Michael Olmert - University of Maryland

Professor: Michael Olmert

Department: English

College: University of Maryland

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENGL479F
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Absolutely amazing professor. Super interesting and insightful. really pushes you to do more with your life and take more risks. if you show initiative he'll set you up with opportunities to succeed. has lots of great connections! grading is kind of unclear, but not unfair. Doesn't give anyone a bad grade unless they genuinely don't care.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENGL445
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Olmert is undoubtedly amazing if you know how to finesse a class. He is unorganized, but is so knowledgable if you can follow his lectures. He is VERY passionate about the books he'll have you read in class and as long as you love the books and show interest in them, easy peasy!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENGL346
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Olmert is the best professor I've ever had. He's not very organized, so that might be hard for some people, but if you can get passed that, he's a brilliant and very kind man. I want to take every class I can with him. I learned more from him than I did from all my other professors combined, and he genuniely cares about all of his students.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENG454
• 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:

I took a study abroad course with this professor in London a few years back. It was a horrible experience. He has quite a temper and lost it quite a bit over the course of the three-week course. He seriously got into it with one of the students and they actually left to go home early because of it. Arrogant and inappropriate. Don't recommend.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENG310
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Olmert is amazing. I was in two of his classes twenty years ago, and I still remember things he's pointed out. It's true his classes are not for sleeping through, but totally worth it. Changed my life for the better.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENGL479
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Do the work and show up to class. Take good notes, as exams will have questions on things he mentioned once in passing. Definitely an interesting experience, class was never boring!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: 379T
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Honestly the smartest teacher I've ever had the pleasure to know. His lectures can be hard to follow but if you're into this type of stuff (aka English) any class he teaches is more than worth the work you need to put into it.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENGL454
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

One of the most brilliant professors you will see at this University. His classes can be rigorous if you're expecting a typical linear lecture style. I would say attending class is mandatory. The man is an encyclopedia and you will learn so much just listening to his tangents. Do the work and this professor will make you a lifelong learner

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENGL0100
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

The BEST

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENG454
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Loved his class! And so does he, drama is his passion. You really have to do the reading but if you do the work and really engage in class he'll cut you slack on deadlines and assignments. I took this class 5 years ago and I still remember what I learned.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENG452
• 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:

He's honestly a genius. He's not easy, but if you just sit there and absorb everything he says you'll be thankful.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENGL311
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He is one of the worst English professors I have ever had, and I love English. He makes you buy $200 worth of books and barely touches on them. His lectures are unorganized and involve him randomly cursing and throwing random facts at you. He is very intelligent, but his teaching style and the class is just horrendous.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENGL244
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If you live and breathe theatre, then you will be likely to love Prof. Olmert's classes. But if you just have a healthy yet casual interest in theatre and thought ENGL244 would be a nice CORE class, please do yourself a favor and think again. Olmert's lectures are unorganized and arrogant, and he expects you to memorize EVERY random thing he says.

Rating # 14

Overview:

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

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

Comment:

Hard to describe his class, it's not typical. He's a very interesting, brilliant guy. A shameless anglophile-he'll teach you a lot about British language and culture, whatever class you take from him. You either like him or you don't. If you do, you wind up taking him over and over again and get easy A's (you just have to get through the 1st time).

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENGL300
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

This professor quite literally changed my life. I never really looked at anything the same again after spending time in his class. He even made Shakespeare fun...

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENGL452
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Olmert is an AMAZING professor. He is extremely knowledgeable and makes lecture fun and interesting. His quizzes require some studying and the books he picks are far from boring. The only problem is his lack of structure - no schedule of syllabus and sometimes random rants. But definitely worth it!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENGL311
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENG241
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Olmert is funny and a down to Earth kind of guy. He knows a lot and wants to share everything he knows with his students. Unfortunately, this makes his classes a bit confusing because he lectures on topics that are all over the place. But if you show up to class, take decent notes, and have a good TA then it's actually a rewarding experience

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENGL241
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Lectures are all over the place, and you have to go to lecture becuase his exams are drawn right from the notes. The novels are pretty good, if you do the work, this class is pretty fun.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENGL241
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Personally, I enjoyed this class. Olmert is smart and clever. He jumps around when lecturing but is full of information. Makes class fun and interesting. Take good notes though, exams are all from lecture notes.