Allan Yashinski

This professor has taught: CMSC456, ENEE456, HLTH710, MATH141H, MATH240, MATH241H, MATH401, MATH402, MATH403, MATH405, MATH406, MATH436, MATH456, MATH461, MATH462, MATH463
Information Review
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
11/28/2024
Really good professor. He's great at teaching, doesn't have discussion quizzes, has fair exams, and has optional homework that prepares you well for the exams. His exam avgs: 84.95, 80.79, and 78.61 (doesn't include final) Matlab Projects are relatively simple to complete. As long as you take notes, study, do the practice exams, and finish assignments on time, you will do well in his class.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A
Anonymous
11/26/2024
Good prof, notes are easy to understand, and tests are easy.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
08/20/2024
If you’re a math major, take this guy. If you’re an engineering student, don’t take him.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a D
Anonymous
08/20/2024
Instead of going to the English lectures, you're better off practicing book problems. The sample exams have example problems, but these problems are not similar to what’s on the exam. You need to practice outside material to succeed. This professor doesn’t curve, offer help, and he will fail students.
Allan Yashinski
CMSC456

Expecting an A
Anonymous
06/25/2024
Allan is very good at explaining difficult concepts in my opinion. He's also able to gauge when the class isn't getting something and will take the time to re-explain. Note that his version of CMSC456 is purely a math class and includes little to no coding/technology (only for demonstrations). Exams are challenging but fair and he records lectures and posts practice material. I actually ended up finding this class very interesting and I did not expect to going in.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/26/2024
extremely clear lectures (a bit boring, but very informative), recorded lectures from quarantine, and 3 sample exams for each midterm and the final (which were generally fairly similar to the difficulty of that actual exam). we also had 10 online assignments (with your lowest scoring one dropped), which were mostly to check for basic understanding of concepts, and 4 matlabs, which were a bit tedious but not hard. his exam averages were in the mid to high 80's, which meant that he didn't curve anything, although i don't think that a curve was necessary
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/20/2024
Amazing professor. He explains things in a way that is really easy to understand and the class has fair exams and a relatively light workload.
Allan Yashinski
CMSC456

Expecting an A+
Charl1e1029
05/20/2024
Great guy, great lectures, fair homeworks, and fair exams. Extremely easy-to-follow course that covers the mathematical theory of key cryptographic concepts, and Yashinski is a cutie who delivers it all in an extremely absorbable format.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/19/2024
Phenomenal lectures, fair exams, and easy homework assignments. Take Yashinski for any class that you can. It's a no-brainer.
Allan Yashinski
CMSC456

