Srivatsav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli

Information	Review
Srivatsav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli MATH405 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 01/17/2026	Bad lecturer, would forget how to do proofs during class. Exams were on memorizing textbook proofs and definitions. Would not recommend.
Srivatsav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli MATH405 Expecting an A- Anonymous 01/06/2026	Sri is not the best lecturer. He started the semester by preparing notes before each lecture, but then later started lecturing straight from the textbook. Many times he would forget how to write a proof and spend several minutes rewriting and erasing his work, which made the material confusing. Also, he frequently blocked the board while writing, which is frustrating when taking notes, and his handwriting is sometimes difficult to read. During class he will answer questions but he does not really encourage them; he also does not stay after class to answer questions. The course is also heavily exam based (90%) with HW 10%, two midterms 20% each, and the final is 50%. Exams tend to be 4-5 questions, with a total score of 15 pts per midterm. Sri would claim the exams would contain some computational questions and homework questions, but then exams would end up being almost entirely proofs from the textbook (along with a few definitions). For tests, I would recommend studying the textbook and memorizing proofs/definitions from the chapters rather than reviewing HW's. Also, given the small number of questions and low point total, if you forgot a specific textbook proof you could lose a fairly significant amount of points. The final exam seemed slightly easier, with more definitions and one challenge problem. There was a good curve at the end of the class though. He grades exams pretty quickly but there is no feedback. HW's were graded half for completion and half on one randomly chosen problem, so there was feedback for only one problem. By the end of the course only 4 of the total 8 HWs were graded. Overall, I think this class would be more informative and easier with another professor. This was his first semester teaching at UMD though. If you are good at memorizing/writing proofs then you will likely do fine in his class, especially given the curve.
Srivatsav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli MATH405 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/27/2025	Overall, I would not recommend this professor since he made this class a lot harder and more stressful than it had to be. However, this was his first semester teaching at UMD, so hopefully the quality of his instruction will improve next semester. pros: - can be pretty funny and entertaining - did a huge curve for our class (thought I would fail, ended the class with a B+) - homeworks were reasonable, mostly graded for completion (except one problem is graded for accuracy) - exam problems were mostly reasonable and we were given plenty of time cons: - vague about what is on exams, which made it very difficult and stressful to prepare for exams. The structure of his exams was usually some definitions and 3-4 theorems from class or homeworks, but since his exams would be only 3-5 problems each, it felt very hit or miss - exam averages for both midterm exams were pretty low, around 65-70% - very picky about definitions and harsh grader for proofs - wasn't always fully prepared for lectures, would sometimes waste time during lecture trying to come up with proofs - wasn't very encouraging, during class he said our proofs were "disgusting" and ideally he would give most people zeroes on all their proofs and wasn't much nicer during office hours - not a good lecturer; his explanations and proofs were often confusing, his handwriting was hard to read, and would often block view of the board while writing - exams were worth 90% of our grade (50% final, 20% each midterm) - doesn't post notes to encourage lecture attendance

Srivatsav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli
MATH405

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
01/17/2026

Bad lecturer, would forget how to do proofs during class. Exams were on memorizing textbook proofs and definitions. Would not recommend.

Srivatsav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli
MATH405

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
01/06/2026

Sri is not the best lecturer. He started the semester by preparing notes before each lecture, but then later started lecturing straight from the textbook. Many times he would forget how to write a proof and spend several minutes rewriting and erasing his work, which made the material confusing. Also, he frequently blocked the board while writing, which is frustrating when taking notes, and his handwriting is sometimes difficult to read. During class he will answer questions but he does not really encourage them; he also does not stay after class to answer questions. The course is also heavily exam based (90%) with HW 10%, two midterms 20% each, and the final is 50%. Exams tend to be 4-5 questions, with a total score of 15 pts per midterm. Sri would claim the exams would contain some computational questions and homework questions, but then exams would end up being almost entirely proofs from the textbook (along with a few definitions). For tests, I would recommend studying the textbook and memorizing proofs/definitions from the chapters rather than reviewing HW's. Also, given the small number of questions and low point total, if you forgot a specific textbook proof you could lose a fairly significant amount of points. The final exam seemed slightly easier, with more definitions and one challenge problem. There was a good curve at the end of the class though. He grades exams pretty quickly but there is no feedback. HW's were graded half for completion and half on one randomly chosen problem, so there was feedback for only one problem. By the end of the course only 4 of the total 8 HWs were graded. Overall, I think this class would be more informative and easier with another professor. This was his first semester teaching at UMD though. If you are good at memorizing/writing proofs then you will likely do fine in his class, especially given the curve.

Srivatsav Kunnawalkam Elayavalli
MATH405

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/27/2025

Overall, I would not recommend this professor since he made this class a lot harder and more stressful than it had to be. However, this was his first semester teaching at UMD, so hopefully the quality of his instruction will improve next semester. pros: - can be pretty funny and entertaining - did a huge curve for our class (thought I would fail, ended the class with a B+) - homeworks were reasonable, mostly graded for completion (except one problem is graded for accuracy) - exam problems were mostly reasonable and we were given plenty of time cons: - vague about what is on exams, which made it very difficult and stressful to prepare for exams. The structure of his exams was usually some definitions and 3-4 theorems from class or homeworks, but since his exams would be only 3-5 problems each, it felt very hit or miss - exam averages for both midterm exams were pretty low, around 65-70% - very picky about definitions and harsh grader for proofs - wasn't always fully prepared for lectures, would sometimes waste time during lecture trying to come up with proofs - wasn't very encouraging, during class he said our proofs were "disgusting" and ideally he would give most people zeroes on all their proofs and wasn't much nicer during office hours - not a good lecturer; his explanations and proofs were often confusing, his handwriting was hard to read, and would often block view of the board while writing - exams were worth 90% of our grade (50% final, 20% each midterm) - doesn't post notes to encourage lecture attendance