Shapiro, Jonathan  

Shapiro is large. But cool.

A decent math teacher, but you're only going to find worse from here. He's a good teacher in where he makes you understand the whole concept thing other then just doing basic derivatives and stuff. But that stuff kinda gets into a pain after a while. Good teavher, you're n going to find much better, having him for a low level math is good, but stay away from him when he teaches the hi ones like 241

Well, I think its very possible to acheive a decent grade in the class, but he doesnt present material clearly at all. The math book will be your primary learning device rather then the professor. After having a good calc teacher, I can honestly say that he is not one of them.

Hilarious. Excellent teaching, sometimes too fast. Final from hell, midterms from heaven. You can survive, just enjoy it and ignore your grade on the final, for it will be bad. I think I'd take him again..

He is a good guy and REALLY loves math. Ask him about his favorite function. The class was not too bad and he makes sure that you know your stuff. He's a bit quirky but livens up the class with a bit of humor. The tests were not too bad, midterms were harder for me than the final. Overall good teacher.

This teacher is absolutely shitty, anything i "learned" i either taught to myself or learned from my study session leader. His quizzes/tests, so long as you answer them neatly concisely AND write out what it is you are doing and why you will pass them, but yeah if you take him... which I STRONGLY SUGGEST YOU DO NOT, be prepared to put in many many many hours teaching yourself the material!

Shapiro clearly knows the material he teaches, however like many teachers I have had, he does not know how to convey the material to his class in an effective way. We is quite arrogant and likes to put others down. Also, I noticed that when a student asked a question, he could never just answer the question and then check for clarity. Instead, he would have to laugh, give a slight chuckle, or show he was clearly superior and the question was stupid in any way before answering the question. He does not like to go over material more than once unless you are in office hours, so if you ask a question in class, expect a short, mostly unhelpful answer. Do the homework and go to office hours at the beginning of the quarter, he will remember you and be nicer to you in class. Shapiro Fun Facts: -He has 6 shirts including Alaska, Star Trek, Mount Rushmore, and many (3...) more! -From his photos (which he loves to publish and receive recognition for) was wasn\'t overweight at some point in his life! Contrary to popular belief he could see his toes while traveling to Italy once! -Photography is a big hobby of his, Fall Quarter 2009 he won a photo contest in a local newspaper and loves it when people talk about photography -I got food poisoning from him (this is not a lie). He made cookies for us after we took his midterms and final. After the first midterm, I ate a cookie and was sick the next two days, needless to say I never ate another cookie from him. The gesture was a kind one though! -During our final (three hours), he fell asleep a total of six times, each time snoring quite loudly. It was hilarious. -I would estimate he weighs upwards of 330 lbs.

I would only reccomend taking this class if you REALLY WANT TO LEARN CALC. If you\'re just looking for an easy A then this is not the course for you. You have to explain what you are doing on quizes and exams and why you are doing it because he really wants you to be aware of what you are doing. When I didn\'t understand something I would go into office hours and he was very clear when explaining things but he expects you to really get the concepts. Take him if you really want to learn but don\'t if you\'re just looking for an easy course.

This professor was not good at all. If you answered a question right but didn't say it the way he wanted to hear it he pretty much said you were stupid and didn't know what you were talking about. He said his goal was to help me understand calc but he instead made it harder for me to learn the material.

Shapiro is smart. Very smart. Too smart. He loves math, he lives math. But as a professor, he's a bit lacking. His teaching style is a bit messy and unorganized and his pacing is very slow. The first two weeks were all about limits and understanding how they worked. I mean, if you absolutely love theory, you should take this man, because he absolutely loves theory, too. For me, there just wasn't enough application in the lectures and I slowly got lost. The midterms are tough, the final is even tougher (almost had a panic attack during it). Just study your ass off and you should do fine, just like any Math class. Shapiro himself is hilarious. His humor is very dry, but after you get used to it, it made going to the course actually worth it. Just be careful, I heard he destroys you during office hours. So prep your anus.

At first the class was very challenging, be prepared to explain every single step and detail. But once you get used to that, it isn't so bad. Professor Shapiro is very helpful during office hours and if you clearly put effort into the class he will care about you succeeding. Go to office hours often! Also read the book and ask questions in class.

If I'm being truly honest, I did not enjoy this class. I took calc senior year of high school, so I came in with a decent amount of knowledge. However, the way he explains mathematical concepts just makes things more confusing. Shapiro loves math theory and stresses the importance of UNDERSTANDING WHAT THINGS MEAN. On his weekly quizzes as well as his midterms, he will ask for definitions, so you not only need to know the definition practically verbatim, but also be able to apply the correct definition in a problem. He docks off points on quizzes if you forget one minor step, and quizzes are always out of 10 points. The homework is just busy work, and some of the questions he assigns are so difficult that he wouldn't even put it on a quiz or midterm. Some students would just copy the solutions from the solutions manual online or rely on Slader for answers. Quizzes and homework are weighed the same, which definitely helped my grade. The final was of a similar level of difficulty to the midterms. I recommend going to office hours if you have questions on hw, quizzes, or midterms. Also, from what I know, essentially no one read the textbook.

I would suggest not taking Shapiro for math, unless you're ready for a challenge. He doesn't present information very clearly. I found him incredibly confusing, and spent most of the course teaching myself from the book. I would not recommend him for calculus.

Shapiro's talks were very difficult to understand. I felt he spent most of the time in class confusing us with a bunch of theory instead of explaining how to do the problems. He grades random problems on the HW so you can really get screwed if you can't do 1 problem. His tests are somewhat difficult but he curves fairly. He curves the majority of the class to a B so the grades are ok. I wouldn't recommend him.

Mr. Shapiro has a hard time clearly conveying the topics and techniques used in Math 142. He has a tendancy to prove irrelevant things instead of showing examples of the kind of work students will be doing. He has an exceptional grasp on the concepts at hand and is very willing to share his knowledge. He is a better math enthusiaste than a teacher.

I'm sure that Dr. Shapiro is a very intelligent man. However, there is a difference between knowing the material for yourself and knowing how to effectively teach it. Be prepared for difficult tests, although he does have a fair grading scale. Also tends to start lecture early...be prepared if you take a morning class. Overall, a nice man, but I would not recommend him to any student who wants to learn from the professor rather than out if the text, nor would I ever want to take his class again

This was an honors class, and it was great that Dr. Shapiro made sure that we knew more than just how to calculate integrals. He was always available in his office hours, and really cared about what we were learning. He's the most enthusiastic professor I've had, and one of the best.

Mr. Shapiro is a very intelligent man. He has a very firm grasp on all the concepts that he taught us. However, he is unable to convey his ideas in a clear manner to his students. I knew this was an honors class before I joined, but his class is exceedingly difficult, especially because of his inability to deliver his ideas to his students. His tests are not all that hard, but since most people can't understand all of his lectures, the tests just seem all that much harder. I don't recommend him for a first-year class. I do believe that he would be a much better 300-400 level teacher that a 142/143 teacher.

Mr. Shapiro is a very intelligent man. He has a very firm grasp on all the concepts that he taught us. However, he is unable to convey his ideas in a clear manner to his students. I knew this was an honors class before I joined, but his class is exceedingly difficult, especially because of his inability to deliver his ideas to his students. His tests are not all that hard, but since most people can't understand all of his lectures, the tests just seem all that much harder. I don't recommend him for a first-year class. I do believe that he would be a much better 300-400 level teacher that a 142/143 teacher.

Dr. Shapiro presents the material very clearly and makes it a point to explain all new concepts thoroughly. I was his student for Math 142 and 143, which are both honors courses, and well worthy of that title. Dr. Shapiro will assign the week's homework on the Friday before it is due, so you will have plenty of time to get it done by the following Friday if you're willing to not put it off. He now gives plenty of time on quizzes and is lenient on grading as long as you explain your answers clearly (using a few words). If you like challenges and are willing to do your part, Dr. Shapiro will be the perfect Calculus instructor for you.

Dr. Shapiro presents the material very clearly and makes it a point to explain all new concepts thoroughly. He obviously knows the material like the back of his hand. I was his student for Math 142 and 143, which are both honors courses, and well worthy of that title. Dr. Shapiro will assign the week's homework on the Friday before it is due, so you will have plenty of time to get it done by the following Friday if you're willing to NOT put it off. He now gives plenty of time on quizzes and is lenient on grading as long as you explain your answers clearly (using a few words). If you like challenges and are willing to do your part, Dr. Shapiro will be the perfect Calculus instructor for you.

