyed having him.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/23/2009

He is awesome. Very professional and made Calculus clear. Very detailed lectures and did a great job of explaining the material. Go to lecture and sit up front (his voice is very soft) and your do well. His test are based off his previous tests and lecture problems. TA's are awesome.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/19/2009

Amazing teacher! He explains everything thoroughly in lecture and is very approachable. His tests are very reasonable and straight forward.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
elfutbolista
12/18/2009

A must take class.. especially if u dislike calc as much as i do.. awesome teacher... examples used in lecture are identical to those on test...No Tricks.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/16/2009

Fitzpatrick is one of the most thorough teachers i have ever had. I have never taken calc before and i learned sooo much. He is very clear and does tons of examples. His tests are very fair. The only reason i didnt give him five stars is because he is not very apathetic. Like i said it was my first time taking calc so i didnt always do amazing on tests and when i went to discuss some issues i had, he didnt care at all. The other thing is that his webassigns have no order. They are very sporadic and sometimes 2 at a time. I would definitely recommend his class especially if you are to calc. I you have taken calc before, this class is probably a no brainer.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/12/2009

AMAZING calc teacher!! i took AP calc in high school so i guess that could have contributed, but even without it im sure i would have done well in this class. he teaches things step by step, goes through everything with tons of examples, and my TA was excellent as well which definitely helped. his tests are straightforward and pretty easy and he goes over all the types of questions that will be on the test beforehand. i honestly stopped going to lecture after the first few weeks except for the reviews before exams, and im getting an A because his exams/quizzes/webassigns arent too difficult at all.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/07/2009

Timmy P is a great teacher. Everything is straight forward, and he is extremely organized to the point of OCD-but thats not a bad thing! His exams are completely fair, and even though he doesn't scale, its usually not necessary. The only bad thing is he can be pretty condescending to anyone who asks a question, even in his office hours. But overall I definitely recommend him! He's engaging and even has his funny moments. And its fine if you're late, he always is too!

Michelle Hugue
MATH220

Anonymous
12/07/2009

Terrible. She may be a nice lady but shes a nervous wreck half the time and I just could not deal with her, so I switched teachers. Do not take her class.

Michelle Hugue
MATH220

Expecting an A
umdcupcakes
12/03/2009

Meesh is an awesome woman with a great personality. Take her Math220 class if you've already taken calculus or you are good at learning on your own. Though I attended every class, only 50 people would show up on average out of 150 students. Meesh says she has ADD and dyslexia, which I believe from listening to her lectures. It was almost impossible to learn from her notes, so I did a lot of outside studying which wasn't difficult. She really does care about her students and enjoys making us laugh and making us happy. I would recommend her for those who have taken calc before and have a good basis for learning more.

Michelle Hugue
MATH220

Expecting a B
cgut117
12/01/2009

She is an extremely nice woman and wants her students to do well BUT!!!!! she is the worst math teacher I have ever had. If you're good at teaching yourself math than this is a good class for you. She claims to have ADD and be Dyslexic. She really doesn't teach, she is all over the board, and I really don't have clear notes from the class. She tells funny stories and is really nice. She wants her students to do well, she drops a lot of quizzes and homeworks. However, I would have been able to do much better with a different teacher. I got to the point where after the second exam i started going to different lectures because hers were useless. She has the potential to be a good teacher, but definitely not for math.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
10/07/2009

Best calc teacher ever.. exams are straight forward.. No tricks. Go to class because he reviews problems that are identical to the ones on the test. exams are only 5 problems- all which again are straight from lecture. Also, very good responder to e-mails: something a lot of professors lack.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Anonymous
08/21/2009

Pretty good professor. Explained things clearly and thoroughly, always well organized (uses powerpoints). I learned a lot, and his exams weren't too difficult. Be aware that at least for MATH 220 he doesn't allow any calculators at all on his exams (even scientific), which other professors usually allow. Be prepared for some good old mental math.

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting an A+
jjjohn36
05/22/2009

GREAT TEACHER. I'm not really sure how he could have taught Calculus any better. I've never taken Calc before and I was nervous about how well I would do in this class. Professor Fitzpatrick teaches in a way that is simple and makes sense. Also, each lecture before the exams he tells you exactly what kind of problems will be on the exam. I suggest going to lectures. I actually felt like I was learning something. Make sure you do the webassigns. At the end of the semester the average is the equivalent to a test grade. Also go to discussion because the average of the quizzes are also worth a test grade.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Anonymous
05/22/2009

I don't know why everyone is rating him so low, because I felt like I learned a lot from this class. Maybe everyone just hates powerpoint, but I found it useful because it kept things organized and I could take notes really easily. Even if I didn't really understand what was going on during class, the notes were always easy to read and I could see exactly what he did, and apply that to the webassign problems. It's pretty hard not to do well in this class, since there were plenty of points from the homework and discussion worksheets (which you HAVE to do in groups, so you almost always get 10/10). Tests are fair, though there's always one or two tricky questions. Anyway, I liked Pilachowski, even though he says weird things/tells weird jokes during class. He's a nice guy and a good math teacher.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting a B
jaboomday
05/20/2009

I feel bad because she's a nice lady and she's really smart but she screws up during lecture so much that you just become extremely lost. And she didn't curve our class either.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting a C
Anonymous
05/19/2009

The worst math teacher ever. While he's funny he is an awful math teacher, not worth going to class. He teaches off of powerpoints which are hard to follow and does not convey the information well. If you can take a different math teacher do it!

