Peter Kramer - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Professor: Peter Kramer

Department: Mathematics

College: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATP4600
• 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:

He has boring lectures with already filled paragraphs long lecture notes which are very difficult to follow during lectures. Exam questions are far different than practice exams and it is almost impossible to get extra points unless you're on top of the materials. There are no TA hours to help you either just office hours.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MATH4600
• 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:

The practice final exam is nothing like the actual exam. He is smart, but not really good at explaining the questions.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MATH4600
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not an ez A class, but also hard to pass, in terms of he is giving lots of bonus but meaningless. He won't really help you when you have no idea about the homework. The practice exam is easy, and the actual exam is really another world. But, you do learn stuff from his class. Of course, most depend on yourself.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• 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:

Lectures often contain topics that are not important for tests. Tests end up covering material he barely goes over.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• Grade Received: F
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Very intelligent man but he doesn't know how to be a teacher. If you're only looking to get your math requirements, avoid him. Otherwise, you'll be placed in a class with an extremely high bar that requires mostly self-learning/motivation to succeed. Extremely disappointed with my experience. Ruined my GPA and wasted my time.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MATP4600
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

A lot of homework with really huge extra credit which is no way to get. The hardest course

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• 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:

By far the most awful math experience of my life. I know I know, it sounds like I just had a bad time. There is no curve, your grade depends primarily on the tests, and the tests feel like they're written in another language. If you get above a 70% you're doing better than the vast majority. Wish I could go back in time and stop myself.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

This was the worst math experience I've ever had. Not only were his lectures terribly boring and useless, his tests were insanely hard and lacked the ability to accurately assess my knowledge of the subjects at hand. He would also ramble about things we didn't need to know during class which wasted time he could have use to better explain the topic

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Probably the best lecturer I've had. He teaches the material extremely well, going beyond the sequential and formulaic methods and really giving good understanding. He has optional homework which helps gain extra credit and the tests are easy A if you know how to do the math. If you are mathematically strong, he will be easy and you will learn a lot

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

A little awkward, and boring lectures, but not too hard to do well on the exams. Exams are similar to the back tests. Goes into details for the people that care about the subject, and doesn't require that knowledge for the people that don't care too much.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I found Kramer's lectures to be SO BORING. Could not stay awake in class. He is so smart, but he sometimes goes on and on about things that we don't need to know, and he admits that we don't need to know that! I did not do well on his test and that's what your final grade is based on. He's smart, but I wasn't convinced he should be teaching a class

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MATH4400
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Not many homeworks but they were super hard. The last homework of the semester had a median score in the 30's. Tests were very hard but had a lot of bonus points as a safety net for students who really understood what was going on. Even though it was difficult it was a really good class. Id take another class with him if I had the opportunity.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH4600
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He's tough but you will learn a lot from him. Going to office hours can really help and he's a cool nice guy. But getting an A is tough and questionably possible.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

One of the smartest people I've ever met and a great teacher. If you go to lecture and pay attention, you will learn Diff Eq. Otherwise you will not do well. Felt like I had actually learned by the end of the class, which is very rare among other professors for this course. He's kinda awkward but super nice and his tests have a lot of extra credit.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: STOCHASTICPROC
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is extremely smart and extremely good at teaching. He made hard things so easy to understand.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH2400
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Quite monotonous and thorough. I called it "DiffEq for math majors." His tests aren't linear, but studying his back exams can help. His tests are a bit difficult and LONG, so study a lot. Optional final brought me from a B- to an A in the class. Lots of extra credit on tests! By the end, I felt like I understood the material quite well.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MATP4620
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Good Professor!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH6790
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Great class, great professor. The homework problems were particularly helpful.

Rating # 19

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

He did a good job teaching the material, which is something that most of the people teaching 2000-level math courses at RPI have a problem with. However, his tests never resembled the back tests he claimed they would, or any of the material in the class or homeworks for that matter.

Rating # 20

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Dr. Kramer is an excellent teacher who knows his stuff. Made diff. eq. enjoyable, which is no small task.