[{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:57:00.766334+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0NTUxNjQ3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2225093","instructor_name":"Alexander Brooks","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-04-14 20:34:49 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Brooks is incredibly helpful in office hours. Many times this semester, I have been stumped on a project, and he is very good at walking you through the logic required to understand the issue. I have been very happy with his help outside of the class during this online semester.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2225093","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMzUwODg3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-18 06:00:16 +0000 UTC","comment":"Kuemmel's class is incredibly poorly designed and much harder than need be - especially with project, exam, and textbook activities deadlines all of which overlap. He comes down hard on every minor detail that he finds \"suspicious\" & refuses to listen: \"I'm right, you're wrong\". Grading is varied and heavily based on which TA grades your projects. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2MDQ1ODc0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-04-08 21:56:05 +0000 UTC","comment":"explain things really clearly, class is interesting, exam is not hard","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1OTU5MzIw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-03-22 03:50:40 +0000 UTC","comment":"Cs220 is a pretty well structured class, but it can be easy to get behind on projects as they slowly become more difficult yet are still due every Wednesday. Andy, however, is a very good professor. His lectures are clear and he clearly wants students to succeed. Attend lectures as often as possible, attend OH, and do the worksheets to succeed. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1ODAyMjcw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-01-27 03:02:22 +0000 UTC","comment":"Simply the best Professor for CS220!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NzAzMjM3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-01-05 15:54:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"Andy is a very nice person and very willing to help. This class is mostly graded on projects, which can take a long time, but there are always office hours to help if you get stuck. He is understanding and empathetic, and he clearly cares about what he is teaching.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NjYwNjg0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-12-27 08:37:14 +0000 UTC","comment":"andy is kind however is excessive in project assignment and difficulty of the projects. One week they expected a full project, quiz and exam to be completed and submitted. They set unrealistic goals and requirements. Class started with a minimum requirement for A at 95 which is ridiculously high for an "intro" course. do NOT recommend this class","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NjU2NTg0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-12-26 17:10:25 +0000 UTC","comment":"Very passionate, was clear he cared and wanted to help students. There were weekly projects and quizzes which could took up a lot of time(especially projects), but if you spent the time to do them you could do well. 2 midterms/final were fairly difficult, but are only 10% each so you didnt have to get as on them and still get an a in the class.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NjI1MTM0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-12-21 23:20:42 +0000 UTC","comment":"Andy is incredibly good at teaching. Everything is formatted and organized well. This class is project-heavy and each exam is only worth 10%. I really enjoyed his class and I wish I was a CS major so I could take more CS courses with him.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NDA4NTE3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-12-08 00:44:38 +0000 UTC","comment":"Andy is a very compassionate professor and cares a lot about the success of his students. His lectures are also engaging and VERY clear. He is the perfect instructor for someone learning code for the first time. Expect to put in about 5-8 hours every week for a project in this class. Every exam and final was also open note. Would highly recommend!!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1MzY1Nzkx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-12-04 15:55:46 +0000 UTC","comment":"Andy is great. He answers questions and tries out students' code even when it isn't right. He makes everyone feel welcome and really teaches you the material. There are tons of resources in this class to help students out, the projects are tough (especially if you haven't done CS) but they're actually really well designed. Resubmissions allowed.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:55:25.683249+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1MjIxMzY5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:1780137","instructor_name":"Andrew Kuemmel","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-11-10 21:54:44 +0000 UTC","comment":"Andy is a very kind, social person who is highly tolerable towards his students. While the class material is pretty basic, it can cause lectures to become repetitive and boring, but Andy tries his best to keep students engaged. Tests and projects are fair, and he is always willing to give back credit for missed points.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1780137","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNTIzMzQ5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-01-10 16:38:50 +0000 UTC","comment":"I didn't get much out of the course initially, largely due to Professor Singh's noticeable frustration (to put it mildly) regarding attendance. After switching to a different lecture, the content became much clearer. Overall, the course material was fine, but his approach made the experience less enjoyable.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NzI4NzQy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-09-06 19:04:35 +0000 UTC","comment":"Cant speak English. Not able to understand","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5Njk5Njk0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-08-22 16:59:18 +0000 UTC","comment":"I stopped going to his lectures after the first week and just used the online notes. His lectures are boring and sometimes he is hard to understand. The class is not that hard overall tho.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4OTM1NTY0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-01-30 00:41:16 +0000 UTC","comment":"The lectures were a bit hard to understand and sometimes felt like a waste of time. You can just self-study by reviewing the lecture code and slides that get posted on Canvas. The guidance for projects and labs is very clear and I feel like I learned a lot in this class. Find yourself a project partner!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4OTE5OTkx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-01-24 17:16:58 +0000 UTC","comment":"This man is adorable and has a lot of respect for his students. As long as you do your reading you'll be fine.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4NDgyMjE3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-12-01 03:27:22 +0000 UTC","comment":"I've found Gurmail to be very kind and decent. But I can't say I have gone to his lectures and felt any more enlightened when leaving. The class has quite a bit of busywork, with complicated projects (though it's marginally better if you have a good partner, which thankfully I do), labs, quizzes, etc. I can't say I'll miss this class a lot.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4NDY3MzI3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-11-29 22:59:24 +0000 UTC","comment":"He has an incredibly thick accent so lectures aren't helpful for learning the material; he wastes time in lecture by berating the class on poor lecture attendance and spends 20 minutes going over things from the previous lecture. On top of all that, he's also very unhelpful outside lectures, and always assumes student laziness or other ill-intent.