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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH140H Expecting an A Anonymous 12/04/2024 |
To be honest, my experience taking Math 140H with Professor Berhanu was not as I hoped, however, I am going to give a true and well-rounded review. If you take this class here's what to expect, Professor Berhanu certainly knows what he's talking about. He is passionate about the material but can move through the material at a quick pace. He teaches via a blackboard and multiple sticks of chalk, he will not post lecture notes, however, he will assign additional optional practice problems at the end of each class, and then go over them at the beginning of the following. He does take the assumption that you fully understand what he teaches, and after finishing a topic will state "is that clear" and move on promptly. I found asking questions to be difficult, as if he deems the question to be too far behind, he typically will give a short and judgmental response. If you are going to ask a question you just have to seem like you know something for a useful response, and if you're going to answer a question you better know it. When it comes to HW, he assigns two generic Web Assigns a week, which can be helpful additional practice in understanding a topic. Each Wednesday he will assign a "HW" (10 point Quiz) relative to the work between that and the last quiz. I found the quizzes to be fair and the TA (whom you will not meet) to be a lenient grader, and fairly simple. When it comes to tests, his are certainly based about understanding the topic, not necessarily mastery. Overall they are not awful but he will occasionally throw a challenge question in the mix. His grading system is fair where he will drop two of the lowest quizzes and the worst exam is worth 50 points, not 100. Overall he is a funny guy simply because he can be extremely socially awkward. All and all you might be asking what was the downside of taking his class. He is fair to most students, but if you're one of the unlucky few that he has it out for, your in for a long ride. He teaches with extreme favoritism and grades with it too. After taking Exam 1 I reached out to meet with him prior to the next class to discuss the grade. I was immediately met with my paper slammed down and informed he wanted to take more points from the exam (had no clue that was possible). He asked for me to explain my process and each time I was met with the same remark "you know because you saw the answer key I posted after the exam", to be honest, I didn't either way it wouldn't have made a difference as he insisted it and did not allow me to answer any question he asked without scrutiny. He then repetitively told me "your going to fail" for the next 10 minutes of our meeting and finished it off with "I don't know how your allowed to take this class". All of this was a shocker and the treatment continued throughout the semester. I tried countless times to seek aid, and every time I asked him he directed me to the department while others were given additional explanations, practice, help, etc. So if you're going to take this class here's what to consider: If you're a slow learner I'd recommend standard Math 140. If you have already taken AB, or BC and are confident, this is the class for you and the exams and coursework are fairly simple. Most of all just hope he doesn't decide that your one of the few he dosen't like. I am not the only one who I have heard had this experience, and it's truly a shame because I did enjoy the class and its material. I hope no one has this experience, and if you don't Professor Berhanu is overall a good professor and teaches well. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH405 Expecting a B Anonymous 07/08/2024 |
This was my first 400 level math class and it was a very harsh introduction to rigorous mathematical proofs. CMSC250 exempted me from MATH310, so take this review with grain of salt. Berhanu is clearly a passionate teacher which I appreciated, but following along in class was almost impossible for me. He zooms through the proofs insanely fast assuming students are following. The only time people were regularly asking questions were at the beginning of the course, and when they did Berhanu makes it seem like the answer is obvious and makes students feel stupid (atleast from my perspective). Our ~25 student class only asked MAYBE asked 1 or 2 questions per class. I was expecting a lot more student/prof interaction given the class size. The only way I was able to get through this class was through teaching myself the textbook, and I’ve heard Curtis’ Linear Algebra textbook is among the harder of undergraduate textbooks. The only positive I saw in taking his course were his midterms. The midterms felt very fair and on the easier side. However, the final felt completely different and was measurably harder than the midterms. I had an A- prior to the final and ended the course with a B. Overall the Prof is a good guy but I think his teaching style can definitely demean students sense of intelligence and turn them away from the course. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/27/2024 |
Great professor and interesting class. Lectures are clear and plenty of examples are provided. The homeworks are very manageable, both in terms of time and material, but it's important to go to class because the lectures are a lot better to learn from than the book. (Professor Berhanu also does some things different than the textbook.) Finally, the exams are easy to prepare for with the study guides he gives, and there's always at least one class of review before each exam. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/15/2024 |
