Martha Hasting
4 courses · 50 reviews
Courses
All Reviews
She' a nice person but her classes are exam heavy and graded by a few things; it gets even worse with a twist of her OCD. What you learned is not reflective of your grade. She teaches in the engineering dept but I found her teachings are not helpful for my other engineering class. It's more like a principle based math class
9/17/2025
Absolutely PHENOMENAL. EnMath B has the potential to be a really difficult course, but under Hastings, it's incredibly manageable. Go to lecture, inform her of any absences, go to her office hours for help-Hastings' EnMath B is incredibly fair, and will return to you EXACTLY what you put into it. It's not easy, but she makes it approachable.
8/25/2025
Dr. Hasting is a kind person, and she seems to genuinely care about her students. But this class is way too hard. The homework is okay, and it's easy to get help on, but then the test is insane. This class is a prerequisite for a lot of other engineering classes, but I didn't find that it actually gave me any knowledge I would need.
12/5/2024
Good professor. Very difficult exams. Homeworks, if you follow along with your notes (she does fill in the blank notes), are easy. Requires everyone to ask a question or answer a question once during class during the semester. Super helpful office hours. My biggest regret is not following the notes during class, they were very helpful.
9/12/2024
EnMath A is much harder than EnMath B with Hasting. This woman clearly has terrible OCD and is very unmerciful in grading. I lost SO many points on exams for having the correct answer, but either not simplified, factored, or expanded enough for her taste. I did all of her practice problems and still not get an A. A lot of my friends are getting Cs.
5/10/2024
I had Hasting for EnMath A and EnMath B and she is probably the best professor I've ever had. Her lectures are so organized and intentional, and she truly has thought out every aspect of her class. Her exams are crazy hard, but you really learn the material in her classes. She's iconic tbh
1/13/2024
Dr. Hasting is the best math professor I have ever met. Class notes are helpful and clearly explained each concept. The class materials are excellent foundations for higher level class. I have applied math techniques from ESE318 and 319 into physical chemistry. Do her daily practice, review notes before exams, and then you will survive.
12/28/2022
The best professor I've had at WashU. A lot of people complain about her exams being too challenging. They are challenging only because she is making sure you understand the concept and not just know how to solve an equation. Her lectures are super organized and she gives clear feedback on work. Major Tip: Do her daily assignments.
5/17/2022
Hasting is definitely a good teacher, but I felt that the class was unnecessarily difficult. My friends who took EnMath A with the other professor had easier homework assignments and easier exams. Also I do not like how her policies for students with disabilities made it more difficult to receive accommodations in the class.
12/22/2021
Dr. Hasting is a truly amazing teacher. While exams and homework can be difficult, she is amazing at communicating topics so that you truly understand them. Exams are 81% of the grade, so make sure you study, but she offers plenty of practice materials, including 2 practice exams per exam. Will be taking her classes again in the future.
12/5/2021
Like everyone else said, notes are great, teacher cares about your learning, but the tests are probably the hardest that I've ever had in my engineering coursework. Also a lot of the math isn't even applicable to engineering problems.
11/4/2021
Dr. Hasting is a wild mix of one of the hardest professors I've had and one of my favorites. Her class was hard. I got a horrible grade. Her tests do NOT reflect your knowledge level. But she is a great lecturer, very available outside of class, and wants you to succeed. She just doesn't really understand how much time students have for her class.
10/27/2021
Great teacher but insanely hard, I unfortunately had to withdraw from the class after the third test.
4/22/2021
Dr. Hasting's classes are very organized and well prepared. She is nice and cares about her students. She is very accessible outside of class through email. Exam questions can involve small details, but they for sure appear somewhere in the notes. If you think her exams are tricky, you probably didn't understand the materials well or study enough
12/16/2020
She is a great person, but a terrible lecturer. If you purely love math you would like her course, but if you like to have real life understanding about your material, she has no idea what she is teaching about.
11/17/2020
Her lectures are absolutely amazing; I've never had a professor as organized with her notes as Dr. Hasting. Her notes are so clear and if you have trouble with anything she is very accessible outside of class and helpful in her office hours. I took ESE 318 with her and went back to take ESE 319 with her because of how much I enjoyed her class.
11/4/2018
One of the best teachers I've ever had. I took ESE318&319 with her. Overall amazing! Great lectures, organized and tied to real-world applications. Eager to help her students learn. Super accessible; couldn't make off. hours so I made appointments with her and she was very accessible. DO THE DAILY PROBLEMS. Although recommended, they are necessary!
11/4/2018
Wonderful professor! She is SO organized and precise. She cares so much for her students. GO TO HER OFFICE HOURS SHE WILL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. I figured this out way too late. Her exams are also out of 30 points which means missing just a few things can bring your grade down significantly. Stay on top of the material and you'll succeed.
4/19/2018
Amazingly clear lecturer. If you just come to class, you'll walk away with a great understanding of EnMath A. However, her tests are quite tricky and she seems to test enough on small details that it feels like your grade isn't based on your overall understanding of the material. If it's on the test, it was in your notes though.
4/14/2017
One of the best teachers I had in 4 years at WUSTL. Knows the material, knows how to teach, and knows her students. Lectures very organized and "tie together" well. Super accessible for office hours/help. Tests can be tricky but fair. I would take class with her again over a better grade with another prof just based on how much I learned
9/14/2016
There is no doubt that she truly cares about her students; by the end of the semester she had memorized everyone's names. She works to make sure that you understand the material. She's always willing to take questions and while many found her tests difficult, they are not impossible. Honestly one of the best math teachers at wustl.
