Historical instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Well, it is very complicated to determine whether it is a good or bad class. It is very true that he is a responsible lecturer. He is super nice and caring. His lecture is clear. However he does make the final extremely challenging. It felt like he intentionally make the exam hard so that everyone fails this class. The reviews are very misguiding.Rate My Professors ↗
Erik is the GOAT! He will be one of the best professors you have. He's caring, funny, empathetic, fair and goes above and beyond for his students and cares about their success. The worst thing about Erik is that when I didn't do well, I felt like I had nobody to blame but myself because he seriously seemed to be doing everything he could lolRate My Professors ↗
Hands down the best professor you will ever have in college, TAKE HIS CLASSES IF YOU CAN, very knowledgeable and knows how to get you to understand, exams are very fair with nothing unexpected, he is greatRate My Professors ↗
If you're in a different university reading this, take his course. TAKE IT. You will not regret it. Such a fun professor makes everything so much fun. I wish I could take more courses with him! He really makes the course very interesting and loves teaching. He is very accessible and loves helping out!!!Rate My Professors ↗
Erik is the ever best professor I have met during my whole life. He always strives to explain the concept intuitively and experimentally, so we can enjoy the beauty of probability. Erik's lecture is super amazing and logically connected. He is very nice and accessible outside class, and the office hours are plenty and funny. Take his courses!!!!!Rate My Professors ↗
If every math professor was like Erik Bates, Wisconsin would have one of the best math departments in the nation. I went into every exam confident and never encountered any material that wasn't covered in section. HW is on par with other math courses. Bates cares about his students success. Will enroll in any of his future classes in a heartbeat.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
No teaching recorded in Fall 2026.
View last recorded teaching term →No courses match this selection. Try the full catalog or another term.
Distinct courses recorded per term
Explore courses taught by this instructor →| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2023 | MATH/STAT 431 | Introduction to the Theory of Probability |
| Fall 2022 | ISYE/MATH/OTM/STAT 632 | Introduction to Stochastic Processes |
| Spring 2022 | MATH/STAT 431 | Introduction to the Theory of Probability |
| Fall 2020 | ISYE/MATH/OTM/STAT 632 | Introduction to Stochastic Processes |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
{
"instructor_uid": "instructor_580d75474c2697dadfc049fc",
"source": "madgrades",
"source_instructor_id": "5319659",
"identity_basis": "source_id",
"identity_status": "source_identified",
"name": "ERIK BATES",
"email": null,
"first_observed_at": "2026-09-06 23:14:58.172943+00:00",
"last_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"ratings": {
"review_count": 12,
"quality": 4.75,
"difficulty": 3.5,
"quality_count": 12,
"difficulty_count": 12,
"profile_id": "rmp:2643061",
"source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/2643061",
"match_basis": "exact_name",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:40:29.469678+00:00",
"courses": {
"course_dcdb624e3fb8cbaf9a557ab9": {
"review_count": 6,
"quality": 4.67,
"difficulty": 3,
"quality_count": 6,
"difficulty_count": 6
},
"course_c602622d732dbbc9aceeeddf": {
"review_count": 6,
"quality": 4.83,
"difficulty": 4,
"quality_count": 6,
"difficulty_count": 6
}
},
"bayesian_quality": 4.068553614716622,
"prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
"prior_weight": 20
},
"grade_statistics": {
"gpa": 3.305,
"graded": 205,
"counts": [
91,
41,
35,
10,
15,
10,
3
],
"sections": 5
},
"current": false,
"courses": [],
"revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
"instructor_url": "/instructors/ERIK_BATES"
}