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4NDQ0MjE0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-11-27 19:58:41 +0000 UTC","comment":"Accent made it kind of hard to understand him, but he is pretty funny. Honestly better to look at the content by yourself since his lectures don't really make sense. Most of the grade is attributed to projects, so that's nice. But he also changed the syllabus halfway through to have only one take on weekly quizzes, which I did not like. Silly guy.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4NDQyMTcw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-11-27 17:23:17 +0000 UTC","comment":"I felt honor taking professor Gurmail's lecture since he had successfully made the class to a living hell with his masterpiece presentation. If you do not know anything about python, trust me, taking this class with Gurmail would make you know nothing at the end of the semester adding a C in your grade list. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4Mzk3NjQx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-11-15 18:26:55 +0000 UTC","comment":"Very kind but he is really bad at explaining and lecturing. Also very hard to understand","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4MzQ4MzU0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-11-07 00:26:49 +0000 UTC","comment":"I stopped going to lectures because I couldn't comprehend the words coming out of this professor's mouth. He mumbles a lot and isn't the best at explaining things. He's also one of the least accommodating professors I've had as a McBurney student. He blamed me for not keeping up with the course even though I told him about my mental disorders.  ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3Njg2Nzkz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-04-22 00:38:10 +0000 UTC","comment":"Very nice and caring professor, but not a very great lecturer. Not very clear or thorough with explanations and he'd often make simple mistakes, resulting in students having to help debug his own code. Lecture attendance isn't mandatory but weekly labs are. Exams are very similar to provided practice ones so study those. Learned most from projects.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3NjUyMDY5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-04-18 07:06:58 +0000 UTC","comment":"Nice and smart professor that seemed very intelligent especially in regards to math functions. However, he is not the best at a teaching computer science to those who are beginners as the material in lectures are not thoroughly explained. He does try his best, but it's very hard to grasp the material from how he teaches.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3NjA1OTM5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-04-11 00:06:35 +0000 UTC","comment":"Your grade in this class relies on the homework projects and the multiple choice exams alone. After many students sent emails to complain that the homework projects covered topics we never learned, the professor told us there was nothing he could do as the school is \"trying to remain competitive\", instead of teaching us the foreign material. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3NDU4Njky","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-02-26 01:11:20 +0000 UTC","comment":"He's a nice, caring professor. It is his first time teaching this course, and he tried his best. His lectures were not that good, and too bad also. After receiving feedback from students he improved a bit.\nThe course is well-designed. Do the weekly project with your partner in the lab (attendance required). Projects are enjoyable and time-consuming","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MzEyMjc4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-01-10 16:34:17 +0000 UTC","comment":"Gurmail shows lots of care and is very easily accessible through email or the main communication tools used in CS220. Lectures aren't good, ended up skipping. Wanna pass? Do the projects on time and make a good note-sheet for the exams. If you have a basic CS background, the class is very easy.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MTM0NTE3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-15 08:06:06 +0000 UTC","comment":"He's a nice guy but I didn't gain much from his lectures. To be fair, this is the type of class where you learn WAY more from projects than lectures, but I feel like I would've understood the material so much better had I had a different professor. He's trying his best and he's sweet but he wasn't helpful at all at contributing to my understanding.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2OTgyODYz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-06 04:01:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"he's funny and approachable. Sometimes he is a little disorganized during lectures and will spend too much time on one concept. I think that it is hard to lecture coding and that it is mostly learned by practice so while the lectures were helpful I did learn more doing the projects. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2NzE5MTU4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-10-20 14:39:25 +0000 UTC","comment":"Good guy, but his lectures are very all over the place; he often makes mistakes while trying to code and students have to debug for him. Unclear when explaining concepts so I learn most of the stuff from the sample code he's following and from projects.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:37:52.682667+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2NzEwMzM5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2831641","instructor_name":"Gurmail Singh","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-10-18 12:30:46 +0000 UTC","comment":"A nice, approachable person but his lectures are unhelpful. He spends a lot of time skipping around and emphasizing content sporadically, which makes it difficult to follow along in class. I rarely leave lectures knowing more than I did beforehand. I spend more time outside of class learning than I might have needed to with a better professor. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2831641","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQzMzAwNjg3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-07-13 16:51:14 +0000 UTC","comment":"He was a good professor, made lecture interesting but also taught pretty well. Some of the last topics seemed a little less well explained. No attendance for class, but yes for labs. Easy work, but it grows and by the end of the semester there is a lot of it. Class is an easy A if you try, but you will spend awhile on the assignments.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQzMDcxNjI2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-05-08 17:01:33 +0000 UTC","comment":"Great professor who breaks down concepts well and helps you learn while coding alongside him in lecture. Weekly projects make up a big part of your grade, but there are a lot of resources available to make sure you get 100% on every one. Labs were mandatory but mostly unhelpful.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyOTE3MjM0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-04-23 20:45:33 +0000 UTC","comment":"Lectures are not mandatory, but can be helpful to attend; Louis is an above average lecturer, and lectures are engaging. Labs are mandatory, but don't help learning. Projects are how most of learning is done. Weekly quizzes and exams are mostly easy, but can be annoying to solve. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxMjQ4NTM2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-05-12 03:03:12 +0000 UTC","comment":"CS220 is a sneaky difficult class. Projects are easy (until the end) but tests are very difficult. Oliphant does a good job during his lectures, where he has the class code alongside him. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNzU3OTY0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-03-11 16:44:20 +0000 UTC","comment":"CS 220 is not a hard class, it's just annoying. Louis's lectures are clear and concise with lots of examples and demonstrations. Find project partner and form study groups, spend time with code and concepts and you are likely to succeed in this class. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNzAyODA2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-02-24 19:24:19 +0000 UTC","comment":"During lectures, instead of taking notes, he has you code along with him. This style makes lectures interesting and a lot more bearable. Professor Oliphant is really great at lecturing and has a very fair grading scheme and late policy, and he even gives easy extra credit. One of the most straightforward classes I have taken.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNDIxMzY0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-23 06:12:43 +0000 UTC","comment":"Loved taking CS220 with Louis — his lectures were strongly structured and easy to follow. The projects were long but nowhere near impossible, and there's a lot of resources for studying for tests. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNDE5MzU1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-23 01:42:18 +0000 UTC","comment":"If you are taking CS 220 I would recommend taking Prof. Oliphant. He provides lecture materials to students so you can easily study and there are a lot of resources to help with weekly projects.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMzg2NjQ4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-19 21:34:48 +0000 UTC","comment":"He was literally fine. Not a great lecturer in the sense that he doesn't use slides he just talks so he is hard to follow ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMzI3MjQ4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-16 19:54:59 +0000 UTC","comment":"Dr. Oliphant is a really good professor and is easy to access outside of class. His lectures are worth going to, as they're very in depth and helpful. They are live coding and I enjoyed CS 220 in comparison to CS 400.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMjkwODIz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-14 04:38:29 +0000 UTC","comment":"For an intro coding class, Louis was a great teacher who broke these concepts down into easily digestible sections. Weekly projects take a bit of time, however this class is the best case of \"trial by fire\" as you will either learn cs or crash and burn with the more complex concepts. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMjc5MTI3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-13 19:12:33 +0000 UTC","comment":"The lectures could get pretty boring at times. CS was not something that came easily to me so sometimes the lectures were also hard to follow since you are just coding along with him. Seems like a very nice man, but there were many times where he would also get confused in what he was doing, especially when reviewing questions on past exams. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMjQ1NTM1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-12 06:58:32 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mr. Oliphant is an excellent quality of character and he brings a humorous charm to his lectures. He's very accessible outside of class, and he's very willing to sit down and help you through a problem. Incredible man. I don't really intend to take another CS class (it's simply not my interest), but he certainly enhanced my experience of CS220.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMTUwMDc3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-07 16:32:01 +0000 UTC","comment":"Professor Oliphant is an okay professor, he's very kind and approachable. You really need to stay on top of the material because it all builds upon itself. The readings were kind of helpful, but you definitely need to go to lecture. As the material got harder, his lectures were less and less helpful. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMTM3Mjcx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-06 17:39:17 +0000 UTC","comment":"Overall, a good into class. Theres a project each week which can be overwhelming, but they aren't too difficult. You could go over his lecture material yourself if you happen to miss a class or just not go. The midterms aren't the easiest but there is good review material. He's willing to explain topics again if you ask.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMDQ3NTg5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-11-28 07:34:22 +0000 UTC","comment":"The professor is clearly knowledgeable and passionate about his craft. He has a fun personality and is decent at explaining the content during the lecture. He also goes through the lecture code (on Jupyter Notebook), so you get to see how it's done live.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMDIwNzAy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-11-23 21:19:21 +0000 UTC","comment":"His lectures can get boring at times but it's not that bad. I've missed quite a few lectures and never go to lab but I'm still getting good grades. The exams are all MCQs and pretty easy. Almost half of your grade comes from the projects, which are guaranteed 100s because you have to pass the auto graders before submitting. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NzA5MjM5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-08-27 16:28:30 +0000 UTC","comment":"Louis is a very helpful professor. The projects can be quite difficult but there are drops, and the exams are multiple choice which is tricky.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NDc5Mzcw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-05-16 20:09:18 +0000 UTC","comment":"While professor Oliphant was a super nice guy and overall a good teacher, I think the structure of his lectures was a little strange. He would spend a lot of time on the super easy stuff, then breeze through the difficult/new material. Going to lecture helps in this class, but to get an A you're going to need to put in work outside of class. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:22:44.180256+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NDcyMjYx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2965334","instructor_name":"Louis Oliphant","course_label":"cs220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-05-15 22:13:11 +0000 UTC","comment":"Louis was a good professor and taught the material relatively well. At times though lectures could get boring, but going over his lecture notes after class is SUPER helpful and I was able to understand all concepts that way. Tests are terrible as they are multiple choice exams and purposely tricky. Make sure to do lecture notes and practice exams.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2965334","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4OTI5NDc2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-01-27 05:09:14 +0000 UTC","comment":"Are you passionate about data science? Are you enrolling in this class with the goal of learning its content? Do you expect receiving meaningful responses from the instructor? If that's the case, it's highly advisable to avoid taking a class with Meena.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4OTIzNDI1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-01-25 06:42:15 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is not good at teaching. Make sure the class has knowledgeable TAs.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4MTE4OTY2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-07-24 03:50:00 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is not a suitable option if your goal is to learn content of CS220. She does not explain concepts very well and struggles with teaching fundamentals. I would recommend taking the class with Andy or ensuring that the class has good TAs. Meena tends to confuse rather than facilitate learning.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4MTE1NzQy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-07-21 19:54:28 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is very respectful but is a poor teacher. I do not recommend her for CS220. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4MTE1MDkx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-07-21 06:55:26 +0000 UTC","comment":"She is not a good teacher. She goes very fast during the lecture without explaining well. All the work is done by TAs.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3NTQwNDkz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-03-25 21:31:35 +0000 UTC","comment":"No longer teaches cs220 as of 2023 but was one of two professors in who taught the course. Meena knows the content of python very well and goes fast as a result but will expect you to keep up in lecture. She goes VERY fast over content that needs to be described in detail. She does structure notes in a way that is helpful for projects/exams/quizzes","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MzY0MDAz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-01-21 22:58:46 +0000 UTC","comment":"The lecture structure of this course starts off very manageable, but the pace picks up quickly to a point that towards the end I really struggled to keep up during class. The lectures are tricky to go and piece together after the fact, even having attended lecture. The class is project heavy, but they are very manageable if you begin on time.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MzAwNDg0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-01-08 19:33:45 +0000 UTC","comment":"She doesn't seem to understand the teacher-student dynamic very well, which makes for many awkward moments during lectures. She does care a good deal about the material, which sometimes makes her lecture engaging.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjQwMjE1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-24 22:45:45 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena isn't amazing but structures the class in a way you can succeed. Her lectures were fast and hard to understand so I skipped them and completed the lecture code on my own. The class is project heavy but is more manageable with a reliable partner. You will learn a lot if you put in the effort but too many expect it to be easy and complain.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjIzNjA5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-22 11:14:32 +0000 UTC","comment":"I found Meena's lectures to be awful. She moves too fast and overcomplicates nearly everything she tries to explain. She shows no capacity for understanding that the weekly project deadlines are extremely hard to manage for many beginning coders. I got through the class with a tutor, but she had the audacity to tell me tutoring wasn't necessary. \n\n","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjE1MjE5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-21 17:49:09 +0000 UTC","comment":"If I could give here negative stars I would. Straight up B****. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjEwNTAx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-21 03:39:37 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is not a bad professor, it's the course that's tedious and I would not recommend taking it if you have a hard time with project-based assignments instead of exam-based. However, you could tell meena loves to teach and respects her students. Overall cool~","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MTgyOTQ3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-19 01:32:05 +0000 UTC","comment":"Instead of waiting for kids to stop talking or talking over them, she has tried other methods, like tapping on the mic and playing music. However, she really cares about her students and tries her best to set them up for success. I think the projects in this class were pretty fun and not too difficult honestly. If you them, you'll do well enough.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2NzQyMjQ1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-10-27 00:46:16 +0000 UTC","comment":"She has recently decided to start playing music before class to get students to be quiet, even when class hasn't officially started. This backfired last week when the speaker had a stroke and all 400 kids in the rooms were violently forced to listen to a high pitch squeal for 30 seconds because Meenakshi didn't stop the music. I am now deaf.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2NjcwMTc3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-09-30 18:27:50 +0000 UTC","comment":"Overall just not a good professor. Do not take !!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2NjM3OTk0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-09-12 04:38:27 +0000 UTC","comment":"Amazing professor. Made CS 220 enjoyable and would definitely take again.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2MzkzMzk4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-05-23 11:42:59 +0000 UTC","comment":"I haven't heard a single person say they enjoyed CS220. The class is extremely project heavy. A project was due every week and some took me up to 10 hours to finish. The amount of contents covered and her thick accent  overwhelmed me and made me stop attending lectures + watch her old lecture videos on YouTube (since they have subtitles) instead.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2MzkwMTcx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-05-22 16:45:53 +0000 UTC","comment":"Great proff! Super accessible outside of class - I emailed her a few times and she always responded so quickly and was always very kind and understanding. All readings, lectures, etc were posted online which was very helpful to look back on. Didn't put an insane amount of effort in & got an A.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2MzgzNjQz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-05-20 20:31:31 +0000 UTC","comment":"Moves way too fast. Unable to explain concepts or answer questions effectively. Not a good teacher at all. However, all sections are synchronized togeather and cover same stuff so can learn by attending other lectures and other Professors explain things really well. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2MzE1MDgx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-05-11 23:31:59 +0000 UTC","comment":"CS220 is a super useful and interesting class. Professor Meena is a really nice person. Her lectures are good but sometimes a bit too fast and not explained thoroughly enough.  I believe all professors share the same materials, projects, quizzes, etc. All instructions for projects are clear and give past papers to review. Good class and prof.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2MDQwOTY0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-04-07 23:34:37 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena genuinely cares about her students and gives decent lectures. Overall a great professor who is pretty responsive to an online heavy class.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1OTMxNDk1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-03-13 09:15:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"Terrible lectures.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NzYxMTgx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-01-17 05:00:20 +0000 UTC","comment":"The easiest lecture she gave us is the Python installation video :( Her lectures are very fast and difficult to understand, so be prepared to follow her pace.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NzIxMTM0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-01-08 23:06:07 +0000 UTC","comment":"The course contents and projects are mostly designed by either TAs or instructors from from previous semesters and Meena is not helpful about those during office hours. Her video lectures are not good either. Take CS220 with Andy if you want to learn the content.