12/18/2015
If you take Hasting you will probably learn a lot of material, but her tests are IMPOSSIBLE. You have to know every minute detail in order to do well. Take Hoven for the A, its better for your gpa in the long run.
11/12/2015
Her tests are very tricky and not easy to do well. She is a very professional teacher and treat her work very seriously. Good teacher, hard to do well. I won't take her again for 319 because GPA is more important to me
11/11/2015
Her notes are all you need to do well in the class. As long as you read the notes thoroughly the day before the test and look over the two practice tests she gives you, you'll do pretty well on the test. You can also go to her office hours and check homework answers with her, which can be pretty helpful.
9/16/2015
Tests are not representative of your ability to solve problems. True False, multiple choice and short answer that were made to trick you.
9/3/2015
She's insanely overrated... En Math is pretty useless, you just review the past 2 years of math.
7/13/2015
Professor Hasting truly cares about her students and values their experience at WashU. Her tests are difficult, but she wants her students understand the material. I had her last semester, and she made my semester. I would be willing to take a class with her and get a B over getting an A with another professor, merely because of her teaching.
4/1/2015
Take Hoven if you can. Some claim she is clear but if you put her lecture next to his, they are of equal merit. She chooses to test specifically on trick question multiple choice and true false for math. Very little application. Hoven's tests are written to test if you know the material. Her HW is easier, but her class is a joke. Take Hoven.
3/23/2015
Professor Hasting is absolutely amazing. Her lectures are incredibly clear and never confusing. This doesn't mean that the tests are easy though! She really makes you study hard for the tests (hw is easy). You will have an incredibly strong foundation in engineering math if you take this course, even if her tests are more difficult. It's worth it!
12/19/2014
Great class. Copy ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING on the board because you'll need them later for tests which don't seem too hard at first but will destroy you if you're unprepared. The lectures are amazing! It's hard to fall asleep in class because she keeps it very engaged.
8/25/2014
Hands down best math professor I've ever had. Great teacher, and homeworks are easy. You really have to know your stuff to do well on exams, and even then you aren't guaranteed an A. But she is fair, and you will learn a ton. Take her class if you're willing to go to class and study hard for exams.
4/15/2014
Professor Hasting is absolutely amazing. She is the best math teacher I have ever had. Her lectures are incredibly clear and organized. She is so helpful and even learns everyone's name in the whole lecture hall. The exams are very difficult because they are mostly multiple choice and true/false, which just do not fit in math courses. Just amazing!
12/19/2013
Hasting's days of teaching diff Eq is over. This whole semester I felt like she was way overrated. I hear this is her first time teaching Matrix Algebra, so I might give her a benefit of the doubt. But nonetheless, the course was not what I expected. She seems to really stretch things in the book. There wasn't much of what we learned on the exam.
12/19/2007
Take anything you can with Dr. Hasting. Her notes are incredibly organized, and she keeps the class engaged as she teaches. Really tries to get to know all her students, even in a larger class. Makes difficult material more comprehensible.
11/27/2007
Very good lecturer, who writes everything on the board and will make sure students understand the material. Scantron tests screwed me for this class though.
5/2/2006
Dr.Hasting rocks. Period. Her lectures are crystal-clear, unbelievingly organized, 100% flawless, and are enough for students to excel in class. She is always willing to give helpful extra-help outside of class. Her assignments are interesting and well-declared. Her exams are reasonable. It is sad she is leaving math department.
4/11/2006
Like most others, I have nothing bad to say about her. I still found the class pretty difficult, but I think that's mostly the material/my laziness rather than an inability to teach on her part.
12/5/2005
she is incredibly well organized, exams are extremely straightforward
12/1/2005
An amazing math professor. Extremely organized, and lectures are always clear and demonstrate pertinent examples. Her exams are of medium difficulty, but she always makes it known ahead of time what her expectations are.
5/17/2005
Professor Hastings is a very good teacher. She gives the best notes, and does really good examples. The homework is really easy, especially the MATLAB assignments that she gives you hint sheets for. She is always willing to answer questions outside of class.
4/20/2005
Very well organized professor. Nice, helpful, and concerned with the success of students. Great communication. Even though there is no other teacher for Differential Equations, you will be glad to have Prof. Hasting. Maybe that's why there is no other professors for the course.
4/13/2005
Professor Hasting is probably one of the best math teachers at Wash U; however, her grading scale makes it a little difficult to excell in the class.
4/5/2005
A pretty easy class with excellent teaching and organization. GO TO CLASS and you'll do fine. But get cocky and you'll end up paying for it
1/5/2005
Hastings makes learning Diff Eq if not easy, at least manageable. Very organized with handouts and reviews, she writes everything she says on the board. Good at answering questions.
8/17/2004
Hasting is an AWESOME teacher. Lectures are very well organized and clear. Tests are fair and predictable. She is very available with office hours and likes to chat too. She WANTS you to learn and like the course.
3/24/2004
Very organized lectures, lots of helpful handouts. She's a Maple fan, but WU uses Matlab for Diff Eq, so she doesn't do anything difficult with Matlab and gives examples with the homework that are almost exactly what you have to type in. Fair exams.
12/2/2003