Patrick Fitzpatrick
MATH220

Expecting a B
shrfu31
05/15/2009

This guy is simply awesome! Once you can get past his German accent and sometimes messy handwriting (like when he writes a "d" thing for partial derivatives) you will be so glad you took him. HE is very patient and he selected some great TA's (Get Doug Galagate if you can) The Bad: He doesn't drop any tests. The GOOD: His tests are 5 questions long and can be done WELL within the hour limit. He drops a random amount of HW's and quizzes (I guess it is cycle dependent). He spends all the time going through equations on the board that you WILL SEE on your web assign and more importantly, YOUR TESTS! I CANNOT stress this enough. I just finished my final and there was not one "trick" problem there! It was all straightforward, the same thing and situations we studied throughout the class were the ones we were tested on. Isn't that kinda refreshing? You have to go to your discussions though. You get a quiz in each one and they count for a hundred points overall in fact... Test X 3 (100pts each) = 300 Quizzes (10pts each) = 100 Webassign = 100 Final Exam = 200 So it is all out of 700pts Anyway, this guy is fair, is super helpful (he responds QUICKLY to email and will adjust your grade within the hour) and really likes what he does. I don't think there is a curve to this class because there is no need for one. Trust me, THIS IS A GOOD THING. PM me if you want to know the reason why teachers HAVE to curve..

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting an A-
TheEnilorac
05/14/2009

I'm really not sure why Macasieb gets horrible reviews. I think she teaches well, and the fact that everyone who has left reviews is expecting an A can attest to her capability as a professor. I like her and she's very flexible. Here exams are pretty easy, problems are similar to ones gone over in class. Weekly quizzes and 2-3 webassigns due on Weds. every week. My only complaint is that sometimes she will skip explaining basic algebra like say foiling out something, but if you have basic logic abilities it's easy to figure out what she did. This class is easy, and I'd like to mention that this is my first time taking calculus.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting a C
Anonymous
05/13/2009

I did not like this professor. He obviously has a case of dyslexia which is evident when he attempts to do problems on the board. This does not happen often though since he presents lectures on powerpoint. (in my opinion I do not like learning math on powerpoint because I personally like to see the work done but he zips through all of that). His exams are relatively hard without a calculus background. Many friends who even took calculus before still had C's on exams. He tries to have tricky questions. As a professor I also did not appreciate him. He had a very matter-of-fact tone of voice and would make students feel stupid if they asked a question. Oh and if you ask to repeat a slide sometimes he might straight up say no. I would avoid this professor because he is not my ideal teacher. Perhaps he is for some but I heard there are much better professors. Hope this review helps.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/08/2009

Listen, I've been to two lectures. The first one and the second one. Mr. Pilachowski is a standard professor. He isn't engaging, but how can you be, this is calculus. He is sort of rude when we people ask him questions or do something to upset him, but otherwise he is a straightforward person. Discussion quizzes are easy, the tests are always easier than web assign. Pretty much all you need to do is buy the text book and read anything that is in a gold box. Make sure to go to discussion, quizzes are easy but count for alot.

Justin Wyss-Gallifent
MATH220

Expecting an A+
physicalfitness
04/19/2009

The best professor I have had at UMD. If you are taking 220, you need to have him. He teaches the material so clearly and what he writes on the board is what you need to know. My roommate and I took 220 at the same time, and with his professor (one of the authors of the textbook) he suffered a lot and did so much more work. The webassigns are tough, but he dropped your 4 lowest ones. He is known to be the best 220 lecturer. I got an A+ and I know 5 other ppl in my discussion did too.

Timothy Pilachowski
MATH220

Expecting a B
Anonymous
04/18/2009

He was very boring and he would make sitting through class the most dreadful thing ever. He uses power point to teach the class and it works well. His tests are very fair.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Anonymous
02/27/2009

I sometimes think about shooting myself in the head after having to take in the amount of crap that comes out this lady's mouth. She does give good notes, but SHE DOESNT EXPLAIN ANYTHING...