HOLD ON THERE! It's true that Shapiro does challange the class. The first quarter I took of him, he didn't seem to be that clear, but there's a trick to him. If you read the sections BEFORE his lecture, it all makes sense. I did this the second quarter, and his lectures were clear, he DID convey the material very clearly, and I really enjoyed the class. He does challange you, and give hard tests, but curves your over all grade of the class. He's a great guy and is always there for his students.

I took Dr. Shapiro for two quarters, and would have taken him again if possible. Yes his class is difficult, but I now have a better understanding of all that math stuff than I ever thought possible. He goes very in depth with the concepts, but is always willing to answer questions. He is great about helping out, especially in office hours, and it definitely does help to scan over the section in the book before class. His tests are tough, but the grading is very fair and he is great about partial credit. If you are up for a challenge, he is a great professor to take.

This guy is great. He presents the material clearly while at the same time keeping the class interesting. I hardly ever went through a class without laughing at leat once. Great teacher, great personality. Take him if you can

This guy was awesome. His class was funny, entertaining, and informative. He has a quiz every Friday, but he drops one so if you screw up its ok. He also drops the lowest midterm and curves the final grade. Completely into math, loves doing it, and that enthusiasm (kind of) gets passed to the class. Tests aren't that hard, if you know how to integrate you will be fine. The problems were very simple ones so you don't need to remember every identity in order to do well. Definitely recommended, get him if you can.

Take this class! So much fun, I loved the guy, he kept me laughing every class, and was completely enthusiastic. If you can get him, then do it. Drops a midterm or half the final, which is nice, and curves the final grade as well. Collects homework, but its only due once a week. Great class.

This guy's the man! Very enthusiastic about calculus and knows his stuff, and throws in sarcasm to keep the mood light. I was always laughing in that class. Take him if you can.

This guy rocks! The first day of class, he comes in and most will wonder where Poly picked up this guy, straight out of "Revenge of the Nerds." However, as the quarter wears on, you realize he's an amazing prof. He is probably one of the most excited professors I've ever had - he LOVES math, he LOVES teaching, and it shows. Prof. Shapiro also has an awesome sense of humor, and if you don't watch out he'll catch you off gaurd while the entire class laugh's their a$$es off at you. His love for the subject really helps him shine as a prof, and really helps the students get into the class and understand - he goes pretty fast, so you have to stay awake and think quickly to follow him, but if you ever get stuck he'll be more than happy to help. Tests and quizzes are graded the next day, and you even get a solutions sheet made by him to review from later. All in all, Prof. Shapiro rocks and I wish he was teaching 143 next quarter!

Can you say AWESOME? Because that's basically what Shapiro is. He grades on homework, quizzes, and midterms along with the final. He also drops your lowest midterm score or half of your final, which can really help. I took his class in the wee hours of the morning, but I actually went because he's super funny. He actually makes the material worth listening to because of the way he presents it. He's also very approachable during class hours or office hours if you have any questions - and he won't stop explaining until you're fully comfortable with the information.

Shapiro is a good man. He generally cares about his students. He gives weekly quizzes which are very straight forward. His homework is collected daily and thoroughly gone over. His tests are generally a compilation of all the quizzes. Take Shapiro.

DO NOT TAKE SHAPIRO!! He made class SO frustrating when it didn't have to be. He can't just EXPLAIN the material well & is incredibly unorganized. He is also usless when it comes to office hours--you end up even MORE discouraged and feeling stupid. The class is easy enough if you do all your work. Worst quiz gets dropped & worst midterm or half the final is dropped as well. Homework gets collected & graded (picks 3 problems out of 3 sections..) every Friday.

Shapiro is definitely an interesting guy. Some of things he would say and the rants/tangents that he would go on were hilarious! Math, he was alright. he makes you feel stupid for asking questions so don't raise your hand unless it is a really really good question. I took calc BC in high school and struggled a little but I did well. I decided to take it again to make sure i did alright in calc 3 here at cal poly. I really don't think i would have learned much from the class if I hadn't taken it before. He is not the best at explaining but the class is definitely doable. I barely studied and got A/B on midterm and did horrible on final...it was pretty hard. He was generous when it came to grading though. Tests are on the hard problems in the homework, sometimes the very same problem.

I'm not done with the class but i can tell you not to take this teacher at all. He does not explain throughly and has a big handwriting problem and therefore the students can't really take notes. He tells really lame jokes that don't make sense. His tests are hard especially since he doesn't explain the material well. Do not take him!!!

I have to say i absolutely hated this teacher. He never went over anything in class, but instead wasted most of our time telling us about the latest shows on tv. Whenever someone would ask a question, he would always make the person feel like an idiot. I rarely went to his class by the end because it was just a waste of time. It took him thirty minutes to get to the point and even then he would only do the easiest examples on the board. I took a math workshop for this class and also took it in high school which is the only reason i was able to pull off a passing grade. The only good thing is that his tests aren't too bad, he puts some fairly simple questions but still grades really strict. If you make one small mistake, like forget to put dx after an integral, he docks a large amount of points. Overall Shapiro is an awful teacher and i would not recommend him.

Shapiro is a terrible teacher. I picked fights with him in class I hated him so much. His jokes were bad. And he would scare the hell out of 1/2 the class by spontaneously yelling random shit. Quiz every week on material that he would do a terrible job explaining. He expected kids to devote solely thier lives to calculus. On tests if you didnt explain what you were doing or didnt follow the way he did things exactly (like put an equals sign next to every damn line HELLO thats what the new line means) he would dock big points. Barely any partial credit. Mid-terms and Final was were extremely hard. Like super hard versions of the hw. Expected you to know everything about the calculus book. But hey if you passed you knew your calculus really really well. LIKE REALLY REALLY WELL. And hes fat and wears only 3 shirts all year and I counted.

WORST TEACHER EVER. The dude cannot teach at all. He reads out of the book during class, only does examples from the book and then gives problems on the tests that you\'ve never seen before. Also, during the 2nd midterm HE FELL ASLEEP AND SNORED REALLY LOUD. Everyone laughed at his fat ass and he woke up. I don\'t know how this fatty has over 2/5 in this rating system.. he should be a ZERO. DO NOT TAKE HIM YOU WILL FAIL (unless you already know the material).

Good at presenting material, but half the class is spent talking about his son and other random things, which leaves no time for questions in class. Go to his lectures, but go to other people for help.

*I cant speak for everyone's experiences with Shapiro, but he isn't nearly as notorious as PolyRatings makes him out to be. Transitioning into this class was a scary process, albeit a good one. The class is fairly fast-paced and rather detail-oriented. I found myself struggling when I began to learn about concepts that I had never heard of or learned about on a calculus level (i.e. the concepts of Work and Cylindrical Shell Method). I went to drop-in tutoring to get help on Shell Method after I was shunned by Shapiro in office hours (which is now VERY easy) and I went to another type of tutoring to get help on the concepts of Work. The midterms and the finals grow in increasing difficulty but they still weren't that difficult. When you see ridiculous problems on the homework, most likely they won't find their way on the midterms. He always brings up the fact that you should read the textbook but for some chapters, it was difficult to understand the mathematical notation. His grading scale is very modest with an A (yes, an A, not an A-) being an 85%+ and a B being a 75%+. There are weekly homework assignments and a quiz every Friday starting the 2nd week of class [10 pts]. Usually, these aren't too bad if you memorize the key concepts of each week's lecture. And he's VERY generous with partial credit although if you write things he says NOT to like "= 0/0" then you will receive little to no partial credit. If your midterm scores are higher than your final exam score he will drop half of your final. If any of your midterms are worse than your final exam score he will drop it entirely. I'd say that the hardest part of this class is the deliverance [that's any college class, though] memorization of how to apply new methods, and recognition- as to when these methods apply. Due to careless mistakes, I screwed up on the first midterm but I got low 90s on both the second midterm and the final. Although I was enrolled in a workshop, sat in the very front of the class, asked questions when in doubt, visited numerous office hours, and went to tutoring you may need more or less outside help to get you through the class. With that being said, Shapiro is a very savvy man who comes with a witty sense of humor. I would recommend this class to anyone who would love a grading curve of an 85% and above to be considered an A. Good luck.

