Ari Stern

He was a fine prof. Classes are optional to attend and honestly quite dull, but the homework isn't too much and the exams are really easy (and 70% MC). Definitely serviceable

5/10/2026

i want to like this guy more than i do. when i meet with him in office hours, he's meow personable and friendly. but during lecture it feels like he's going thru the motions. i don't usually understand things during class the first time he lectures - i have to teach myself during recitation or homework. i would recommend solving textbook problems

3/26/2026

Lecture material and homework assignments are difficult, but Stern is really accessible outside of class. His explanations are so clear and is always willing to help, no matter how confused you are. Class content is difficult, but his exams are, in my opinion, pretty fair.

12/23/2024

For advanced math classes Stern is really great. Clear explanations, super available, really friendly and supportive in office hours, enthusiastic in lecture. One of my fav math profs I've ever had. Exams are not too easy but are very fair, easier than the homeworks. All the bad reviews on here must be Calc 2 students who don't want to do proofs.

12/6/2024

4-6 hrs/week

Very hard class but learned a lot. Be prepared to study and spend time reading the textbook.

5/18/2024

Good lecturer and knowledgeable about the material. Wants proofs done his way. Success in his class feels rewarding. Publicly berated a student for coughing during lecture and gave death stares the rest of the semester per cough - don't sneeze/cough even with a mask on. Impersonable but strong academic. Take the class pass/fail or not at all.

7/16/2023

Professor Stern is fantastic! His lectures are fast but easy to follow and delivered with enthusiasm. Don't be afraid to ask questions during class. He is tremendously helpful in office hours, too. So if you are stumped on a homework problem - and you will be - show up and he will clear up anything that's puzzling you. And he's a metalhead \m/ !

12/9/2022

This class was ridiculously hard for the type of material covered. Professor Stern stood in front of the board reading the textbook proofs to us, answering no questions, and then expecting us to be capable of the hardest problems on WebWork and Crowdmark. Worst professor ever. Failed the final after getting As all semester. Do not take.

12/14/2019

Wow, this guy was bad at his job. Made my life awful for a semester. Horribly difficult homework and bad teaching don't mix well, but you will have to learn to cope in any Stern class. Showed up to every single class, did every homework, and went to review sessions but was lost the whole time and didn't learn a thing. Hard not to hate this guy.

7/28/2019

Stern is by far one of the worst professors that I have taken at WashU. Every class day, you will spend the entire hour rushing to copy notes while retaining no knowledge. His lectures are almost entirely theoretical and he will spend so much time writing down tedious proofs that have no application for homework, recitation, and exams.

5/3/2019

Ari Stern is the worst professor I've ever had. He spends the majority of his lectures on useless proofs and theoretical concepts and then only does a few incredibly basic and unhelpful problems. The WebWork and Crowdmark are far more difficult than anything in class, which makes them much more difficult to do than should be necessary for Calc 3.

4/24/2019

Professor Stern is a great lecturer. I struggle with math, but I've been able to stay engaged and understand his lectures. He does a really great job explaining and providing different ways to visualize difficult concepts. You'll need to study a lot outside of class, since it is a tough subject, but Prof. Stern makes it more approachable.

4/23/2019

I LOVED calculus until I took it with Stern. Don't waste your time taking it with Stern because you'll need to teach yourself the material anyway. His lectures are messy and very theoretical so you won't even get any formulas needed to work through the problems. It is also nearly impossible to hear him because he always speaks facing the board.

4/23/2019

Awful professor. Goes way too fast in lecture, and makes the tests insanely hard. The averages in Calc 3 this semester speak for themselves, and show that he is truly not up to par. Better off watching review videos on YouTube than wasting your time in lecture.

4/11/2019

Stern doesn't teach concepts very well, and also doesn't go over very many examples in class. Definitely a quantity over quality kind of teacher. Even in WashU's lacking math department, he stands out as significantly below average.

2/19/2019

The math department is lucky to have him. Stern is a fantastic and devoted teacher

12/11/2015

He is one of best professors I ever had. He is young, smart, and cool. His lecture is never boring.

10/26/2015

So so so helpful. I had already taken this class in high school, but just wanted to make sure I had a solid base before moving on to calc 2. Super nice, always helpful at office hours, and doesn't get frustrated even if you have dumb questions. His tests are pretty easy if you study, he doesn't try to confuse you or give you unnecessarily hard qs.

6/16/2015