| Information | Review |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/21/2023 |
Really excellent professor. Ramachandran is clearly passionate about mathematics and cares a ton about students' understanding of the material. He had regular two-hour long (!!) office hours plus extra review sessions on weekends before the last two exams (for the final, he also held individual office hours for specific concerns!), and is always available after class and by email if you have any questions or concerns. He also gives out a lot of extra credit opportunities (for me, it was ~4% of my final grade not counting bonus questions on exams and I ended with >100), and homework is a big component of your final grade. The homework and exams are variable in effort necessary and overall difficulty (first midterm avg D+, second B+, final C/C+), but are generally instructive and useful (though that is not always the case for the later homework assignments, which were taken from a textbook). Overall, Ramachandran is one of those rare professors who strike a perfect balance of kind, knowledgeable, and rigorous, and I hope I get the chance to take a class with him in the future! In terms of MATH 340 as a class, if you have experience and comfort with proofs (and/or experience with linear/multi), you will definitely be in a better position than if you don't, but be prepared to put in a lot of effort and be challenged regardless. It is very helpful to have a study group to work through homework assignments with. 340 is a great class to take if you are a math major, because it will give you a solid foundation for upper-level math courses, such as abstract vector spaces and determinants for 405 and very basic analysis and topology for 410/411, which you would have minimal exposure to in 240/241 (also, if you have Ramachandran, a taste of differential forms for 437). All in all, I would highly recommend taking 340, as long as you know what you're getting into. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting an A- Anonymous 12/21/2023 |
Genuinely the nicest professor you could probably ever have. The class is tough but Rama always makes it his mission to help you understand the content as much as possible. He makes himself readily available - he held two hour office hour sessions for us every week, as well as additional review sessions for exams. He even held in-person one-on-one office hours ON WEEKENDS during finals week. He really cares about his students, and I highly recommend taking any class taught by Professor Ramachandran. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH341 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 08/02/2023 |
One of the nicest professors I’ve had — Prof. Ramachandran always makes himself available and clearly cares about students’ understanding of the material. He is great at spreading his enthusiasm for math, and always strives to improve his teaching (I distinctly remember after one in-class proof where I got lost, he actually noticed and asked me after class how he could have explained it better). Highly recommended! |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH341 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/01/2023 |
lectures are a lil disorganized but he gives out extra credit like candy |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH403 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/19/2022 |
Dr. Ramachandran is a wonderful professor. He's caring, nice, and it was a very interesting class. He was also quite accommodating if you were out sick. However, crazy exams-- 1st average C (reasonable, this exam was fine), 2nd average F, final average D. The last two exams seemed significantly harder than his older exams he showed us. I really felt like I understood things in office hours just to end up failing questions about the topic on the exams. The exams just were not like the homework or sometimes even his quiz questions. And I studied a lot for these exams-- at least 20 hours if not more for the final, which I actually got a D on. But, homework is heavily weighted in his class, so if you have a good study group and go to office hours often, you can make up for the exam grades. I made sure to spend a lot of time on the homework because of how much it counted. Overall I'd recommend him, but be prepared to have your confidence shaken. It is of note that he gave a lot of extra credit (I got at least 6% in EC) and also curved by at least 4%-- I got bumped from a final grade of a B to an A-. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH403 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/01/2021 |
One of the greatest professors I have ever had. Teaches with an infectious enthusiasm, entertains questions, and makes his classes exciting. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH341 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/30/2021 |
He is the definition of a truly dedicated professor who is really invested in student success. Even though the class does cover a lot of material and the HWs are pretty difficult the first time around, he is just really helpful during office hours and really makes his lectures accessible to everyone, regardless of how much prior background you have in Multi/Linear/DiffiQ. Even amidst the challenges of the online world, he really made this class a fun/accessible introduction to undergraduate proof-based mathematics that will set you up for success in the 400 levels. He also values student interaction and questions, so don't be afraid to just ask! Personally, you can tell that he is very genuine, down-to-earth, and has a real passion/enthusiasm for math that he wants his students to gain as much as possible. Highly recommend! |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting a B- Anonymous 05/27/2021 |