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/18/2024
Lectures were recorded, and homeworks were fairly easy (graded really leniently). Exams seemed fair but lengthy, and nothing was really a surprise. Yashinski is the goat too :D
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/18/2024
Allan as a professor is just great. I don't feel he is overhyped in the slightest, at least with respect to MATH461. The lectures are great in that they both establish a computational and geometric basis for the content we cover in class, and they're delivered excellently. All of the exams this semester were pretty well designed, and we're given a few practice exams for each exam including the final. The homework was never overwhelming, as the weekly assignments were short, and the MATLAB assignments never seemed to get too long for their own good. Highly recommend Allan for MATH461 if you can take it with him. Allan recommends doing the textbook problems as supplemental material, and honestly the textbook isn't bad. I can recommend skimming through the content because they correspond pretty well to what's covered in lecture, and can give a fairly brief overview of the theorems. And by all means, if you're struggling with the computation more than the actual content, do the problems. However, I'd argue that it's far more important to have a good geometric understanding of the content in this course, and for me the algebra just follows. For that, I cannot recommend 3Blue1Brown's Essence of Linear Algebra series enough. From my perspective, this is what allowed me to thrive in the course, and the weekly assignments and practice exams were enough to practice the computations.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/18/2024
Allan Yashinski is the best professor I have ever had. The absolute goat. His lectures were amazing and he made all the content easily understandable and even enjoyable. He connects to past topics extremely well and I felt like I came away from every lecture with a deep understanding of the topic. There were no quizzes and discussions were optional. He only gave 1 (very easy) assignment a week and despite it being easy and quick, it was very helpful in understanding and practicing the material. Exams were straightforward and graded fairly. I cannot recommend Allan enough. If you have the chance to take a class with him, you 100% should.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/17/2024
For reference, I review all my professors, and my average review is 4.2, 4.13 if you weigh by credit. Singularities/Unique because: - Weekly half-hour long assignments (due Fridays) - Teaches as if he were telling a story; keeps you engaged and honestly wanting to know what's next, in a way. - Follows posted COVID recordings perfectly through 12 or so weeks, though I usually went to lecture. Lecture attendance was about 40%. - 3 50 minute exams from hardest to easiest: M3, Final, M2, M1. Median ~90 for all midterms. - MATLABs (4) have guides and are self-explanatory - No quizzes, and discussions are not graded in any way. - Lots of optional practice work that is quite helpful but not "required". I give a thumbs up for: - His competence, he's been teaching for a while, has a good system/schedule and sticks to it, no surprises. - He knows the answer to most questions before they're asked, doesn't go on tangents, and is largely a dry humor guy but has his other funny moments. You might not like: - Starts teaching just a few minutes late sometimes, and goes over by that little bit to compensate. Perhaps something to consider timewise.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a D
Anonymous
05/17/2024
Convinced that this prof has dishonest reviews… For a math instructor, he wrote out more english on the board than math… The weekly assignments and monthly MATLAB projects seemed like a waste of time. Also, the exams are weighed very heavy and he gives no partial credit. On top of that, there’s no curve in the class and there’s like over a 100 students. When an average exam score was high he made the following exam even more difficult. Save your time and take someone else.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/17/2024
Absolutely goated. He makes lin alg actually interesting and is very clear when explaining concepts. He has so many resources for us that you could probably just pick one and only use that one for the entire semester (including lectures). He posts a schedule/syllabus on canvas with which chapter of the textbook we're covering each lecture, so you can get away with skipping lecture and just grinding the textbook. He also has a folder of lecture recordings from COVID that cover every topic in the course. You can narrow down each lecture recording to like 15 mins of content because the rest is just examples. Of course, you could just go to lecture.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/11/2024
Far and away the best math professor I've had here at UMD. He posts lecture videos, practice exams, has really easy weekly homeworks, and very doable MatLab assignments. He explains concepts that at some points get somewhat abstract in a way that just makes sense. An absolute GOAT.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Anonymous
04/30/2024
I’m sorry, but he’s just not a good of a teacher as the comments say he is. It could be that Lin Alg as a subject is very dry and has a lot of proofs, but Allan doesn’t really go in depth for the examples and the Matlab assignments can get a bit confusing if you’re unsure of what’s going on in lecture. Theres a LOT of note taking (well it is a math class ofc) but the pace of the class can tend to be a bit too fast, especially for those who have never seen Lin Alg before. I found better success watching the Covid lecture videos and mostly YouTube over going to lecture. I wish he had 4 midterms instead of 3 as there is so much content crammed into one exam which covers a lot. He’s definitely a nice person, but my experience in this class has not been pleasant to say the least.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A
Anonymous
03/11/2024
The Goat. The absolute Goat
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
02/28/2024
great
Allan Yashinski

