John McCleary - Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY

Professor: John McCleary

Department: Mathematics

College: Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Worst professor I've had at college. Dropped his course (Multivariable) bc he was unhelpful & condescending when I asked for help in office hours. He said something like you SHOULD be understand this, this is easy stuff. Made me feel bad that I wasn't as "smart" as him and wasn't able to follow his math since he obviously skipped steps.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MATH127
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He clearly knows his material well but is unable to teach in a clear manner. Rude. Use of "obviously" and "clearly" is condescending.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

he's such a sweet man, always remembers me and talks when i see him around campus. however, he is VERY tough, and doesn't explain topics too well. lectures are very theoretical and can be hard to follow, his tests are difficult. he is always willing to help you though, and is kind. he's far too brilliant to be teaching. 2 midterm exams&1 final(+hw)

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH339
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

McCleary is only willing to put effort into you if you demonstrate that you want to learn. Show up to class, talk to him, go to office hours. Tests are hard, but you magically get a decent grade at the end of the semester. If you have questions, save them for office hours. He doesn't read those end of class feedback forms, just FYI.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

McCleary is a great person, and he is really fun to chat with. However, as a teacher, his lectures are confusing and way too theoretical to useful during homework or tests. The man is too smart to be teaching.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Would not recommend a class taught by McCleary. Although he is nice an obviously highly intelligent, he does not convey the material clearly and does not make learning easy for his students.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Very smart person, poor teacher. I love math, but his lectures consisted entirely of proofs and were very hard to follow. Professor McCleary is not good at explaining difficult concepts, and he fails to see where students are struggling. What's more, he makes you feel awful when you ask him questions, and can be really mean.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof McCleary is a really nice guy, but he struggles to convey information well. His lectures were dense and I ended up teaching myself most of the information from the textbook and Khan Academy. I would recommend the class only if you're willing to work to understand the topics, as he's not great at answering questions.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

When one asks McCleary the Martian (or the McClearyBot5000) a question, you will note that it does not understand human patterns of speech that are not precisely stated in axioms, propositions, and logical deductions. As a result, you will fail each of his classes. It's okay. Most do. Don't go to class, but take the final anyway with self study.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH127
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's a brilliant guy, but has some difficulty communicating clearly with his students. Go to all of the SI sessions and you'll pass

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH127
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Not very helpful during class. Cannot communicate clearly and does not understand where students are struggling.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: 339
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He's way better than people say! Very nice and helpful in office hours. Let's you do corrections on your homework. His classes are hard, but he's flexible with due dates. He's never been rude to me.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH127
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Really a terrible human being. He was outright rude to anyone who asked questions and refused to explain concepts in any way besides proofs. Also, he cancelled the final and retroactively turned the final quiz into the final. Not recommended.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: 126
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

He's horribly unclear. I went to him for help and he was borderline insulting. I dropped the class.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Holy God this man is a genius! GENIUS! But he has the ability to convey that genius as much as an ostrich does. Lectures are primarily proof based and do little to help explain things in context. You pretty much spend 3 hours a day reading and re-reading your textbook teaching yourself. To be fair I never attended office hours either.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Love McCleary. Funny guy. Lectures were clear with logical steps if you could keep up. Good class, great professor. I would like to think that we're friendly with each other now too

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Prof. McCleary is patient and I don't actually think he is rude or arrogant. However it is true that his lectures are so hard to understand. I have to watch Khan Academy videos to learn stuff. His workshop is too difficult. His intention to let us discuss is wonderful but it just doesn't work well. Good to try if you believe you are smart enough.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

very difficult, incomprehensible in class. He is so smart that it's difficult for him to empathize when you dont get something. But he is a nice guy.... Just study a lot more than you think you should for the tests

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The worst experience of my life. He was so mean and an awful teacher. He is demeaning and rude. I was afraid to ask questions in that class. If you are thinking about taking that class and think hmm it can't be that bad. NO JUST NO it is awful and he is the worst teacher ever. Save yourself the torture.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH220
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

True, I relied on the textbook a lot, and my in class notes weren't very helpful. But overall McCleary is a good professor. He cares about his students and knows the material well. If you ask the right questions he will gladly explain concepts. And those explanations are good, even if his lectures are a bit disjointed. Overall I enjoyed his class.