I came into this class not knowing what to expect from this guy. I had heard from upper classmen that had already taken Shapiro that he was a bad teacher. But to be honest, I didnt find him that way. Sure, in the beginning he was sort of weak on the teaching side. It was difficult to pick up his handwriting on the board and follow along to what he was saying. But as the quarter progressed, he began to recognize our struggles and began to clearly explain methods toward solving problems. He seemed to understand our way of learning and how to present the material. With that being said, Shapiro is probably one of the better teachers to have for Math 142. Not only does his grading policy have a curve, but the quizzes and midterms are fairly modest in difficulty compared to the ridiculous problems in the textbook. He assigns MANDATORY homework assignments every week, collected on Friday; which is very helpful because its extra practice before the quiz which he always gives in the last twenty minutes of Friday's lecture. He's class is fairly paced( I think we only were behind one section throughout the quarter). The midterms are moderate. I believe we had a 69 average on the first one but an 85 average on the second one. If you study the quizes and do some extra problems, you should be fine. The final was not as difficult as I thought it would be. He goes off the midterms in the style of questions. He has the policy of dropping your lowest midterm or half the final if both midterms have a better grade. With this, and the graded curve: 85% will get you an A, I think Shapiro's class is well worth it. The only negative's about Shapiro's class would be two things: 1) He's sort of sloppy. Sometimes it becomes difficult to read what he has on the board. So if you have poor eyesight, I recommend sitting up front. 2) He's very nit-picky about he's test. You have to explain in most problems, what you are doing. He is partially interested in not only the answer, but in the way you get to that answer. I remember this funny incident where we had a quiz on L'Hospital's Rule. Some of the students put the limit was equal to "0/0". The guy flipped! He gave us a lecture on how mathematically incorrect it was to put your answer as "0/0". Moral of the story: Don't write mathematically wrong statements! The class was ok being my first college math class. I got an A, I was also enrolled in a workshop which helped tremendously, but I believe most people can get an A in here. Goodluck!

On the first day, you'll think "Whoa, this guy is wayyy too picky, worrisome, annoying, and probably will expect me to know more than I should have to." Simply put, you'd be wrong. If you don't like math at least a little, probably another teacher would be better. But he will make sure that you know what's going on, and he'll drill the definitions only as much as he needs to. Best of all, though, he gives a massive amount of partial credit if you know generally what you're doing. If you are willing to show your work, it's very hard to do poorly in his class. Basically, he's better than most people give him credit for.

Shapiro presents material pretty well, his quizzes and midterms aren't too bad, but then when you are starting to come around to the the big guy, his final takes its big black dick and shoves it straight up your ass. He's also kind of a dick.

Shapiro is not as bad as he's made out to be. I took his class because I had last priority and he was the only 142 professor left. On the first day of class he tells you "I won't say there are no stupid questions because, of course, there are." But he's not as bad as he comes off on the first day. Although I sometimes felt like he lacked people skills (probably his biggest flaw), he does have a great sense of humor once you pick it up (it's really dry). His grading policy is pretty simple: 25% weekly homework and quizzes (I think homework is worth more), and 75% tests. There are two midterms and a final and he either drops your lowest midterm score or half your final score. I saw someone on here say he's good with partial credit, but to be honest I didn't get that feeling. He does give partial credit, but he'll often take off over half the points on a problem you basically got half right. Overall, I would recommend taking Shapiro for people who like math (and especially math majors). If math isn't your thing I wouldn't take him, but if you have to, it's not the end of the world. My advice for anyone going into his class: KNOW THE DEFINITION OF A DEFINITE INTEGRAL!

Polyratings gives the impression that Shapiro has improved as a teacher over time. This is not true. He is still obsessed with the nit-picky, explicit details, and will rail you on them until you wish you were never born. It doesn't matter in the slightest whether you implicitly know the math, or can cleverly get close to the correct answer, everything is black and white to this guy. His humor is still the dry crap you would expect from someone as egotistical and bitter as he is. Choose your wording carefully, and remember that rectangles and partitions (of length xi) are NOT the same thing - one is correct and one is hysterically stupid, depending on which came out of his mouth and which came out of yours. Don't expect to pass if you have any problems swallowing his self righteous bullshit, teaching yourself, or spending half your semester doing it.

I took Shapiro for 142 and I'm in his 241 class this quarter, mainly because I didn't have great rotation. Some positives: His 142 class actually wasn't that bad mainly because the subject was not that difficult. His calc 2 midterms were very straightforward and he drops either one of the midterms or half the final. Some negatives: He is very unapproachable with questions and scares a lot of his students. He is also very picky about exact definitions like the definition of an indefinite integral and will put a question like that on the test. His finals are also a lot harder than the midterm. Overall, I would take him for calc 2 but avoid taking him again for something like calc 4 when the material gets harder. He's not the schools worst professor but has a long way to go if he wants to be the best.

If you're looking for a professor with no sympathy, teaching skills or caring of anything, take Shapiro.

Shapiro loves math you can really tell. and he's damn sarcastic, it's hilarious. apparently, he's in a punk band, I wouldn't have guessed but i can see it. Anyways, his lectures are very in depth into the topic and usually gets to the point at the end of each hour but if you pay attention you retain a lot. He helps a ton during office hours. Take him.

Shapiro has a ridiculously rich understanding of the mathematics he teaches and he presents it with incredible clarity. Sometimes his monotone voice can be boring, but if you listen to him, he's coherent and logical. Also his exams and quizzes are really simple as long as you understand the concepts. He really wants you to understand the fundamental meaning of and ideas behind the mathematics, which is good because you will end up truly learning something from his class. Midterms, final, and quizzes are relatively straightforward.

Professor Shapiro is the bomb. He is a very passionate teacher for Math and really knows his stuff. He does plenty of examples and also covers conceptual things. Quizzes are what you would expect and so are finals. If you pay attention in class and do the required homework and study for the tests, you will do fine in his class.

Shapiro is a good guy... That does necessary equate to being a good teacher. Some background: I took Shapiro for Honors Calc II, which I only got in because I scored a 5 on the AB exam in high school. So naturally, you would think math is somewhat a strength. That's what I thought too. Until I took Shapiro. The guy knows his material, but cannot "teach" it. His handwriting is so poor that you almost have to self study the course. He gives weekly quizzes which doesn't seem so bad, but it only consists of 2-3 questions so if you mess up on 1 problem, congrats, you're starting at a D (or worse). He is very picky about showing your work (I used to speed through math quizzes and test in high school, so that was a problem for me), and wants your work to be either so clear that is self-explanatory or is guided by words on the side. He seems to be very intimidating in general, but if you need help, he is approachable in his office hours (if you can get past being intimidating). Overall, I wouldn't recommend him unless you were absolutely sure you were about to put in the work (I thought I was...look at me now).

Professor Shapiro is a really good professor, however, he does expect a lot in your test and quiz answers. Shapiro wants to be able to certify that you completely know the material. He is going to want you to be able to define and understand what both a definite and an indefinite integral is. Your answers must be very well written and explained. Grading for this class is very straightforward quizzes are 100 points total each midterm is worth 100 points and the final is worth 200 points. Shapiro will drop your lowest quiz score and either one of your midterms or half of the points for the final depending on what you did the worst on. I would recommend taking Shapiro but you need to put in the work. He's really a great teacher though with a great sense of humor.

Shapiro really cannot covey material in an understandable way. He moves way too fast and although I went to every class I relied on the book to teach me. His midterms are tricky but to the point. His final is pretty easy. Make sure you know what an indefinite integral is.

Who's man's.

I love Shapiro! He isn't for everyone but if you are willing to put in time you will learn so much. He is super passionate about math and gets excited in class and has a super deep understanding of everything he talks about. He does expect you to know pretty exact definitions for what you are covering and want you to be able to use them on the test, but that will come in handy once you get to more advanced math classes and you have a super deep understanding of what you were taught. Shapiro cares a lot about his students and helped me in office hours well beyond the time he has written for his office hours. If you want a passionate, smart, caring professor that has high expectations but will teach you everything you could want to know take Shapiro. Dude is the Man!

