Phillips, Mel  

If you know something about programming, then this class is for you. Dr. Phillips expects everyone to be a programming genius. We had 16 labs and each one was due during that hour. 50 minutes for a lab is not enough time for everyone to complete it. It seemed that only two or three groups fininshed on time, everyone else had to take it home for half credit. On the midterm, I got 8 points marked off on a 10 point question just because I didnt call other methods even though my code still worked.

Hard teacher. Labs are panic sessions. Midterms are hard. Teaches alright. Uses the words "stuff" and "things" in his lectures. Likes to teach in a mathmetical fashion. Accused me of sleeping in class when I didn't. Conclusion: Good teacher, demands A LOT, and is a prick of a guy

If you know a lot of programmin already, Phillips is probably a fine teacher. But for those who have not had anything but csc101, he is very difficult to follow. he teaches a lot of stuff that is not in the book adn then quizzes you on it. His tests I felt were very difficult. They included a whole lot of "...the other day in class, we discussed.... blah blah.... show me an example of the 2nd way we discussed to do this..." and other such things. A lot of refference to the class "labs", which are not labs at all because no computers are used, but rather are lectures centered a little more on the programs. The programs are not too bad, but he grades very sparingly so it's not hard to get full credit one most of them. He seems pretty disorganized and only once wrote the program description down, which was really annoying. His lectures are often times scattered and it is hard to keep up. He uses words like "stuff" and "this" and "thing" which is kinda funny except when you go home and realize you didn't really know what he meant by all of that "stuff" he was lecturing about. The quizzes are not too too bad but the tests are really hard. Take someone else if you can.

Dr. Phillips is NOT easy, but you LEARN MUCH!!! His tests are based on the lectures and programs are fairly easy if you pay attention in class and don't procrastinate!!! He's very helpful in office hours. What I liked best is that this teacher teaches you "stuff" that's not in the book! AND it's interesting "stuff!"

I would definitely recommend this teacher. He has many years of teaching experience and he knows the material very well. The tests are difficult but he allows you to use your notes from the lectures. The labs can be difficult because if you don't finish the assignment in the lab time, you can't finish it later. Although frustrating at times, this forces you to solve problems and learn to finish before deadlines. One of the finest qualites of Dr. Phillips is that he makes his expectations of the projects very clear, so you're not trying to figure out what he wants for hours.

The work load for this class was very appropriate. Professor Phillips let us build on our code throughout the quarter, rather than have us rewrite classes for every project (Hitchner). I am a very good student, and I got a B. Primarily because Mel Phillips is the most anal-retentive teacher I have ever had. He would mark off heavily for the most minute errors on tests, and was often highly unreasonable when approached in office hour. I would take him if you have shitty priority. Peace.

The final exam was a killer. If you are after grades, DO NOT take Phillips.

Phillips is tough, but very fair and realistic. If you have a difficult time understanding equations and why you're using them, he's not the prof you want. I had a tough time, but he was fair, and I highly encourage taking any and all questions to his office hours, where he is VERY helpful. He tells you what's going to be in the labs days before hand so you can prep for them, so any lab failure is usually your own fault...but the labs and projects are pretty easy overall. The tests WILL KICK YOUR BUTT unless you prep for them BIG TIME. He's strong on the mathematics portion and you really need to know your stuff. Find someone who's taken the class before...it helps more than you'd think.

Although certain circumstances beyond my control prevented me from achieving the grade i wished, I nevertheless enjoyed this class. I believe that Mr. Phillips is a good teacher but his lectures are at times scattered. But his quizes were only common sense, he would tell you exactly what would be on it, only unkown was when or if the quiz would occur. His tests were quite difficult and his lab style is that more suited to a job, which i believe is the point. If you know youre stuff and enjoy programming where they give you free reign, then this is your teacher. If you are not necessarily on top of your programming game it would be probably difficult for you to deal with this class.

The course material is not easy, but Phillips is one of the fairest professors I've come across. He actually pays attention to students' concerns without coming off as impressionable. His tests are almost strictly from lecture, so it helps to take as many notes as possible in lecture. He is extremely helpful during office hours, especially if you frequent his OH and he knows your name. He is be no means easy, but you learn the material, and that's what counts.

I think he's an excellent teacher. His exams are not easy, but he dosent stick to the stupid text book, he teaches you things you want to know for the REAL (ya hear that? REAL!) world. In fact, i didn't read the text book at all. The vast vast majority of what he covers he has already explained in class. He's very lively and i found it impossible to drift asleep in his class.

I thought Dr. phillips was an excellent teacher. I took him for both 102 and 103 and enjoyed them both. His tests and programs are fairly challenging, but I learned the material very well.

If Staley = God, then Phillips = Jesus!!!

