Stein

2 or less hrs/week

I ended up not going to any of the lectures after the first one bc they were so boring + it was P/F but there's barely any work to do for the class and if you're genuinely interested in research then it's useful for you

5/23/2024

Stein is a great professor that really cares about his students and about mentoring. He makes sure there are a lot of resources available, like office hours and TA review sessions.

5/6/2023

While this is his last semester teaching 3058, Dr.Stein's recorded lectures were very clear and interesting. While there is very little room for mistake, but the material is well presented and the class is very organized with so many resources to do well. Wish all the best for Dr. Stein!

5/2/2023

Don't listen to the good reviews. PCS is a very difficult class. It requires more work than all of my other engineering course and is only worth 2 credits. The material is very hard to understand. Even going to all of the lectures, tutoring sessions, review sessions, and reading the textbook I still struggled. This class is so painful.

5/9/2022

This is the most anxiety-inducing class i have ever heard about and for no good reason. Every question you get wrong is a % off your grade and its extremely easy to miss a multiple choice question when the options are so similar. The concepts go into such extreme detail which is completely unnecessary for any undergrad class. I despised this class.

4/13/2022

Dr. Stein is one of the best professors at WashU! He really cares about the success of the students in his class. His lectures are clear, and if you study the TA notes and do enough practice problems, you will walk away from the class having learnt a lot and with a great grade!

5/10/2020

Exams are stupid easy as long as you do the practice tests (he recycles questions). Lectures are recorded and Stein posts TA notes. That being said, you still learn a lot in this class! Stein is the most caring professor I've had so far at WashU. He genuinely wants everyone to succeed. Also, don't bother with the textbook, it's useless.

5/7/2020

PCS is a great class. Stein is a great lecturer and really cares about his students. PLEASE do not purchase the textbook though, it's practically worthless. Take good notes and do the practice exams and you'll be golden.

5/4/2020

Stein is an engaging lecturer and a passionate professor. He is very approachable and there are lots of resources to help students do well in the class. Material is interesting and tests are nearly identical to past years so as long as you complete all the practice tests you should be good to go. If you do your work, this class is very doable.

4/6/2018

This class is not only super interesting, but Stein is a really good and clear lecturer. There are ALWAYS Ta hours to go to for help, and they're amazing. Tests are just like old tests that he gives you, you pretty much just have to get good at reading carefully.

5/9/2017

Very easy A if you take good notes and do all of the old exams.

5/15/2016

Stein is a great lecturer; both engaging and clear. His tests are not difficult themselves, it's really the trickiness of being able to read carefully and knowing your stuff. Also, you can barely get any questions wrong on his tests to get an A in the course, the cutoff for a solid A is 95-96. The textbook for PCS is virtually useless.

7/8/2014

a 96 and above should not be the cutoff for a solid A in a class...

5/10/2012