Justin Wyss-Gallifent
MATH220

Expecting a B
Anonymous
01/23/2009

Very nice guy. I missed a scheduled exam and he let me re-take it without question. Great professor. Makes calculus concepts simple and easy.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Anonymous
12/16/2008

She is by far the worst math teacher I have ever had. I had never taken Calculus before, and she was almost impossible to follow or to learn from because she would move extremely fast, not respond well to student questions,and I dont think she made it through a problem the entire semester without making a mistake or being corrected by a student at some point or the other. My TA didn't even speak english which didn't help things either. I hear most of the other math220 teachers are a lot better so Try to avoid taking her class if you can

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Anonymous
12/12/2008

Dr. Macasieb has her knowledge of calculus. I understand her making mistakes on lectures because she's a human being as well. But here is the problem. She did not provide her students (or at least me) a proper instruction on the exams that resulted in point deduction. I had the numerical answers correct but because I forgot to put the units of measure, I was deducted of points. I mean...it could've been my stupidity but I was kind of on the run as time ticked away...an exam that could've been an A turned out a B because I did not put units...it really made me think twice about this lady... I hope she realizes that it's NOT O.K. to assume that her students would know things she knows because we sometimes (or most of the time) DON'T unless told.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting an A
rblood
12/11/2008

A background of me, I've always excelled in math, i'm passionate about it, love it, and it comes easy to me. Ms Macasieb is highly knowledgabele on the subject she teaches, there's no question. But as a teacher, she is just terrible. She can't explain really what she does, get's impatient as if we should already know, and she's merely reminding us of the content. I breezed through online homework, and always helped my friends do their homework, and i think it's safe to say that i taught better than she did, for the mere fact of explaining. Just today, i had a question on a webassign homework, that i wasn't able to finish, and she asked if we wanted to see anything. I told her I'd like to see how to do it, and when other students said they did it, she just said you should've been able to as well. How helpful of her. Because of her teaching habits, I failed to maintain an A as I hoped I would. I recommend a different teacher if this is your first calculus course or if you aren't a quick learner. Because she covers so much content, rarely explaining it. Another thing i disliked was that when she would introduce a new topic, she would do example problems out of the book, which didn't help me, because I already look through the book when reviewing the content.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/09/2008

Wow, not much to say. First, I'll say that I am getting an A in the course only because i had a fantastic calculus teacher in High School. Second, if i hadn't taken this course in HS, i would be failing, because this woman, CAN NOT TEACH. She runs through almost 20 full chalkboards a lecture and loses the majority of the class within 5 minutes, she does not encourage students helping other students because she feels that she is smarter than everyone, which i guarentee, is NOT TRUE. Macasieb IS THE WORST TEACHER I HAVE EVER HAD FOR MATHEMATICS. If this is your first time taking calculus, I highly recommend not taking it with her.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting an A
bkretzer
12/09/2008

Overall, she knows her stuff. But she does not present the material well. She makes a lot of error on the board and is very impatient with the students. I took calc. in high school and this is why I am doing well. If I was learning this info. for the first time, I would be lost. If you are new to calc., find a new teacher. There are quizzes weekly during discussion sections and web assign homework weekly. If you have experience with calc. this is an easy course.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/08/2008

I took a very simple calc in high school and we only went over simple derivatives. If I hadn't had the background, I agree that this class would be hard because she isn't the best, most engaging teacher. But it's not like I learned everything from the course in high school. You just have to take notes and look in your book. It's not that hard if you really try. A quiz in every discussion. WebAssign due every week. 3 Midterms, 1 Final.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Anonymous
12/03/2008

she makes too many errors and glosses over the subject like she were reading it off of a report. there is very little engagement between students and professor. you find a better teacher in your calc textbook.

Melissa Macasieb
MATH220

Expecting a B
breezy
12/02/2008

She was the worst teacher for Calculus. She writes good notes on the board, but she is always impatient and doesn't explain herself. Thank God I took Calc in high school or I would have absolutely no idea what was going on in class. If you already took Calc, she will give you really nice notes, but if you haven't taken Calc already... I suggest another Calc teacher. She posts her homework online, its generally 2-3 assignments due every Friday. 2-3 Midterms and a Final. Midterms are 100 points each, and Final is 200. You must go to the Discussion sections.

Justin Wyss-Gallifent
MATH220

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/01/2008

OMG! hes an awesome prof!!! i had pilachowski last year and had a D in calc. but i retook it with Gallifent and may i say i once was lost but now am found!. hes the awesomest prof ever! explains everything!!!! i am usually the C student but this case the teacher was fair. he doesnt put mean problems on his exams and has an awesome sense of humor!!! the homeworks prepare you for the exam and the TA's can be really helpful. overall i would really recommend him to average students (especially bio majors who have other more important classes to worry about) =)

William Schildknecht
MATH220

Expecting an A
gkay
09/19/2008

Professor Schildknecht is a great professor. It is very easy to do well as long as you go to class and pay attention. Just make sure you get A's on everything up until the Final. The final was really hard and I doubt I broke a C but still got an A in the class.

William Schildknecht
MATH220

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/12/2008

If you're looking for a teacher to keep you awake during class, this is the guy. He has a very distinct voice and is a pretty funny guy. The course material may be a bit challenging, but he does a good job explaining. His T.A. Russell Halper did an excellent job.

Joel Cohen
MATH220

Expecting an A
vlee89
01/08/2008

class was easy in the beginning but got harder in the end. if you have him, i would recommend reading the book and going to discussion. the TA was better at teaching than him. exams are a little difficult and take more effort in studying. some questions on the final are tricky and require some thinking.

Reviews for MATH220