Sara Soffer - Rutgers - State University of New Jersey

Professor: Sara Soffer

Department: Mathematics

College: Rutgers - State University of New Jersey

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CAL152
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Prof. Soffer is fabulous at teaching Calc II. She taught a lot of tricks in solving problems, which were extremely helpful. She did not cancel any lecture, even when she cut her finger! Although attendance was not mandatory, attending lecture was crucial to surviving Calc II. If I did not get an A in her class, I would only have myself to blame.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CALC135
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

If you have never taken calculus before, I strongly recommend taking a different professor. She does not post her slides online, moves quickly, and has an accent people may have a hard time understanding. However, her notes are pretty decent and her exams are easier than others. Don't take your phone out during class.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Soffer's teaching is often hard to understand because she goes extremely fast and doesn't post her slides online. While you're quickly copying her slides down, she briefly goes over the topic and expects students to memorize what she quickly describes. Wouldn't recommend taking Calc with her. The TA was good tho!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I took AP Calc last year, so I knew some of the material already. But Soffer's powerpoints are REALLY great, and explain everything literally step by step. Literally. She's not great at answering questions but the TA's are, and overall she does a good job of making sure we understand the concepts in class. Her tests are easier than other profs.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Sara, what can we say about Sara. She is a whole queen, and her accent just makes you wanna laugh. She's really not that bad but she is a little odd. She has a "copyright", meaning no phones and nothing she posts or writes can be shared or posted or she'll "Call her lawyers on you." Very good lectures and she has good tricks. Very enthusiastic.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Do not take Calc with Prof. Soffer if you have never taken calc before. She does not post her slides online, leaving it up to you to take good notes, as this is really the only thing you can study. Hard recitation quizzes, and limited office hours.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CALC136
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Teaches by powerpoints, which admittedly are good, but the issue is they arent posted online. So it ends up being worse than writing on the board and explaining everything. The tests really arent that bad. Very similar to the study guides. Homework every week and pop quizzes. Also will call someone out for so much as their phone vibrating.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Go to class, and don't use your phone. Don't be late either. To do well, write down every example she does in class and learn the super unique shortcut methods she teaches. I used to hate calc but she's a solid choice and made it much less complicated. She's a good choice for calculus. It won't necessarily be easy, but she makes it straightforward.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Soffer, while at times can be a bit unclear, did a great job of teaching linear algebra. She uses PowerPoint, which is not as bad as it may seem. Tests and quizzes are straightforward and fair. As long as you attend class, take notes, and do practice problems (i.e. the homework), you will find the class easy.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Shes probably the best linear algebra professor in Rutgers. Love her lecture and her power points are really clear with all important testing points. She is also a fair and nice person that puts a lot of passion in teaching. Just put effort in the course and you will be ok.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH250
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Her lectures were the best lectures I've attended at Rutgers. She genuinely cares about the student understanding the material and it shows. Her tests and quizzes were super fair and if you just show up to class, take notes, and go over the homework I can promise you she won't disappoint.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Take detailed notes of the lectures because she doesn't put them online. Do the homework and study the concepts. PRACTICE problems for the exams, she does give partial credit. She gives her tricks to make calculus easier. if you pay attention and ask questions, you will be fine. She is not half as bad as everyone makes her seem to be.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CALC135
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Might be far the the best math teacher I've ever had. This is coming from someone who failed algebra in college, and now I've gotten to the point where Soffer helped me pass Calculus. Really accessible outside of class if you need extra help and her homework/practice exams/lectures will completely prepare you for the exams. Thank YOU!!!!

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

What a crazy lady, and I mean that in the best way possible. Amazing professor, loved the way she taught, especially having had terrible experiences with my calc teacher in high school. Her powerpoints make everything really clear and her tricks are really helpful for the midterms and final, so definitely go to class. Do all the textbook homework!

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• 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:

I honestly really liked her. People dont do well because they dont show up to class. But, literally everything that we write in our notes is on the exam. Also, watch the videos she posts before exams, they are the main reason I did well on them. Dont challenge her or ask questions, ask your friends instead

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

She is basically the director of the math department, and students in her class always get better grades than average. She's caring if you participate more, or if you just come to every class and she recognizes you. She teaches with powerpoint though, and it was different, but it's not bad. Basically, if you study you'll pass though.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Worst professor I've taken . I already knew calculus which is the only reason I did well. She is very rude, and hates phones and is always yelling at people multiple times in one lecture which is extremely disruptive. Also mostly teaches off of ppts and doesn't really do too many examples which is a necessity for math classes.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• 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:

Shes very strict on the use of electronics during class, and does random attendance checks throughout the semester. Unfortunately she doesnt post her notes online so you have to show up to take notes. Her exams were extremely difficult, the only reason I passed the class was because of the final

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CAL135
• Grade Received: F
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Soffer is probably one of the worst professor I ever had. She is not willing to help any of her students, and if you do poor on her exams, she pretty much tells you that you are screwed for the class. Better off with any professor except for her! Switch out ASAP

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CALC1
• Grade Received: WD
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

She was probably the worst professor I've ever had for anything taken at Rutgers, I actually had to switch out of her class because of some things she said to me in front of a room full of people (and was taken to the head of the math dept.) Super hard exams, is rude, has a bad attitude and expects you to know everything in an hour and 20 minutes.