Van Lingen, Rene  

A very average professor this man is. A horrible class in that he grades way too hard. My grade is what it is only because i managed to pull off a great final. If you see this cartoony character standing in front of you on day one drop the class asap. If you really like working more than you have to then stay in. But one positive is that if you do well in this class then you will have it a bit easier than people who did not have van lingen as he focuses on basics a lot.

First of all, ANYBODY NOT MAJORING IN MATH/SCIENCE, DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER. Math118 was supposed to be the last math class I would ever have to take, however, because his major goal is preparing everybody for Calc4, it was WAY over my head. He gives WAY too much homework, and the tests are also rediculously difficult. His review sessions are a piece of cake, which lull you into a false sense of security, because his tests are NOTHING like the problems at the review. I read the reviews on here before taking the class, and I ignored them, thinking I'd do okay. This is the first time in my life that I've failed a class, and let me tell you, if you could get an F-, I would have. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH BAD THINGS ABOUT THIS MAN!!! Of all the people in the class I talked to, NOBODY SCORED HIGHER THAN A 40% ON ANY OF THE 3 MIDTERMS. It's seriously fucking rediculous, learn from my mistakes and don't waste 11 weeks working your ass off for an F. WITHOUT A DOUBT, THE WORST CLASS I'VE TAKEN AT POLY. I'm not saying I would have got an A in any other class, but with the ammount of work I put in, I sure as hell wouldn't have failed.

Wow. This idiot not only ruined my G.P.A. but he also ruined my first quarter. I suggest that you never take a math class taught by rene van lingen. I pray that this university fires his ass as soon as possible. Now I will be forced to retake 118 in the spring, and work my ass off the next two quarters trying to raise my GPA. This man is the fucking devil straight out of hell, his only mission to fail innocent boys like myself. I don't know why such a distinguished university such as Cal Poly would employ a man that fails over half of his class. This man can't teach. Do yourself a favor, and never take a math class taught by this douchebag. Hey Rene, it's Precal not Calc 8.

This is the most frustrating class I have ever taken and he is the absolute worst professor I have ever had. First of all EVERYONE in my class FAILED his first 2 midterms, including me. People actually got in the single digits (and yes this is out of 100) on these tests. He had us overanalyze everything in this math class, he taught it as though this was English and we were reading a book (if it sounds confusing, it is). We actually had to write a 2 page essay for the final and not only that, but we had to memorize the entire thing for the final. The homework was ridiculous, I was doing homework all the time, so much so that people were making comments to me about it. Mostly it was because you were never exactly sure what was gonna be due that week until late in the week. Honestly I have no idea how I even passed this class, especially with a C. Don't let my grade fool you, I was basically failing the entire quarter. However, if this class has anything to do with your major, then you may actually learn something, but if this is for GE, then don't take it. I will say that he does at least (try) to help you in his office hours. Overall this class was like being in hell and it will make you HATE math. Good Luck!

he is the WORST teacher ever. drop the class as soon as possible. its stressful and frustrating. though it really isnt totally impossible. it is pretty damn fucking hard and u really dont want to work ur fuckin ass off for a precalc class jus to get a c (i didnt thats y i got a d though i did put in a good amount of effort, otherwise i woulda failed ). his midterms and final r killer...if u get above a 50% ur a genius! u have to write a essay for the final (an essay in math?!!). he says that he'll trump ur midterms but that really doesnt help much. the only thing u basically got is the hw. jus DROP!

hey lingen you donkey raping shit eater ,yeah you!.Well anyways this teacher is very knowledgable of the material covered however he has great difficulty conveying this information to the students. He constantly jumps back and forth through the chapters expecting us to know every little corner of mathematics. He really thinks we live and breathe math. Well 30 % of grade is on homework which is usually good, 30% on midterms, and a high 40 percent on final. The average midterm was about 40% which clearly shows his inability to teach. I tested into calculus however i just wanted to strengthen my basic math fundamentals, eventhough i did learn them,this class really broke my spirit and grades. However if u have him really study his technique in word problems and go to office hours constantly!! Hey Rene Van lingen, blow me!

I did fairly well in math in high school. I like math. Errr..used to. Man, did this guy change my mind. I showed up to all but one lecture, and worked my ass off on homework, that I actually knew how to do. He gives 3 midterms, and the class high on them was a 50. Yes that's out of a hundred. The cool thing about his exams are that he trumps them. So if you got a higher grade on the second midterm, he'd make the first one the same grade. Not like it helps when your highest midterm grade is a 21. This guy shouldn't be allowed to teach. Most of this stuff I learned through high school. And I understood it in the lectures, but when the exams rolled around, there wasn't anything on the test that was even close to what he lectured on. The word problems will kill you. Do not take this guy for anything. You will feel like shit every time you leave his class.

I was warned not to take this professor by friends, but I figured I'd be fine since I'd had Pre-Cal in high school. Besides, I wanted to get done with my math GE and he was the only teacher left available for the course. There's a reason for that. This guy assigns so much more homework than could ever be helpful. It turns into tedious busy work that you scramble to finish by the noon deadline on Friday. He asks you to tell him stories a lot. He's real big on word problems and doing things in complicated ways that only he seems to understand. His midterms are impossible; I failed them all. I guess the only good thing about his course is he allows you to redeem yourself by having everything depend on the final. If you get an A on the final you get an A in the course. He also has an intricate system of Kudos, a form of extra credit points. You'll need them. Not a class to take for an easy A or even for a cool teacher. He spends large amounts of class time waiting for the class to come up with the answers on what he's supposed to be teaching. Then when someone guesses the wrong answer he yells, "NO!" and acts like the class is a bunch of morons for not knowing even though it's his own fault for not teaching the material. Do yourself a favor, don't take hiim. If you're already signed up for him, drop his class. I swear you won't regret it. This class did nothing but put me in perpetual fear of failing and drag down my GPA, which was pretty good before this class.

he's a misguided ass. seriously. he tries to help out his students with extra review sessions and drop everything for you office hours, but what does that do if he marks you down for writing r= revenue of tickets instead of r= revenue of tickets to a mets game in new york. how many people are THAT anal?! he's too educated to teach this course which makes him impatient and a pompous ass. he's a freak of nature and he looks like a homeless man..and he smells..bad. he tries though i'll give him that much

This was by far the most difficult class I have ever taken. I took Calculus in high school so I figured that I could make it through Pre-Calc. I did not because Van Lingen is a terrible teacher. He knows math but has poor social skills and takes this GE class way too seriously. He mocks you if you raise your hand in class and answer incorrect and he requires an essay on the difference between Algebra and Arithmatic. I retook the class with another teacher and passed with a B no problem. I would recommend a different professor if at all possible.

GOOD GRAVY! Rene seemed really cool on the first day, with all his talk about how education is worthless because it is only memorization and how we should expand our minds and really learn...blahblahblah....then his track record seemed rad with West Point, Oxford and every Ivy League school in the country being a place he attended. Oh and he has about 14 degrees too. But then you realize that he is very rude to the students seems to want to help but just confuses everyone, and grades with ridiculous standards. The midterms are so hard you'd rather stab yourself in the eye, and his final includes an absolutely retarded paper about arithmetic vs. algebra. And watch out for those word problems, he wants them done a certain way which takes about an hour, and even after slaving over it for 3, you'll never put it in the right format much less get the right answer. LISTEN: SPARE YOURSELF THE AGONY AND TAKE THIS CLASS FROM ANOTHER PROFESSOR! IM NOT KIDDING!

WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T TAKE RENE VAN LINGEN!!! I took calculus in high school and could never get higher than a c in his class! Even if you are a genious in math you will not do well in his class. Despite whether or not you know the information, if you don't do problems exactly his way you won't get any points on tests. He grades completely unfairly and claims he teaches by the book, but in reality he doesn't! SAVE YOURSELF THE MISERY!!! Everyday I left class I felt like I wanted to shoot myself!!! EVEN IF YOU NEED THE CLASS AS A GE DON'T TAKE VAN LINGEN EVEN IF HE'S THE ONLY PROFESSOR LEFT! I'M SERIOUS!!! WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT QUARTER OR TRY AND CRASH A DIFFERENT PROFESSOR'S CLASS. IF YOU TAKE VAN LINGEN, YOU WILL REGRET IT!!!

GET OUT! This is the worst math teacher ever. His midterms are impossible, and he makes you write an essay about math and then memorize it for the final. He knows the material he is teaching, but doesnt know how to teach it. Unless you are a genius at math, get out of this class NOW.