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NjUyNTgw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-12-25 08:00:43 +0000 UTC","comment":"I think some here are conflating Meena and the class. Meena herself is awesome. That said, I agree that the class is a lot. Lecture is somehow both necessary yet not that useful. The projects are a lot and it is hard to catch up if you fall behind. The other prof is no different though, this is just a full-on course (yet worth it IMO!)","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1NDUyODA0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-12-10 05:06:41 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is a poor professor. I would strongly advise not taking any course if she is the only professor. During her lectures she goes at 100 miles an hour, as she often shows up a few minutes late, or just as class starts, and then ends up keeping the class an equal time past when class is over. Very hard to follow and keep up with.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1MzMwOTkx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-12-01 05:24:30 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is super kind and very accommodating to her students IF you reach out. She is very knowledgeable but I found myself not taking away much information from the 3 lectures per week. Not only that but the projects are very time consuming and I feel like the exams do not equate to what we focus on in lecture.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1MzExMzk4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-11-29 16:43:08 +0000 UTC","comment":"This class so ridiculously hard for a beginners class, and she was no help. Her lectures didn't actually teach anything, and the projects were incredibly time consuming and frustrating. I hated this class and dropped in four weeks from the end of semester because I got too behind on projects. I can't steer you away from this class enough.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1MjgwMjA0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-11-20 22:24:53 +0000 UTC","comment":"She is not good at teaching fundamentals. I do not recommend her class for a freshman.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1MjY4MjQ0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-11-18 19:40:57 +0000 UTC","comment":"Very knowledgeable. Tough class overall, but worth it. She teaches a ton in the semester of time","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1MjM1NDcx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-11-13 23:58:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"She is not great for teaching programming concepts. ALL the work is done by other teaching staff. She has few office hours and frequently cancel those and is not helpful during OH at all.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM1MTAzMTQ2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-10-04 23:37:59 +0000 UTC","comment":"Moves way too fast and has a very heavy accent that is hard to understand. If you are new to python, I would not recommend Meena. Lectures are pointless. She only goes over the base line for code and does not prepare you for exams or projects. Although she is really nice and accessible, grading is very tough and the class gets exponentially harder.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0ODA1Mjc2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-05-17 00:09:49 +0000 UTC","comment":"She has awful lectures, as in I watched one only during the whole semester ( I watched the others from another professor), however she is very caring and helpful. Respects students.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":2.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0NzQwNTUw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-05-08 11:34:11 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is so sweet and caring she is also a great lecturer. Though projects can be very time consuming in this class it is very possible to get the grade you desire. This class was very fun and I would highly recommend taking it with meena.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0NjE2Mzg2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2021-04-24 22:05:24 +0000 UTC","comment":"Dont get me wrong , Meena is a great professor! She is very helpful , cares about her students, and has passion for what she does . However , the course itself was not the best , for somebody who has never had programming experience , I think this course was too much . The projects took more than 3 hours to complete each week and were pretty rough","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MjE3NjIw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-12-30 20:18:56 +0000 UTC","comment":"She is one of the best professors I've had so far. Super accessible, accommodating and helpful. Her willingness to learn from student feedback is unmatched. HIGHLY recommended.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MTk5MDgw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-12-26 04:23:01 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is the sweetest. She is available outside of class, very knowledgable, and organized beyond belief. This was my first CS class and I was nervous, but I ended with an A. Watch the lectures and GO TO OFFICE HOURS FOR THE PROJECTS!!!! They were a life saver. The exams are difficult, but do-able. Meena is accommodating to the max and very kind!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MTI3MzQ3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-12-17 23:21:55 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena does an incredibly job with CS 220. The course website is SUPER organized, and its very easy to get help via piazza, email or office hours. Her lectures were a bit fast, but it was easy to fill in the gaps while working on the weekly projects. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in CS or just basic python or data science","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MDY3MDY0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-12-14 18:03:30 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena went above and beyond to make this course as informative and accommodating as possible during the pandemic. Through her lectures, her enthusiasm for computer science really shows. I would definitely take her again.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzOTUxMTA2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-12-04 18:30:00 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is an awesome professor who is always there for her students. Like the other reviews say, this is by no means an easy class, especially with little to no Python experience. However, I can genuinely say, this is the first class I have ever taken in my academic career that values learning the necessary skills as opposed to just a letter grade.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzODQ1MDQx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-11-19 00:06:42 +0000 UTC","comment":"One of the most organized and well run courses I have taken. Meena's lectures are straight forward and easy to understand. While the class is not easy, Meena and the TA's set you up for success through giving you everything you need to get a good grade. Office hours were available online to help with your projects most hours every day. Bravo.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzODI2OTMw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-11-16 21:43:34 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena was an excellent professor that genuinely cares about students. I took this class with no python experience at all and she made all of the material able to be understood. There are a few tough topics for new programmers but nothing insanely hard. Take advantage of office hours/lab hours as those are the most helpful portion of the class.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzNzM1NDQz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-10-26 18:22:04 +0000 UTC","comment":"This class is very well constructed for the online format, and all the grades and grading is very fair. Overall, I have no complaints about this class and I can tell Meena puts a lot of work into accommodating her students' wants/needs.