Anonymous
01/19/2024
nice
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/23/2023
Probably the best STEM prof ive had over my 5 years here, great lectures, fair exams, practice exams posted, and recorded lectures. A goat
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/21/2023
This professor is overrated. He wasn’t friendly or encouraging at all. Exams aren’t too bad, however, he does throw in some curve balls and he doesn’t give too much partial credit either. Also, He didn't curve the class even though a test average was in the low 70s. The final is worth 30%, so don’t expect a walk in the park…
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/20/2023
Great class
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/20/2023
Fall 2023: 5 MATLABS, 3 Midterms, 12 HWs. To begin with, HANDS DOWN he is the best professor I've ever had. He is incredibly engaging and clear in teaching linear algebra. I ended up not going to class in person for most of the semester, but the videos were clear, concise, and very easy to understand. Put it at 1.25x if you find him a little slow. The MATLABs are easy though the last two might take a little more time. The sample tests he provided were very accurate for the 2 midterms and final. Still, the third midterm diverged from the sample material a little (resulted in a median of 70 on that test, but it usually hovered around 80-85). Homeworks are very easy, but great for testing your understanding. Do the list of extra textbook problems and you are set. As other people said, he is the GOAT of the math department for sure. TAKE HIM!!!
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/16/2023
Good teacher and provides videos if you miss class (though I think going to class is better. Homework can be demanding if you procrastinate. Matlab is actually not completely terrible like it was in Diff Eq
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/12/2023
Allan is a fantastic professor, he explains concepts super easily and makes linear algebra extremely enjoyable. Additionally, every lecture is posted online, so no problem if you miss a lecture! He grades very fairly and has practice exams posted for every exam, you should jump at the opportunity to take a course with him. The only thing better than the course itself is Allan's ponytail (if you are reading this Allan, never cut it).
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
11/29/2023
4 matlab, 3 midterm, hwk (these are very short and purely for a grade and not practice) every week but not during midterm week, and a final. He provides practice mids and finals. Also extra a list of extra textbook problems. Recorded lectures, but first class i genuinely tried to make it to every lecture possible. Undisputed goat.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
10/27/2023
Professor Yashinski is truly one of the most impressive math professors I’ve ever had. He has a way of making linear algebra very easy to understand, straightforward, and honestly enjoyable. I can’t think of any of my previous math professors who would be able to make math this easy to follow. He gives great examples and often starts a lecture with a short recap of the previous lecture, and any relevant previous material, to make sure the class truly understands the concepts in this class. He’s really good at linking old knowledge with new knowledge. If you get the opportunity to take a class with Yashinski, do it.
Allan Yashinski
MATH401

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
07/18/2023
Had him for MATH461 and decided to take MATH401 with him as well. The class was a good experience, and Allan was always quick to reply to my countless emails asking for clarification regarding the content. The exams were very fair. The work load isn't light per se, but it helped me understand the content.
Allan Yashinski
MATH401

Expecting an A
Anonymous
07/11/2023
**Note: I took this as a summer course.** Allan is extremely adept at explaining math concepts beyond theory. He is helpful, understanding, and genuinely wants students to succeed. I found this course to be much easier than 461 because I learn best through real-life examples... and this class is all about real-life examples. We used free online textbooks, but I found that the lectures were enough. We covered a different (yet related) subject every 2 days with group work due at the end of the second lecture. The group work is done during lecture time and is basically a work sheet that you can talk through with a couple other students in a breakout room. Similar to his 461 class, MATLAB was a major part of the homework. I'd highly recommend making a class GroupMe and meeting separately on zoom because some of the homeworks can be long and difficult. Exams were fair; it was open note, open book, and had similar questions to previous exams (he provided previous exam solutions). However, a lot of people felt rushed to finish the exams on time. The average exam score was 79%, with the median being 82%. Pros: - Recorded lectures - Groupwork is probably a completion grade... don't quote me on that - Useful feedback/explanations provided on homework submissions - Open note, open book exams Cons: - Some homework problems take hours to figure out - May not have enough time on exams - Lectures aren't directly engaging or personable, only 1 other person had their camera on
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/28/2023
unbelievable professor all around. Lectures were great and every lecture is also posted online. Weekly assignments are easy yet useful. Matlabs are easy. Exams are fair, not time sensitive whatsoever, and are very similar to the practice exams he gives. Hes also a really nice guy that wants to help out his students. 10/10 could not recommend him enough. I went out of my way to take math401 with him the semester after taking math461.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a B-
HashedString
05/26/2023
I did somewhat mediocre in the class but that is entirely my fault. He teaches pretty clearly and has COVID lecture recordings all posted. It's easy to follow the content due to this. Additionally, he posts 3 sample exams for every midterm and final which makes reviewing nice. Every exam ran around a flat ~80% average which is decent. Be warned though that your grade on the exams can swing a little bit due to the fact that they have like only 4 questions and there's only some partial credit. Homeworks are fair and usually pretty easy to get max points. Matlab projects are easy but very tedious (like all math matlabs) His lectures are a decent mix of theoretical content and practice problems done step by step.
Allan Yashinski
MATH463