Van Lingen is flat out horrible. He does not really help you with the material and his tests are ridiculously difficult and unreasonable. Avoid him like a plague at all costs because you will not learn math the way it is meant to be.

DO NOT TAKE HIM...He will make learning math a living hell...and i'm not that bad at math...i actually kind of liked math until i took him...if you hate word problems don't take him...he makes word problems really difficult...you have to learn a whole new system for doing them...on the midterms expect homework questions on it...and expect the word problems to be most of the percentage of your grade...make sure you get kudos as much as possible even if you despise him...basically get KUDOS, go to LECTURES, TONS of HOMEWORK...have fun if you take him...if forced to...

After taking Calculus for a year in high school, I felt reasonably confident in my ability to do well in 141. After taking the class, I felt dumber, like I had lost the information I learned a year ago. When we did questions on the board, Rene would make a mistake, and then take another five minutes to correct that problem, losing many of us in the process. He brought a good attitude into the classroom, and was nice, and he looked like he knew what he was doing. But he could not convey the information worth a darn. I would not reccommend taking any math class from him because of this inability to convey what he wants to teach.

His testest are VERY hard and he is not yet familiar with the Cal Poly system. The class time is not used to benefit the student as well. He only works on the practice problems that are in the Calculus book that one can learn without the teachers intruction.

If the first day of school is an omen of things to come, Rene showed up in sweat pants...I personally thought he was a fellow student until he approached the black board. He was educated at Stanford and Cambridge, but thinks everyone is as gifted and quick as him. He guides us through problems leaving out areas of simplification, confusing all of us. He expects you to remember everything you ever learned in algebra, geometry, etc. and to be able to apply it on the first day. His midterms have three questions, so if you missed one you get skrewed with a D. There are only three midterms, and no curve because "if I had a curve it would mean I am not teaching up to par". This guy should keep teaching gifted students. If you haven't taken calculus don't even think about enrolling in his class. And if you go to office hour for help, don't expect any because every one in the class is so f*cking confused that they are all there too. In addition, preparation for the test is impossible since he will test you on areas you have never learned such as : what is the velocity of the area passing through the trachea of a choking victim (i personally wish the victim would have died) and lucky us: there were no numbers to solve it, only variables. If your GPA matters in any way and you think you are a dilligent student, forget it and take someone else.

van Lingen is very intelligent and knows his math; however, he does not know how to teach it to others. He boasts of teaching gifted ten year olds calculus in weeks, but fails to realize we lack the same genius brain. When he goes over problems, a simple mistake is made in the begining and the class is lost from there. His tests are very hard...if you take him I would recommend going to the review sessions he offers. It is hard to get help because a lot of people are confused and show up at his office hours. Most (if not all of the class) felt his grading/testing policies were extreme. Three midterms (3 questions each) and the final. You will probably learn a lot but your final grade will most likely say otherwise.

van Lingen is very intelligent and knows his math; however, he does not know how to teach it to others. He boasts of teaching gifted ten year olds calculus in weeks, but fails to realize we lack the same genius brain. When he goes over problems, a simple mistake is made in the begining and the class is lost from there. His tests are very hard...if you take him I would recommend going to the review sessions he offers. It is hard to get help because a lot of people are confused and show up at his office hours. Most (if not all of the class) felt his grading/testing policies were extreme. Three midterms (3 questions each) and the final. You will probably learn a lot but your final grade will most likely say otherwise.

Rene is a very smart and a nice guy. He is new to Cal Poly and has been educated at places like West Point (he dropped out) and Oxford. He knows his math and seems to very willing to go the extra mile to help his students understand the material. The only thing that I disliked about van Lingen where his tests. THEY ARE IMPOSSIBLE. The class averages on the midterms where in the low D to F range. He still would not curve but rather presented us with his "trumping" grade technique. That means whatever you got on the last midterm or on the final, assuming it was higher than the previous tests, overwrites (or "trumps") those lower tests. This was not very helpful still because the tests were cumulative, and still very hard. In the end you will learn calculus from van Lingen, he teaches you more than just how to do the problem, he teaches you what it all means. I would recommend him only if you are very confident in your test taking ability.

van Lingen is a very educated professor. He was educated at the prestigous schools Stanford and Cambridge. I would recommend this class to those who already have some background in calculus. Rene is very helpful to struggling students who are also willing to put in an effort. Even when the office hours were packed with students, he always made an effort to give everyone help. As if that weren't enough, he would alter his schedule or stay after hours to those who could not make it or needed extra help. His tests were very hard but he offered a "trumping" system to help balance the grades. You will definitely learn from van lingen and if you want a good grade, you will have to earn it yourself. I think the others who complained were too lazy to go to office to get help and those same people were the ones who thought homework was useless. I flaked and failed to final so I deserved my c in the class.

This guy is obviously smart, but he can't teach worth shit. He likes to only test on word problems, he only tested on related rates and optimazation. His tests showed only specific knowledge of certain subjects. His midterms are only three questions and he doesn't grade on a curve, 90-100% equals A, 80-89% equals B, etc. If you can't rise to rene vanlingen's level of expectation than you are guaranteed to fail. And i can vouch that you will be repeating 141. i do not recommend him in any way. oh yeah, for our final we had to write an essay on what is a derivative, an essay! In math, give me a break! save yourself and dont take him.

Van Lingen is smart and very knowledgable, and he expects everyone else to be just as smart and just as knowledgable as him. WE HAVE NOT GONE TO THREE DIFFERENT COLLEGES TO STUDY CALCULUS YET! He assumes that the most complicated concepts are easy, and that we should pick them up in the time it takes him to wipe his ass. That never happens. He can not explain things clearly at all. He never once told us what steps to take in order to solve a problem, and the answers to questions were problem specific. If all problems looked the same, then I would not have had trouble, but since the problems were different, it was impossible to figure out what to do for each problem. In addition, he would constantly make the students feel like idiots. He always says: "Ok, now this is from Algebra zero." in responses to a students question. It's not a very good teaching technique. Office hours were even worse. In addition, he did not even know how to do a lot of the problems in the book. What kind of a college professor can not do problems in the book that he's teaching? I won't even mention all of the mistakes that he made while doing an example on the board. It's impossible to try to take notes. Everyone else has already mentioned how impossible his tests are, but I need to say it again. They're impossible! Never take this teacher, ever. I am retaking the class this quarter with a different teacher and the difference is unbelievable. NEVER TAKE VAN LINGEN.

This guy sucks...I got a good grade in there by the grace of GOD. He does the easy examples and expects you to know how to do the hard problems for each chapter. He has a slippery final where whatever you get on the final you will get in the class - if its better then your accumulative grade, which it will be because the midterms are extrememly tough. Avoid at all costs! Don't take this guy! I really cant put it into words how bad of a teacher this guy is. Believe me, dont take this class.

I know calculus. I really do. I still do. I got A's in high school calculus and even passed the AP test. Yet, for some reason, the summer advising people told me that I should take Calc 1 again just to help. I HATE THOSE PEOPLE NOW! From day one I knew that Van Lingen was going to be trouble. This is because when I first saw him I thought that he was going to be in the class with the rest of us. Yes, he is very smart and knows calculus, as any one who went to Cambridge should, but he can't teach for $h!t. He constantly changed his grading techniques, and he doesn't help with homework because even if you get the nerve to ask him for help he will make you feel stupid while he anwsers it. If it wasn't for the fact that the grade on your final will be your grade in the class if it is better that your overall grade, I would be taking this class again. I am currently in the 6th week of 142 and am getting a high A. It's not the course it's the teacher. Don't take Van Lingen. And if you are forced to the you had better know about rowing. Becasue he wears that same shirt all the time.

Trust me, he's a nice guy, but that doesn't translate well to his teaching skills. He just skims over the text problems and assumes that the class knows everything. He's not open to student questions and his midterms are impossible. I've never been so frustrated in my life. Avoid this class at all costs!!!

Rene is a cool guy outside of class, but sucks as a teacher. I think that he's too smart to be able to convey information to students that seems simple to him. I took calc in hs and still had a lot of trouble in his class. His tests are three questions long and he DOESN'T give partial credit.

tried, I think, to help the students, but just not a real good teacher. He'll take points off your tests even if you get the correct answer, and show all your work, if you so much as forget a parantheses, or whatever. you get the idea. If it weren't for the few vital points you can get for doing the ton of homework he assigns, no one would stand a chance of passing.

