Professor

Matthias Aschenbrenner

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3.3
Overall Ratings
Based on 75 Users
Easiness 2.5 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 2.7 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 2.9 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 2.5 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (75)

2 of 5
2 of 5
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June 11, 2011
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

I had him for both 31A and 31B. It's pointless to complain that he just reads off the book, cuz he explain the stuff so well along the way so you don't need to read the textbook on your own. Lots of sample problems in the lectures are highly related to the tests but are not in the textbook. Other than that, he's a funny & approachable person, giving out around 30% A's (Brown gives out 13%, Radko 23%, Biskup's is unknown but good luck with him). Get a great TA is also important (Matthew for 31A, Jaclyn for 31B). Got 2 A's with almost minimal work, so I would highly recommend him.

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Dec. 2, 2011
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

I evidently did not have the same experience as many students here did with Professor Aschenbrenner. Though is lectures are based on the textbook, he does an excellent job breaking down concepts and explaining them in a digestible manner. His teaching method, especially in the latter part of the quarter, is heavily focused upon "finding" rules and equations based on theoretical problems and previous theorems (light-weight proofs, in essence). If this is your learning style, as it is mine, you'll do fine.

He assigns two to three lessons of homework per week (depending on the number of lectures), generally totaling in around 15 problems; this is easily doable. Homework is graded fairly and is not exceptionally difficult.

Two midterms are given, the first of which the class average was around 58, and the second around 78. His midterms tend to drift towards conceptual questions rather than practical ones, but are fair nonetheless.

I interacted with Professor Aschenbrenner only minimally outside of class. In lecture, he remains lighthearted and cracks jokes now and then. He seems nice and helpful enough during his office hours.

He is very strict about his homework policy--late is not accepted. Don't try to turn things in late and you won't have a problem.

While he does have a German accent, it is not heavy, nor is it difficult to understand.

All-in-all, this class is quite straightforward, particularly if you have previously taken AP Calculus. I am really not sure where all of these complaints are coming from.

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Sept. 11, 2013
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

He can explain concepts and questions really well. Though his accent is a little bit difficult for me to understand, he writes down all necessary steps on the board so I can follow him pretty well. If you need a very logical teacher, take his class!

His grading is very fair. I thought I would end up with an A, but actually I got an A+ :)

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Dec. 11, 2009
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

He is an awesome guy! Really funny. Class would be hard if you haven't had any previous experience, but reading the book and asking questions would really help. Two midterms, one final, and weekly homework asg. I really recommend that you take him if you have a chance. He's a really funny guy.

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Feb. 23, 2009
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

Aschenbrenner is a really nice guy, and he was awkwardly funny at times. He can't teach though, in my opinion. If you are good at learning on your own then it shouldn't be a problem. The homework for this class is never that long and his exams were very fair, save for one question on midterm 2 which was practically impossible (one TA called it a "cheap shot") and not even related to the homework he gave. But the class is curved anyway so it doesn't matter. The final was not overly hard and you get plenty of time on it. Overall I would recommend him since he isn't hard (though not easy either) and is a pretty cool guy.

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Dec. 10, 2009
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

Aschenbrenner may be a nice guy, but he can't teach at all. He doesn't realize students do not understand or comprehend what he is saying; partially because of his heavy German accent and partially because of the language he uses when he speaks English.

Overall, do not expect to learn much from this guy, you have to learn all the material on your own. If you're not able to be on top of things on your own, having Aschenbrenner may become one of the most disappointing experiences you may have in your academic career.

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Dec. 12, 2009
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

He's a halfway decent teacher, but then again I had already taken calculus in high school so I knew a lot of the stuff going into the class. His heavy accent can be a bit distracting and difficult to understand at times, but it's really not a big deal. The quality of your TA is probably the most important part of this class, as the TA is the one that's going to really answer questions and explain the material in-depth. If you're adequate at teaching yourself from the book and you practice, practice, practice before the tests, then you should be fine.

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Feb. 5, 2010
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

Aschenbrenner was a terrible teacher!! I had taken Calculus in high school and managed the class. When in sat in his class every day i could not stand his teaching he just read the book to us and it was a complete waste of 50 mins. Tips to succeed in his class are to not go to his class, learn stuff by yourself. He seemed nice though but i did not want to approach him because i was afraid his office hours might be as boring as his lectures. Not a quality professor take this class if you are an engineer or someone naturally gifted in math. He will not improve your mathematical skills

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1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 5, 2011
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

Aschenbrenner is a decent teacher as far as the Math department is concerned (Math major here). His homework and lectures are reasonably related to his exam material. On top of that, he's a pretty likeable guy, always making odd jokes here and there. I generally find that it's hard to have a bad math professor who is under the age of 35 (which our boy Asch is).
If you're a fairly competent math student, this professor'll be alright for you.