Professor Berhanu goes into a lot of detail with each topic, giving a lot of examples for everything that he covers. He also makes sure to spend time reviewing practice exams before each midterm/final, which has been very helpful throughout the semester. Overall, Math463 has been a very enjoyable class in which I have learnt a lot, and I would recommend taking it with professor Berhanu. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/15/2024 |
Professor Berhanu is a wonderful teacher. His class can be a little fast paced at times. It is very important to attend lectures! His classes are fair, he is extremely knowledgable, and he really cares about his students. Make sure to attend class though : ) |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/15/2024 |
Dr. Berhanu made complex analysis incredibly interesting, and he is clearly very passionate about the subject. He is a clear lecturer and knows the content--complex analysis is what he studies. Homeworks and tests were very reasonable, and he also decided to add a midterm to the original two, so that the lowest of three midterms is dropped. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH405 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/15/2024 |
Dr. Berhanu is one of the best professors I have had. He has a very clean and concise teaching style and runs his class very well. If you are serious about math and want a rigorous understanding of the concepts in MATH405, Dr. Berhanu should be one of your top choices. He is a very reasonable grader and makes his tests very straightforward--if you go to class and understand the homeworks, his tests should be very doable. Additionally, he allocates a lot of time for test review. Overall, if you are someone who genuinely wants to learn the material for MATH405 and are willing to attend class and pay attention, definitely consider him. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH405 Anonymous 05/14/2024 |
Although the content for this course is challenging Professor Berhanu tries to make it easier for you. His content and proofs during the class can be a bit fast but he makes his exams easier. The weekly homework can take some time (if you are like me...) but also is a good review of the content and the exam - he takes some exam questions straight from the homework or the exam review problems he provides. You should probably go to the lectures: he will notice your absence... and the textbook makes no sense sometimes... Overall the course is proof-based and starts off proving things from 240 but goes into other advanced theorems later on. There were some ups and downs but this course taught me a lot and I do recommend 405 with Berhanu! |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH405 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2024 |
Good and passionate instructor. He is very much into research level math. He taught this course directly out of the textbook, which was helpful. Exams and homework were easy and graded fairly. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting a C- Anonymous 04/09/2024 |
Got a poor grade but I mostly attribute it to my own fault. There are certainly easier 400-level MATH classes than MATH463, but there are also harder ones. I felt Professor Berhanu was fair, kind, and engaging. He explained the concepts well. I did quite poorly on the exams, but when getting my grades/feedback back, I understood my mistakes and they felt fair. Stuff that we had covered and I only missed it due to lack of studying on my part. Never felt like it was something we didn't cover enough in lecture or anything like that, so I would say his exams are fair. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Anonymous 02/22/2024 |
He is a decent lecturer, and clearly knows the course materials but requires every student to go to all of his lectures although there are no participation points. He is a very bad grader, if you don't go to his lectures and he remembers you, he will grade your exams poorly even if your answers are correct but not the exact same solution he gives and then blame you for not going to every lecture. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A brianburns44 12/25/2023 |
If you want to take MATH463, I would really recommend doing so with Dr. Berhanu. I don't know what goes on in other sections, but based on their finals I believe Berhanu gave a more enriched complex analysis experience. It was pretty hard and the midterms have 50-65% averages (with no curve), but the final was very easy and most of the class did well. If you are a math major who wants a more rigorous approach to undergraduate complex analysis, Berhanu is your guy. One minor complaint I have is he moves quite fast, but to be fair he is always very willing to answer any questions. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH140H Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/23/2023 |
After reading other reviews, I do agree that Professor Berhanu is a bit of a harsh grader with not much partial credit, but compared to every other Math140 teacher, his tests are the easiest. I looked at friends' tests and they were much trickier, if you understand the concepts then you will get a decent grade in Berhanu's class. If you participate in class Berhanu will boost your grade at the end of the semester, sit in the front and answer the many basic questions he asks during class. But make sure you are right because he is a bit passive aggressive if you get the answer wrong. The Webassign homeworks were only worth 3% which was very nice because they are the same for every section, they take a long time to do and usually do not have content that will even be on the test. If you do the practice exams, and can follow most of the lecture, you will do fine. Math140H vs Math140 is a hard choice because H is only 3 times a week, but the quizzes we have are more difficult, but I think it is best to take H unless math is a major sore spot. With H you get more time with the professor (smaller class) and the professors are usually better. Although with normal 140 there are discussions where you work problems out and do easy quizzes, you also get a TA which can be helpful. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2023 |