Expecting an A+
andruepabloske
05/24/2023
Allan was a great teacher! He explains concepts clearly, has fair exams (though they’re not a walk in the park), and he’s a really approachable and nice dude. I would definitely take another class with him.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/20/2023
Fantastic lecturer. Weekly home works that should be easy if you're not behind on lectures, and 4 MATLAB projects that are also fairly easy. He provides 3 practice exams for each midterm + final, and the actual exam is similar to the practices. Note that there will probably be no curve because everyone tends to do well in this class.
Allan Yashinski
MATH463

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/06/2023
He is a good teacher and content isnt too hard he explains the stuff well
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
04/12/2023
class is easy and he is nice
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/22/2022
BEWARE! Allan will spoil you for other math professors; it only goes downhill from him. He makes sure to actually teach, not just have you memorize what he writes on the board. He makes it so I could actually understand why each process works. With the extra time he takes to make sure his students understand the material, there is not much time for practice on discussion days, but it is honestly worth it more than you could know to the point where I wish all professors did the same. He is also approachable and actually gives a damn about his students. He is always quick to respond, makes an effort (that is not cringy) to connect with his students naturally, admits his mistakes, and sometimes adds humor to the lessons. Yes, Allan does not curve the class, but his exams are beyond fair. I never needed to look at the textbook once except to look at the questions for the homework problems, and I still got over a 95% in the class. He allows you to work on homework and MatLab problems with others. He also posts past exams (first through fourth and final), which are more than enough practice for the actual exams. Overall, he is an incredible professor, and if I were you, I would sign up for his class even if it is an 8am.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/12/2022
Thoroughly pleasant, easy to understand, and fair lectures. I really don't like the course material and as such the material was a bit difficult, but he really simplified it as much as one could. Exams were fair and very similar to the sample exams he provides, and the only thing that ever really hurt my grade on the exams were the slightly more out-there conceptual questions, generally in the form of T/F.
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/02/2022
Might be the best teacher I've ever had. Clear lectures, helpful, understanding, funny. Everything you could ask for in a teacher.
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/01/2022
The instructor's teaching style worked really well for me. I was able to really understand the content because the professor connects everything to concepts we have learned in the past. He goes over the past concept briefly to jog our memory and connects it to the new concept. This is especially helpful because there is only so much we can remember as students. His grading policy is to the point and very helpful. He gives very good and fast feedback for his exams. Past exams were provided for practice, which was the best resource we could've asked for. The exams followed a similar format which was very helpful. I spent many late nights restudying the concepts learned in class to better apply them to complicated problems. The example problems are easier than the exam problems, that kind of makes it harder to prepare. Allan is very approachable and will give you time to clarify any doubts you might have. I would highly suggest taking him. He scuba dives into the content, but it is not too hard to understand him. The class itself requires a lot of work, so be prepared to spend time outside of class to do a bit of self-studying.
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Expecting a B
Anonymous
11/26/2022
Very nice and understanding, his lectures are very thorough, and he also posts them online for you to watch ahead of class if you want to.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
09/08/2022
Very thorough lectures, he makes things very easy to understand. Exams are fair and homework can be tricky but not too bad.
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Anonymous
05/30/2022
Allan is a great professor who really knows his stuff. He explains concepts very well and provides a lot of resources, like lecture videos and previous exams. However, the exams for this class were unnecessarily difficult and nothing was dropped or curved. And the exams were also weighted very heavily in your final grade. If you are very confident in your math abilities and actually want to learn, this course will be a nice challenge for you. If not, definately just take 241 instead of 241H, cannot stress enough.
Allan Yashinski
MATH401

