MATH 2500
Differential Equations
Introduction to ordinary differential equations: first-order equations, linear equations, systems of equations, series solutions, Laplace transform methods, numerical solutions.
Instructors
Blake Thornton, Brian Blank, Cleon Yohe, Donsub Rim, Gregory Knese, Humberto Diaz, Ivan Horozov, Joel Villatoro, Mark Feldman, Mark Pedigo, Martha Hasting, Mladen Wickerhauser, Quo-Shin Chi, Songhao Li, Steven Krantz, Tyler Bongers, Victor Wickerhauser, Xiang Tang, Xuanyu Pan, Yakov Yasha Berchenko-Kogan, Yanli Song
Reviews
Perhaps it's the pace of the course, perhaps it's the lack of test review material, perhaps he may be better teaching upper-level math, but I genuinely found no benefit in having Wickerhauser as a professor, and certainly many problems. Complete self-study of a class, and I still feel like I learned nothing. Avoid this professor, please.
5/30/2025
Content was not fundamentally too difficult, but lectures were inconsistent in clarity and very proof-based which made prep for exams and doing any problem-solving very difficult. Pretty much everyone had to study off the textbook-which is also not great. That being said exams were mostly fair, but the lack of practice materials was prevalent.
5/22/2025
Some days he explains the concepts well and everything makes sense, whereas other days he gets lost in his lecture notes and nothing makes sense. Reading the textbook is the way to go for his class. Exams aren't too bad, but trying to learn the content is rough
5/12/2025
Avoid Wickerhauser for DiffEq. He's smart but struggles to teach clearly—lectures are proof-heavy with incomplete examples, leading most to stop attending. Exams (80% of your grade) reuse worksheet problems, are graded harshly, and lack past examples. Recitations help; lectures and office hours don't. Be ready to self-study, ask people who took it.
5/11/2025
too genius for differential equations . Only for 400 level or graduate level classes .
5/3/2025
Made this class as hard as it possibly can be. For an engineering major just trying to progress in math he wanted to teach it like we're math majors while a good portion of us are not. If you want to get a decent grade and actually understand what you are doing take this class in the fall or with a different professor.
5/3/2025
Not a great professor. The class itself of 217 is really interesting with a clear division between the conceptual side of things and the problem-solving side of things. Wickerhauser focuses far too much on the conceptual side, however, gets lost in his own explanations. If you plan to take the class, self-studying is the only way to succeed.
5/3/2025
You might enter into four stages of doubt. First, you might doubt whether lecture is helpful cuz you don't know how to do homework. Then, you might not quite understand the textbook. Next, you might go back to lecture and find out understanding does not help you memorize. Finally, you don't know what you are studying cuz you go back to memorizing.
5/3/2025
Lectures are interesting and inspirational because he aims to explain things thoroughly. However, examples are often given at the last five minutes or not at all. If you happen to be as dumb as me, with his lectures understood, you might have no idea how to do the Webwork or worksheet. You have to read text book and search for past exams.
5/3/2025
You might think you registered for a differential equations class, but you're actually learning applied real analysis. Most exam questions are proofs and way too difficult if you're not an actual math prodigy. As someone who has taken advanced real analysis classes, I can say he's too smart to be teaching differential equations.
5/2/2025
Wickerhauser tried his best, but his exams were simply too hard. I am glad he made me work harder because I learned more I guess. I believe he is a nice guy, but maybe just too smart for differential equations. Definitely a step up from calc 3 last semester. No practice tests and not very accessible as well. Math help room could only help so much.
5/2/2025
Study-hards need to bend over to get an A in. I attended all lectures and tried to interpret what he said. I took down notes in different colors, trying to capture the important formulas/concepts. That's how I got above 90 first three exams. But in final I see no respect for the study hards. Smart people wins, dumb people like me are eliminated.
5/2/2025
If you ever thinking about taking diff q under his name. I hereby sincerely warn you. RUN. RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN, run as you are in a 40 yard dash in the NFL scouting combine. Grade base on the tests. No previous test given + questions changes from last year. Messy hand-writing, impossible to learn from class. Basically TA teach everything.
5/2/2025
Very large disconnect between what is taught in class and what is covered in homework/exams. This is further amplified by no access to practice exams or review sessions of any kind
4/30/2025
Let me put it simply: Avoid Professor Wickerhauser.
4/24/2025
Class is just proofs with all exercises ‘being left as an exercise' for the class. Occasionally gets confused by what he writes on the board. Textbook is helpful, find upperclassmen who can give you their old exams (often similar to the real test).
4/24/2025
Genuinely the worst professor I have had, Lectures have 200 seats and are attended by 30 students. Doesn't ever clearly identify what we are covering or what is on the exam, if he does identify what is on the exam it is usually incomplete list
4/7/2025
will get mad if you mispronounce homogeneous it is hOmo-gE-nEous. Tests are not horrible, but going over the recitation worksheets is very helpful.
4/6/2025
His lectures are hard to follow and he rarely gives any examples during class making the homework much harder and more time consuming. There are no extra practice problems given to help with test studying. If you go to office hours, he is pretty responsive and helpful, but asking questions during lecture is hit or miss.
4/6/2025