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March 18, 2011
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A

Ya.....Terrible Teacher, Class was a joke - w/e I skipped every friday, Walked in to turn in me H/w and Left. You're better off self teaching - If you don't already know this course - It's good to take in winter because there's like little to no engineering students so the curve is pretty shway. Get an 85 on the first midterm, you'll get an A+, get a ~70 something on the second you'll get an A - And the final will kill you 'cuz its insanely harder than both midterms, but get close to a 70 and you'll be fine - BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR HOMEWORK, they are graded HELLA HARD! FUUH! Bottom Line: PreBusecon/Econ, take it if you know calculus and want to focus your time on other classes, if you have to take this prof during fall -DON'T! oh Ya...He's pretty funny haha.... oh and The Book is your professor in this class...the horrible...crapppyy...book.. and KhanAcademy.org of Course =)

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 11, 2011

I had him for both 31A and 31B. It's pointless to complain that he just reads off the book, cuz he explain the stuff so well along the way so you don't need to read the textbook on your own. Lots of sample problems in the lectures are highly related to the tests but are not in the textbook. Other than that, he's a funny & approachable person, giving out around 30% A's (Brown gives out 13%, Radko 23%, Biskup's is unknown but good luck with him). Get a great TA is also important (Matthew for 31A, Jaclyn for 31B). Got 2 A's with almost minimal work, so I would highly recommend him.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31A
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 2, 2011

I evidently did not have the same experience as many students here did with Professor Aschenbrenner. Though is lectures are based on the textbook, he does an excellent job breaking down concepts and explaining them in a digestible manner. His teaching method, especially in the latter part of the quarter, is heavily focused upon "finding" rules and equations based on theoretical problems and previous theorems (light-weight proofs, in essence). If this is your learning style, as it is mine, you'll do fine.

He assigns two to three lessons of homework per week (depending on the number of lectures), generally totaling in around 15 problems; this is easily doable. Homework is graded fairly and is not exceptionally difficult.

Two midterms are given, the first of which the class average was around 58, and the second around 78. His midterms tend to drift towards conceptual questions rather than practical ones, but are fair nonetheless.

I interacted with Professor Aschenbrenner only minimally outside of class. In lecture, he remains lighthearted and cracks jokes now and then. He seems nice and helpful enough during his office hours.

He is very strict about his homework policy--late is not accepted. Don't try to turn things in late and you won't have a problem.

While he does have a German accent, it is not heavy, nor is it difficult to understand.

All-in-all, this class is quite straightforward, particularly if you have previously taken AP Calculus. I am really not sure where all of these complaints are coming from.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Sept. 11, 2013

He can explain concepts and questions really well. Though his accent is a little bit difficult for me to understand, he writes down all necessary steps on the board so I can follow him pretty well. If you need a very logical teacher, take his class!

His grading is very fair. I thought I would end up with an A, but actually I got an A+ :)

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31A
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 11, 2009

He is an awesome guy! Really funny. Class would be hard if you haven't had any previous experience, but reading the book and asking questions would really help. Two midterms, one final, and weekly homework asg. I really recommend that you take him if you have a chance. He's a really funny guy.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Feb. 23, 2009

Aschenbrenner is a really nice guy, and he was awkwardly funny at times. He can't teach though, in my opinion. If you are good at learning on your own then it shouldn't be a problem. The homework for this class is never that long and his exams were very fair, save for one question on midterm 2 which was practically impossible (one TA called it a "cheap shot") and not even related to the homework he gave. But the class is curved anyway so it doesn't matter. The final was not overly hard and you get plenty of time on it. Overall I would recommend him since he isn't hard (though not easy either) and is a pretty cool guy.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31AX
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 10, 2009

Aschenbrenner may be a nice guy, but he can't teach at all. He doesn't realize students do not understand or comprehend what he is saying; partially because of his heavy German accent and partially because of the language he uses when he speaks English.

Overall, do not expect to learn much from this guy, you have to learn all the material on your own. If you're not able to be on top of things on your own, having Aschenbrenner may become one of the most disappointing experiences you may have in your academic career.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31A
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 12, 2009

He's a halfway decent teacher, but then again I had already taken calculus in high school so I knew a lot of the stuff going into the class. His heavy accent can be a bit distracting and difficult to understand at times, but it's really not a big deal. The quality of your TA is probably the most important part of this class, as the TA is the one that's going to really answer questions and explain the material in-depth. If you're adequate at teaching yourself from the book and you practice, practice, practice before the tests, then you should be fine.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31A
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Feb. 5, 2010

Aschenbrenner was a terrible teacher!! I had taken Calculus in high school and managed the class. When in sat in his class every day i could not stand his teaching he just read the book to us and it was a complete waste of 50 mins. Tips to succeed in his class are to not go to his class, learn stuff by yourself. He seemed nice though but i did not want to approach him because i was afraid his office hours might be as boring as his lectures. Not a quality professor take this class if you are an engineer or someone naturally gifted in math. He will not improve your mathematical skills

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
March 5, 2011

Aschenbrenner is a decent teacher as far as the Math department is concerned (Math major here). His homework and lectures are reasonably related to his exam material. On top of that, he's a pretty likeable guy, always making odd jokes here and there. I generally find that it's hard to have a bad math professor who is under the age of 35 (which our boy Asch is).
If you're a fairly competent math student, this professor'll be alright for you.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31AX
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
March 18, 2011

Ya.....Terrible Teacher, Class was a joke - w/e I skipped every friday, Walked in to turn in me H/w and Left. You're better off self teaching - If you don't already know this course - It's good to take in winter because there's like little to no engineering students so the curve is pretty shway. Get an 85 on the first midterm, you'll get an A+, get a ~70 something on the second you'll get an A - And the final will kill you 'cuz its insanely harder than both midterms, but get close to a 70 and you'll be fine - BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR HOMEWORK, they are graded HELLA HARD! FUUH! Bottom Line: PreBusecon/Econ, take it if you know calculus and want to focus your time on other classes, if you have to take this prof during fall -DON'T! oh Ya...He's pretty funny haha.... oh and The Book is your professor in this class...the horrible...crapppyy...book.. and KhanAcademy.org of Course =)

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
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