Van Lingen is an awful teacher. I transfered out of his class after only three weeks. In those three weeks I learned absolutely nothing. I took calculus in highschool, and I still had no clue what this guy was talking about. If you get his class, transfer immediately.

Van Lingen Sucks. Do not take Calculus from him ever!!! On my last test I studied for a total of 16 hours and could do every practice problem in the book without much complication, yet I received a 25% on it. He is an extremely strict grader and is way too advanced to be teaching math 141. He is more concerned with challenging the hell out of you, than he is with making sure you understand the material. He teaches very fast, and is very confusing. He has like 6 degrees, and that's exactly what you will need if you think you have a chance at passing this class. Save yourself the pain of failure by not taking this guy's class.

I thought Van Lingen was a great teacher for a while. He's a super nice guy if you talk to him outside of class, and he did seam to care about your success in his class. But wait, look I just got my first test back, and even though I got most of the material right, I didn't solve the problems "his way," and therefore I got burned. Van Lingen grades unmercifully, its rediculous. He definately expects the students' math skills to be above and beyond what they possibly could be. Remember, Van Lingen, we havnt attented Standford and Campbridge like you have, and no we don't have degrees in Nuclear Physics, etc. Please steer clear of this professor. He's a nice guy, but you will learn to hate him because of the way he grades. Look at the other evaluations, you don't see very many A's or B's, do you? Find another professor if you can.

van Lingen is the WORST teacher i have ever had in my life. NEVER EVER take him for any class at this school. he doesnt teach the material, he assumes that you already know it. his grading is FUCKED UP. Partial credit?? he says he gives it but yet i have i never recieved any. his midterm are cumulative leading up to an utterly IMPOSSIBLE final. bascially its his way or the highway, if you dont do it right you dont get it right. he teaches problems in class, then grades them completely different on tests. there is sooo much fuckin homework every week so never wait until the last minute because you WILL be screwed. the only reason that i bearly passed is because i took AP BC calculus in high school. he worst teacher i have ever had. "Words, Symbols, and Pictures"--what the fuck does that mean---this is not calculus its tourture because i already have been to hell and come back and this class does not even compare.

As a person, Van Lingen is really cool. He cares about his students and is always willing to talk with them during his office hours. Homework is assigned every week and is 30% of your grade. The midterms are cumulative and are 30% of your grade. The final is 40% of your grade. It took 3 hours to complete and included an essay describing how Calculus relates to Algebra. If you were not aware of it, this is not English class. I took AP Calculus in high school, so I already knew most of what was covered in the class, but for students who only took pre-calc they were screwed because he does not teach the material where it can be fully comprehended. A big problem with the midterms are that you can get the right answer but if you do not show the exact amount of work he wants, then he takes points off your test. He does a "TRUMPH" the midterm, which gives the student an opportunity to change the other two midterm grades into what you receive on the 3rd test. If you fail the first two test, and get an A on the third test, your grades can be changed to "A"s on all 3 tests. This sounds good, but is almost impossible to do because the 3rd midterm is cumulative and the hardest one of the three. I would not DEFINATELY not recommend taking Van Lingen for this class because of his grading and teaching style.

Ok, Van Lingen was a really nice guy outside of his class in the real world. He honestly seemed to care about his students and how they did in the class. He is absoulutely brilliant and a pretty entertaining guy. ~BUT~ his class was one of the most challenging I have ever had. He expects a lot, but realize that it is doable. I had a D average for the 3 midterms, but because the homework is basically a brainless 30% points, and my final grade was acceptable, I got a B in the class. One this he said that completely stuck with me was along the lines of "Learning is meant to be painful" so he's really big on the concept of working to earn your grade. If you have already taken calc, dont worry too much. The quarter felt a lot like he treated it like a review. But if you havent had calc be prepared to work for your grade. I hadnt taken calc previously, and I survived. Be brave, and overcome.

Van Lingen is very educated and knows his stuff, but his inability to get the information in his students' heads is a problem. I had never taken calculus before, and I was consistently 2 weeks behind in understanding the material for the entire quarter (once I caught up after Christmas it wasn't too bad). The other flaw with his class is that his tests are practically impossible. Although, he uses a method he calls "trumping," which means whatever you get on your final, supposing it's higher than your current grade, is your grade in the class.

all i can say is i am SORRY if you have to take this guy, especially if you havent already had calc. i can only think of one worse professor than this guy, SCHWARTZ, the two of them should concurrently teach math and physics in an integrated class, so they can fail the whole class, this guy makes me hate math and i am changing my major cause of him...to liberal studies from physics cause now i hate math...AVOID HIM AT ALL COSTS

This teacher has no clue how to explain or teach anything. He never graded the second midterm. For homework, he gives the last problem in every group of problems so that you don't even know where to start let alone not know how to do it. DON'T EVER TAKE HIM FOR ANY CLASS! EVEN IF HE HAS THE LAST AVAILABLE CLASS, DON'T GET IT! TRUST ME!

I had already taken AP calculus in high school when I took 141. I should not have taken calculus again, but as physics major I wanted a firm grasp of the math fundamentals to my major. BIG MISTAKE. I worked so hard in that class and he still gave me a C. Every subsequent class I have gotten an A/A- in: 142, 143, 241, 242, 318. What does this tell you about him?? The grading scale does not reflect the intelligence of the students. He would probably like to call us all stupid f*cking idiots anyway.

SO MOST PEOPLE REVIEWING VAN LINGEN SAY BAD THINGS. I SHARED THE SAME FEELINGS AS ALL THESE PEOPLE WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS. HE IS HONESTLY NOT THAT BAD. HE KNOWS HIS STUFF! I MEAN HE REALLY KNOWS HIS STUFF. HE IS A VERY EDUCATED MAN AND IF YOU NEED HELP, GO INTO HIS OFFICE HOURS. HE WILL DROP WHAT HE'S DOING AND HELP YOU AS MUCH AS YOU NEED. HIS KUDOS SYSTEM REALLY WORKS TO. STICK WITH HIM AND GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS AND YOU WILL DO FINE! I GOT A 20%, 45%, AND 68% ON HIS THREE MIDTERMS AND STILL MANAGED A B IN THE CLASS. DO YOUR HOMEWORK! GO TO CLASS! AND TALK TO HIM, HE IS VERY UNDERSTANDING. HE JUST HAS A PROBLEM PRESENTING THE THINGS HE KNOWS BECAUSE HE KNOWS THEM SO WELL!

This MOTHER FUCKER CANNOT TEACH. HE IS THE BY FAR THE WORST PROFESSOR AT POLY.

Rene gets a lot of hate from the people on these boards. Mostly because they're not willing to work really really really hard for a good grade. I'm a horrible math student. I normally scrape by with c's and nothing better. With Rene I tried super hard and spent a huge amount of time studying for his tests (which he gives hints as to what exactly is on them) and, in the end, I got a B- in the class. Which is better than normal for me. He was always willing to help and was good at imparting understanding in me. I felt as though I had genuinely learned the material. He was a great prof. If you dont want to work then dont take the class. Simple as that. If you would really like to understand the material that you will have to use in the following years then take the class because you most definately will (if you work at it). Thanks for all the time you spend on the class Rene. Its appreciated.

I agree with the others that this man knows hs math, but yeah...he can't teach any of it. i felt like choking myself after every lecture. he gives TONS of homework problems and collects them, which none of the problems are useful for the test, so even if you know your math, it won't show on your tests, because they are HARD. this guy seriously makes me wonder why i am wasting my valuable time in this class. It even makes me wonder why I am paying this school money to get stuck with a professor like this, and don't even get me started on his office hours. All i can say is that if you want to feel like the biggest idiot, then go to his office hours. I would go for help, and he would make me feel like an idiot for not knowing some concepts. well, maybe i would understand some of the concepts better if he could teach them. professors are supposed to help you understand things better, not put you down for not knowing them. Don't take Van Lingen. It's a bitch to be in his class.