Prof. Berhanu is a really good and passionate teacher. He takes the time to not only give proofs for theorems, but also gives motivation and intuition for everything covered in the class. He clearly knows the material really well, and answers all questions really well. He gives plenty of time for exam reviews (1-2 periods dedicated to review), and the exams are extremely fair. If you do any of the practice material he posts, you should expect at least a B+ to A- easily. Highly recommend, especially for anyone who is curious about complex analysis or calculus. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH140H Expecting an A Anonymous 12/13/2023 |
Professor Berhanu is a very good teacher, he just teaches through proofs and some simple examples. I was prepared for this kind of teaching as I had a similar teacher in high school. However, many people struggle with this kind of teaching. His exams are very easy and just a test on how well you know the concepts. I would recommend him to anyone who is a quick and deliberate learner. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/12/2023 |
He is a very engaging lecturer! He did a really good job showing how important the theorems actually were and describing how you might apply Complex Analysis. He does sometimes mumble a little, and the pace is really fast, but that's just because there's a lot of material to cover. The course is difficult, but I think the difficulty came entirely from the content, not from the professor. He gives tons of in-class time to review. Make sure you try all the HWs and practice problems as soon as you get them so that you can ask questions before he covers new material. Exam grading definitely isn't soft, but he drops your lowest exam (out of three) and the final course grade will get curved. If you are the kind of person who likes to skip class or be late, don't take 463 with Berhanu. Attendance is mandatory in order to succeed. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Anonymous 12/09/2023 |
02/09/23 review is accurate. He is self-centered and makes you feel stupid for asking questions. There are a few favorites he has in class who he clearly treats differently from other students. If two students try to answer a question in class, one of them being a favorite, he will pretty much disregard the answer of the other student, even if it is correct. He goes unnecessarily fast in class and covers the board while he is writing, with no intention to pause and explain what he has written while he was covering it. So you are always playing catchup in his class if you sit in a seat with a poor angle to the board. If you ask a question about a problem that was already done previously, he will not answer it and tell you to look back at your notes (but sometimes the whole point of the question is to clear up the misunderstandings you have about the problem which has been scribbled into your notes to keep up with the pace of the lecture). It almost seems like he wants you to struggle a bit in terms of following along with the lecture. Very conceited personality and reluctant to admit his mistakes when a student points them out in class. I have no idea why people like him sign up to become a professor. They show no care for whether students actually understand the material or not. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/29/2023 |
He is very very good at explaining all the proofs in complex analysis and he is a very nice person and encourages all the students to participate inside his class. His exams and homeworks are all very very very fair and you definitely will be able to do them if you put in the work. Overall this course had very insightful theorems and results that make it definitely worth taking.. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH140H Expecting a C- Anonymous 11/04/2023 |
Be prepared to get everything perfect if you want a good grade in this class. Berhanu loves math but he’s not very understanding if you don’t pick up quickly. He hardly gives partial credit and won’t hesitate to take off full points if your answer doesn’t match his preferred method, even if it’s technically right. Only take this if you’re really good at math and can put a lot of time into studying his methods. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/16/2023 |
Really enjoyed taking 463 with Professor Berhanu. He often uses a more simplified way to solve problems compared to the book, so make sure to attend classes. There was more focus on intuition than computation, which I really enjoyed. And he would often re-derive a theorem required by a problem, which helped with understanding the intuition behind them and ultimately avoid memorization |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2023 |
Prof. Berhanu is very knowledgeable and passionate about complex analysis, and it definitely enhanced the course a lot. The exams weren't too difficult, and they covered exactly what was taught in the course. His explanations were very clear, and he did a good job breaking down the thought process behind solving certain problems. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH463 Anonymous 05/15/2023 |
Explains concepts very well, definitely learned a lot in lectures. Gave us an extra exam in order to replace the lowest test score. Overall, exams were fair and class was enjoyable |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH141H Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2023 |