I had mixed feelings about Prof. Phillips, but that doesn't diminish the fact that he is an excellent instructor, and one of the best I've ever had. His labs are time limited and a major panic situation at times, and you will not be able to do them if you don't keep up with reading and in-class discussion topics. A lot of his lectures don't follow the textbook, so take HEAVY notes. Study groups are a must to review topics, especially if you're not a good notetaker. Another option is going to his office hours, in which he is very helpful. Midterms were pretty murderous, but he has a really cool deal with the final (which pretty much saved my butt). It was a bit of a surprise that his final was so easy (anyone care to second that?) compared to his other tests, since most profs do the opposite in that regard. In class, he's a humorous and attentive lecturer, well able to answer questions and provoke thoughts. Excellent professor.

I had the luck of taking Dr. Phillips for 102 and 103... Trust me if he ever teaches 102 and 103 again take him. I'll be straight to the point. STUDY YOUR ASS OFF!!! Take good notes because everything he says can be turned into a test question. He'll basically tell you whats on the next lab or you can get it early from the FTP and think about it at home. His projects aren't too time consuming if you plan out your time.... He has no patience for people who wait till the last minute to start their programs. Also go to his OH and get to know the guy.... Most people don't like him but in OH he's much friendlier and doesn't mind having a casual conversation about C and other things while in OH. Attending his OH also gives you some brownie points when it comes to grading time. He also looks higher upon those who go to OH because he moans that no one ever comes to OH except during the final. Go to his OH, ask questions... This class was so much easier after taking 102, his tests are pretty hard and his final was near impossible... But still he's the best teacher I had for the CSC series... he even took me under his wing when I got dropped into 102 because of AP Credit for C++... He's a great guy but you got to work your ass off to get anything higher than a C in this class. If you like a challenge take Phillips... Just my 2 cents...

Mel is a challenging and compassionate instructor. His tests are pretty brutal (average score on the midterm was 68%, no curve, thankyounotsoverymuch); my suggestion is to study the algorithms he presents and think about variations on the algorithms. The book doesn't help too much. CSC 103 would be easier if there were a better text, but I've looked and there are none. They all pretty much stink. Mel's labs can be demanding in terms of time restrictions. However, he gives you a "heads-up" on the content of the next set of labs, so you shouldn't be taken too much by surprise. In other words, he helps the concientious students prepare and lets the passive students use as much rope as they need to hang themselves. If you go to his office hours, he is helpful and as generous as anyone with his time and attention. You get the feeling he is pulling for you, guiding you toward knowledge. The projects he assigns are completely realistic (whether you use canned or home-grown data structures in the future, you will need to understand the algorithms and inner-workings as he proscribes), and he lets you know which parts of the projects would differ from a real-life situation and why. After his class, you will be so far ahead of the game, you can legitimately smirk smugly at the rest of your peers, especially the 109ers.

Yeah I got a C in his class, and I certainly had to work for it. Because I didn't have Phillips for 101 or 102 and I struggled with new concepts that other students who had him had seen before. 103 is not a typical programming course like 101 and 102 because a lot of it is theory and algorithm analysis which you can't really program. The tests are probably the hardest part of the class, not because I didn't know how to do the material, but because they were worded in such a way that I didn't understand what was being asked. If you don't average a 60% on both midterms, you automatically fail the class, and that was my biggest obstacle. It's not as easy as you think, about 4 people I knew in my class alone gave up because they got 30s on the midterm, and about 10 others got below 60s on the first one. The class average was around 65%. The teacher: he can come off as a hard-ass because he expects you to know a lot of stuff that he(not other teachers) taught from the previous 100 series courses. I would suggest going into his office hours or hiring a tutor(which I did) to catch up with the students who had him before. The labs vary, some easy, and others that come down to the final minute because once the minute-hand hits 12, he's outta there. To sum it up: You'll work your ass off but I learned more than 101 and 102 combined in 103.

Phillips was an excellent teacher. Sure, he is a hard teacher, but it made me work and really understand the information being presented. I think he did a good job of presenting material and he was very helpful in office hours. His tests were hard, but the final was very do-able if you studied hard. His lab exercises are challenging but you should be able to finish most of them easily in the 50 minute lab period. Overall this was a great teacher.

Prof. Phillips was a great teacher. If you're the kind of person that needs to be walked through every program, lab, and test, then don't take this class. There was never any assigned homework or reading material, you were expected to use the book as a refrence for what you didn't completely understand from his lectures. There were ~20 labs, but they weren't too difficult if you were on top of the material he was teaching. His midterm and final were a kick in the nuts, you really need to know your stuff or you will fail. The projects were demanding, but not too difficult if they were started before the last night. Going in to see him during office hours is a something you must do, even if it's just to say hi and introduce yourself. I got 10% added back onto my midterm grade when I brought it into him, and he would help with the logic for the difficult methods in the later programs. Overall I would rate Prof. Phillips just behind Staley, only because Staley's lectures were more amusing.

Phillips was by far the best teacher I had in the 101-102-103 series. He's helpful during office hours, and seems to generally want his students to succeed. Only negative point was that our implementations were significantly different from the way it was presented in the book. Make sure you write down every word he says like its the word of god- the book isn't going to be much help when you're studying for his tests.

