Wai Lau - Seattle Pacific University

Professor: Wai Lau

Department: TBD

College: Seattle Pacific University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: MATH3238
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Can be a challenging grader, but if a student does the hard work and completes every assignment he will make sure that your grade will reflect that. Fully completing every webassign assignment is the key to passing vector calculus.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MAT1236
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Very high grading standards. Be prepared to get a lot of minus points for skipping a single basic step and not following his unreasonable standard way of answering and notations. 1-2 quizzes per week that are difficult and often not discussed in class. Unapproachable outside of class and dont even try to negotiate points for the tests.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Exams are literally a stapled packet of every quiz youve taken, just with slightly different numbers. Quizzes are really hard, but you study the solutions he posts after you take the quiz, making the exam really easy.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

So much homework I had no time in combination with my other classes to get it all done. I tended to prioritize his work and attended all of the study tables that he hosted. I read and looked at least 3 to 4 different video tutorials for all the work we did in the class, but Wai created problems that seemed to forget the basics.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MAT1226
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Harsh grading standards where missing even a single step results in the rest of your work being completely crossed out and ungraded, docks points if you didnt format the exact way he wants it. He also thinks that theres only one way to do math and doesnt seem to understand that some people might learn differently. Unapproachable outside class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Bonus points in plenty if your work looks neat

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MAT1226
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Expect to be studying a lot if you wish to get a good grade in this class. Though the course was lecture heavy, it was not saturated with material that would help you with homework, quizzes or exams; there is an exploratory aspect to the course that will blindside you if you don't know about it before you attend that first day of class.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MAT1236
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Homework heavy but as long as you do it and understand it the class is actually pretty easy. Specific formatting of questions is important, but not hard to learn. Great professor that was easily accessible outside of class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MAT1221
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Pros: Wai is a fun person who explains things clearly. Cons: Do you want to think? Don't take this class. Do you want to memorize list after godawful list of steps and be graded with unreasonable harshness for the execution of each step to his exact specifications? Take this class.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Be sure you write everything from the board, or you will receive zero to no credit. He is a very tough grader because he is super anal about the way things are written down. If he teaches you 1 way, do it that way, or no points! Don't expect help! DON'T BUY THE BOOK! Only online code for WebAssign. Study groups are highly recommended! A lot of hw!

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

First off, his tests are not hard because they are exactly like the homework and quizzes. Also, I think Wai is a very generous grader as long as your show your work and follow his format. All I did was go to class and do the homework, and I got an A. I definitely recommend Wai.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MAT2401
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He's funny and engaging and participation is important. He'll work with you on credit - he gave us points back on an exam and on homework overall. You have to be ready to work to do well and you need to follow his format for problems, but at least he's clear about what that format is.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Although I understand Calculus conceptually, my Algebra is mediocre. I have not taken a math class since my senior year in high school. Wai Lau has made me, and others feel bad about there ability to perform more advanced algebraic simplification when needed. This man is rude. He has provided me with much anxiety. Don't take him.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: LINEARALGEBRA
• Grade Received: C-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Wai is easily the worst professor I have ever had. His assignments are very unclear, and often cover information that he did not discuss in class. I wouldn't recommend taking classes from him to anyone if you can avoid it. His accent can make him difficult to understand, and his lecture handouts are tough to follow. IMO; a terrible teacher.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Wai is a really hard grader, and at times made me feel a little crazy with uncertainty. But, I do feel that he has prepared us well, and you barely have to do anything for class notes - he gives you printed notes every day. If you are a math major or minor, take his beginning calc class, but if you aren't serious, you should probably avoid him.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• 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:

Wai is the most organized and entertaining professor I have ever had. His lectures are clearly laid out and he explains things very well. He also makes a lot of jokes that help liven the mood. High but helpful WebAssign homework load, but don't buy the text book. He does have a slight accent, but it is entertaining at most. Favorite Prof thus far

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Wai is very easy to talk to but kind of hard to understand.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MAT1234
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Thing you should know about Wai before taking his class is that: 1. His accent is distinct so might have some trouble comprehending. 2. He expect highly from students, its your responsibility to catch up. 3. He's funny! One of the professor you will enjoy the time in SPU. 4. His webassigns are extremely hard. Be ready to spend a lot of time on it

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MAT1235
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Wai is AMAZING! He is a difficult grader but he tells you what he expects and you get used to it. He structures his classes well and is hilarious. Wai looks out for his students and actually cares about them. Take Wai, especially if you care about math or are a math major.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH3237
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Wai is an extremely difficult grader and you can expect a hard class with a heavy workload. However, if you want to learn something well, take him. I learned a lot more from his class than I have in most of my other math classes. Also, be sure you have studied your calculus carefully, especially if you're a transfer student.