Shapiro is an incredible professor. He knows his stuff, no one will disagree with that. He gets EXTREMELY excited about math (scaring some people at first) and is very loud, writes very quickly. He, as many other people have said, is interested in making you UNDERSTAND the topic, not just regurgitate some memorized methodology. You will get good at math by taking him. I took him for honors Calc 3 and 4. In both classes he was incredible, making sure you understand what's going on. Many people find him intimidating at first, but once you get used to him, it is clear he really cares about what he's doing, and cares about the students. Class Structure: Quiz every Friday Homework due every Friday 2 Midterms and a Final. He drops either your lowest Midterm or half of your final. also drops the lowest quiz. The grading is VERY REASONABLE. Having taken the honors courses, I'm sure he is much more picky, but even then, he is very reasonable. WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND. -- DIFFICULT BUT VERY VERY GOOD

Shapiro isn't the best, but i would say he is better than average. He doesn't collect homework anymore, so his quizes are now worth 100 pts, 2 midterms at 100 pts, and the final at 200 pts. You can still drop one midterm or half the final. Basically...if you do the homework the class is pretty straighforward. The quizes are basic and so are the midterms. Nothing too complicated or tricky. He also curves the overall grade. He does move rather quickly...so if you fall behind in the homeowrk you have to work to catch up. Oh...and i don't know why no one else metioned this...but the mans bakes you cookies after each midterm. Yes, he actually makes them and they are good. He is pretty funny and is a huge nerd...like how he asked us which power series we would want to be for halloween. Overall...he is a fair and straightforward professor. He is not very challenging and doesn't always explain things clearly, but if you want a good grade for not much work he is the way to go.

my first impression of this guy was that he was straight out of one of the revenge of the nerds movies. he gets really excited about the material at times, which is very different for a math class. 2 midterms, a final and weekly quizzes make up the grade; no homework. he throws out the lowest midterm or half the final. goes through the material kinda quick, but if you took calculus bc in high school the entire class is pretty much review, with the exception of the vector stuff at the end. sometimes he makes students feel kinda stupid when they ask questions in class. dunno about office hours. not a bad teacher, but if you took calc bc in high school it makes it so much easier.

He's a fair teacher and a fair grader, hard to pay attention in his class sometimes. Do all the assigned homework regardless of whether it is turned in or not, go to his office hours if you dont understand, these were both things I did not do and I got a C+. Do these and you will get an A or a B.

Shapiro is a very funny guy. His class is pretty average too. He never throws any curveballs at you, but he is very degrading in his office hours. He treats you like a retard. There are 2 midterms, 6 quizzes where you can drop 1, and a very difficult final. Good luck.

He drops your lowest quiz and midterm grade or half of your final. He also collects and grades homework. He is excited about his material and usually shows it as he skips from one side of the board the other. Most of the material from the quizzes is on the midterms or the exam.

This guy was great. You take two midterms and a final. He either drops your lowest midterm or half of your final. He loves what he does and is very enthused about calculus. He is always up beat and fun he makes the class very intersting. If at all possible I will take him again in the future and i reccomend evryone whould take this guy for calculus.

Shapiro is very far from being the best Math Teacher he is a boring lecturer and his style of jokes get old quick if not from the get-go. His test seemed to be designed for Math majors because they are pretty hard. He's helpful at office hours and tries to somewhat encourage you. If you're not a math major or incredibly good in Calculus I recommend you don't take him, especially if you have a rough quarter.

wow, what can i say? well, ill start by not recommending shapiro to anyone. he doesnt seem bad at first, but then you'll quickly realize why he sucks. his handwriting is awful. he spends the first 20 minutes of class talking about stupid shows like survivor. he raggs on anyone who asks any question whatsoever about calc, then embarrasses them by making their question look dumb and giving a smartass answer (which is why i didnt ask any questions i had all quarter). he is the harshest grader on tests by far- he will doc you nearly half points for a plus or minus symbol wrong.. he didnt curve, even when the class average was in the 40's. and mainly, overall he is just a bad teacher.. sorry shapiro

I felt Shapiro knew the math well, and I thought he was fine at explaining it. The office hours were helpful the couple times I went. He was funny too, which always helps. Somehow though he ended up doing things that were kinda infuriating, and on lots of days I did not enjoy class. He was negative and bogus sometimes, and that ruins the experience cause you just think, man- this guy's being a dick.

Shapiro likes to think he's the Dr. Cox of the math department. He ridiculed our class daily for not knowing the formal definitions of math terms off the top of our heads and often made reference to his time spent at Berkeley. His ego is pretty inflated, and if you end up with him you're just gonna have to deal with it. Oh, and don't respond to any of his questions. He always has a more correct answer than you do. If this lecture style doesn't bother you, take him. He's a great teacher. All you have to do is keep up on the homework, and keep your quizzes which you'll have every friday. His quizzes can be hard and frankly you probably won't get great scores on them, but midterms are mostly based off of them, as is his final. He doesn't try to screw you over, but you need to keep on pace with the material or you'll get lost. If you skip class you're likely gonna have questions and before he answers them, you'll probably get a good roasting for not being in class when he covered it. Shapiro loves math, and he tries to make you understand theory that the book turns into gibberish if you haven't seen it before. Just go to class, stay on top of things, and learn from your mistakes. His teaching skills are up to par, just not his social skills.

This guy is hilarious. It takes a week or two to figure out his sense of humor, which is very dry and sarcastic, but once you do you look forward to his class every day. Oh, and he is an exceptional teacher. He explains both the concepts and the examples extremely well, and his tests and quizzes are fair. Plus, the fact that he drops the worst midterm (I failed the first midterm one and still got an A in the class) makes the fact that his tests are a little bit harder than some other professors totally worth it. He's a great teacher, I would definitely recommend him

Dr. Shapiro will make you actually learn the material. If you are only interested in skating by and fulfilling a requirement this class is not for you. Shapiro expects you to actually understand basic math concepts and theory. This is college math at its best, it is not some hokey high school course.

Shapiro will mock his students until they are too afraid to ask questions. I literally was afraid to go to class sometimes because he is so scary. He expects you to know things before he teaches them. Some technicalities: he will either drop your lowest midterm or half of the final. And he curves an A to an 85, B to a 75, etc.

Shapiro is definitely a really smart guy, but sometimes just has problems recognizing student difficulties and teaching to the class. He is someone that you have to get used to, and he\'s not necessarily everyones favorite upon first impression. His tests and grading system were all very fair. He has weekly homework and quizzes. The quizzes are relatively easy if you do the homework. As for the homework, I recommend spreading it throughout the week or else it piles up on Thursday nights. This class is tough and one that requires studying outside of class, as just showing up to lecture every day is not enough. Ultimately, he is not the greatest math teacher in the department but is not the worst.

There is no doubt that he knows the material and can quite often convey this knowledge really well to the students but the problem is in his grading and the way he treats his students. He strongly believes in knowing definitions of math terms, which is not necessarily a problem, but each one is worth about 6 points on a test so your grade can drop surprisingly fast since he likes them to be exact. To get an A in his class is from 100 points to 85 and every 10 points from there is the next letter grade. So not that bad. Then there's the way he treats the students. Its hard to get used to him yelling at us to enforce his point or suggesting that if we do not know the material then we should not have passed Calc 1. He calls on students and unless you really know your stuff, he'll pick apart your answer. Most people found it better to just say "I don't know" and he would go to the next person. He is a nice guy and you can see that in his office hours but I found it really hard to learn from a teacher who yells at his students.

Okay...So i read the comments about him and the gist of it was he wasn't the best teacher around for Math 143. I wasn't discouraged to take him (was my only choice). Knowing myself i thought to myself i can handle any teacher i can get through the class. But i was mistaken...He isn't the best teacher around, makes it harder than it really needs to be. I suggest you don't take this teacher unless you know the material before hand, or else he's going to make it harder than its suppose'd to be.

Shapiro is good at teaching the material. He presents it in an understandable fashion although his handwriting can be very hard to read. He gives quizzes every friday and his midterms are pretty straightforward but they're still hard at the same time. He collects homework every friday too. When it comes to understanding student difficulties, however, he is bad. He makes you feel really stupid for your questions and if you don't understand immediately he becomes extremely frustrated and basically scares you into pretending you understand. I wouldn't take him again by choice, but it wouldn't be the end of the world if I had too.

Professor Shapiro is a great professor. His class is challenging, and I truly feel that I learned a lot. However, his teaching style was very different than my High School teachers, and his lectures were often confusing (even when I read chapters ahead and thought I understood the material from the book) He assigns homework that he grades, and it is very useful and essential to do well in his class. He curves the class so that around an 86% is an A, and so on and so on. He drops your lowest quiz, and either drops one midterm or half your final grade. The homework and quizzes are worth 25% and are kind of a percent booster. HIs midterms were very challenging. There were very straightforward and really expected a lot, and partial credit was tough. He is very very picky about what he wants, and it is essential you write things the way he wants you to. His final was a lot easier than the midterms (but that might be because I studied an insane amount because I was on the verge of failing), I ended up acing it and got a B in the class. Overall, I recommend Shapiro if you want a great education with a tough and rigorous class. If you want an easy A or B do not take him. He is a funny guy, understanding, and an awesome professor.