I'm not sure why there are negative reviews here for Prof. Berhanu. I had the pleasure of taking him for MATH140H and MATH141H. He is an excellent professor whose exams are very reasonable. Like any other class, if you put the time into practice and understanding the concepts, it should not be difficult to do well. Professor Berhanu himself is kind, willing to answer questions and explain things, and is very accommodating. Both of his calculus courses were very short of being "impossible to pass". |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH141H Expecting an A Anonymous 05/01/2023 |
I had Professor Berhanu for MATH140H and for 141H and he was excellent for both. His grading is strict but fair. His expectations of his students are very high, but not unreasonably so. The class moves quickly, but that is to be expected of an honors class. Professor Berhanu is always available during office hours and does his best to get to know his students and make sure they succeed. If you're not willing to work hard on the material outside of class time, don't waste your time or his. If you take one of his courses expect a challenge, but expect to learn a lot. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH410 Anonymous 02/09/2023 |
A difficult professor. He deducts points for everything. For each question, you receive a score of 0 or 100%. He does not give partial credit for your good attempts. He is a very self-centered individual who simply wants you to know that he is knowledgeable about the subject. His teaching is so boring that he does not allow you to ask questions. He gets mad at students who ask a question and stops them while they are asking question. He will make you feel your question is silly. I highly recommend you to register for any professor other than him. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH410 Expecting an F Anonymous 02/09/2023 |
Too hard, bad grader. Take anyone else but him… |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH140H Anonymous 01/25/2023 |
Professor Berhanu would talk poorly about students to other students in the same class behind their backs. He did seem enthusiastic about math, but was not understanding in many cases when it came to his students. Graded harshly, only accepted the exact right format and wording for tests and classwork. He didn't know how to use Gradescope so our final grades remained a mystery. Had closed note classwork on the topic you just learned up to twice a week. He went in depth in writing out proofs, for which we never used in actual classwork or exams. I don't recommend taking this class. I came in several times to his office hours but continued to struggle through the semester. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH410 Expecting an F Anonymous 01/19/2023 |
Tough, difficult, many students dropped |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH410 Anonymous 12/22/2022 |
You will pass his course if you are able to master the topics and write solutions exactly how he says. This means working harder than you think you should. The only way you can pass is to study every single day, and practice problems everyday. I mean it - do not ever skip studying. He does not give partial credit. He is not a generous grader. So if you write a solution that is technically correct but somehow missing a minor point or two, he will give you a zero. He will accept only a perfect solution. He has a hard time connecting with students. He does not care about anything you tell him. He will only care about your perfect solutions on a test. If you are a genius and you enjoy a challenge, this is the right professor for you. He is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the topics in this class. But if you are not a genius and have to work hard for it, turn away. You will have a hard time in this class because he has no problem in giving out zeros. The exams are fair sometimes, and sometimes harder. Like I said, if you are naturally a gifted mathematician, you will do just fine. This professor is not for all types of students. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH140H Expecting an A Anonymous 12/05/2022 |
Professor Berhanu (Shif) was awesome for Calc I. As far as basic course details go, he doesn't give too much work, the midterms were pretty easy, and there were very few times that we faced a problem that we were getting graded for and not have seen it/practiced for it before. Beyond that, He's very good at breaking down and explaining concepts and is clearly excited to be teaching. I don't think it would be that crazy to call his level of excitement "cute". He does have a non-american accent for speaking English, but once you hear him talk long enough you get used to it. If you can take him for MATH140H, or any math class that he teaches, I highly recommend choosing him. |
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Shiferaw Berhanu
MATH140H Expecting a W Anonymous 12/05/2022 |
Professor Berhanu made this course impossible to pass. Every Wednesday he would teach content and then immediately make you put away all of you notes and do a worksheet on content you had barely learned, unaided. He couldn't figure out how to put grades on canvas, so the Canvas grade only reflected your WebAssign scores, meaning you wouldn't know how much the "worksheets" (which were basically pop quizzes) and exams (that most people didn't pass but still weren't curved) affected your grade until midterm grades were released and you have 2 days to see if you need to withdraw from the course. I strongly recommend to not take the honors version of this course because if you have an unhelpful professor like I did then you have no TA to help where you are struggling. He seems like a nice man who really enjoys math but he was not a good teacher |