Quo-Shin Chi

Professor Chi is extremely knowledgeable, and you can be confident that he'll be able to explain any topic you bring to him clearly and in depth. I'd often had questions or problems I wanted to work through after class, and he'd often stay to answer them for well over an hour. Overall an extremely caring, dedicated, and proficient professor.

6/11/2026

Lectures are a little too free-flow for my liking.

12/27/2024

I stopped going to class after ~a month. He is a good, caring person, but lectures tend to go off on tangents and his explanations are... interesting. He tries to make sure you understand the broader concepts but Thornton did not structure the curriculum for that, so he's usually behind the other profs, lol. Teach yourself first if going to lecture

12/8/2024

2 or less hrs/week

Pretty sure almost everyone just studied for a day or two before the exam after learning nothing this semester. even if you go to class, you don’t learn much

6/17/2024

2 or less hrs/week

Not a lot of homework and a takehome midterm. The class is not too bad to do well on if you do well on the final. the textbook is really good so use that to get an understanding of the concepts.

5/21/2024

2 or less hrs/week

Class was not great - he talks very fast and is hard to undertand plus doesn't look up. But he is really nice in office hours, midterm is online, and homework load isn't bad. I learned everything from textbook and tutor

5/18/2024

2 or less hrs/week

Take home midterm and most of the class had the instructor manual with homework answers. Final is kinda tough since 20 questions multiple choice in person but if you can find an old version of the final and drill those concepts using the book as a supplement you will probably get an A

5/18/2024

2 or less hrs/week

Midterm is online and I think we had like 4 total homework assignments so isn't too bad. That being said the professor is awful - he doesn't look up while teaching and is bad at explaining the concepts. Our class was completely computational and I know others were completely theoretical, so it matters which professor you take it with.

5/18/2024

you'd think it's his first time teaching the class bc he has no outline of the content anywhere, doesn't use online tools (besides canvas) for anything, rambles at the board, and makes tons of mistakes. you'll end up having to teach yourself everything at the end of the semester for the final, but you probably won't know what to study

5/15/2024

He is a very poor lecturer. However, he has ~4 homework assignments, a take-home midterm and an in person final with a 5x8 (front & back) cheat sheet. You will likely have to teach yourself the content and how much time you spend studying for the final exam will likely determine your final grade. He is more helpful during OH than in class.

5/10/2024

Chi is a really nice guy and gives a pretty decent lecture on matrix algebra. The course is just designed incredibly poorly where students are graded on 5 homeworks before taking a final worth 35% of their grade. Makes most of the semester very easy, but you have to learn an entire semester of matrix during reading week to do well.

5/9/2024

Lectures were very bad, he constantly makes mathematical mistakes. The take home midterm and homework are very easy. For the final, since I didn't go to class and just studied for a day, the grade is what I expected.

5/6/2024

Chi gets a lot of hate but honestly, he is a wonderful guy. Only 4 HW assignments (all problems from the textbook), a take-home midterm, and a final. He can be a little disorganized and confusing, but read the textbook, spend time on the homework, and watch videos to help you understand! He was always willing to answer questions too!

5/4/2024

Full disclaimer: I'm don't like math too much. So I found his lectures to be a bit dry and long-winded, but given the context of Zoom classes, he really made a strong effort to explain the bigger concepts while using concrete examples which i appreciated. Best thing about him is that he held multiple office hours a week and was extremely accessible

12/28/2020

I would avoid taking Chi if possible. Tests were very difficult, nothing like lecture at all. When asked if there would be any sort of grade adjustment due to class being moved online because of Covid, he dismissed the question and compared getting an A to being a Navy SEAL.

12/24/2020

He doesn't know how to explain concepts and gets really off track during class. Hard to understand. Emailed him about grading and responded rudely. I would not recommend.

5/5/2020

Tests are hard. He knows what he's talking about, but the homework is unrelated and so are the test. He is also very uncaring. I feel like I could get run over by a car and he wouldn't give any special accommodations.

2/24/2020

Great professor! This class is very cool, with interesting proofs and a broadening of horizons when it comes to math. If you do not like proofs, that's all this class is, so don't complain if you don't like it. Chi is a very nice professor, not a tough grader. There are only two exams, and they're take-home. Great class, 10/10 recommend.

12/2/2019

I initially had an idea that math courses with take-home exams is a joke, which was harshly challenged by this professor last semester. You will never survive this course unless you are a mathematical genius or visit all his office hours after carefully taking all the notes from the lecture. He is responsive to questions via email, though.

1/13/2016

sooo good !!! He is the best teacher I have ever had. Just make sure you studies after class .

11/18/2015

Quo-Shin Chi is the definition of a bad professor. he is hard to understand, his lectures are despicable and horribly organized, and he does not seem to care about his students or how well they can understand the material. Do not take him at all costs.

9/16/2015

Chi tries really hard to provide advice to students and seems enthusiastic about teaching. However, his lectures are very difficult to understand and I got lost very quickly- I ended up mostly learning from the textbook. He also is much more interested in theoretical math and proofs, not applications.

5/2/2015

Incredibly boring, incredibly confusing. Clearly does not know how to connect with students. Often goes from one topic to the next without any resolution or clear transition. Luckily, all the assignments are take home, including the tests, so you can use the textbook to help you heavily with your grade. Avoid him if you aren't a math major

4/16/2015

He is the most boring professor in the world. I had to stop coming to class because it was too painful. Luckily, the textbook explains the material way better than he does, so the class was fine. Exams were take-home, which was great.

4/2/2013

I had a lot of trouble understanding and following him, mainly because he is pretty animated and this made some of the material harder to understand

1/9/2012

Chi was a decent professor. His lectures were sometimes confusing and not applicable to a calculus 1 course - but he knows his stuff. He is very approachable and easy to reach through email or office hours. His tests are confusing and hard - but once you understand how he writes them... they aren't that bad.

1/3/2012

Easy if you get the solution manual. Difficult if you don't. You can download the manual here: lol jk...use google

12/17/2009

Professor Chi is, by far, one of the most helpful teachers I have had at WashU. He is extremely quick to respond to emails with questions and is very generous with help in office hours. For the upper level classes, he only uses take-home exams and homeworks, which makes these difficult classes much less stressful. Super nice, highly recommended!

10/23/2008

The only problem I had with Chi was 53% average he gave on the final exam in order to lower the average final grade. Go to class because the textbook is confusing as hell. Do hw with friends because half of them will be impossible and you'll just end up copying the answer manual. Pay attention in lectures or you'll fall behind within seconds.

5/16/2007

Chi is a very nice guy and his lectures are generally well organized and clear, although somewhat dry. He does have a bit of an accent but that doesn't hamper his ability to deliver a clear lecture. Homeworks and test fairly straightforward, and he's helpful in office hours.

2/15/2007

Super nice guy. Super helpful in office hours. Pretty dry lecturer, and kind of confusing. Just walks in and writes proofs on the board for an hour, doesnt stop for people to ask questions. Not too hard though and once again a super nice, helpful guy.

4/24/2005

No Comments

12/22/2004

Professor Chi's lectures tend to be hampered by a sense of disorganziation, but his coverage of material is good. Both the midterm exam and final were take-home, and he was generous with hints both in class and in office hours.

12/19/2004