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/20/2022
This class is one of my favorite math courses I've taken. It takes linear algebra and shows various applications for it. Allan did a great job in lecture explaining the concepts. The homework's were representative of what was discussed in class and Exams represented the homework's. Groupworks were very helpful for practice and helped to clear up and confusion you may have. Overall class wasn't too difficult and if you study for exams you can easily get a B.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/17/2022
Yashinski is the best math professor I have ever had. He is very clear with what he is teaching, and his exams were at moderate level. I don't think this course was stressful. Matlabs and weekly assignments really helped me understand the material, so make sure you do them!
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Anonymous
05/14/2022
Lectures are interesting and help you understand the topic very easily, take him if his class has a spot.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/04/2022
Great professor. Explains things extremely clearly. Take him if you can.
Allan Yashinski
MATH401

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
04/10/2022
Class follows a predictable format: a few lectures, groupwork in class, then homework due, and then the cycle repeats. 12 topics and 4 exams that aren't cumulative. so each exam touches on roughly 3 topics. My one gripe is that sometimes the homework problems he writes himself can be a bit nasty to do. Usually they don't take too long, but you have to sit and think about them for a bit. I have learned a lot though!!!
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/27/2021
He puts effort into the lectures and you end up with very thorough notes (he writes out what he speaks to make it easier to follow the content) but some of his explanations are a little bit convoluted. Although the homeworks and MATLAB are straightforward (except for the last MATLAB project), your grade is essentially entirely dependent on the four midterm exams and final exam. The midterm exams are challenging --more so than the exams given by other professors --and they aren't curved or dropped (so the cutoff for an A is a 93).
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Anonymous
12/22/2021
He does his best.
Allan Yashinski
MATH241H