Van Lingen is very smart. . .you'll hear him go off about Westpoint, Stanford, and Cambridge. He is a pretty decent professor but his midterms are insane. It seems to be that no matter how much you study. . .it's not possible to do well. I have a good background in calculus and I couldn't seem to pass either of his midterms. Take him if you want to be more stressed out then you ever have been before! Take someone else. . .trust me~

Rene is a challenging professor. He cares more about his students learning the material than making sure that all of his students receive good grades. In fact, his grading system is very representative of his priorities: He has either two or three midterms, but if you receive a higher grade on the second or third midterm than you did on the first or second, respectively, than he will change the previous midterm grade to match that of the later one. In addition, if you receive a higher grade on the final than you had before the final, he will give you your grade on the final for the class. The reason that he does this rather than curving grades (he believes that by curving he is giving out free points) is because all of his exams are cumulative, and if you can earn a high grade on the last test, then you have learned the material. And his tests make sure that you learn the material. Rene

Rene expects to much of any college student. I have studied more for this class then all of my other classes combined. Homework sucks because it's always due on fridays, and you don't know what your going to turn in until after class on thursday. His tests are the extremely difficult. A lot of people have dropped this class, and one kid is transfering to another school. If you do take this guys class, study the examples out of the book and study a lot. If you haven't registered for his class yet, DON'T!

I thought Rene honestly wanted students to know the material, but he didn't test on what was presented in class. The only people who did well in his class were those who had already taken 142 once and had an idea of what the material was. He was available during office hours but when I went to him he didn't just explain how to do the problem that I asked. He went back to the basic model and that was great and all but I needed help on that specific problem. If you can learn from the book and memorize equations you will do fine in his class. If you are like me and just want to cover the material and not know the book from cover to cover, I wouldn't suggest taking his class.

I totally agree with everyone above in saying that Van Lingen definately knows his stuff but can't teach it worth crap. After every lecture I was confused and after trying to complete hours of Calc homework every night I just became more confused. Van Lingen answered homework questions the first week of class, then he never answered any for the rest of the quarter. Instead, he lectured like a madman every day and sometimes tried to squeeze two sections in during one lecture. Maybe if one was Albert Einstein or Steven Hawkings they would do well on one of Vin Lingens midterms, I for one studied my ass off on both and got an F on the first and a D on the second. The only thing that kept me alive was the fact that homework counts as 1/3 of your grade and those points saved my ass. Van Lingen has a grading thing that he likes to call the "trump" effect where if you get a better grade on the second midterm than your first one then your first midterm grade gets the grade of your second one (yeah! now my first midterm grade is a D instead of an F!). Also if you have an F in the class and get a good grade on the final then your grade in the class is whatever you got on the final. I for one thought I bombed the final but for some strange reason (possible hell freezing over), I received an A- in the class. Oh and one other thing, Van Lingen is the slowest grader in the world. We never got back our second midterms until the very last week of classes. Therefore, if you haven't already figured this out, DON'T SCREW YOURSELF BY TAKING VAN LINGEN FOR MATH! TAKE ANYONE ELSE!

van Lingen is an extremly smart teacher however he does not know how to teach or what to teach. He spends all his time covering things of little importance and just confusing the class. I came into his class with a good math background and seriously felt dumber afterwards. It is not that he is not smart he just does not know what he is doing. His tests are way to hard. he chooses the hardest possible problems and other irrelevant things. and to make it even better he will take away points if you actually do the problem right but dont explain everything to him, like i am using this method on this problem. He is way to picky. I would not advise taking him unless u are a math wizz he cannot convey his knowldege effectivly

This class was so confusing! Van Lingen is really picky about the way you solve problems. He is really smart but can't undertsand that we're not all professors too! His test are impossible! He invents the problems to the midterms and makes them impossible to understand. His lectures are taught way too fast. I don't know one single person who liked this class. He also takes forever to give back tests. TRUST ME YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE THIS CLASS AT ALL COSTS!!!!!

Homework was never returned within a reasonable time. The same goes for tests. The lectures were always on advanced applications of basic subject matter, and the basics were never made clear. Tests did not cover basic concepts, only outragious problems that were difficult to apply to the subject. Avoid taking this professor.

Rene Van Lingen is an friendly professor with many interesting stories. His teaching, however, leaves something to be desired. While he has a good command of the material he chooses to present it exactly as it is found in the textbook. Those sections in the the book that are not clear will not become so in the classroom. Other teachers (such as Murphy, McDill, and Kato) will give you their personal problem-solving methods which are generally much more effective than those found in the text. Van Lingen assigns a large amount of homework, sometimes only leaving one day to complete it. Both his midterms and final are cumulative, and he will replace early exam scores with later ones that are higher. Your final grade in the class will either be a combination of your homework and exam grades or the grade you received on the final exam, whichever is highest. I got my grade by getting an A on the final. Despite my success, I would not recommend this instructor to anyone (not even those who wish to learn the material; there are much better professors for that!), at least until he learns to better convey all his knowledge to his students.

This professor has absolutely no clue! I have never had the displeasure of such an unhelpful teacher. He assigns a huge amount of homework every week and then doesn't even check it to see if it's right. He just gives you the points. So when 1 of three dreaded midterms come around you're totally clueless. He breezes through the material at such a rapid pace, you're onto new concepts before you're even sure if you've grasped the previous. I seriously do NOT reccomend this teacher. If you have him DROP. If he's the only one left to register for, crash a GE. Just don't take him!!!! And I would say the same thing if I had an A in his class. A good grade isn't worth the hell he puts you through.

I learned a lot more in Van Lingen's class than any other math course I've been in. If you're taking a math course just for a grade I wouldn't recommend him because you have to put alot of time into his class. But if you want to learn the material, and you don't mind reading the book, I would reccomend him. Van Lingen was a helpful and nice guy inside and outside of class. Pretty much everyone in the class (including me) failed the first couple of midterms. But each midterm overrides the previous one if you do better on it (the final overrides all three if you do better). Just study hard and you will do fine.

Ok, listen, everyone seems to be out to get this guy, saying he's the most terrible teacher ever, but HE'S NOT!!!! Van Lingen is a really good guy, he cares about the education his students are recieving and he wants them to get the most out of it. He really does want all of his students to succeed, which means mastering the material, and he gives every opportunity for each person to do just that. He has a trumping system with his midterms and final, which basically means, you can screw up in the beginning, but if you pull an A on the final, that's your grade in the class. This man is highly intelligent, he knows his stuff!!! Yes, he is a very difficult teacher, but I learned much more in his class than any other math class I've ever been in. Go see him in office hours for extra help, he's more than willing to help you out!!!!!

I thought Rene was a good teacher for someone that actually wants to learn the information. I took Dr. Oniell the first quarter and left not knowing what the hell I just did for 10 weeks of class. Within two weeks of Rene's class I felt like I had learned everything I was supposed to in 141. He is very demanding because he doesn't want to have his students coast, but he is willing to take suggestions so that a student relates to the work better. Personally I would rather be challenged and take a little harder class, than coast and learn jack shit, that is why I have him again in 143. I also like that even if you fail or skip all your midterms, your final grade can give you an A through his trumping method.

The facts are simple. 142 is about aquiringing tools to solve certain situations for calculus. You learn the tools and apply them on the tests. Now I know that, but when I took Van Lingen's class I didn't know which way was up, I thought I had this stuff down pat. I even thought I aced the final. I thought doing well on the final would get me a great grade, but his way of teaching and grading is so confusing that it didn't matter how hard I studied, he would make a test that would knock the wind out of you and leave you guessing as to what the Hell just happened. Don't ever take this guy you will be in hell!!!

Simply put I worked harder in this class than I have ever worked in a class in my entire life. I even enrolled in an SI course to help me out with the material. And I got a C and a migraine. He doesn't seem to care about his students, he hates to slow down the pace of his lecture, he is confusing, and his tests just suck. The only math 142 professor I know of that puts an essay question on his final. DO NOT TAKE THIS GUY. He will make you go insane.

Never take this guy's classes. he's a nice enough guy, but has unrealistic expectations. My class was all engineers, but he taught the class like we were all math majors. we're expected to know the most exoteric details of any section. He has his own format you have to use for word problems, if you don't you're wrong, even if you get the right answer! My roomate had 142 from a different teacher, i always had 4 times as much hw as him. If you have this guy next quarter, shove a sharp stick in your eye rather than taking his class, you'll be better off.

Well, even after reading several horror stories from other students regarding Mr. Van Lingen, I decided to stick it out for the quarter. Stick it out I did, and only by studying for days on end and nearly selling my soul to the devil did I earn a C-. A word of warning... many of Rene's test questions are straight out of the examples given in the book. Read it...sleep with it...become one with it...the book will be your friend in this class. Being cocky and a bit lazy, I didn't take advantage of this, and the first two midterms penetrated my bum on the spot. As one who has survived this class, I can say that not all hope is lost.