Shapiro definitely teaches math well. He makes sure that you understand what it means to have an integral, a derivative, and what convergence of a series and sequence is, which I did not get in High School so that was quite nice actually. If do not care at all about math and just want to get pass don't take him because he actually tries to teach you what math is instead of just giving you some formulas to plug numbers and letters into. The homework can be time consuming sometimes, especially because he likes to put plenty of theoretical type questions on the homework, but it is graded fairly easily, just on completion and then the correctness of three different problems. It is weekly homework but again it is time consuming so start early if you can. His quizzes/Midterms were not too hard, but they were definitely different because you have to write down actually English words to get full credit on many of the questions. He explains his criteria pretty clearly so it's not too bad. Shapiro is also absolutely hilarious. His dry humour and love of Math blend so well together. To this day I still can't tell if he actually loves day long Math tests or if he was kidding. His lectures did a fairly good job of describing things, and in his office hours he was nice and helpful.

Shapiro is great at getting people to understand what the concepts actually are about, instead of just how to do them. The first week was spent ensuring that everyone knew exactly what a sequence and series consisted of, not just "here is how to determine convergence." That being said, he does go somewhat fast and does not have the best handwriting, making taking notes in class a frantic endeavor. Homework is assigned every Friday and collected the next, and covers what will be talked about that week. Quizzes are every Friday, and usually consisted of 2-3 problems. Together, homework and quizzes were 25% of the grade, the midterm 25%, and the final 50%. However, he will drop your worst quiz score and either lowest midterm (there are two) or half of the final, depending on which is worse.. His quizzes and tests were very straightforward, and had no curveballs or anything that wasn't covered in class. That being said, he does expect people to be able to explain every step in words, and will grade down if no explanation is given. Although difficult and sometimes frustration (because really, who likes series) I did enjoy Shapiro and did learn a lot from him that was not well explained in my Calc BC class back in high school.

Shapiro is a solid math professor, he's got a dry sense of humor that takes a little getting used to but it helps make class more entertaining. He's very particular about how you word your answers, so make sure you learn exactly how to convey what you mean and don't take it personally when he corrects your answer even though what you said was basically correct. Overall the tests and grading were both fair, on par with most other math classes I've taken at Cal Poly.

Shapiro is the WORST math "professor" I have ever had in my entire college career. He can't explain concepts, go through examples, or write neatly for shit. Half of the time he questions the class in an angry manner, annoyed that nobody will respond. Well maybe he should actually teach the subject if he expects people to know it. He's a total asshole in class and in office hours. He belittles you and is rude when you don't know the answer to a "simple" question. Not is he only the worst math professor, but the worst professor in general that I have had the utmost displeasure of having. AVOID SHAPIRO AT ALL COSTS IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR SANITY. He will make you hate whatever math you are learning. Please, help your future self and tell everyone that nothing good will come from taking a class with this terrible excuse of a teacher.

Shapiro takes some getting used to. I'll be the first to say that I did NOT like him first quarter during MATH 142. He started to grow on me after I started going into office hours and appreciating his humor. Great guy. Bottom line - quizzes every Friday are pretty easy as long as you really pay attention in class and do the homework. Midterms are killers, but by the time the final comes around, you know the types of questions he'll ask and everything comes together. He also has told me at the end of 142 and 143 that as long as you pass the final, he'll pass you in the class, so that's a plus. Interesting dude for sure.

He is really focused on the theorems and "math" language of calculus instead of explaining the material clearly. Its hard to understand him. Also, he expects you to write out the full theorems on tests and marks off points for not showing all the caveats of said theorem. This makes his class difficult and not enjoyable.

RACKS ON RACKS ON RACKS!!!!!!! Shapiro gave me all the tools I needed to succeed, then he tried to stick it up my ass hole and i let him cause i'm hella awkward ;( damnit

Dr. Shapiro is an excellent math teacher and is one of the best I have had at Cal Poly. He has a unique sense of humor that keeps the class entertained. As a bonus he even baked cookies for the entire class because of our midterm scores. However, be prepared to stay sharp during the entire hour because the material is new and dfficult. There are weekly quizes that are easy and moderate homework collected weekly. The tests are very conceptual so make sure you understand all the CONCEPTS and not just calculations. There are a lot of true/false quesions on the tests that require explanation. This is where the test can break you so be ready.

So the class in general is just common sense with fancy names slapped on it. Shouldn\'t be too difficult, right? Shapiro is so nasty. Stay away from him as much as humanly possible. He snores while awake, is an eye sore, and is mean. He picked on every single girl who was quiet in the class because he knew they wouldn\'t say anything back to him. He is obsessed with getting the right numerical answer even if it means spending half the class redoing a problem to correct himself. He is self righteous and you will get no furlough days. The key to doing well in the class? Show up and try your hardest to not pay attention to what he is saying. Paying attention or just not showing up gave me bad grades. You should be able to pass though. It\'s not difficult. Just grab a Mustang Daily and try to tackle the crosswords everyday.

Shapiro is both lazy and uninformative during his lectures. He gets through about half of the material he expects to, and doesn't explain it very well. That being said, he covers so little material (at least in linear algebra) that his tests and quizzes are really easy by just reading the first few chapters of the book. If you just need to get through the class, take him, but if you want to actually understand the class, I'd suggest a different teacher.

Absolutely the worst professor I have ever taken. Starting week 6 I literally felt nauseous just hearing his voice and had to excuse myself occasionally to avoid vomiting on my desk. His humor is horrible; if no one laughs at his "joke" (no one ever did), he would just repeat it again louder, as if that would make it more funny. He was constantly yelling which made him out of breath in several seconds, making it impossible to pay attention to anything he is saying. It is hard to take notes because he blocks half of the board with his body. He has a quiz every Friday and 2 midterms + 1 final. I honestly would've done way better reading the textbook for 50 minutes every class instead of showing up to cringe at his voice. If this is your only available professor, please take this class another quarter.

Overall, I had a very average experience in Shapiro's class. I believe you are only graded on weekly quizzes, 2 midterms, and the final. He does drop the lowest midterm or half the final which is always nice. Homework is not collected. Unfortunately I took this class amidst an extremely busy quarter for me and I did not prioritize it. I did not do as well as I could on the midterms, but with some studying I aced the final which helped my overall grade. That being said, with a little bit of hard work, an A is 100% achievable. I don't think Shapiro is the most amazing professor in the world (I mean who is), but he definitely will get the job done. And I actually learned the material which is always a plus.

Shapiro was alright. He could convey most of the material in 206 fairly well, but for the most part, the class was very straightforward. His notes, however, were atrocious, and it was very difficult to write good notes when in his class, so I had to go back on my own and re-write all my notes from the book. To make this worse, he put something on the final that we spent maybe five minutes going over in class which dropped my final by 10%. I even asked him if the topic was going to be on the final the week before, but his response was that we went over it, and if i reviewed what we went over in class, I would be fine. lmfao Shapiro is not the worst professor I have had at Cal Poly, but he's not good by any means either. I guess he gets the job done, but his handwriting is sloppy, his notes are all over the place, and he could definitely improve his teaching in general.

Professor Shapiro has made vast improvements on his teaching style since I took him for Math 142. He is a very ethusiastic teacher and he is always willing to help students inside and outside of class. He can go off into tangets sometimes but he is always tries to clarify any difficulty students might have with the theory. His exams are challenging but he curves nicely at the end of the quarter. I will always remember is unique style as a teacher and in fashion (he always wears a stripped shirt)

This guy is a good teacher, but he moves extremely slow. we spent 3 days on double integration, something that really only takes 20 minutes to fully explain. i was bored out of my mind in his lectures, but i did all the homework and studied a lot for the tests. the only reason i got a B was that im a horrible test taker, but he drops your worst midterm or half your final, which is great for people like me. hes good in office hours, and is an over nice (and funny) guy. 241 is an easy enough class that it doesnt matter too much who you get as long as they arent a total asshole. just do the homework, and youll be fine.

I am not sure I'd agree with the last post that said this was an easy class. Must have been a math major to think CALC 4 is easy. Anyways... Shapiro was a pretty good teacher. The one thing I would say is there is a huge learning curve in getting used to him. He is very book oriented with his definitions and wants VERY PRECISE explanations of EVERYTHING. It took me about half the quarter, and I almost thought about dropping and adding a different section, but I stayed. Once I was used to him though, I felt I understood the material very well and was pretty confident on all the tests. He does collect hw which gets a little annoying. Personality wise, he is an extremely funny guy which made a boring class a little more fun. As far as grading... There are 2 midterms (100 pts each), weekly quizzes (50 pts total), weekly hw (50 pts total), and a Final (200 pts). He will drop either your lowest midterm or half the final. He does curve the final grades slightly. All in all, above average, and if you go to class you should do well.

