Greg Allen - West Valley College, Saratoga, CA

Professor: Greg Allen

Department: Mathematics

College: West Valley College, Saratoga, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATH106
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Professor Allen is the best math teacher I have ever taken. His lectures are easy to understand and he is willing to help you whenever you need assistance. HE CARES ABOUT YOU PASSING. He gives weekly quizzes, but if you attended class and did the hw you should be fine. He didn't require you to purchase the book, as all HW was done online.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: 3B
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I don't understand all of these bad 3B reviews. 3B is a hard class. No teacher will make it a breeze. Greg takes you through the process more than theory and concepts, which some may like and some may dislike, but he shows you what you need to know as well as helpful shortcuts that you wouldn't necessarily get at a university. Highly recommended.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MATH106
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The BEST math teacher I have ever had and only teacher that helped me to really understand math concepts. If math is a struggle for you(always has been my weakest subject)take it with Greg. As long as you do the hw and put the work into the class, he will do everything he can to help you succeed.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH3B
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

100% the best Math teacher I've taken. His lectures are great, and he really cares about his students. Mr. Allen really goes out of his way to make sure you understand the material, taking you through step by step if needed. He's a conceptual teacher, meaning there's less memorization needed, and grades on that basis. Meaning show your work! 10/10

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: 3B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Anyone who can earn an A in this guy's class should automatically be awarded the fields medal. Was hard to see all the Math majors drop. Good luck with the handcrafted problems on his tests and quizzes if you take him.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: 3B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Allen does a lot of practice problems in class, tends to skip over conceptual stuff. If you're someone who doesn't like concepts and would rather just skip straight to "doing" math, then he might be your man. I found I had to teach myself every single lesson at home and know at least 4 others students in the same situation. Policy is fair though

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: 3B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

For the sake of your mental health and GPA, do not take him for any class higher than Algebra.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH106
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Personally I appreciate his teaching style. I love the big picture of m. problems & shortcuts. I don't understand some of the feedback on here b/c he systematically & clearly explains probs. Math takes work, but if you chip at it aka do the hw you're fine! There's a lot of content to cover, if you're lost utilize the free math tutors/his office hrs

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH106
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Greg is the best teacher I have had at WV, he really cares, wants you to pass & is gracious! Just show up every day, do the HW & it's an easy A. He always starts the class going over any Q's you had for the HW due that day. He uses the book instead of the online system and it's less than 2 pgs/30 mins of work (which isn't bad, just keep it up).

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: 3B
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He tells you about a quiz 3 days before it happens and tests a week before. It is an extremely hard class and having that approach to due dates is awful. The textbook doesn't really help and although I have used outside resources, I still was not able to do so well. I had to drop. Math comes pretty easily to me so it was shocking. Take someone else

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH3B
• Grade Received: F
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

If you learn math through a systematic approach (i.e. Step 1, Step 2), don't take him. He will explain a problem, and then in the middle of explaining the problem he will go off a tangent and offer a "shortcut" to that one specific problem. The "shortcuts" don't help people learning the concept the first time and will confuse you instead.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MATH3B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dropped in the first couple of weeks. Teaching style was incredibly fast paced and there was just no structure. Quizzes announced 2-3 days before and quizzes were incredibly hard. Said to watch videos and started with examples for lessons without even introducing the topic well. Be ready to get overburdened with homework and quizzes if you take him

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH3B
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

If you need structure, then don't take him. No calendar, so quiz days and exam days are announced in class. Quizzes are announced the week of (2-3 days before). Exams are announced a week before. Sometimes does not write all steps on the board (simplifies algebra in head. Skips writing cos(1) & puts 0 ), so you might be confused on how he got a #.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MATH3B
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Great guy. Very approachable and loves it when students ask questions. He will force you to be better at math. His tests and quizzes are adequately challenging, although never unwarranted in difficulty. Tows that line between "challenging" and "needlessly hard" perfectly.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MATH106
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He's super nice and will go over anything you need help with. I would say though he goes through topics really fast and doesn't really give you time to solve a problem yourself. He also gives a lot of homework it gets annoying to do. Personally I'm not a fan of the teaching style but he is a great teacher for others!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH00D
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Trigonometry was a beast. I am so glad I took it from Greg because he was approachable and caring. Halfway through the semester I told him I was dropping the class, and he worked with me to end up with a B. Gives makeup tests and extra homework to ensure we actually learned. One of the best professors I've had at West Valley!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ALG106R
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I took intermediate algebra for the summer and I have always been horrible at algebra 2. He's the first professor to actually explain things in a way I completely understand. He also really does care about you passing and will help you in any way he can. He's really funny and will lighten the stress a bit. Definitely take him if you can.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH106
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Usually I hate math but this teacher made it almost enjoyable. He uses an old edition of the textbook for math106 so students don't have to pay hundreds of dollars (YAY). There's a new lesson everyday and hw every night (kind of a lot of problems). He doesn't grade too hard on tests and he is lenient on turning hw in late. And he's funny!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CALC3A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I loved this class! He cracks jokes every now and then, which lightens the mood because math in't very enjoyable. I love how this class has handwritten homework, I prefer this over Webassign. His quizzes and exams weren't too bad. I wish he taught CALC3B!

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH3A
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Great teacher, funny and accessible. Wants you to do well in Calc. Be prepared to put in the work, but also don't think you're alone. He is totally willing to help outside of or in class and is dedicated to making sure you understand. If you're willing to ask, he's happy to answer.