Van Lingen can be a little confusing at times, but is a great help in office hours, if you go. He gave a lot of opportunity for extra credit, but you did have to work for it. His tests were difficult if you weren't REALLY familiar with the material, but if you had actually studied hard for them, they weren't unfair. We covered the material faster than any other 142 class I knew of and had lots of homework, but we also had 2 weeks of review time at the end of the quarter before finals, which was kind of nice. I know lots of people don't like Van Lingen, but I didn't think he was that bad.

Van Lingen was a disgrace of a teacher. If I had not already learned this material in high school, I would have for sure failed like many of his other students. His lectures were him just doing the example probs from the text, and I found going to class a complete waste of time, except that he gave 'kudo' points for going. His tests were extremely hard. Sometimes he will give a problem from the textbook examples or a problem that he showed at the review sessions, so know how to do every problem he shows you and every example problem. He also gives bonus points for knowing things like his office hours and other useless crap written in his syllabus. On the final be prepared to work the entire three hours, because you will need at least that much time to finish because he gives a bunch of problems plus a two page essay. Also, he does give tons of homework and the only way I could do it was using hotmath.org. I highly recommend taking any other teacher you can, even if it means waking up at 6 in the morning.

Van Linger is a pretty good instructor. It might be hard for most student taking the class in the beginning of the quarter b/c he goes pretty fast. by the 3rd or 4th week, you'll learn how to stay on track. there's HW every night, the HW load is an average amount, you'll probably spend an hours time to complete the HW. (i recommend studing every nite and review what u went over in the lecture, also go to all his review session for midterms and final, and if u need extra help go to his office hour he's very helpful) If u study hard, do the HW, go to review session/office hour, im pretty sure you will get a passing grade!

This guy does not teach very well. He knows what he's talking about but he doesnt convey the information very good. He is an okay professor but he was a very nice guy and funny as well. But i don't think i would recommend taking his class. There are probably better teachers out there that actually teach the material. He is all about theory and his ways of doing math. so be careful.

I understand that a lot of students don't like this instructor. But personally, I thought he was fair and even helped us on numerous occassions if you actually made an attempt. The big plus I had was almost 75% of the material in Math 142 was material I already knew how to do or had touched on somewhat in my high school Calculus class. Ok. About his grading policies. If you go solely on his grading structure as outlined in the syllabus, it will be entirely misleading. Van Lingen allows you to "spaz" on your midterms. I know that I had a D average on all the midterms but ended up with a B+ in the class. By the outlined structure, I would have clearly failed the class but I got a very good grade on the final which helped me greatly. Basically, whatever you get on the final is what you get in the class. Just make sure you go over your midterms because the final has almost the same exact problems that were on the midterms. The questions on both the midterms and the final are ALL examples from the textbook. As long as you actually read the text and make an effort to understand the examples in each chapters, you will definently get a good grade. Next is the homework. On the homework, you automatically get 5 points just for trying and you typically will get the other 5 points as long as you do the problems. Homework is easy in general but he will assign some challenging problems near the end. The only thing of which I didn't like was the fact we had to write a paper on "How is algebra different from integral calculus." But the one advantage is you already know one of the 8 questions on the final, the paper. As long as you turn in the draft and revise it, you'll do fine. I give him a B because he did present the material well, but myself and others got confused on a few areas of which he seemed to "fly" over. If you don't understand the material, GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS. He is more than willing to help you on understanding the material. Although several people say he doesn't explain it well, it is only because they refuse to think. He wants you to think about the problem and understand it so you will be able to solve a similar problem in the future. As long as you do the homework, read the text, and understand the examples, you will do fine in the class.

I had Professor Van Lingen for Math 142 last quarter, and I intentionally have him again for Math 143 this quarter. I must say, Professor Van Lingen can be somewhat difficult. However, I took 141 twice and I took 142 twice. Before I had Van Lingen, I either failed my classes, or just slipped by with a C. Van Lingen's teaching style allowed me to think and reason things out, instead of just memorizing the "key equation" to just plug-and-chug the appropriate numbers. Professor Van Lingen goes over the steps to solve the problems from the definition or theorem to the final answer. I know that students that I have spoken to that had him in 142 and don't now for 143 miss his in depth explainations and find themselves lost in their current classes. Granted, maybe his style isn't for everyone. However, I knew I needed a teacher that would show me that calculus wasn't just a bunch of equations, but a process that is actually rather interesting and manageable. If your other profs aren't cuttin' it, give Van Lingen a whirl. It could be rather beneficial.

THIS GUY IS A TOTAL FUCKHEAD.. CAN"T TEACH FOR SHIT.. THAT MOTHER FUCKER

If you are a dedicated, hard-working, intelligent individual... there may yet be hope for you. As for the rest of us slacking bums that refuse to acknowledge impending doom, you may as well stop attending and save yourself the worry. Rene is one of the most interesting teachers I've had. He really wants to make sure that the material is pounded in to our heads and sticks there for eternity. Consequently, this makes for an intense workload, tests that stretch to the boundaries of your understanding, and the necessity for your brain to stay up and active every lecture. I made the foolish mistake of putting off all serious work in this class until the pre-final days. And when I realized I was in danger of flunking, those days became intense study sessions indeed. Suffice to say, I got the C- that I deserved. However, as a current second year student (I took this class a year ago), I can honestly say that I've never gotten a more thorough understanding of a math class than from Van Lingen.

OK. So I had to retake this class because I failed it last quarter with Epstein. (he's worse than Rene!) Let's just say - Rene expects you to know the book inside and out. Ch 6 thru 10. EVERYTHING. He's hardcore on knowing the absolute basics of cal, but makes it way harder than necessary. And, his expectations are way too freakin' high. If you understand every single formula/equation/identity - i mean, "in words" then you should be fine. This class cost me a good 20 hours/week... in homework alone... and I only got a freakin C. Good luck, kiddies, this class freakin bites. All I know is I recommend him WAY more than that doofus, Epstein.

rene is the DEVIL! i think he sprouted out of the firey pits of math hell to try and "enlighten" us poor children on the meaning of every single math identity and equation. he is too intellegent to teach math 142, he doesn't remember what it is like to not know anything. if you want a serious challenge, take him; you will need to not only know every equation in chapters 6-10 but you will also need to know how to relay the meaning of those equations in words. an example of the class?-the final was 8 questions, weighted at 40 pts each, one of those being an essay on the "difference between algebra and integral calculus." this was my 2nd time taking 142 and i still didn't get it; i don't blame rene for my grade but i do think that his teaching style was a big factor in prohibiting my learning. i recommend going to office hours as often as possible, something i was too arrogant to do...

awesome teacher...you alwayz have a chance....pass the last midterm and all the other midterms get that grade =)..... fuck up allll quarter....then ace the final....and ace the class.... he says it's ok to spaz out.... (well he also says cool things like schlew and easy shpeezy...lol) but that jes makes it fun ^.^ i'd recomend this dude to anyone...he's hella cooh

I passed! This guy tries hard to help students learn, but can be really confusing for some students. I had a hard time following his teaching methods and learning from them. He basically coppied practice questions from the book and presented them on the board. He often passed off certain steps as remedial so skipped them entirely, all in all really confusing. His tests were incredibly hard, and I did poorly at first. Luckily for his kudos and trumping system I was able to recover. Attending his class was a serious waste of time for me, but I found other ways to get kudos, even though his office hours were packed, etc. I started attending Delany's sessions on days I could attend and I quickly learned some calc 142. If I hadn't I probably would have failed. If you are a Math major or really want to know everything about calc take this teacher. If you are looking to get through calc without having to take it again, as I am sure a lot of students from my class will, take somebody else. I know I would. Just glad I passed...

Eventhough van lingen was a very hard teacher, he did teach the material very well. I definately did not enjoy being in his class, but if you go to his office hours and work with him, he will work with you. His midterms are really hard, even if you study for them. I would recommend him to anybody who wants to know calculus very well. He is a very smaert man, and he knows his stuff.If you slack, dont take him.

At first I hated Van Lingen because it seemed like he wanted his class to be the center of my existence, but after a few weeks I started to really like the way he presented the material. He made me understand why things were, not just how to do them. I would have to say this class was really hard, but if you put in enough effort he will see that and grade accordingly.

I agree, Professor Van Lingen's Class is Rigorous and you should be up to the challenge if you want to take him. But I think he is a good teacher, a very nice guy, and more than willing to help you. His midterms however are EXTREMELY difficult, but the material is covered in class. You'll probably get a D or an F on one of his midterms, but the Final Makes up for it

This guy is by far the worst teacher at Cal Poly. If you are enrolled for his class drop it now. His tests are next to impossible and his office hours are always completely full due to his lack of teaching. You won't get your midterms back for a few weeks and we never got our second midterm back. Pretty much the final is the only thing that counts because what you get on your final is your grade if it is higher than your total. He assigns lots of homework and sometimes doesn't tell you during class. He emails it to you a few hours before it's due. You have to sit by your computer and wait for the assignment. Whatever you do don't take this guy.

