John Shareshian

Shareshian is super kind and truly listens to student's opinions. He gives us study guide about exactly what is going to be on the exams. Exams are more about understanding than difficult calculations. He is teaching the matrix content with the most straightforward examples possible. Even if it's 300-level math, get a good grade is not hard.

1/12/2026

Very easy going professor, genuinely wish you could get an A for the class. He is super enthusiastic about matrix and math content in general and really listens to student's opinions. Gives us study guide on exactly what is going to be on the exam. The content might be a little abstract (this is a 300-level math class after all) but exams are easy.

1/12/2026

This was literally the easiest class I have taken at WashU. 85% of the grade was based on exams that sometimes included high school level math and were always significantly easier than whatever the other sections were being tested on. This is the definition of a class you take if you dont need to learn the content but want an easy A.

12/22/2025

Leaps and bounds the best professor I've had at WashU! Exams are worth 85% of your grade, but NEVER did I ever feel like he was trying to trick me––simply seeing if we had understood the material. His office hours are INCREDIBLE! I would come with so many questions and always leave incredibly relieved. His passion for the material is infectious.

12/12/2025

The nicest professor ever. If you have to take matrix, take it with him. He genuinely wants students to understand the material and never tries to trick you, he's clear about what he expects. Go to office hours!

12/11/2025

Shareshian is super nice. He really cares about how people do in the class and asked for feedback throughout the semester. Really helpful in office hours. Would recommend.

12/6/2025

Very accessible during office hours and over email, always around to help!

12/2/2025

He is awesome and willing to help. Great lectures and problem sets that help you prepare for the tests.

10/21/2025

Super accessible outside class, very willing to help you learn what you need to learn. Do not be afraid to contact him about stuff outside class it will significantly improve how you feel over math material

12/27/2024

His grading system was skill based so it only allowed for you increase your grade. He was very caring when it came to making sure the class as a whole understood the math. I'm not a super big math person but this professor made it the best way possible. I think he did his best to make the class simple.

11/15/2024

Shareshian is awesome. I had him for 131E and he was so willing to help all of us. He was always making himself available outside of class, emailing additional office hours time. He also is so passionate about teaching math, and you can really feel him light up when he is helping troubleshoot. Overall, great!!!

12/21/2023

If you have any doubts about your calc or pre-calc ability, take 131e with Shareshian. GOATed professor. Explains concepts very well, always willing to help students, genuinely cares that you do well in the class and goes out of his way to make sure things are clear with any questions you might have. Also a super nice guy.

12/8/2023

Prof. Shareshian made me personally feel like I could do math and do it well. For someone who is looking for an easy NSM credit, take Math 131E. Shareshian is easy to understand and very available to help you succeed.

12/23/2022

He teaches Linear Algebra again after 15 years. He teaches hard material in the lectures and sometimes confusing because there is not a lot of notes to support his analysis, but his tests are very easy. However, I did not set up a mindset in Linear Algebra unfortunately from his class.

5/14/2022

He's such a nice prof. He cares about students and tries to help out students if they struggle to understand a concept. His explanation is very clear. If you have a hard time understanding some parts, go to his office hours. He is there to help you. Also, overall class structure & grading system was super fair. 1000% recommend.

5/11/2021

Professor Shareshian was an engaging and clear lecturer. Calc 3 can be tough, but he made it understandable and interesting. Would highly recommend going to his office hours- he's very friendly and helpful.

11/6/2020

He's awesome! I have him for Math 310W and while it's a harder class, his lectures are really thorough and he makes it easy to understand. He's super accessible outside of class and will help walk you through homework sets you're having difficulty with. Super friendly and easy to talk to.

10/20/2020

Gives funny and easy to follow lectures, and has reasonable expectations in the exams. Easily the best math professor at WashU.

4/6/2020

Professor Shareshian is amazing. His lectures are interesting, and tests are easy. He answers emails quickly. No complaints.

4/7/2019

If you are going to take calc 3, take it with Shareshian. he's brilliant, a genuinely cool guy, a little quirky, and great math lecturer. also he looks like an intelligent mark ruffalo

2/27/2019

Great professor. Take his class if your lucky enough to have the chance.

2/7/2019

Dr Shareshian is an amazing, kind, and intelligent man. Although his tests tended to be easy, he taught thoroughly and whole-heartedly.

1/22/2019

Yeah, lectures were probably taught at a level a bit more sophisticated than the test required, but he was amazing! He is a great lecturer with a great sense of humor and always made expectations for exams clear. I highly recommend!