Shapiro is the WORST teacher I have ever had. If you take this class be sure that you can teach your self the material because your best resource will be your book. He spends half the class talking about his favorite TV shows, and then will walk around the room slamming his finger on the desk and raising his voice at the most inappropriate times in an attempt to appear like some dramatic teacher he saw in a movie once. Little does he realize this is a math class full of students trying to learn. When a student does ask a question he/she can only expect to be told how "sutdents would rather stick a fork in there eye..." than right sentences and clarify there answers/questions. However, this man never gives an example of what he wants, just moans about how bad everything is. On top of all this, he conveys material poorly if at all, is hard to understand at times, and makes u leave the class feeling like you just wasted the longest hour of your life.

Dr. Shapiro was the worst math teacher I've ever had!! Being the math major, that is saying something, I've had many math teachers. Basically, to even have hope of passing the class, you need to read the book and teach yourself from the book, going to class won't help you one bit. His lectures consists of yelling about how insignificant we are and how superior he is to us. Then the little bit of class time that is left, we were taught nothing. He never tells you what he wants or teaches anything. On tests and quizzes you have to know definitions. DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS! He never tells you that but that is what you need to know. And you have to be psychic to have any clue as to what he is asking half the time on his tests or quizzes. If you want to even try to see what he is writing you need to sit in the font of the class. Also you need x-ray vision to see his chicken scratch. He stands right in front of what he is writing and makes it almost impossible to see what he is trying to teach you. All in all, I hated this class and wished I had taken a different teacher, I love math and he made me hate ever minute of it. so basically if you are stuck taking him, just grit your teeth and accept the fact that you need to teach yourself the material. Read the book before each class and before tests. Good Luck!!!

Shapiro will make you learn and understand the material thoroughly. So if you just want to pass the class and move on, he's not the professor for you. He has a very dry sense of humor that is quite hilarious if you get it. He also wears like the same 2 shirts all quarter long, which was kind of weird... but whatever. Homework collected on Fridays with quizzes. Quizzes weren't too bad but I seemed to do horrible on his tests. I just didn't like the way he worded the questions and what not. Overall a good professor, his teaching style just didn't match my learning style I guess. Overall a fine professor, nothing exceptional.

You either hate or love this man. His teaching style is very extreme and gets straight to the point. His grading style is very harsh and you get docked a lot of points if you do something wrong. Only ask questions in class if its a good question or else he'll make you look like a fool, it's the type of guy he is. He lets you drop either 1 midterm or half of the final from your final grade which helps if you bomb one. At times he does get distracted by his favorite tv shows or praising the greatness of his beloved Cal.

Shapiro is a good teacher, although he can get hung up on small stuff. If you pay attention and do all the work, you will learn a lot from the class. He wants full explinations on tests and quizzes, which requires you to know the material better. The tests aren't overly hard, but definitely arent easy. If you want to know the material well and learn how to take a test and show you learned the material and you aren't just bullshitting the problems putting down numbers and formulas, then take him. I would recommend for math-minded people and people who want learn the material for later use, not to get through the coarse

Jonathan Shapiro is an incredibly knowledgeable man; he graduated from UC Berkeley with a 3.98 gpa. The only B on his transcript was "in the name Berkeley itself." His 2 midterms and quizzes were fair while the final was rather difficult. I performed poorly this quarter because my learning for this class was severely delayed. I wouldn't understand the concepts I learned in each week until the next week came- and by then it was too late. This is why my best score out of all of the quizzes was a 6 and why I pretty much bombed the 2nd midterm- but these are definitely not excuses. Shapiro truly wants his students to understand every definition inside and out and wants all of his students to be extremely clear with how they write solutions on their exams. This is arguably the reason why his polyrating scores are so low: he can be picky, acrimonious, bitter, apathetic, daunting, and sometimes inarticulate. But this is all subjective. I'm not here to defend Shapiro but his personality (though not all that bad) seems to overcast his teaching abilities. I got an A in his Calc 2 class and I'd probably get him again, but I'd just make sure to pay more attention to detail and to review my notes even more (it didn't help that I took 19 graded units this quarter). Objectively, he is a good professor and I would recommend him to everyone.

I loved Shapiro. His polyratings were very decieving. Yes, he has a dry sense of humor. And yes, his quizzes are hard. I found his first midterm easier than any calculus midterm I had taken at Cal Poly so far. I got an A, and had never gotten higher than a C- on previous midterms. The second midterm was a bit harder, but one was dropped! The weekly quizzes were pretty straightforward, but difficult. The final was extremely hard and I had studied for hours, but I wound up with a C. Can't complain - he significantly curved the class. Overall, great teacher. Very smart man. He knows his stuff. I would recommend him.

For people saying he has no sympathy, you are very wrong. I had some circumstances during the quarter that made me have to withdraw from his class and he was very helpful and accommodating. He did not question me even once and signed the form. He is a very nice guy, but at the same though, his teaching is not that amazing. To be honest, he goes too fast, is confusing to understand at times, and gets distracted often. But, VERY importantly, he is incredibly helpful at office hours, and is a VERY fair grader (in my opinion). He also gives you the answer key to every single quiz and midterm as soon as you take them (while you walk out the door), so you know immediately how you did. Also you can very easily use these answer keys to study for the final exam, and the future midterms. The curve is quite generous and I did fairly well before I had to drop out due to other circumstances. I suggest if you take him, pay attention in class, but reading/ studying from the book on your own, and attending office hours is more important. Good Luck.

Guys kick ass. His class was super easy after I got over the fact of being stupid on the first two quizzes and the rest we're A's for me. As for the midterms, stupid mistakes kept me at a B but regardless he was an awesome professor. He cares about you understanding the subject matter and not what to just do with triple and double integrals.

Shapiro goes through everything very slowly and does lots of examples to make sure everyone understands the concepts behind what is being taught and not just how to compute things. He assigns homework that's not collected, and everything is graded by points so quizzes total 100, two midterms 200, final 200, but he'll either drop one of your midterms or half of your final. The only really large issue is he goes so slowly we ended up skipping half of the last chapter which was all the theorems and applications to engineering... kind of important. So if you don't mind learning that yourself it's easy to get an A in his class, cut off is an 88.

So to start, I took Shapiro for Honors Calc 3 and 4. At first I thought He was the hardest professor ever, but he is not! His lectures cover about 40% theory and 60% examples. Once I realized I shouldn't take notes on the theory (proofs, examples with 20 greek letters, etc.) and just listen, his class made so much more sense. His class is 25% HW and quizzes, 25% final, and two 25% midterms. His tests are very straight forward... and by that I mean he won't give you a tricky integration problem or derivation equation. That doesn't mean you don't need to study. Spending time on the homework and making sure you understand it will guarantee you a decent grade. I would recommend to anyone! And he is an interesting guy outside of class: ask him about infinite dimensions or photography!

Showmaster Shapiro is my main man. He is so passionate about math, and conveys that to the students. He would always do his best to teach the material in a way that made it fun to learn and would often make me and my classmates laugh. I took his class for two quarters and loved him more and more each day. If you take his class, you'll have to work hard, but every second will be worth the math knowledge you will gain!

It took a while to get used to the way Dr. Shapiro teaches and wants you to do the problems, but he's really a great professor and knows the material well. The tests were fair. He lectures rather quickly and his handwriting is legible, but you have to get used to it. I'm not sure if I would take him again or not, but I did like him.

Shapiro was AWESOME! TAKE HIM!! His class is 12.5% homework and it's graded by accuracy, he chooses random problems and based on how you do on those is how your homework grade is scored, then 12.5% quizzes, which were similar to the homework and easy for the most part, just make sure you know what something means(like the definition of a partial derivative), the rest of the class(75%) was from two midterms and the final. He lets you drop a midterm or half of the final(whichever is the lowest), which is an insanely sweet deal. Shapiro teaches very clearly, genuinely wants you to succeed in the class and give you a good grade, but you have to know the material and be clear on tests(which can be a pain in the beginning, but it's important to be clear about what you write on your tests). Also he makes class enjoyable, making you laugh with stupid jokes. The midterms and final weren't insanely hard, they were like the homework. Take this guy, he's an A teacher.