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzNTM4ODMy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-07-28 02:19:57 +0000 UTC","comment":"Meena is a really good professor and she really cares about her students, but this class moves extremely fast and is really difficult if you don't know python. I took this class because it is required for my major and my academic advisor recommended it. I would recommend having at least a base knowledge of python in order to be successful","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzNDgzOTEx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-07-04 05:02:29 +0000 UTC","comment":"Overall one of the best professors I've ever had. You can tell she really cares about her students and the material. She was able to communicate in a clear and effective manner and although the class moved rather fast, there was always someone to ask for advice, whether from a TA or Meena herself.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzNDQyMTM0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-06-17 05:08:26 +0000 UTC","comment":"The class is quick-paced so take advantage of office hours. Meena is a very nice person though and her office hours definitely helped.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:19:17.289299+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzMjg4NTM5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2274671","instructor_name":"Meenakshi Syamkumar","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-05-13 22:25:27 +0000 UTC","comment":"She moves way to fast in lecture so good luck keeping up. She will also spam you with well over 14 emails a week so be ready to sort. Grading is the harshest I've ever seen as an engineer with a 95% being an A (I got an AB with a 94.6%). On the plus side if you know basic python this class will be a breeze (minus the bugs in the test code)","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2274671","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyNjc0MTk1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-03-06 19:11:11 +0000 UTC","comment":"His overall does not reflect him well anymore. He used to be not a great professor but he had a heart attack and now he is super relaxed all the time. He gives out extensions super easily and he seems to really care about teaching. He is incredibly smart and knowledgeable. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":1.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyNTc0MjMy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-02-02 15:58:09 +0000 UTC","comment":"He was great, played Fortnite lobby music to start class one day, and it was a great beginning. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyNTM3OTA1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-01-22 21:50:59 +0000 UTC","comment":"His lectures are very helpful in understanding the niche code rules, and the only con really was that when he made a mistake, he would fix it and move on quickly. I did not have to do any extra reading/work outside the class besides the graded assignments. The class in general is very manageable, and I did not come in with code experience.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyNTIwOTQ3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-01-20 00:14:10 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike is an amazing professor! I had never coded before taking CS220 but the content was easy to follow. Although attendance is not mandatory (notes are provided), I'd still recommend attending them since it was so much easier for me to understand. Projects take a lot of time but are still manageable. The exams are easy if you do the practice exams.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyNTA1Mzc1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-01-15 21:36:25 +0000 UTC","comment":"Ignore the bad reviews they are mostly from a bad semester (not his fault). Lowkey hilarious teacher and explains the class clearly. Very accommodating to students and tries to make sure everyone has a fair chance ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyNTAxNzYx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2026-01-15 05:38:55 +0000 UTC","comment":"Went into this class with no coding experience and found Mike to be an extremely engaging lecturer with his live coding. Projects were extremely time-consuming and often very repetitive, but I appreciated the grade being largely based on completion of those rather than just exams. Office hours are crucial to attend. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyMzc1MjAx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-12-22 16:20:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"Make sure you read the texts he assigns before lecture otherwise you will be completely lost. In lecture he goes extremely fast and makes it hard to take notes. He's funny and personable but he has made inappropriate, uncomfortable jokes. A lot of the things you need to know for tests are only mentioned in lecture so make sure you don't miss it.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyMzY1OTQ5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-12-21 05:51:09 +0000 UTC","comment":"This was very condescending and was a typical professor that doesn't care about his students, even though we pay for his bills. In the syllabus, there were no curves allowed even when the exam test scores were all below 60%. Doesn't have office hours (says they're by appointment but never responds)  ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyMzI2OTA1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-12-18 07:31:56 +0000 UTC","comment":"The importance of office-hours cannot be understated. He had a great energy and made me excited to learn coding as a beginner. I would encourage people to respect the project grades as they do make up a significant portion of the final grade. They were also very satisfying to do, though could be laborious at times. Great experience.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyMjQ0NjAz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-12-14 18:40:38 +0000 UTC","comment":"I had a bad semester and I really needed help with some extensions and Mike was really nice to help me out with those. He tries to make sure his students know he's accessible outside of class and all you need to do is check the schedule and reach out to him. \nI personally don't understand the lectures that well but he's fantastic outside of class. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQyMDQ3MTc0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-12-05 00:27:33 +0000 UTC","comment":"He is an amazing lecturer and really breaks down the concepts and goes through every single step which is very helpful compared to another cs professor i had that would move too quickly and skip stuff sometimes so it would be pretty hard to follow","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxOTk5MjU5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-12-02 20:52:12 +0000 UTC","comment":"Most of the grade is based on the weekly projects, but exams still have weight. Lecture is easy to skip because he provides readings that teach you the material. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxMjc3Mzg4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-05-14 05:37:04 +0000 UTC","comment":"Not many people go to lecture, but I found it helped me stay on top of the content and Mike was a great lecturer! He was engaging and explained concepts in a clear way. He values student experience and listens to feedback, often interweaving humor into lecture. I would def go to lecture if you're new to python. Only negative is grade turnaround :(","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQxMjUzOTQz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-05-12 17:42:04 +0000 UTC","comment":"The class consists largely of projects that are completion grades. There are three exams worth about 32% total but they are made very difficult to compensate for the easy grading elsewhere. Projects can take a while but late days and office hours help significantly. If your good at debugging/ reading code, you will be just fine.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwOTg3Mzc2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-04-20 23:39:25 +0000 UTC","comment":"His lectures are interesting and he always makes them interesting/fun. Class itself was not very hard but it could be if you have no prior Python experience before this class. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwOTMyMzcy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-04-14 05:01:26 +0000 UTC","comment":"The course is lecture heavy but does not have any class recordings Also going to his lecture does not really help you learn the material well because he always likes to spend a lot of time talking about things that's not even relating to the class contents. To actually learn and succeed in this class, you just need to focus on the projects. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwODg0MDk5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-04-07 15:41:54 +0000 UTC","comment":"Doescher is an incredible lecturer and person. He very clearly explains the content and I had a good understanding of everything we did despite having no coding experience. He is very accommodating to his students and wants everyone to succeed. The projects take a really long time, but are manageable and office hours are helpful. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwNzczMzU5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"COMPSCI220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2025-03-15 02:19:14 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike is a very entertaining lecturer! He goes through many examples during class, but I learned best through the optional readings and projects. The tests are hard but the projects are weighted so heavily that I got a C on the first test and still had an A. The class suddenly gets increasingly difficult but the labs/projects really helped! ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMzc3OTU2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-19 05:31:22 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike was overall a solid professor. His lectures were engaging, but quite fast-paced and dense at times. He also coded on the spot, but often made errors and wasn't able to correct them during class time. Despite that, he's one of the most caring and empathetic professors I've had and clearly wants his students to do well.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMzY1NTY4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-12-18 18:17:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"Decent prof, his lectures were a bit dense and hard to follow sometimes but for the most part he's organized and knows what he's talking about. Sometimes he would start skipping through lecture problems which made it hard for me to follow, but the projects are well designed to supplement learning. Overall decent guy, and great for an intro class","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMDQyNzMx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-11-27 07:36:32 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike's a really nice guy, and I can tell he genuinely cares about his students and their wellbeing. However, the CS220 class in general isn't organized well but I feel like Mike does his best with that. It's a lot more homework than you would get in another elementary level class so just prepare for that, and do the readings, they're very helpful!!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTQwMDA4NzQw","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-11-21 23:27:31 +0000 UTC","comment":"He has a sense of humor, and the lectures aren't bad. He does live code during his lectures. The projects were 47% of your grade and exams in total were only 32%. Exams are all multiple choice, and the projects are time consuming. Lots of reading, but definitely beneficial if you don't understand a concept. Overall, Mike is great!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NzMzMjcz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-09-09 21:36:12 +0000 UTC","comment":"Great proff","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NTQyMzE1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-07-26 17:45:50 +0000 UTC","comment":"Fantastic Professor overall. As a ME student who hasn't programmed before, he makes it easy to follow lectures. I recommend doing the reading and the exercises in the online textbook Python for Everybody through the first four weeks of the semester till you feel comfortable with the basics. \nExams are pretty straightforward (do previous semesters).","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NTMzNDk0","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-05-29 19:12:48 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike is definitely my funniest professor so far. I just thought the exams were not great because they required us to know very specific formatting of code which is hard to study for. I found his lectures weren't that amazing and I had to go to office hours very often. I will say that Mike did care about his students and was always willing to help.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NDc5MzQ4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-05-16 20:06:04 +0000 UTC","comment":"This professor lied to me on the first day of class by saying it's a beginner level class, then proceeded to teach more challenging material (that are not in the syllabus) to make it more fun by rewarding the people who knew coding prior to enrolling to this class. I found this to be unfair as it confused me even more. Live coding errors-confused!\n","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5Mzk1OTAz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-05-07 21:18:22 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike is a nice guy. If you have learned some python before, it wouldn't be a difficult course.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5Mjk5MTA2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-04-29 16:28:59 +0000 UTC","comment":"One of the better CS professors I've had- I'm genuinely impressed at how organized this CS class is compared to what I've taken previously. difficult class for people just starting DS/CS but Mike does it well if you attend lectures (hard to learn on your own). He does do like a cringy standup bit during each lecture so brace yourself. he's a goober","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5MTM5NTk2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-04-21 15:40:55 +0000 UTC","comment":"On just the projects alone, I spend almost 20 hours a week. That doesn't include the weekly quizzes, labs, and the 3 exams throughout the semester. It doesn't help that the vast majority of people taking this class aren't comp sci majors or data science majors. He teaches quite well, there is just so much work that goes with it.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5MTk0NjU3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-04-17 19:35:52 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike was an awesome professor! He was funny, caring, engaging and knowledgeable. Every time I went to class he brought great energy and got through the needed material for each weeks project. As for the class itself the homework was long but not impossible, and the tests were all very similar to the ones from previous years. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4OTA0NzY4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-01-19 23:55:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"Overall, Mike is an above-average professor. Lectures are chill, but make sure to pay attention as information is covered quickly. If you're taking this class, you can relax if you have him. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4NzAxOTM4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-12-16 03:38:58 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike is a very good prof for a class he clearly likes to teach. 220 is pretty difficult but the projects are a good way to learn the material. Mike live codes during lecture which is engaging but he does make mistakes. Worst part of the class were the exams, multiple choice exams for CS should be illegal. Quizzes also. Overall Mike was pretty good.