A sweet professor that truly cares about his students. The lectures are fast-paced and the homeworks are difficult, but the class is very collaborative and Prof. Ramachandran is very helpful in office hours. He is always enthusiastic to talk to students and gives fair exams with extra credit. Overall, the class will be hard, especially if the material is new to you, but if you put in the effort 340-341 is a super rewarding experience with Ramachandran. Can't recommend enough! |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Anonymous 05/21/2021 |
This class was definitely tough, the lectures were very fast-paced and the class just covers a lot of material. But Ramachandran is an awesome lecturer and made everything worth it. The homeworks were pretty difficult but you can work on them with other people and he was very helpful in office hours. He also gave out a ton of extra credit. If you get the chance, definitely take him! |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting an A Anonymous 04/08/2020 |
MATH340 was a really tough class, especially for someone without much prior exposure to Linear Algebra, Calc 3, and abstract math. Professor Ramachadran's attitude towards the class, however, was infectious: he tackled every topic with enthusiasm and a smile on his face, explaining the content in a way that most of the class could understand on his first go-around. And for those who still didn't get it, like me, Professor Ramachadran was happy to go over content during office hours, and schedule extra office hours when necessary. Of course, this was still with that infectious smile. The homeworks in this class were brutal, but Professor Ramachadran was happy to help with any issue with them, and my proof-writing abilities improved as a result. Same goes for test prep, where the professor made sure that we had adequate resources and understood the material if we approached him. Importantly, he recognized my limited background in the subject, and explained material to me with that in mind. Overall, this class was still extremely difficult. But I wouldn't recommend one to take it with anyone other than Professor Ramachadran, especially if you have limited background. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting an A umdterpman 12/20/2018 |
Professor Ramachandran is the best professor I have ever had and I would guess that I probably ever will have. MATH340 was really hard, but it was a ton of fun. I came into the class without knowing any calc 3 or linear algebra, so I was already behind, but Ramachandran is very good at starting at a basic level before he begins abstracting to the really difficult concepts throughout the course. His homework was killer, and the TA was pretty harsh with grading, but working in groups to finish the homework makes it feasible to score really well and understand everything that's being taught. He's a fantastic lecturer, and his enthusiasm for teaching math made me love coming to his lectures. He's also very generous with curving the course. Anyone who works hard and has a drive to learn math should be able to get a passing grade in this class. Overall, I'm very thankful to have had Professor Ramachandran this semester, and I'm really looking forward to taking MATH341 with him next semester. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting an A Anonymous 11/30/2018 |
Ramachandran is a great professor. 340 is by no means an easy class to take freshman year, but he makes everything seem doable. Motivation of the theory and development of both linear algebra and multivariable calculus is done wonderfully, using several examples. It was unfortunate that we had to rush towards the end, but there is a lot of content in this course that needs to be chewed on. Besides course content, he is perfectly happy to talk to students after class in order to answer questions. The grading TA by year varies and you should quickly find out their expectations regarding homework. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/29/2018 |
I took Math 340 with Ramachandran in the Fall 2016 semester. Now, being a junior, I can confidently say that Ramachandran remains the best instructor I have ever had in any academic environment. He is incredibly knowledgeable about mathematics, and it shows during his lectures. He is also incredibly passionate both about the math and about teaching to the students - every time we would be getting into some "nitty-gritty" stuff in lecture he would have a huge smile on his face because you could tell how much he loved what he was doing. This love is infectious and keeps you very engaged during lectures. With that being said, Ramachandran wants his students to know some difficult math. He will introduce some very difficult concepts , and you will have to put in time to keep up with the material. He is very fair about this, however - for instance, we discussed the generalized Stoke's Theorem at the end of the course, but were never asked to prove anything too intense using this result on a test. Overall, I would 100% recommend taking Ramachandran at any chance you get. You will learn a great deal. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting an A- tomorrow 05/11/2018 |
A great professor by every regard. A challenging but rewarding course and professor to take. Effort shown during class and through assignments and homework is awarded with generous extra credit to compensate for the challenging but not unfair exams. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting an A- Anonymous 04/11/2018 |
Dr. Ramachandran is awesome - knowledgeable, solid lecturer, and overall a very nice person. He legitimately cares about his students and always goes the extra mile. He is very generous with his time in office hours and even had review sessions on Saturdays before the final. MATH340 is not an easy class, but with Dr. Ramachandran, you will definitely get a solid exposure to the theoretical material. Understanding, though, is pretty dependent on YOU putting in effort. If you want to take MATH340 and are willing to work hard, you will like him. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 04/05/2018 |