For the most part all of the other evaluations are true, vanLingen sucks ass as a teacher. I found this out on the first day when he said he had the lowest pass rate of any teacher in the math department. His lectures are completely useless because he only lectures on the examples in the book and goes too fast for us to even understand what he was doing. Whenever he asked us if we picked up on what he did the entire class would stare at him blankly after which he would laugh and keep on going. Homework assignments were just as bad. I had two hour classes twice a week and he would almost always give us all of our assignments the night before they were due so we would usually have three assignments to do in one night. His tests are hard as hell too. I failed both midterms as did most of the class. He forces you study the whole book because midterms are cumulative and his list of items he gives you to study is every section that we have covered. Oh yeah, he doesn't curve either, instead you get to trump your tests. Where if you get a higher grade on your second test than you did on the first, your first grade changes to that higher grade. Too bad if you get an F on one and a higher F on the other. By the way, his final is the hardest test I have ever taken. I have no idea how I passed this class but if you think you can handle it by all means take this guy. For all you normal people though drop this guy if you see his name on your schedule.

Van Lingen does not explain material clearly and does not care about his students. A lot of the class was struggling and he did not make an effort to try to change his teaching style. He never gave back one of the midterms and wouldnt return my email about the final. He makes no effort to inform his students.

If you don't read past this: AVOID THIS TEACHER IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!!!! vanLingen's class is not focused on what you NEED to know for 143. He wastes your time with "learning" (most students, myself included, had to resort to memorization)derivations of theorems, especially Kepler's laws. The reason I passed the class was because he added 10% at the end of the quarter...probably when he realized no one would pass otherwise. His first midterm had an average of about 50%, and the subsequent tests were no better, not because of the students, but because of the amount he asked you to perform, and his poor teaching skills ( he gets confused and has to read out of the book during the lecture). The second midterm consisted of 12 questions, in a 50 minute period. Some of which took up to half a page of writing to solve. He handed the 2nd and 3rd midterm back the last day of dead week...at an out of class study session... because he did not finish grading them until that day. Therefore, they were useless as we had no time to ask questions. He requires a "mathematical" essay as homework...then, you must regurgitate the whole 2 pages again on the final. I didn't know English 149 was a pre-req for this class. He likes what he does, but sometimes cannot even solve the few homework problems we were allowed to ask in class.

all i have to say is in this class you can know how to do everything in the book, but still not be able to pass the tests because your 2 page essay on vector calculus isn't good enough and you can't do the 2 page derivation of kepler's 1st law. not to mention kepler's 2nd and 3rd law. van lingen isn't really a jerk in class or office hours(where there is about 25 people everyday) but his tests make you wonder if he is joking. i can honestly say if i had had any other teacher i would have an A or B, not a D that totally fucks up my GPA. thanks man. save yourself alot of undue stress and don't take this teacher for 143 or any other class. just don't do it.

Run. Run now. He is a very, very bad man. And he makes you memorize four pages worth of Kepler's laws, which have been absolutely no help and which, I am assuming, will never be. I should have dropped with the half of the class that was smart enough to at the beginning of the quarter.

Listen to what these people are saying! Do not take this guy. He is a very nice man and very intelligent, but he penalizes you for not being as smart as he is. I have never been so discouraged by a math class in my entire life! 143 was a continuous struggle with this man and when the final review came he was astonished that we all had no clue how to deal with some of the material (because he never taught it). The third midterm had 2 proofs on it with no warning, and I don't know about you guys, but I haven't done proofs since 10th grade math. He likes to say that his tests are 3 questions long but what he doesn't tell you is that each question has 5 parts to it which are each a full question on their own in the textbook. And when we complained that the tests were too long he told us that we had not mastered material instead of understanding our concerns. Also, his extra credit consists of obscure historical references from the footnotes of the text. I now have to repeat 143 thanks to this guy. BTW Dr. Van Lingen, english is not a prereq for calc.

keep this in mind when walking into his class: LOWEST PASSING RATE IN THE MATH DEPT.

I originally never signed up to take his class, the school just changed teachers on me. At first I wanted to leave his class because I had heard all these bad things about him, but I decided to stick it out. In the end he eneded up being one of my favorite teachers. Homework was only assigned once a week and he was very good about going over any hard questions. His exams we're ass hard, but very do-able if you go through all the examples in the book. His second test was all examples from the book. He only has like about 5-6 problems per exam worth so be prepared for anything. He gives a lot of partial credit too so don't leave anything blank. I got 8 of 17 points on a problem I had no idea how to do. I personally would take Van Lingen again given the chance. He is very enthusiastic about the material and made the class not so boring. Get to know him and really try to raise your hand and get involved. I really believe that my active participation contributed greatly to my grade

I actually took van lingen for 142 and 143. I passed 142 by the skin of my teeth and had no such luck with 143. He does present the material, but it would be hard to say that he actually teaches it. His lectures were an abomination, consisting of him plowing on with iron determination for the full 2 hours when at least half of the students were lost after the first 10 minutes. If someone asks a question, he will attempt to answer it, but oftentimes his means of answering is just repeating the same confusing thing over. This does nothing to actually help the student. Furthermore, his projects (Kepler's law proofs, essays, etc.) seem irrelevant to actually improving skills. He's a fascinating person, but not the greatest teacher. one thing to note; it is conceivable, though seemingly unlikely, that a lot of his negative traits would be less important in a class which was four days a week instead of two.

Even though I got a B in his class, DON'T TAKE HIM FOR ANY CLASS!!! On the first midterm, people got single digit grades! Each midterm got worse and worse. When our class tried to talk to him about at least curving the midterm, he told us to turn our anger inwards and try to find a solution to the problem instead of blaming him for not getting a good grade. He makes you write a 2 page essay that is part of the final. We also had to derive Kepler's Law of Motion and fill in the proof on the final. The only redeeming thing about his class is that if you get a higher grade on any midterm or the final, it replaces all lower midterm grades. That and days of studying is the only reason I got a B.

WORST TEACHER EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! This class just sucked. I knew all the material, breezed through the homework and failed every midterm. I didn't really put in the effort, but watched people work 5 times harder for a C. At least the final was part essay. No wait, that sucked too. After almost failing his class, he recommended that i take it again. Instead i went on the get a B's in 241 and 242. NEVER EVER TAKE THIS GUY FOR ANYTHING

I would only recommend this professor if you are willing to put in the time because yes, this class can take over your life at times. With that said I feel satasfied having taken him for 143. His expectations are high but not unreasonable. 7 weeks through the quarter I thought I had no hope as I was failing at the time. However it all starts to come together if you have stuck w/ it. One of the awesome things about van lingen is that he uses a trumping system on his midterms and final so you can fail all three midterms get an A on the final and get an A in the class. This takes a little bit of stress off of the midterms which are very difficult. One of van lingen's best qualities is that he CARES deeply about his students. He gives up so much time for them its unbelieveable. During finals week he spent 8 hours at the bagel cafe downtown helping students do review problems. He also offers 5 two hour review sessions dispersed throughout the quarter. I worked on this class more than any other class I've had but I have a shit load of calculus info in my head and will breeze through 241 and 242. This class prepares you. I know that if I took any other professor's 143 final I would kill it. So take him if you want to learn and actually understand the material or dont take him if you are lazy and dont put effort into your classes.

vanlingen is by far the worst instructor i have ever had. math has always been my strongest subject but rene just shot that down. i studied hours upon hours for this class. i went to office hours, study sessions...you name it, i tried it and yet, i still managed to get an f in the class. he makes you write a ridiculous two page essay on vector differential calculus and "regular" differential calculus. give me a break!!! when you ask a question he makes you feel stupid. he doesn't present the material well at all and he leaves out so many important details in his lectures that are crucial for the homework. my advice to you, do all that you can to avoid rene vanlingen.