12/19/2018

John Shareshian is a great human being, good teacher, also a PING PONG GOD. IMO lectures were at a much higher level than the actual tests, don't know if this is standard at WashU or just him. Lectures are effectively optional, however it is a pleasure to watch him teach. As someone else said, 100% could be Einstein reincarnate, absolute genius.

12/18/2018

Shareshian is an extremely caring, nice, and smart man. He gives off the typical sweet, dorky, middle aged man vibes. I personally didn't go to many lectures since you could just study off the textbook and get an A+, but the lectures I went to he was always sweet and answered my questions. The tips he gives about the tests are also accurate too.

12/15/2018

Professor Shareshian did a great job explaining the fundamentals of calculus using simple languages. His lectures were inspiring and well prepared. He always did a few examples after introducing new concepts, which really helped learning. He gave clear explanations of what was going to be on the exams. He was also a nice man with humor.

12/14/2018

Professor Shareshian's math 310 class might be my favorite class I've taken at WashU. This was my introduction to mathematical proofs and I actively looked forward to his class at the end of the day. He is very straightforward about what you can expect on the exams.

11/15/2018

Shareshian is an Awesome guy. I've never met a more honest and respectful man.

10/18/2018

Prof Shareshian is a great person who gives interesting lectures. He is just really funny in class.

10/4/2018

This man is the smartest human I have ever crossed paths with. I am shocked that he agreed to teach the easiest math course at WashU. If someone were to say he was the second coming of Einstein, I wouldn't even question it. He explains everything so well, and has a bomb New York accent. TAKE HIS CLASS!!

5/4/2018

If you have already taken CalcI, this class is a breeze. That being said, if you haven't taken it, the material is harder to understand the way it is presented. You definitely have to put in the work, but Shareshian truly wants you to do well. The exams are extremely fair, testing only basic knowledge through straightforward questions (no tricks!).

2/23/2018

Dr. Shareshian cares about students very much, and puts forth a lot of effort into making sure people understand the material taught. I like that he focused his class on making sure people conceptually understood the course, but there are few example used. The book is a big help.

12/20/2017

He hasn't taught calc 1 for like ten years, so it had been a while and it was kind of obvious. His lectures weren't always clear, especially if you hadn't taken calc before. There's 3 exams and a final, webwork, and section worksheets that make up your grade. His tests are really easy, which is nice but he also wasn't like the best professor

12/17/2017

SO GOOD. Take 310 with him! His lectures are interesting, and he understands that not everyone is a math genius at WashU and actually starts from the basics and works up. He makes proofs fun and doable, and is also very helpful at his office hours. Exams aren't bad, and if you can do the HW you can definitely do well on the exams.

4/19/2017

A fantastic professor. He truly cares about the students and offers flexible office hours. He would much rather a student understand the concepts than to blatantly memorize.

4/9/2015

Fantastic professor. Extremely fair, demonstrates clear concern for students. Teaches very well, explaining complex material at an accessible level. Extremely helpful office hours.

1/21/2014

Professor Shareshian maintained a great classroom environment, and was particularly attentive to being fair on exams. He explained the material well and was great to listen to.

1/15/2014

Awesome professor! You can tell he cares about his students and takes time to make sure everyone understands what he's doing. If you get him you're very lucky and should take advantage and GO TO CLASS!

5/5/2012

Great teacher. Very down-to-earth and easy to understand. Very approachable and made class interesting and easy to pay attention to.

5/1/2012

He is one of the best math professors I have had! When you listen to him talk, you can tell that he loves the material he's teaching. He works very hard to make sure we understand the lessons

2/20/2012

Absolutely great professor. Thorough and funny, he teaches you more than solving problems. So lucky I got him.

12/29/2008

I have taken him for three classes including intro to higher mathematics, 310, linear algebra, 429, and most recently combinatorics, 370.

12/19/2008

Amazing professor who went out of his way to ensure to the students understood the material and that the grading procedures were fair. So good I chose him as my major adviser!

10/11/2007

I would take anything w/Prof Shareshian. Lectures were fantastic, and he was over-the-top in trying to be fair when it came to exams. He's tough, but it is 310 - from what I hear, though, I can't imagine taking this course with anyone else. Definitely most worthwhile office hours I've ever been to as well, and he's welcoming about it as well.

8/31/2007

He is a professional lecturer. Every point made are crystal clear and interesting. Very helpful (yet very hard) homework. Fair grading scheme and reasonable exams. Great class!

5/17/2007

This man is gorgeous. Even though the class is not fun in the least, it's worth it to go to watch his teach. I'm fairly certain 310 isn't fun with any prof though, and he seems to be one of the better ones from what I hear.

4/28/2007