MATH 2315

Do not take this class! The textbook is HORRIBLE, and combined with the fact that the professor hurries through topics and focuses on proofs rather than understanding the concepts, I have learned barely anything. Weekly homework and the TA's "quizzes" take FOREVER. The TA is horrible, and both are unapproachable and unable to help with homework questions. Do not be fooled by the grade distribution from previous years, and do not take this course.

If you're an upperclassman, don't be misled by the grade distributions. This class was THE biggest mistake of my college career so far. The professor is entirely unapproachable. He "teaches" with a book that doesn't explain the concepts at all. The TA for the course is HORRENDOUS. I regret taking this class more than anything.

It was a pretty difficult class, but the grading curve is equally generous. In fact, I believe half or almost half of the class got a B+ or above, if not >A-. Professor Rapinchuk really taught the course well but unfortunately he won't be teaching it anymore, so the quality might change next fall, but even the course itself was very worthwhile to go through. I wouldn't recommend it if you are running a credit overload or even just taking a full credit schedule since the work is quite time consuming, but otherwise if you have the opportunity to take this, DO IT.

Overall this is a worthwhile class (but my view of it is slightly skewed since I got an A+). The professor really knows what he is doing. He can run through extremely abstract questions in his head and answer them before the you finish asking. Rapinchuk's contributions to your workload (the comprehension quizzes, homework problems, review assignments, and the midterm/final) are generally very fair and can be figured out without too much struggle. The TA goes out of his way to give you regular quizzes that can leave a group of six kids scratching their heads for more than 8 hours and working on it for another 4. I got a 5 on my BC calc exam, and if you are looking for comparisons, you won't find but a scarce few in high school math. You have to be willing to put in the time and work for this class but it is rewarding.

General Course Information:
1) Your grade is determined with 10% Homework, 10% comprehension quizzes, 15% quizzes handed out in discussion section, 15% three review assignments spaced out over three months, 20% midterm, 30% final.
2) All of the work is take home, and I would strongly encourage you to work in groups on everything but the exams. The midterm is take-home closed book/note, the final is take-home open note/book.
3) The class has a built in curve with 86-90% = A-, 90-100% = A, with the possibility of an A+ from 95-100%. That helps a lot.
4) The TA lets you drop one homework/quiz, double one, and if you have enough late points [which are far to complex for me to explain here. (if you take the class you will really understand my joke here)] you can half another assignment and 1.5x another. These help when you struggle at first when losing you proof virginity.

Bottom-line:

If you get the grade you wanted, this class's immense workload offers a great amount of pride and fulfillment.

Incredibly difficult class. An "A" seems accessible (it's only >84%) IF you are willing to put in 15 to 20 hours of work. Maybe 10% of the class understands what's going on. Very fast paced. "Hardest Class at UVA"

One of the best classes I've ever taken, so far. Showed me a whole new side of mathematical thinking and quite refreshing from high school calculus.

A decent class if you really want to learn about the theory behind multivariable. Rapinchuk knows the material well and occasionally makes a joke or two.