I passed? I PASSED!!! It's eight days after I should have found out, but I PASSED!! If you are masochistic, take this professor. You will work, and work, then work some more. Then you will fail three midterms. Then you will take a final and hope you passed so that you can pass the class, and have to wait an extra week to find out because the final was THAT long and took THAT much time to grade. If you really worked hard and did everything the way he told you to, as well as got lucky you might pass this class. This is the hardest class I've ever taken (though it was during my second quarter, so that's not saying THAT much). I would recommend avoiding this teacher. BUT, because of all the difficulty, I understand this material very, very, very well now. In fact, if I had had to retake the class (not because I didn't understand it, but because his tests were THAT hard), it would have been a piece of cake. His lectures explained the conceptual things very well, but he did very few examples. This made homework and tests very hard. Yes... the tests... Two hour test, 50 minute period, need I say more? Anyways, you should avoid this guy unless you want to know calculus really well, at the cost of your free time and some hair. I'm glad I had him, now that it's over with.

Ok, I previously left feedback giving him some praise but I realized that the only reason I passed 142 was because I knew over 80% of the material when I went into it. He presented the material ok but in all, he expected you to know way too much in 10 weeks time. His midterms were so hard that you would have been better off not even coming to the exam days. You would probably end up with an F anyways. Plus, on the last midterm, supposedly his other class before us talked to someone in our class about the midterm so to "punish" us, he gave us an exam he pulled out of his ass in 1hr and it was the hardest thing I have ever seen beside the final. Everyone had studied those stupid Kepler's Laws (of which no prof. expects you to memorize except him) and he didn't even have it on the midterm. For his final, he yet again expects you to write some stupid paper on math of which I think is a total waste of time. Another part of the final is proving Kepler's Laws (one of them) and again, I think this was a waste of time. The fact that got me really mad was how I studied for over 48hrs total for the final and got a freaking D on it. He tells you the final consists of 8 questions..... hell no. This final I couldn't believe the number of questions he put on this exam. There had to be over 60. Some of them short answers? Short answers my ass. I remember spending more than 20min on one problem. If each one took that long, I don't see how you could possibly answer his supposed "8" questions in under 3hrs. I finally gave up when I had 15min left and I still had a shitload of questions left to answer. And I would like him to know that he can't expect us to know every little detail in that book because hardly anyone would. We are at Cal Poly, not freaking Stanford or Cambridge. I think he expects way to much. If you get him, slitting your wrists would be a better use of your time then listening to his bullshit day in and day out. GET SOMEONE ELSE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

This was by far the hardest quarter of math that I have ever taken in my life. van Lingen makes you work your ass off the entire quarter from day one until the very end of the final. You have to know exactly how he wants your work on the tests to be written so you can get most of the partial credit on the midterms because no matter how fast you work you can never finish the exam. My reccomendation is to do parts of every problem rather than complete a few and leave some entirely blank. Homework is very important to do because it is a third of your grade. It will help out a lot when you are failing the midterms. I failed two out of the three midterms but still got an A. I am still not sure how the hell that happened, but I must have done well on the final. If you do well on the final you can pass the class because of his trumping system and kudos. And yes I am living proof that he does give out A's. One good thing about him is that he is willing to work hard for you if you work hard for him. He is always willing to help you out after class at office hours and study sessions. If you have to take him for math, I wish you the best of luck. :)

Like most of the other people that have written polyratings on this professor, van Lingen has a remarkable inability to realize that he expects far too much from his students. I am not a math major, I am an ME. I didn't take the class to learn the history of math, although I certainly know enough about Kepler and why he is so imperitive that I know the derivations to his laws. I have no problems with van Lingen as a person... he seems to care for his students and he definitely puts in alot of out of class time to help the students. Perhaps it's because if he didn't EVERYONE would fail. I have never had to work hard for any single class in my life, and though I earned a B in the class, I failed every single midterm I took in the class. I don't really think I did much better on the final, though I did study some 15 hours for it. I think he just ended up throwing a curve of a letter grade or so in order to give some people a chance. Basically I stressed myself out the entire quarter learning the ins and outs of a subject I don't even care for anyway, only to fail every test but miraculously get a B in the class. Van Lingen, please, realize that most of your students just DON'T care about WHY the math works... I just want to be able to apply it to the subjects I care about. If you want to have such an emphasis in your course, stick to a graduate level area. Maybe you won't get as many people that are frustrated with your teaching style.

When I first went into the class on the first day I thought to myself that this guy isnt as bad as poly ratings makes him seem..... I should have taken the advice here and tried crashing a different math class. First of all he doesnt really answer a question that someone has in class. He thinks that everyone should know what he is talking about and should be able to follow it fine. Of course when someone would ask a question he didnt answer it well at all because it didnt follow what he was teaching or he wasnt sure what the person was asking or something and so people just stopped asking questions. Another thing is that his tests where almost impossible. He said there will only be three questions..... 3 questions with at least 4 parts to each one and each part a problem that took at least 10 min on its own. The final was no different except for the fact that each question had more than 4 parts and there was an essay to write. This is not an english class so I dont know the reason we had to write an essay that doesnt show we understand the concepts that we were supposed to learn. If you can learn the topics on your own from the book... thats still not enough for this teacher... you need to understand the material better than the back of your hand to pass his tests. The only reason some people passed was probably because he had to pass some people so the people with the most homework turned in and got a higher F than most people in the class are the only ones that probably passed. If you struggle at all with math do not take this teacher. I have always liked math and to learn it... but this teacher made me hate math for this quarter, so take anyone else.

This is the most rediculously difficult professor you could ever take for 143. Period. He explains the material well, but his tests are extremely difficult. Our class averages around an F for every midterm. The smartest people in the class and the ones who study instead every minute outside of this class get C's. Van Lingen's idea of an A in his class is equivalent to an understanding of calculus that only a math professor would possess. Half of our last midterm was on material that we never covered in lecture or homework. The midterms are also difficult to finish in the mere 50 mins he gives us, even if we were to have some uber-understanding of calculus. He does not believe in curving. Take any other math professor before you take him. You will regret it. You will not pass. You would be lucky to get a C, but probably you will get an F. DO NOT TAKE VAN LINGEN.

WOW... I can't believe it's Finlay over, and I passed!!!! Van Lingen's class consumed my life. He gives you A LOT of work and expects even more on the tests. He likes to put proofs on the tests so whenever he's proving something in class and says "I've asked this on tests before" or tells you to study the proof in the book then I suggest you study it for the test. I think Van Lingen cares about his students and he devotes a lot of time to his struggling students and offers plenty of study sessions. Van lingen is not a bad professor I just think he expects way too much of his students... I mean I probably would have liked his class if it wasn't so impossible! The whole quarter I was stressed out with the amount of work I had from the class and my failed midterms. That's right, I failed every midterm, but Van Lingen has a trump system for his tests so when you score higher on a later test it replaces all lower scores before it. HW is worth 30% of your grade so that definitely helps too. Bottom line: If you can perform well under pressure (ex. Tests) and don't mind doing a ton of work then you could probably do well in Van Lingen's class, but I know I wouldn't take him again.

Just don't do it. I was cocky. I read these comments and thought that if I worked hard enough, I could pass. This class was simply a waste of time. Countless hours, which were needed for other coursework, were sacrificed so I could make the review sessions and office hours. All for an F. Simply put, Van Lingen's tests are too hard. You'll get a false sence of security because all the final review questions are easy, but the final isn't even vauguely related. Without memorizations of your own essay, Kepler's laws, and many book proofs, no student will have enough time to finish. I used the full three hours to fill nine pages, but i had attempted, less than half of the problems. All the rumors are true! Even if you'll only have 12 units, DROP THIS CLASS RIGHT NOW !

hmm... how in the heck did I get an A? I really have no idea. I failed all three midterms. Although, I got a 59 on the last one. I studied alot for the final, and I think I did alright. Anyways... thank god i'm out of that class. He's great at teaching math. He sucks at writing tests. And he sucks at grading them even more. You learn alot from this guy, but it is not worth it, because you'll spend the entire quarter stressing about your grade and wishing you were in a different class.

First of all, Rene is an excelent teacher. He knows his materials really well and expects the students to master the material persented. This class is not for someone is is not willing to work for their grade. I ended up getting a C in the class, but that is really what I deserved. I worked my butt off for the 3 weeks leading up to the final and I got what I got. If you do take this class, be prepared to work.

Dr. Van Lingen is a really good math professor. HOWEVER!!! He is extremely difficult. He'll give you a basic understanding of how to deal with the problems, and it's up to you figure out how to use that basic understanding use whatever resources you have to deal with the extremely complex and difficult problems. All his homework and exams are taken from the book. So that's a plus. He's still a really hard teacher. Going to office hours helped me out a lot, as did doing all the homework. Yes you do have to write essays, but you learn a lot in the process. Dr. Van Lingen's a pretty cool guy too. Unless you're up for a really extremely immense gargantuanly difficult quarter of math. Dr. Van Lingen is not the one to choose.