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/21/2021
Sure Allan is good at explaining topics and he seems to be a pretty nice person, but he places unrealistic expectations on the student. He got rid of any quizzes, so your grade is dependent on 4 exams, 4 Matlab projects, some homework’s and a final. The homework’s and Matlab assignments do almost next to nothing at improving your grade, so your grade is almost solely dependent on the exams. On top of this, Allan does not drop any exams, doesn’t curve anything, and has his cutoff for an A set to a 93. Don’t be discouraged though, remember those homework assignments I said do nothing for your grade, yea, he’ll drop one of those.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/21/2021
Allan is an amazing professor. However, like any math class, your ability to do well in his class and understand the lectures heavily depends on if you practice what you learned during lecture daily. Do this, and going to class won't feel like a bore but a really enjoyable experience. The notes you write down during are also really good for understanding the material, if you were unable to focus during class. In addition, he is extremely helpful during office hours and will make sure you have a thorough understanding of the concept you struggled with.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting a B
mewuzhere
12/16/2021
Good professor, not my favorite lecturer. The course was super organized and everything was laid out nicely. The homework and exams were fair. The schedule of the course was clear and followed very closely. However, I found the lectures oftentimes focused heavily on the parts of definitions rather than giving an intuitive understanding. Although there were many times that intuition was given, it felt backwards. A long-winded definition usually came first and I found this overwhelming. Overall this was a decent course. I would not necessarily recommend Allan but I would certainly not avoid his course. I would not be unhappy taking another course with him.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2021
Professor Yashinski is the goat for this class. He's able to easily present the material in a digestible fashion, and the textbook is relatively easy to follow along. I usually studied along with the textbook, but make sure to also go through his lecture notes because there can be some random facts that can show up on the exams. He also has lecture videos (provided for my year) which gave even more information if you miss a lecture. The homeworks are a breeze and the tests are very similar to the past tests he gave as well. You'll do well if you practice the exams. He's usually also the course chair for this course so the final is also not too hard because you'll be used to the type of questions he will put on a test.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/14/2021
As basically everyone else has said, Yashinski is an amazing professor. The only reason I am expecting a B+ is my own inability to take a test without making stupid arithmetic errors (or suddenly forgetting the concept behind a 10 point question). Content is explained amazingly and except for some weird theory-related topics, it clicked pretty much instantly for me. The only grades in the class are 6-question weekly online assignments, 4 MATLAB projects, and the exams. The online assignments are great for making sure you actually understand material as you go.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/09/2021
Content was all very well-explained, though I mostly just watch the videos. Exams felt super fair and if you did the homework you should be more than adequately prepared. Required homework load was pretty light, though there are optional homework problems you can do for practice. MATLAB projects were actually really good review and generally pretty cool. Would highly recommend.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/06/2021
Solid lecturer, tests follow from practice exams and aren't too bad. Have a graded online assignment due every Monday night which is only grade beside exams. Would recommend.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/20/2021
Amazing professor. Very concise and well-explained lectures. I had a terrible math professor last semester, and taking 461 with Allan was the perfect way to recover from such a bad experience. Exams were definitely tricky, especially the later ones, but I thought they were 99.99% fair. There's one question I'm still scratching my head over, but either way, I think he did a good job. The online environment felt very similar to the in-person one, which was nice. The MATLAB projects were pretty easy. Very efficient grading.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a P
Anonymous
05/18/2021
I do not think Allan is a bad professor at all, in fact he is one of the better professors at UMD. However, I do not think he did an "amazing" job with the online semester as most of the reviews are stating below. The lectures were great and he was great at explaining things, however, his exams were essentially a race against the clock. The grades on the exams averaged in the B range, which is actually great so it may have just been me not doing too hot, but for students who don't do well in time pressure, it is highly important that you have a deep understanding of the topics. Some of the questions on these exams were also iffy and people tended to lose a lot of points on True/False questions which is something to look out for. Sometimes questions on the exams were stuff that i had never seen before, and this is coming from a guy who did all the optional homework too. Overall, I definitely think he is a strong professor, just dont let your guard down and be lax about the class because it really is not an easy A
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
04/21/2021
Allan is one of the best professors for MATH240. He explains concepts well and his exams are very fair. Homework is optional but helps you prepare for the quizzes and exams. Expect similar questions from quizzes to exams. Sometimes homework has a few harder questions but usually these are to challenge yourself and never appeared on exams. If you have to take MATH240 take it with Yashinski.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A
Anonymous
03/29/2021
Ignore the 1 star review below. 50 minutes is pretty much the standard time most math exams are, even online. His exams are very similar to homeworks, so if you don't do the homeworks, you obviously won't do well on exams. Otherwise, Allan is a god-tier professor.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a C-
Anonymous
03/12/2021
This professor gives 50 minute exams on tedious long material and he doesn't care at all that we can barely finish it. It's a race, barely even a test of your comprehension, it's so stressful. People who are not so speedy fast at calculations fail, even when we study and understand the material. I don't know why I haven't seen a single review on here or on ratemyprofessor about this, because if I had seen a warning like this I wouldn't have taken him.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
01/16/2021
Yashinski's online class was probably the best online math class I've ever taken and will take. His lectures were extremely organized and he explained tough sections well. Homework was suggested, not turned in for a grade, but I doubt you could pass without doing it. Quizzes were same as the homework problems but with different numbers. Exams were similar to past semesters but about 2x the difficulty. I'd say studying the older exams would be your best bet. I personally have a hard time paying attention to lecture videos so I stopped watching them halfway through the semester and switched to just reading the textbook. The textbook for this course is amazing so if you learn well from a book and like math, you'll have an easy time.
Allan Yashinski
MATH403

Expecting a B
Anonymous
01/15/2021
Great lecturer, really knows how to communicate complicated ideas. I expected this class to be harder, but as long as you keep up with the practice problems and homework it was pretty straightforward. I got super stressed at the end due to taking more classes than I could handle along with an internship and started slacking in 403, got a 54 on the final but if I didn't, I could've easily done a lot better, maybe gotten an A.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
01/12/2021
Had him in Fall 2019. He is simply put, one of the best professors I've ever had. He is clear and engaging during lecture, and it is remarkable how he makes such a complex topic simple to understand. Homeworks are not required, but are strongly recommended for your own success on exams, which were very fair. If you see Allan teaching a class, TAKE IT!
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/11/2021
Excellent lecturer, his videos are very clear with great examples. Exams were also not too difficult.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
01/11/2021
Awesome professor, would definitely recommend. He's pretty understanding, explains concepts well, and has reasonable tests/quizzes.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/21/2020
Very good lectures. Some of the quizzes and exams were a bit more difficult than I was expecting, but overall it wasn't too bad. My main criticism is that some of the MATLAB assignments took forever to grade (one assignment from late September was still not graded by the week of finals), but this seems to be an issue with the TAs than with him.
Allan Yashinski
MATH403

