Ron Cytron - Washington University in St. Louis

Professor: Ron Cytron

Department: TBD

College: Washington University in St. Louis

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CSE247
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

A lot of what's needed to be said has been said. He's a good lecturer, will answer questions promptly, and responds to advice (people this semester complained the lecture speed was too fast, so he slowed it down).

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Flipped classroom. At first the videos were very helpful/informative. By lesson 7 everything went downhill, the videos stopped teaching the material well & by week 9 all hope was lost for learning. THERE WAS SO MUCH HOMEWORK. Towards the end it was completely overwhelmng. Learned a lot of java. Need good time mgt. Exams were fine. Easy to get an A

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CSE547T
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I really regret taking this class, I thought Cytron was good before taking this class because he was pretty good for 131 and 247. But he just doesn't know how to teach this class, and very messy syllabus, the average for the final was around 60, but he does not do anything about it...

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CSE547T
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Mundane lectures and does not stick to the syllabus at all. Accessible to meet outside of class but looks down on you if you don't know the material. Not good at answering questions.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Professor Cytron was one of the rudest professors I have ever met. He was incredibly disrespectful to both students and other faculty members. I witnessed him many times yell at students during office hours for not understanding the materials and I have also seen him be rude to his fellow faculty. No adult should behave the way he does.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

The reason why he has gotten such good reviews is because people know him as a celebrity from the videos or have had very, surface-level conversations with him!Ron Cytron is maybe the most horrible human being I know; frequently yells at people for not understanding, talks down to students and adults, and makes life hell for people he dislikes! NO

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

He is really good at explaining CS concepts to beginners. He made somewhat complicated things simple and he is so far the best CS professor I have met in WashU(I have not taken many CS classes). Midterms are fair and doable, the course itself as an introduction to CS is an easy GPA booster as long as you complete all labs and studio on time.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Professor Cytron is great! He's very nice and you can tell he wants you to learn. Had him for both 131 and 247. 131 has his online lectures, along with weekly labs and studio with classmates. 247 was hard - labs and exams were very difficult. But Cytron as a professor is awesome.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Cytron is a celebrity at Washu, for good reason! He takes massive pride in CSE131 as it exposes CS to students for the first time and he does what he can to make it enjoyable/less intimidating. This course has a TON of support, w/ an army of TAs who will help. Tests are never too difficult as he gives you everything you need to do well.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• 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:

This class is a lot of work if you have no programming experience, but putting in the effort will get you an A. Labs can be hard but exams are fair and a sheet of paper is allowed. Cytron is an awesome guy and the lecture videos sort of make you feel like he's a celebrity, but he makes himself super accessible to students.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Amazing professor. Makes comp science so approachable and hands on and is always willing to help. He will learn your name and make you feel like you exist despite the 600+ students that take 131.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CS131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

131 is a great course. A good amount of work, but not too hard. Even in such a big class, Cytron is approachable and extremely helpful.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CSE431S
• 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:

First off, Cytron is the gem of the CSE dept., bar-none. However, he wasn't fully on his A-game for 431 - it's a difficult course, and his lectures can be a bit monotone and meandering, although if you can stay focused they're very solid. Learning curves for labs are absolutely brutal. Still a solid class, plus he wrote the textbook.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CSE247
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Cytron's a really nice guy but he doesn't make the class that interesting. Lectures can be pretty boring and he drowns you in slides, and the labs are just "fill in the function" so they don't really help. The difficulty is pretty tame though compared to other engineering courses though, and he's always looking at ways to improve the course.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CSE247
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Great professor who actually cares.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CSE247
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Honestly I don't know why people give Cytron so much high score. He is simply an interesting person, that's all. His teaching is useless, and his grading policy is highly unreasonable.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CSE247
• 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:

Excellent professor - knowledgeable, cares about his students, and passionate about computer science. I switched my schedule so I could take 247 while he was teaching it.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Greatest professor/teacher I have ever worked with. Prof. Cytron got to know me on a personal level in a class of 600 kids. In addition, he has an amazing ability to explain complex concepts in simple, everyday terms. I wouldn't have continued on my computer science education had I not had him. His exams are also incredibly fair.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Wants you to succeed and learn and love comp sci. Truly a saint

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CSE131
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Cytron is respected by many. Really helpful and clear, and obviously wants you to like comp sci. The class can be time consuming, but it's really easy to get an A if you put in the time and seek help (TAs were my saviors). Extensions can be stressful if you don't start early enough. Exams were easy. You come out with a basic sense of Java.