Professor Shapiro gave pretty fair midterms, though you have to be very specific in wording your answers exactly the way he does because he is a stickler about that. His final, on the other hand, was supposed to be material that was evenly weighted between MT1, MT2, and new material, but it was definitely very heavy on the new material. I did pretty well on the first 2 midterms but unfortunately I didn't quite grasp the new material which led me to failing the final, despite my knowledge of the MT1 and MT2 material. Throughout the quarter he talked about how he considers an 88% and A and for a 66% he would give you a passing grade but never gave any definite numbers for every grade level. This so-called grading scale was never implemented at the end of the quarter for every midterm and for the final as he implied it to be. I emailed him post-finals asking what the "curve" was for a C because my grade didn't reflect what he had previously said it would, and he proceeded to email me back with answer that contained no curve. Instead, I came to the conclusion at the end of the quarter that if you did much better on the final than your previous midterms he would be more likely to give this "curve" to you and essentially forget about bad midterm scores. But people who did the opposite of that got screwed over. Overall I learned a lot from the class and homework reflected test questions pretty well but I wish the grading was not so subjective and poorly communicated.

Overall, Shapiro is a pretty good professor. He tells you very clearly what he wants from you on tests, which is for you to be very clear. I did bad on the first midterm because I thought i could half ass it and missed points for not showing how I did things. He wants you to write a lot down and explain what you're doing if you're going to get a good grade. His tests aren't too hard and he drops a midterm grade or half the final grade and an 87% was an A- in my class. If you put in a few hours to the homework each week and a few hours before the midterms and final, you can easily get a good grade in Shapiro's class.

He assigns a good amount of homework, but it is doable. His quizzes are pretty easy to answer, but he is a pretty strict grader who is very picky with notations and wording. The midterm questions are easy, but the challenge is the time crunch. There isn't much time to answer the questions, so practice answering the questions as quickly and as accurate as you can. The final isn't a time crunch, but it is very in-depth so it is very hard. Good luck.

His lectures can get quite boring and needs a bit more structure. His quizzes are doable, but his midterms are a time crunch. His final, however, isn't a time crunch, but it is very in-depth and I find it harder than the midterm, even though I do better with slower pace exams. He is extremely picky on notation and can be a harsh grader.

If you are looking for an extremely conceptual and in depth calc 4 class, then look no further! Shapiro is your guy. To be completely honest, I really did not enjoy how he formatted his lectures. They tended to go deeper than I was interested and it took a good amount of lecture time. However, you do have to pay attention or you would struggle on his exams which, in my opinion, were not very easy. I would not say they were extremely difficult, but they were definitely tricky. Also, for me, I had a difficult time approaching him as he would get very eccentric and start to rant on things that did not involve my question. It also felt that at times he would berate me for not remembering certain facts, which made me less inclined to go to office hours for help. Overall, I would say I did not click with this professor and how he ran his class, but some people who are interested in the really understanding calc 4 might.

Shapiro is not very organized with his lectures, but you learn to love him! He is a great professor, especially for applied classes. He grades pretty harsh on individual assignments, but is also super forgiving with overall grades. I would definitely recommend taking him!

If the book was better, I probably would have given him a better grade. Usually when you have a poor professor, you can make up for it by teaching yourself out of the book. If any of the math professors are reading this, we SORELY need a different book for 244. Just today, 3 problems were unsolvable the way they were written in the book. Shapiro does not present clearly, due to his "chicken scratch" notes, and is really quite bad at realizing that we were all screwed from the beginning. When you ask him a question, a common reply was that he didn't understand the question. It really makes you not want to ask a question, because it really makes you feel stupid. Also, who assigns major homework due the day of a midterm? I finally gave up on a homework assignment after working on it all week at 7 pm the night before the midterm. Unbelievable. TRY to stay clear of this one. I'm actually very suprised he has a high of a grade as he does.

This class has lots of material to cover, so no matter who you take the teacher is going to be confusing. Shapiro makes the class managable, but he is very messy when writing on the board, goes a hundred miles an hour, gives lots of homework, not too helpful when answering questions, and also he is pretty anal about how n answer is given. He is super into detail so be prepared to be marked off for easily missed details. two midterms drop lowest or cut the final grade in half and use that, homework due each week followed by a quize. he said a C is around a 70% and a C- is around 65%.

Shapiro isn't as bad as some people say. Here are some of my observations: 1) He asks for "detailed" solutions to show how you got your answers. This really isn't much to ask for. If you don't write much down (or don't even write what you were thinking) Shapiro can't tell if you knew what you were doing and give you partial credit. Try looking at your friend's homework and see how easily you can follow along. 2) Shapiro doesn't have the greatest handwriting. Sit at the front of the class, otherwise those chicken scratches are meaningless. 3) When asking for help on homework, make sure you know exactly where you got stuck. Shapiro is only helpful if he knows what you don't understand. 4) Go to class. I noticed we had 33 enrolled in the class, yet only 15 showed up on a regular basis. I wouldn't be surprised if the other 18 didn't get the greatest grades. 5) Start the homework early. By Week 8 (for MATH 244) the homework starts taking a long time, so waiting the night before it is due might not be such a good idea. 6) Gotta love Shapiro's enthusiasm and humor. A professor who lacks enthusiasm is like a football coach who hates football. 7) Shapiro hands out solutions to the quizzes and midterms right after you turn it in, so you know immediately what you missed. As an added bonus his solutions are much more detailed than what he requires of students.

Shapiro's class is about as straightforward as you can get. Your grade is divided between 2 tests, weekly homework and quizes, and a final. He drops either one test or cuts the points your final is worth in half, whichever helps you more. The quizes and tests mimic the homework, usually very similar to one of the harder problems. I showed up for class about half of the time (to take the quizes and tests and then on the next day to pick them up). I like learning with the book which is easier for me, since most math teachers like Shapiro goes into way to much theory while I am just concerned with the procedures involved. I went to his office hours a few times and he even added some points to my test after I discussed a problem on it with him. My only complaint is that he takes off too many points for little errors, like in a few of the matrix problems I messed up multiplying once and it costs me like 30-50 percent of the points involved, same if you do the first step of a problem wrong and do the rest correctly. If you want an A start the homework early in the week cause it really does consume the 2 hours per unit per week your suppose to do. But, if you want a C like me just coppy the answers out of the solutions manual starting at 10 pm the night before its due, it still takes awhile.

Shapiro is a good teacher, one of the better math teachers I've had at Poly. Added bonus: he makes really good cookies for the class every now and then.

This guy, although he is a huge geek, is actually a very good professor. He is a very lenient grader on tests (gives partial credit), lectures on all the material he tests you on, and provides plenty of opportunities for the students to ask him questions. However, the one thing I didn't like about Dr. Shapiro is that he gets cocky at times when students ask questions. I didn't ask any questions the whole quarter because I saw a few people get shot down on the first couple days of the quarter. The good thing is, though, you probably won't have to ask very many questions because his lectures are good. I was worried about failing this class a few weeks before the final, and I pulled a B! If that doesn't convince you that he's a good professor to have, I guess I don't know what does.

Very fun class, never went to it thats why it was fun. Class was so easy, easiest class ever. Shapiro gives fair tests. I only attended class for the first half cause that was a harder section but than for the second part i didnt cause u could teach it to urself. Its hard to read his writing in the board which is why sometimes its confusing, i dont know how he is for calculus but he was good for linear analysis. weekly quizzes drops lowest, two midterms and a final, and oh yeah homework too,

Shapiro doesn't teach. ... [I]f you want to actually learn math and have a prof that speaks without a speech impediment, then definitely avoid Shapiro

Shapiro is an interesting guy. He really tried hard to make us laugh, but failed 90% of the time. However, his tests are fair and relate exactly to the material covered in the book (no matter how much it sucks). I would take him again, mostly because I aced his class, but also because he doesn't try to f*** around on his tests.

presented material well, gave lots of examples, terrible hand writing, office hours useless, just tells you to read som part of the book, reluctant to do examples, if its not going to be on a test he does not want to clarify- for homework purposes, teast are easy and straight forward, homework every week, quiz every week, drop lowest quiz, drop lowest midterm or half of final, really crazy about writing on tests, he wants detailed descriptions of every step, if not, lots of points are taken off, overall good professor

He's pretty interesting and not a good teacher but has some good advice about life in general and is very caring about your success if you show you put in the time. He's a jerk when asking questions though. The quizzes are SO easy, and midterms are too.

great teacher for 244. take him for that

The only reason anyone passed this class is because Shapiro is a good teacher. The book was horrible. Lectures were rather enjoyable because of his playful, somewhat sarcastic mood. If you can get through his character and realize the fact that you're supposed to be having trouble with the work because of the horrible book, then you'll do fine in his class. His tests are not too difficult; they follow assignments and lectures. He's a very smart guy with a passion for math and teaching. You'll learn a lot in his class if you put the time and effort in, and you'll end up with a fair grade also.

yeah shapiro is funny, but that is about it for the positives. he flat out cannot teach in a manner that students can understand. yes he does treat you like a retard, and i think he goes out of his way to call on people who look the most confused in class. i have never received a grade lower than a C in any class before, until this cool guy thought it would be funny to fail about half the class (from what i've heard from others)

If you are taking a proof-based class, Shapiro is the teacher to take it from. After taking this class from him, I can write proofs with the best of them. The textbook for this course is awful, but if you go to lectures and take the workshop, you too can get a good grade.