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/11/2020
Awesome professor. Great, clear lectures. Difficulty is fair; pretty much what the material demands. But keep up with the lectures and do practice problems he assigns and you'll be well-prepared. He gives great, in-depth responses to any questions you ask. You can tell he really puts effort into the course and cares about it being taught well.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
12/09/2020
I felt he handled online teaching amazingly well. Lectures were asynchronous (this semester) with each one broken down into separate parts. He closely follows the content from the textbook and presents it in a very clear manner. The organization is great and he really knows his stuff. Homework and discussions were not mandatory, except for ~weekly quizzes which were held at the end of discussions. Lowest two quiz scores are dropped. We got plenty of time to do the MATLAB projects and "take-home" style exams.
Allan Yashinski
MATH405

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
06/14/2020
Dr. Yashinski is a very good professor at upper-level math courses. You learn a lot in his lectures.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting a C-
Anonymous
12/21/2019
Alan is a really nice teacher but lin alg can be really boring. If you sit in the back, it may be hard to hear him or see what he is writing on the chalkboard so sit as close as you can!! This was one of my mistakes. Honestly I thought this class would be my easy A but I was wrong. Once you fall off, you really fall off since every lesson is based off the previous. (It was hard for me to be on top of doing practice problems for this class b/c I was focused on CMSC216 and CMSC250). This class is not challenging but that does not mean that it is not a lot of work. Doing the recommended practice problems really help for the weekly quizzes and definitely do the practice exams!! I learned the lessons better by going to discussion!! My TA (Chula) was really good at reteaching it in a more simplified way and I learned more from going to discussion than lecture.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Anonymous
09/05/2019
Yashinski is quite organized in presenting mathematical theorems and then doing practice problems to help us understand what they look like in application. This is a huge plus compared to the other lecturers. He also avoids that fatal flaw with math professors/lecturers where they teach one thing, and then the whole exam is much harder than the practice problems or there's some derivations that you didn't learn in class. If you're looking for success in math, as tough as it is, he is your... second best bet. Nobody can really beat Justin Wyss-Gallifrent in teaching math at UMD.
Allan Yashinski
MATH402

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/04/2019
God tier. Easy to understand; presents theorems followed by examples. Midterms are mostly straightforward with one or two fun, more challenging problems. Interesting material.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A
Anonymous
04/06/2019
Really good lecturer, kinda funny. Exams are pretty easy as long as you study.
Allan Yashinski
MATH240

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
12/11/2018
Great professor. Funny and engaging, explains concepts very well and is fair with grading and exam questions. I wish midterms had more time but what can you do? I feel like I really understood linear algebra from the way he taught it. I know his style isn't best for everyone, but his style was perfect for me.
Allan Yashinski
MATH461

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/31/2017
Teaching: He's a great teacher, explains concepts well, pretty much on par with the required textbook. Chill guy. Format: There are two midterms. The second one is harder than the first. The difficulty with getting an A in this class is the true false questions. A lot of them are similar to his optional homework problems, but there are so many of them to study that most people end up losing points on the true and false. I got a 93 on the first exam and a B- on the second one due to mainly true and false errors. I ended up with a B+ in the course, since the final was hard. The weekly quizzes are easy and based off of examples quickly taught in lectures, even though they're supposed to be based off of the optional homework. The matlab projects are very straightforward. The hard part is the exams. Since there is so much material to cover, its very easy to forget important varieties of problems, some of which you may have hardly seen which surprisingly appear on exams. MATLAB Projects 15% Quizzes 15% Midterm Exams 40% Final Exam 30%