I found Dr. Ramachandran's MATH340 to be extremely difficult but extremely rewarding. Be prepared to spend 6+ hrs on homework working in groups. Tests have bonus questions, and scores ranged from <50% to >110%. It's probably best if you have at least 1 of the following as background: (1) MVC (2) LinAlg (3) writing proofs. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH461 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 06/25/2013 |
Ramachandran is the only teacher that I have felt the need to sign up and review. He is incredibly knowledgeable and extremely approachable. For those of you who wish to learn and want a teacher you can talk to, take his class. If you are the type who just wants a minimum work A look elsewhere. This teacher will make you a better student, this is a teacher where your tuition is worth it. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH406 Expecting an A Decave 12/26/2012 |
Dr. Ramachandran is, hands down, the best college professor I've ever had. He is extremely knowledgeable, is very good at communicating information and is a very nice man who essentially embodies everything that is needed in a college professor. Let me begin by admitting that his class was very challenging. The homeworks were tough, the average on the two midterms probably averaged out at a 59 (there was a very generous curve at the end of the course) and you won't get very far by lollygagging and mindlessly memorizing a few formulas. That being said, I thoroughly learned about an immense (almost unbelievable) amount of difficult and very important mathematical concepts and I am very, very happy that I took the course with him. After having taken Rama's course I honestly consider myself a much more mature and knowledgeable mathematician than I did before I took his course (and I had straight As in math beforehand). I guess I should also warn you that Ramachandran is not for everyone. A lot of people in my class didn't like it at all and claimed that he was a bad professor for various lame reasons. Usually, their reasoning was something like, "He's all over the place and is impossible to follow," or, "I feel like we don't learn anything in the class". What that illustrates is that they're not accustomed to rigorous, difficult math courses and that they're either too lazy or not apt enough to study and understand the deeper concepts that are actually worth putting the time and effort in for. One kid in the class said that "Modular arithmetic is dumb because there are no formulas." If you associate yourself with people like that then I recommend dropping out of any upper-level math courses and taking something more your style like communications. In summation, I highly recommend Dr. Ramachandran to anyone who is a serious and mature student and/or to anyone who wants to learn some awesome math. If you're in it for the easy A then take he class with someone else. P.S. His grading is very fair; it's just that his problems and homeworks are challenging and take a fair amount of time and effort to complete. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Anonymous 05/21/2012 |
This review is for both 340 and 341 since I had him for both classes. Ramachandran teaches well and you can learn a lot, but only if you put in the effort. I agree with Anonymous below; Ramachandran teaches a lot of material in a short amount of time. To get the most out of the class, try to read the book beforehand. Even if you don't completely understand what you're reading, you'll still be better prepared when you get to class as the material won't be completely new to you. What sets him apart from the other professors I've had is that he is really enthusiastic about math and teaching. Anyone who has taken him will agree; he will literally smile the entire lecture, even as he talks. It was great because his enthusiasm made me enthusiastic about math and learning the material. Coming into college, I didn't know what I wanted to do (I was considering like ten different majors), but taking this class (and 341) made me realize that I really want to do math in my future. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Anonymous 12/01/2011 |
Ramachandran knows a lot and tries to teach all of it. If you can write detailed notes quickly and are fine with rereading them later to figure out the hard parts, you can learn an incredible amount. Unfortunately, he teaches so much material so fast that if you try to follow his train of thought exactly and figure out exactly what all of the logical leaps are, you may get lost. He is a quality professor, but you have to do a lot of work to get the most out his class. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
MATH340 Expecting a B RyH 04/19/2011 |
Ramachandran does not deserve a 2 star rating. I wouldn't give him a perfect 5, but I simply cannot classify him as a bad professor. I am not a math major; physics, but not math, and I had him for a more rigorous course: math340, as a freshman. The biggest thing about Ramachandran is that he cares about his students and cares about their understanding of the material. He will help you if you ask for it and he will make it a personal endeavor to ensure you understand. Tests were very fair and the class was justly curved. He is a good guy and a high quality professor. Enough said. |
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Niranjan Ramachandran
Expecting an A kiterunner 12/22/2007 |
Horrible professor! Although he seems as if he may actually know his stuff, he is incapable of sharing his knowledge with the class. Lectures are all over the place making it seem like you've accomplished nothing by the end of class. Grading is completely disorganized and possibly unfair. You can go an entire semester without having any idea what your grade is or what he expects from you. He has a hard time getting people interested in the class and seems to doubt his own performance, as well. |