Mike Scott - University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Professor: Mike Scott

Department: Computer Science

College: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Pros: Fantastic lecturer Fun assignments Good coverage of material Exams are tough but fair Cons: Assignment handouts are overlong, yet fail to cover important grading criteria, creating a needless reliance on Piazza... Way too many TAs; some can't comprehend much beyond basic Java... Automated grading can feel arbitrary, style even more so...

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This lecturer is very great. His lectures and interesting and he explains things very well. Attendance is mandatory and there is one quiz every week. His grading is very clearly laid out and tests are not too hard. He posts old tests to use as study material, so preparing for tests is very useful.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mike is an amazing professor, and it is obvious that he has perfected this class over the years. He has clear grading criteria and his labs, though time-consuming, will make you learn a lot. He has released all of his past exams which you should study with because they are difficult. Although not easy, 314 with Mike has been incredibly rewarding.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mike is the best professor I have had. Before taking his 312 class, I had no coding experience at all. After that class, I felt somewhat knowledgable, and after 314, I feel significantly more so. He gives is a lot of work, and the tests are honestly pretty hard, but the class is so fun and interesting if you are willing to put in the work.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mike Scott is a force of nature. Mike Scott is unpredictable. Mike is love. Mike is life. In all seriousness, it was an amazing class. The tests nearly killed me, but I made it. This class was more stressful than working in commercial refrigeration repair, which is largely composed of fifteen-hour days in the blazing sun on someone's roof.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CS312
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's great for people with CS experience, but for people without any experience in CS it'll be very difficult for you to do his exams, quizzes, and programming assignments. Overall, he was alright but I felt bad for anybody who didn't have any CS experience. He is a harsh grader on the assignments, mediocre on the exams, and easy on quizzes.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CS312
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Mike is a great lecturer and explains concepts really well. The assignments are not terrible, just don't wait until the last minute. Also make sure to compare your output with Mike's output as they are really picky about that when grading.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Assignments and exams were straightforward but grading is very strict and penalties are high. Assignments do take a lot of time but are doable.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CS312
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Difficulty if you took CS before: Fairly Easy A. He was a really good lecturer and great at explaining concepts. The assignments were the appropriate length. The amount of effort required was just right. It seems like this class has been fine-tuned to be close to optimal.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CS312
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Fantastic lectures. Prof. Scott genuinely cares about your learning; him/TAs are very helpful during office hours. Assignments are not too difficult if you put the work in. He provides plenty of exam prep material. Gave me a solid foundation in programming. Overall, a great experience.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

An instructor doesn't get any better than this, you just have to put in the work

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Fantastic professor, taught fundamentals well.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CS312
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I loved this guy, he was well spoken and definitely knew what he was talking about. However, never in my life have I had such terribly strict grading, I already took intro to java at A&M and did well, but I would literally spend hours on assignments and get a 40 if my output was off by one character. Tests were way to long and left me with no time.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CS312
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I left the Computer Science major for a reason, but I still think that he was a good professor. At least he gave engaging lectures and had a sense of humor.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Great professor who keeps lectures interesting and informative.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CS312
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

One of the best professors in introductory Computer Science anywhere. Crisp, clear, and heavily detailed lectures that drive in necessary concepts for you to be able to advance to the next level. Absolutely amazing.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CS312
• Grade Received: C-
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Listen. If you struggle with anxiety beware of this class. I took programming all through high school but had a hard time in this course. I went to office hours often but its very stressful because there are so many other students there. Scott isn't very accommodating towards students with disabilities and CS in general is a neurotypicals only club

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mike does a really good job making sure you understand Data Structures and basic Java programming well. I've learned a great deal and can immediately apply my knowledge to projects, interviews and internships. You have to work hard in his class and do multiple practice tests to do well, but he grades fairly

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Michael Scott is a great lecture, I actually really enjoyed going to class each day. The assignments are doable but take lots time. Spend most of your time studying for tests, they're the majority of the grade. The grades are fair and you can use Mike, TA's and Piazza for help. Download the chrome extension Mike's Got Style to get an A in the class

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CS314
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This is the hardest class in my freshman year. He gives amazing lectures and you can learn a lot of things through his class. Homeworks are time-consuming and graded pretty strict. There are two midterms and a final add up to around 70% of the grade, tests are somewhat difficult. In all, this is a great class but need to take a lot effort.