Jim Smay - Oklahoma State University

Professor: Jim Smay

Department: TBD

College: Oklahoma State University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

The only way to pass the class is if you have the test bank. The guy's a terrible lecturer. He quizzes you on topics he went over that same day and expects you to know them. Labs are interesting and you do learn more from them but the grading is very ambiguous and hard to figure out. I haven't learned anything this semester at all :/

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Exams are pretty different than the material discussed in lecture. Feedback given on labs is poor to nonexistent. Lecture slides are available online but won't help you study for quizzes and exams. Labs were pretty fun but the lab reports were graded ambiguously. He doesn't assign homework though, and occasionally he drops some good jokes.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Does not properly teach material. Very interesting class but left with very minimal knowledge of subject. Lots of quizzes which are difficult to complete only looking at the lectures but copies and pastes lots of answers from previous years. Overall one of the worst professors I have had at OSU (threw an exam and quiz on homecoming week too)!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Labs and lectures are irrelevant to the exams. There are no in class examples which makes tests almost impossible. Also, when looking at old exams be careful! Most of the time his math is wrong and he pays no mind to how units cancel out. So more often than not his answer key is incorrect. This class is absolute nonsense. Avoid him iff possible!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

TEST FILES! That is the only way to do well in this class. He uses exact questions from old exams and quizzes. Once I learned to use the Test Files, I began getting A's on every test because I would memorize the question he was going to as based on his "List of Topics" sent out the night before Exams. Also, a 75% is an A.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Not a fun time.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Cool professor. Lectures were semi-interesting. There isn't any homework in the class which is a bad thing because he doesn't work example problems so you don't get much exposure to the types of problems that are on the quizzes and tests. Find a friend with test file so that you can get some practice otherwise it will be very difficult to do well.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3323
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

he just sent out the topics for our AM test at 10pm the night before. he has no respect for his students due to his tenure. he only teaches material science, so thankfully he can only ruin those childs life. but good luck

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• 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:

Material taught is irrelevant to what is on exams and quizzes. Labs are absolutely useless.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Smay's Mat Sci class is impossible unless you have access to multiple versions of his old quizzes and test which he reuses over and over, if you can get access to those then you easily be able to get at least an A or B. He also never assigns homework but you will have to do five lab reports. 12 quiz (only 10 for credit). 3 midterms. 10 Bonus pts

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Most annoying thing is that he sucks at teaching yet he is unapproachable and outright rude guy. I never thought I would do so bad in this ENCS course. It was becoming so hard towards the end of the semester that I went for even counseling. His quizzes are full of irrelevant questions not even related with the lectures. STAY AWAY FROM HIS COURSE!

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• 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:

As a junior at OSU, he is the worst professor. I have attended every single lecture of his. His example quizzes and exams do not correlate with the quiz or exam you will take. He said himself "this is a broad subject so therefore I must ask narrow questions".... makes since?... I think not. He asks too much out of his students.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• 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:

Absolutely ridiculous class, a nice guy but a terrible lecturer and class organizer. Be prepared for obscure grading requirements on even more obscure questions.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Well aware guy. Believes in the effort of the students, and actually reading the textbook instead of blindly following his lectures to get through such a hard course, regardless who teaches it. Past quizzes and tests are useful. He doesn't include example problems because its practically useless. Verylittle math. Doesn't "hold your hand" throughout

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• 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:

Hard to think anyone enjoys his class. He starts with a 15 points curve to the class.. Quizzes and Tests are ridiculous and couldn't have come from his slides or lectures. If there were ever a teacher to avoid this guy would be it.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

I loved Smay's Materials Science class. Really great guy!!

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Smay is too horrible to bear. I dont wanna say anything about him.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Smay was never approachable. Rarely replied to emails, refused to talk about grades, didn't have hours or TA to help. He does a grad program in Tulsa so he is never on campus. Very boring uninteresting guy. Lectures were never important. Studied practices quizzes and tests and hoped he put those on the real stuff. Quiz every week. Just a rude guy

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Smay is a horrible teacher and it is clear he is just at OSU for research and they force him to teach. I generally like ENCS classes and I'm decent at chemistry, but this class was by far the hardest class I have ever taken. Not because the material is difficult, but because the tests and quizzes do not cover anything taught in lecture.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: ENSC3313
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

By whatever means necessary, DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE. The exams are NOTHING like the quizzes, which are NOTHING like the lectures. He takes pride in confusing you past the point of no return, and even has said himself that he wouldn't be able to sit through his own lecture. You will learn nothing, and be stressed beyond belief.