Siever
3 courses · 20 reviews
Courses
All Reviews
4-6 hrs/week
Idk how bad it used to be.. (clearly really bad) but this class is a lot more enjoyable I think! Siever is super enthusiastic and is knowledgable, the class is kind of tough but manageable if you keep up with the readings. Homeworks are time consuming if you donʻt know what youʻre doing.
11/7/2025
6-8 hrs/week
Very interesting and doable class (at least for Siever and Hall). Pre-lecture reading can be unnecessarily long since they often go well above and beyond what's covered in lecture and on exams, but they help with understanding the fast-paced lecture as well as the homework, which are very time consuming as well but eventually the get better. Siever brings a really energetic vibe to the classroom and there's always free candy during studio every week. First exam is pretty easy, second exam much more challenging. Material covered is definitely fascinating especially in the context of connecting the software side (much of which is covered in 361S) to the hardware side (some of which is covered in ESE 232).
5/9/2025
6-8 hrs/week
Assignments were hard but you just had to go to office hours. The in-class studios I pretty much got nothing out of. The topics aren't super hard if you just put a little bit of time into understanding them. Should be a relatively easy A if you put in some effort.
5/24/2024
10+ hrs/week
Not objectively a super hard class, just an unrealistic time commitment. Weekly projects start out easy (2-3 hours per), but after the halfway point each took over 10 hours, on top of graded textbook reading. Professor is nice and late policy forgiving.
5/22/2024
4-6 hrs/week
Learned through my tutor. Exams are not that bad if you have enough on your cheat sheet. Labs take time but are interesting
5/18/2024
2-4 hrs/week
not a bad class at all - everyone overhypes it for being super hard, but for just doing zybook readings you get like a 5% grade boost on your final grade so its pretty easy to get an A. Siever is also a great professor and made the class much better because his lectures connected a lot of the things we were learning. biggest thing is just making sure that you learn the material at the beginning, because some of the concepts there are difficult, and if you don't it'll make the rest of the year very hard.
5/17/2024
Siever is a good professor, he gives good feedback when you need it and is accessible both inside and out of class. He takes pride in his lectures but does tend to go fast sometimes. Make sure to read the textbook before coming to class or you might not understand the material. Tests are reasonable but make sure to study all the material.
5/10/2024
He was very clear but would sometimes speed through topics, but I still learned a lot.
4/22/2024
bill rules, i would take any class he teaches (even 365 which is hard as hell). he tries his best to make it enjoyable when the material gets really hard towards the end of the semester, but he's just a solid dude who obviously cares a lot about students and teaching cs :)
12/19/2023
Siever was super helpful but my section was taught by Mtabakhi (who was very bad). His videos saved me when it came time for exams. Class itself is annoying and can be difficult but the extra credit helps a lot (5% on top of the final grade).
6/1/2023
247 is just kind of a stupid class the way its run, so like I can't hate on Siever too much. His lectures can be confusing sometimes (often), but just make sure you do the extra credit and try your hardest. Its just a class where you can try your hardest and do bad on the tests etc. but thats how it is. Know when to give up its okay.
5/29/2023
Amazing guy! His lectures are good and I personally enjoyed and found the unfinished portion of lectures or supporting videos he posts on canvas to be very helpful. His grading criteria is great and fair, it doesn't put a lot of pressure on doing well on exams to get a good grade in the class.
5/15/2023
Siever is a great professor to take for 247. He is good at explaining the concepts, and he makes use of technology often to show examples. One thing is that he sometimes cuts the lecture short and posts videos on canvas instead, which I don't really understand. Overall a good professor.
4/20/2023
Very structured class ;don't necessary need to attend lectures to succeed but Siever's charm won me over. A very wholesome professor that explained data structures very visually and descriptively. One complaint is that he does not go over the mathy portions of the class too well, i.e. the master method.
1/1/2022
Siever seems like a really nice dude and is a very solid lecturer. Enjoyed 247 and learned a lot!
12/7/2021
He gave lots of opportunities in the course structure to get help. Super good at communicating with a large class and staying up to date with all Canvas instruction.
6/22/2021
Prof. Siever is great at explaining concepts and is very available to contact outside of class through Piazza or office hours. Exams aren't too bad given that you have a general understanding of the topics, and the labs (homework) can be tricky but help is often available from either Prof. Siever or TAs.
5/11/2021
Siever's a pretty chill dude. Had him for 247 online so I didn't interact with him in person at all, but he did a good job explaining confusing concepts in lecture. He's also accessible on Piazza. He also lays out clear grading expectations and you'll always know where you stand in the class. Hoping to take a class with him irl in the future.
12/26/2020