For 248 this guy's not too bad. But that's because it's an easy class. He made it as difficult as he could though. Not just by being a mediocre teacher, but by assigning massive amounts of work to do and then never getting it back to you. He does this for his upper division classes as well. Since i took this class, I have had him for 412 as well. He is terrible at teaching difficult classes. Don't take him for upper division stuff unless you're in one of his special math seminars or like Berkley.

CURTIS

PETER

NO STEVEN. WE DO NOT SAY DIVIDED BY ZERO EQUALS INFINITY, WE SAY IT IS UNDEFINED.

Time for the query. Sebastian? No Sebastian?

This teacher makes this class way harder than it should be. His writing on the board is sometimes unreadable, and yet he don't post his lecture notes in print format. He assigns hw problems that are way too hard even with his barely readable notes. He don't really help you when you comes to his office for help on hw. His tests are difficult but he don't give you a study guide. This course shouldn't be this hard but he make it 10 times harder than what it really is. I am a good math student before this class, but i feel like an idiot coming out of this class. Don't take this teacher unless you want to kill your gpa.

I changed my concentration just so I wouldn't have to take another class with him. He is rude and difficult to deal with in office hours, as he expects you to have the textbook memorized before you ask any questions. In class he hardly writes anything down on the board and when he does it is illegible. However, his grading policy was fair and the tests were fairly easy and very straightforward.

Shapiro may be a terribly unsocial and rude and really just mean person, but this just gives incentive to do better in the class. He's a straightforward jerk (and don't bother saying Hi if you see him in the halls. He is deaf/blind to and from classes) Summary- His writing is chicken scratch, you WILL be ridiculed if you ask or answer a question because there is always a better or more correct answer and he thinks of himself as the Dr. Cox of the math dept. He used a good textbook and (with a tutor) I taught myself the material, his tests are fairly straightforward but you MUST KNOW every definition. Trust me they'll be on the test, he wants to make sure his students understand the material to a really deep level. I love that he wants to do that but he's so cruel in office hours (only go if you KNOW THE DEFINITIONS or he will not help you. really.)and so ineffective with his teaching that I would NOT RECOMMEND him. Sometimes his jokes are funny but mostly they're at your expense

He's ineffective during class times because he's obsessed with finding the right numerical value even when it is not important. He picks on students and has mainly discouraging comments to give. He ridicules you if you don't get the right answer, citing that he went to Berkeley so he knowsss it all. But he does want everyone to understand the material to a deep extent, he's just not an effective teacher and is not helpful in office hours, you leave feeling more confused and discouraged because he is always trying to show off how smart he is, which means putting you down. Not the best teaching strategy

Doing a class with Professor Shapiro was a really good learning experience. He has a very direct style which is great for a topic like math. Grading was fair and he was helpful in office hours. It was an excellent course.

I though that Dr. Shapiro was an adequate professor. Homework problems were often more difficult than exam problems, so if you take your time to understand and be able to do the proofs for the homework, then the exams were relatively easy. He can often be a little harsh on his students, but his criticism is constructive.

I agree with the evaluation that called Shapiro's class "straightforward". That's a great word for it. Homework assigned a week in advance; quiz every Friday... and the quizzes are not difficult at all (in 336), so long as you've kept up with the homework. The key to succeeding: He assigns homework every Friday due the following Friday. If you take 3-4 hours to do the homework right away over the weekend, you'll only need to study maybe 30-60 minutes during the week itself, and you'll do fine, for most chapters. Sometimes I did this, sometimes I slacked and didn't. To succeed on the tests, just review the techniques taught in each chapter one-by-one. It'll take maybe 5-6 hours, depending on how well you understood it the first time. He drops the lowest quiz, and the lowest single exam (counting the final as two exams). He's a fun professor in the classroom, visibly enjoys the subject, and even baked cookies for the class a couple times.

Dr. S tries to make the class fun. His quizzes were not hard neither his exames but the final was super hard. overall okay

I left this guy a 0 rating for 248 but I'm giving him a 4 now to even it up. He was much better at explaining the material for this class, and the tests and quizzes were really easy (almost too easy, if that is possible). So, take Shapiro for 336 if you get the chance.

Combo wirh Shapiro was a breeze. He explains things very nicely. Do a little bit of homework every night and you'll be fine. It should be an easy A. He drops your lowest miderm and 66% is a C-, 77% is a B-, with 88% being an A- so you have room to work with.

I had Shapiro for 248 and 306, and I enjoyed having 336 with him much more. Material is straightforward and not very difficult. I'd definitely recommend him for 336.

Shapiro does not explain the material clearly, wastes class time, and when you ask him for help he makes you feel like an idiot. Avoid taking him.

DOES NOT CURVE WHATSOEVER. even if the class average is a D. can't write for shit. he's really mean in class.... yells alot and gets angry at everyone for not knowing things. he doesn't give you any credit for doing homework either, even though it's necessary for doing well on the quizzes. don't take this professor if you enjoy learning. he ruins every subject he touches. (i've had him for multiple classes)

If this was an evaluation based on Dr. Shapiro's range of intelligence, then, rest assure, he would receive the highest marks. But this is not. Simply put, he lacks effective modern teaching skills. Dr. Shapiro is sloppy (given that he even writes anything on the board) and disorganized in scripting definitions, theorems, and proofs. Granted his enthusiasm and passion for the subject, I feel Dr. Shapiro expressed too much ideas in rapid conversation style without writing stuff down. Thus, theorems and proofs were left incomplete only to be summarized with more oral communication. This was his biggest flaw in my opinion. Besides this, his grading policy is fair and he is very fond of his students. Dr. Shapiro has the potential to be a great professor because he possesses exceptional wits, articulation and dedication his faculty peers can only envy. Perhaps this is why I was disappointed overall.

Shapiro is an alright professor. He really loves math and students, so he will go out of his way to really know the students better. Teachingwise, he likes to crack out jokes to try and keep students interested and that he knows what he is talking about. He is really smart and will answer whatever questions you may have. His lectures are well intended, but the problem is that he does not explain things with enough depth and that he leaves the proofs with lots of loose ends. He explains some thereoms and definitions in an unorganized manner. More often times than not, that would leave the average student lost. But the book for this class was really good and easy enough to read and that the homework he assigns gives us a great picture of the material. Only a small handful of problems were required to be turned in, but he assigns lots of recommended problems that you need to understand in order to do well on the tests. His midterms are not to hard and the final is difficult, but you are allowed to drop a midterm or half the final. There are better professors out there, but a Shapiro is a decent professor because he tries to make this class a fun experience as much as possible.

Shapiro is a very intellegent mathematician. However, he was not helpful at all to the students. I did not learn a single thing from lecture...it was only because I studied constantly for the class and memorized how to do each proof that I did relatively well in the course. WARNING: DO NOT TAKE SHAPRIO if you value your life.

This professor is decent. But considering that the top professors in the department usually teach this class, this is totally unacceptable. Granted he is very intelligent and he does a good job in stimulating student interest in math with his jokes and that he wants to get to know you. He is as helpful as you want him to be in his office. He assigns lots of homework problems, but only collects and grades a few problems. And the midterms are not too tough with and he drops your lowest midterm or half the final. Now here is why Shapiro is so problematic. First of all, the lectures are very incomplete because he writes something and then assumes that you know how to get from point A to point B. The terminology in his lectures are too advanced even for us mathematicians. So his class organization needs lots of work. So unless you read the book, which was very easy to understand, you'll have a tough time in this class. So in general, he is fine for other classes, but not for the Real Analysis Series.

Dr. Shapiro is an rigorous analyst. His midterms are nothing surprising and his final is average in difficulty.

i took two courses with him. he is a vibrant lecturer, full of energy and makes it easier to pay attention. i recommend taking a class with him. he is helpful during office hours, and replies to emails promptly.