>>> DEAR FRESHMEN OF 2005. <<< If you're trying to decide which teacher to have for 103, take Prof. Phillips. I'm one of those "slow students" in the class, and yes, struggling trying to maintain that "C." However, like the majority of my friends in this class in Winter 2005 Quarter, we can mostly agree that he's a superb teacher at presenting the material. Keep in mind that 103 is basically CSC 141 but implementing it into programming. THAT IS WHY YOU TOOK CSC 141 BEFORE CSC 103. He will GRIND you on those Midterms but if you are doing adequately on Labs but Excellent on projects, you might manage to pull a C or higher. Now, many of you hate thinking of "C's" in college, but face it...103 is a tough material but Phillips presents it the best. Highly Recommended to have.

Yes, I got an F in his class, but it was totally my fault. I failed the first project and midterm and couldn't get back up. If you're willing to put in the effort, though, and don't need the easy A, go for Phillips. You'll learn way more and have a good time doing it.

He is a hell of a lot easier than Brady. There is NOT very much homework in this class which is nice, but on the downside it makes learning the material a little more difficult. He is very good in his office hour so if you do studying on your own you can get really clear explenations from him. If he is teaching 349, make sure you take him, this class will not rule your quarter.

Very difficult class but the amount of knowledge and depth of that knowledge he has is outstanding! You will leave understanding the subject pretty well.

Do NOT miss lecture. The D+ I received was my own damn fault because I missed 2 lectures before the first exam, and I managed to blow my own wad on the second. Just like in 103, everything he tests you on appeared in lecture, whether he thoroughly reviewed the subject, or if he kinda blew through it. He somewhat deviates from the book a bit (especially with greedy algorithms), but it doesn't mean that the book will hurt you. I consider it a must-have (despite the heavy price tag). Anyways, the exams weren't exactly as hard as many have complained about (I could've done much better if I tried harder, personally), and most of what he tests you on is fairly appropriate in the context of the class (other than writing code for a memo-ized matrix chain function, which was the only coding material in the entire course). Just make sure you study for the 3 exams for longer than a Sunday. Overall, good professor, but take the exams VERY seriously. Although apparently, he's not teaching anymore (at least on a full-time basis).

Okay, this mo fo is quite possibly the WORST teacher ever...Notice i said worst teacher..he is a genius when it comes to programming and is very clever. But the guy has no clue how to relay information to students in a learning enviroment. He expects you to pretty much already know all the course material. His programs are pretty damn hard but he practically gives you all the code. His tests are a bitch hands down..But if your lucky you'll do good enough on the programs to atleast pass. If your the type of person who enjoys learning about the efficiencies of search algorythms you may love this class. Otherwise brace yourself for a reaming. On positive note, if you visit him in office hours he actually is quite helpful, and he won't make you feel like a total dumbass like he will if u ask a question in class.

Its a shame that Dr. Phillips doesn't teach more upper-division courses, instead of just the 101-103 sequence. I've taken him for both Compiler Design (CPE 434) and Theory of Computing (CSC 445) and thoroughly enjoyed his informative and thought-provoking lectures (as well as the awesome project in compiler design).

Its a shame that Dr. Phillips doesn't teach more upper-division courses, instead of just the 101-103 sequence. I've taken him for both Compiler Design (CPE 434) and Theory of Computing (CSC 445) and thoroughly enjoyed his informative and thought-provoking lectures (as well as the awesome project in compiler design).

This guy sucks ass! Im a wee bit bitter because he gave us our first midterm without grading our homework, basically I had no idea that I was doing stuff wrong. He doesnt give homework solutions, and he wont tell you the answers. On our second midterm he took a problem straight from the book. I had done the problem in the book and I had learned how to do the problem by reading the book. I did the problem on the test and I got it wrong. I went in and talked to him and he told me that the author was not "doing his own algorithm correctly". The guy was doing his algorithm correctly, Mel was not doing the fricking algorithm, he had his own. I was pissed. I did not get credit for the problem. I thought about mailing the author, tell him some dumbass was talking shit about him, but I never did.

Phillips is entertaining in class. But his tests are brutal. I worked my ass off to get a 'C' in this class. I didn't learn anything in this class.

Phillips is just an average professor. I didn't think he is exceptionally great like many previous ratings said. His lectures are confusing, and tests are tricky as hell. Really very hard to get a grade like a B even if you understand the materials reasonably well.

On the day we were asked to evaluate the professor, Phillips made a comment that he doesn't care how we rate him, and he is gonna throw away the evaluations. This really annoyed me. Most good professors at Cal Poly really wants to know what students think about their teaching, and they welcome suggestions from students. Phillip's comment made me feel like he doesn't care about the students or their opinions. He is a good lecturer, but he needs to streamline his thoughts and ideas and present it well. What I felt about this class is like his random thoughts put together. This makes it hard for us when he asks tricky questions during the test. I thought I was in a good shape in the class. It was really a shock to get a 'C' in this class. I understood most of the theory well, and I did pretty well on the tests and quizzes compared to other students in the class. The final exam was hard and after about an hour I just gave up. Watch out for his hard tests. Quizzes are often simple, and straight from chapter excercises.