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4Njc0ODg2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-12-14 19:56:02 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike loves to live code in class, and at 9am he isn't particularly good at it, so a lot of time is spent watching him trying to figure out his own mistakes rather than actually teaching.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4NjU2NTE5","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-12-13 22:05:11 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike was a great comp sci professor and definitely the best option for CS 220. This class is very difficult if you haven't coded before, but if you have background in other languages you will definitely be fine. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4NjA5Njkz","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-12-11 17:19:23 +0000 UTC","comment":"This review is more of a knock on CS220 rather than Mike himself. The projects were unnecessarily difficult, and were made even harder by the fact that gradescope will deduct points even if you get the correct output. Get ready to wait in line for an hour at office hours if you want to do well. Mike does his code live which is excruciating to watch","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":3.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4NTYyODg3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-12-07 21:28:08 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike is great. He clearly loves what he teaches and cares about students. He's also very funny during lecture which makes it not as boring. My only complaint is that he goes somewhat fast sometimes, but I wouldn't say that really makes him worse of a professor.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4MzYwNjA3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-11-08 21:44:51 +0000 UTC","comment":"I don't know why he gets all bad reviews on here. He was always upbeat and tried to keep the class engaged, and he clearly explained what he was coding during class. He was friendly and approachable, and clear and fair about grading. I had never taken a computer science class before, but he made the concepts very easy to understand.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM4MTM0OTY1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-07-31 23:27:01 +0000 UTC","comment":"He cares about his students, is always seeking feedback and tries to accommodate everyone's needs. I didn't have much coding experience but with the lectures and the provided textbook I didn't find the class too hard. He was not not the most organized, our class usually received test scores later than others, but I still enjoyed the class.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3ODEyMzk2","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-05-03 22:58:33 +0000 UTC","comment":"In my opinion, Professor Mike Doescher is one of the best professors for CS220. Although there were a few issues during the semester, he took responsibility for them and made necessary adjustments. He is a caring and knowledgeable instructor who goes above and beyond to ensure his students succeed.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3NzkwNTk4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2023-05-02 17:47:14 +0000 UTC","comment":"Prof Mike clearly cares a lot about his students. Yes, there were a few hiccups this semester (grading mistakes, office hour lines, etc), but he addressed the problems and took action to fix them. The class overall is great if you have no coding experience. The projects are long, but you learn a lot. I would definitely recommend this class. ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjM1NjI4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-23 23:29:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"Most caring professor I've had. Stayed an hour after lectures and even helped me with a project at 9pm. You learn the basics in class, but as with any computer science class, you learn more by practicing yourself, which happens in the projects. There's a steep learning curve at the beginning, but once you get over that the material isn't bad.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM3MjA1ODA3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-12-20 21:13:01 +0000 UTC","comment":"Not the best professor. I would so much recommend Meena. She gets straight to the point and teaches more efficiently. Michael, on the other hand, likes to flex by writing up the code on the spot and always makes mistakes that need to be debugged. He also makes a lot of false promises, like the project help sheet he never made... anyways... ","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":1.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2NzcwNzE4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-11-03 00:36:44 +0000 UTC","comment":"This is more of a review of Comp Sci 220 than Mike -- Mike is great. Super caring, transparent, knowledgeable, honest, insane, etc. The class itself is incredibly difficult. I went in with literally 0 coding knowledge -- never coded before in my life, and while they say it's an intro it is a very hard intro. Project based, at least 12+ hours/week","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":5.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM2NjI2NzMy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2022-09-03 20:16:48 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike cares about his students and goes to great lengths to ensure they succeed. I struggled this semester with a very busy schedule but Mike was able to work with me outside of class via zoom and in-person meetings to ensure that I got a grade that I was okay with getting. He works very closely with his TA to ensure you get help even if its 9pm!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":4.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MTI3MjYy","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-12-17 23:17:13 +0000 UTC","comment":"Mike's lectures were great, and he ran the course in a very organized manner. He is also super accommodating and easy to reach.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM0MDY3MDI3","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-12-14 18:01:16 +0000 UTC","comment":"My professor for this course was Meena, but I often watched Mike's lectures because of similar operating systems. Mike was enthusiastic, engaging, and quite clear in his lectures. He made me less afraid of learning a new programming lecture and gave me interest in a computer science certificate.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":2.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzNjk0MTQx","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-10-12 15:28:30 +0000 UTC","comment":"He's a funny and entertaining guy. His lectures are put together well and he does a great job breaking down problems into their most basic steps in order to explain them well. I really enjoyed his lectures for CS220 and thought they were very effective","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:18:28.055099+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTMzNjU2Mjk4","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2593156","instructor_name":"Michael Doescher","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2020-09-22 07:15:03 +0000 UTC","comment":"The class was very project heavy, but these projects really make you learn the course material very thoroughly. Lectures were really helpful and very clear!","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2593156","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":4.0},{"observed_at":"2026-09-07 16:11:56.254690+00:00","run_id":"20260907T155543-ce3781c4","source_review_id":"UmF0aW5nLTM5NjQ1NTE1","source_instructor_id":"rmp:2612724","instructor_name":"Peyman Morteza","course_label":"CS220","course_id":"COMPSCI 220","course_uid":"course_834bc468ca49d8090d0f211f","review_date":"2024-07-27 01:13:20 +0000 UTC","comment":"Peyman was very accommodating and quick to respond to any questions throughout the semester, and the grading criteria were clear.","source_url":"https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2612724","quality_rating":5.0,"difficulty_rating":3.0}]