Van Lingen is a really good teacher for 143. He would always talk about 241 stuff and how we would need a lot of 143 for it. The only problem is he is a horrible grader. My highest test was a 68 percent and that was pretty good compared to a lot of the other grades. I would recommed Van Lingen if you are either a Math major, or are really interested and want to learn the material really well. But if you're just looking for an A, then this is definitely not the class to take. You will work your ass off. It seemed impossible to get a good grade, but kudos and his trumping system help out.

van Lingen is an extremely smart man. He knows what he is talking about and does his best to convey it. If anyone is confused, he will explain until they understand. He puts in a huge amount of effort outside the classroom (bizillions of office hours and review sessions). He is more than willing to help anyone as much as they need - all they have to do is ask. Yes, he assigns a huge amount of homework. Yes, his tests are incredibly difficult. Yes, he requires twices as much material as any other teacher. But YES, you will learn four times as much as a student in another class. As far as grading goes, he is very difficult. However, he has a system set up to get around that. First off, there are Kudos, which are practically gimmes. Kudos are extra credit based on effort. You get Kudos for attendence, for homework, for tests and test corrections, for extra work, for office hour visits and reveiw session attendence. You can get something like 15% extra credit for just trying. He also has a trumping system. No matter how poorly you do, if you do better later on, that grade will replace all the rest. Was this class the hardest I have ever had? Yes. But I would take him again in a heartbeat.

If you enjoy pain, or math is all you live for, you will love Van Lingen. Otherwise, you life is going to suck if you take his class.

Essay?.... Essay? Why would you take a math class that requires an essay. First of all this guy seemed okay the first few days. I actually thought I would enjoy the class, but the homework he assigned has nothing to do with the questions he has on the midterms. The midterms contain about 4 problems. each. Another midterm is all proofs and you have to know exactly step by step how you do it and explain why you did it. Overall this guy sucks... DO NOT TAKE HIM

Van Lingen is the hardest teacher i have taken yet. He really does have an interest in the material and will go out of his way to help you, but his expectations are ridiculously high. I spent probably 20 hours a week on this class alone doing home work and reviewing for tests. He is willing to go the extra mile to help you, as long as he can see that youre really trying. Only take Van Lingen if you enjoy the pain and agony of spending every available moment on this class and still failing all the time.

Van Lingen is the type of teacher that you wish could teach all your classes. He makes you learn the material. I really enjoyed writing an essay during the final. How many teachers make you write an essay for a math final? No one except Van Lingen, and it helped me understand the material better. You should sign up for his classes. They fill up quick.

The BIGGEST steaming pile of SHIT on this planet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

he is very helpful during class time and more than willing to stay after and clarify any questions you have. Im a math idiot and he really helps make it easier. he's not an easy teacher, hes just good teacher. The tests are straight forward, as long as you keep up with the homework which is collected and graded. He tends to not curve tests.

If you are enrolled in van Lingen's class, your screwed. After excelling in every other math class I have ever taken, van Lingen destroyed my cofidence in my math abilities. Never before have I had a teacher who was so completely oblivious to the needs of his students. Class time is a complete waste of time. At best he will read the practice problems. It takes him almost a month to return tests and homework. As far as midterms are concerned, good luck! He is a self described genuis. Unfortunately for him, genuis and good teacher are not synonymous. Van Lingen is by far the worst teacher I have ever had. DO NOT TAKE RENE VAN LINGEN FOR ANY MATH CLASS!

Rene is a math expert but has trouble communicating his knowledge to his students. The only reason i did so well was because i took the supplemental instruction. the class is totally passable as long as you're willing to put in A LOT OF WORK. homework makes up 40% of the grade, and he has extra review sessions before each midterm. he doesn't grade tests very quickly... we NEVER got back our midterm, even though he had more than three weeks to grade it. also, there's AN ESSAY on the final. hella whack.

The absolute WORST professor/teacher i have EVER HAD. Never returned the second midterm (didn't have it graded by the final) and rarely returned home work punctually. Terrible at exlaining concepts, and obviously expects you to know more than you possibly can. It was business calulus for god's sake-we aren't math majors. In summation, do your best to AVOID AVOID AVOID Van Lingen.

DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER unless you already have prior, and thourough experience in whatever math you are in. He barely skims the material, and he doesn't really teach it. He basically goes over the material as if everone already knows it and the entire class is reviewing. He's a nice guy, but a terrible teacher.

Do yourself a favor and do not take MATH 241 from Van Lingen. He is a poor teacher who concerns himself only with covering the course material, and not with students' learning or comprehension. When he finishes lecturing a difficut section, he quickly turns his back on the class and erases the board. In the 40 or so class lecture hours, Rene asked if we had any questions no more than 5 times. His grading is unclear and convoluted, which is annacceptable in a college level math class. Basiacally, he fails everyone on the first three midterms, but will give a C- to anyone who works their ass off for the final. I was not willing to give that kind of effort for that kind of grade, so I refused to take the final. If you are interested in becoming a teacher, check this guy out to see what kind of teacher you don't want to become. Otherwise, I STRONGLY DISCOURAGE ANYONE FROM TAKING RENE'S CLASS.

van lingen's class was the worst experience of my college career. i found myself constantly studying countless hours everyday because of his incredibly high expectations. he evaluates based on proving theorems and doing proofs on his exams. while other teachers instruct on the practical part of calc 241, his emphasis is on "understanding" keplers laws. his testing methods are extremely difficult, he collects homework once a week (it is a very large assignment). 3 exams and a final make up almost your entire grade. if you want my advice dont take him, and if you are already enrolled drop him before its too late.

I don't approve of the way this teacher presents the material. Every example done on the board, on the midterm, and on the final was out of the book - and he didn't even change the figures. I would have more respect for him if he had come up with some original content and actually demonstrated that he understood how the problems worked. I was a bit upset to learn that people were jelous of me for getting 51% of a midterm. - I thought I was doing badly, but when half the people in his class just stopped coming, it became quite apparent that there was a problem. I'm guessing the Kudo system was a bit of a compensation (otherwise I probably wouldn't have passed), but they didn't count for enough points. The funny thing was, that in the last 2 weeks of class he showed us a grading system where he was considering making 50-70% an A, 40-50% a B, etc. We all agreed that this was a good idea, but we were informed that such a system would begin (if at all) by next quarter at the earliest...What a bust.

Well, I'll be! You should've been in his class for the first day of lecturing, and you would've seen WHY he teaches what he teaches, and how he does it. I mean, he not only has degrees in mathematics, but also in psychology. Anyway, being a math major, it is most certainly RECOMMENDED to take this man as your professor in at LEAST ONE of your classes, because he not only challenges you to the best of your ability in such a short amount of time (and no, I don't mean the regular term, I mean a week SHORTER for the review sessions), he REQUIRES you to take a leap of faith from normal algorithmic thinking to conceptual thinking, and after many years of algorithmic thinking, it is most certainly not easy to take that leap. So, if you take Rene Van Lingen, you will come out of the course not only learning how math works, but also why it works in the real world.

This guy could have been a good teacher and in fact at the beginning of the quarter I quite liked him. He gives out pretty demanding homework assignments but you learn a lot from them, and his lectures are decent as long as you keep up with your work. But fuck me if I could get through one of his midterms on time. His tests are impossible. I knew how to do all the problems for the first two midterms but ran out of time on both well before I was close to finished. I've since looked back on my exams and have realized that the only way you can pass them is by pretty much memorizing the derivations and examples from the book. Any original work on your part will both run you out of time and be sent straight to question mark hell. After the second midterm I stopped attending class and the fact I did no homework resulted in an F so I'd say do homework at all costs. It's worth a bunch, takes a long time, but shows that you tried and he is merciful at the end of the quarter (wish I'd known) and does some sort of curve. Anyway, do not take this guy. Math isn't supposed to be all memorization.

Please Please Please do NOT take Van Lingen for anything! I went to every lecture everytime and got nothing out of them! He doesn't do any examples and spends all day doing proofs! His tests are unreasonably difficult and he expects you to have every example in the book from the chapters covered COMPLETELY memorized. Everybody else I knew who had Diff EQ's with another teacher said that it was really simple math, yet everyone in my class seemed to think it was insanely hard (gee I wonder why?). He is also very stingy with partial credit. Unless you really like memorizing proof after proof with no help from the prof. don't take this guy!