Professor

Jacob Rooney

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4.5
Overall Ratings
Based on 44 Users
Easiness 3.0 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 3.4 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 4.7 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 4.7 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (44)

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Dec. 9, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: N/A

Very Good!! Good hand writing! structured lecture. Fair midterms

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April 14, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B

Rooney is an integral GOD who goes to war with the math titans every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 4:00 sharp in MS4000. With no armor other than a plaid untucked dress shirt, khakis, and strap on sandals man cooks hot pasta out of integrals so spicy they'd cause your eyes to tear up and your nose to sweat before you even caught a whiff. Behind his abnormally blue eyes and orange hair is a supercomputer so potent that it has likely already mapped the inside of the black hole at the heart of the Milkyway and mined enough bitcoin to rival the buying power of the US government. The lines "Oh our great Prometheus what fire of knowledge do you bring to us mortals today?" was uttered on many occasions with great reverence to our savior. And what does this King ask for in return? Merely that you don't speak during his lecture... certainly a small price to pay for eternal salvation.

Seriously though do take him. So smart and so knowledgeable on the subject. And just an incredible lecturer.

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4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Nov. 25, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: I

Amazing professor! Takes doubts meticulously, maintains class decorum, and teaches flawlessly. Would recommend taking him. Tests may be challenging to some but overall you learn something from them. Also he is very approachable and will try his best to cater to everyone's doubts during and after class.

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3 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Feb. 25, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B+

32B can be a rough class. None of the math itself, in my opinion, is particularly difficult in execution (Can you take an integral? Can you do it twice? Maybe thrice? A couple cross and dot products here and there?), but the concepts of 32B can really twist your mind. Even as someone who took MVC before (and had to retake because, of course, it'd be too easy if I got credit for it), I struggled a decent amount in this class. Pro tip: GET GOOD AT DRAWING PICTURES AND DRAW A LOT OF THEM. It makes the problems so much clearer if you do.
With that said, OH MY GOODNESS THIS MAN IS A GODSEND. He explains things succinctly and clearly, and he really commands respect. While he can be a little intimidating at first and you DEFINITELY do not want to annoy him, he's a genuinely awesome guy who's kind of a goofball if you spend enough time talking to him. He gives engaging lessons, provides clear examples in lectures, and answers students' questions completely and clearly.
His grading is weird, but I'm personally okay with it. While there is "homework," it's not collected. Instead, some homework problems are selected on weekly quizzes (excluding week 1 and weeks with midterms), and you drop your lowest quiz score. The grading scheme is either 10% Quizzes + 20% Midterm I + 20% Midterm II + 50% Final Exam or 10% Quizzes + 20% Better Midterm + 70% Final Exam, whichever is higher. Each grading scheme has its pros and cons, but I think it's fairly reasonable. (God have mercy on you if you do that second one though; 70% of your grade being the final is high risk but high reward.)
The only mark against him I can say is that he does not mess around on his tests. His midterms are only 50 minutes and they ask you to do a lot in that short a time. It's definitely doable if you understand the content, but if you happen to be a slow test-taker, you might be a little out of luck.
Overall, an amazing professor who does an amazing job teaching the material and is all-around a great guy. Considering this is only his second year of teaching as a professor, he's exceptional and I'm sad I'm probably never going to have him again.

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2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 30, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A+

Professor Rooney is a G. Before coming into 32B all people told me was that "32B is the hardest lower div. math class you'll have to take," "32B is soooo hard," "Oh, you're in 32B? Hahahah, that's rough... good luck..." They are probably all right, but Rooney made it a lot better and actually enjoyable through clear and straightforward explanations. If you have the chance to get Rooney, TAKE HIM (for 32B at least??).

Grading distribution: 10% Quizzes, 20% per Midterm, and 50% Final OR 10% Homework, 20% better Midterm, and 70% final.

Homework is assigned each week and there is a 1-2 question quiz every week pretty much based exactly on the homework. Free points here.

Midterms and the final were very doable if you understood all the concepts and practiced it in the homework. I honestly don't know what other tips to give - I feel like with Rooney's lectures and expectations, if you go to his lectures and understand the examples he gives and those that are in the homework, you'll do fine on the tests and get a good grade in this class. Oh, also, don't get behind, and draw good diagrams. Pretty much every concept in this class requires you to understand previous concepts, and if you can draw good diagrams, you'll be able to visualize everything so much better, and eventually get to the point where you can draw bad diagrams lol and get away with it.

I can't forget to shout out my TA, Eli Sadovski (I definitely spelled the last name wrong). Being in Eli's discussion felt like having a genius supplement all of the lecture content from a slightly different perspective. He would give examples and from those, extract an intricate concept that solidified a similar concept that Rooney went over (or would go over). In the end, I would leave discussion satisfied by my understanding of how the different concepts interact with each other.

I'm so lucky that Rooney and Eli's sections were the ones left over for me to enroll in.

Good luck y'all!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Jan. 27, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

I absolutely loved 31B with Rooney. He is an amazing professor who teaches all the concepts extremely well. He also goes over a wide range of examples during class and is very patient and helpful during office hours. 100% recommended. The quizzes and homework are really helpful to keep up with the content.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 3, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B

Disclaimer: this quarter has not finished (just want to do all the reviews together with teacher's evaluation) - Projected grade: B

To start off, I am not a great student. I sleep through many classes (4-5 pm is late for me v_v). However, Prof Rooney is an excellent lecturer and math professor. He uses layman's terms to introduce the topics that are incredibly confusing (Jacobian, Triple Integral, Vector Line Integral, etc.) His test is fair (although I didn't do particular well), and it reflects what we learn and what we practice for homework and quiz. Overall, very well spoken, funny professor with fair grading!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Dec. 26, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B

Professor Rooney is a great lecturer and I felt like the concepts during lecture were clear, well-explained, and made sense. The only problem was that the examples, sample problems, and overall depth of what we covered in lecture were NOTHING like the homework problems. Test questions are significantly harder than the problems you do in class. The first half of the class was really easy and well-paced, so I got a perfect score on the first midterm, but after the first midterm the pace quadrupled and I felt like the second half of the class could have been its own class in itself. It was just way too much information that we weren't really given enough time to master and we also weren't really given hard-ball questions in class that he worked out of the board, so they were difficult to self-study. The last week of lectures felt rushed to squeeze in the last bunch of concepts for the final. The second midterm and final were WAY harder than the first midterm and quizzes in discussion and brought my grade down.

Honestly, I think Rooney is such a skilled lecturer and great at explaining things, so I think if he were to pace the class better and include more complex/difficult problems in class rather than basic examples, we would have all felt more prepared. But by the time the final rolled around everyone in my study group felt solid about the first half of the class and clueless about the second.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
March 20, 2020
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A

His lectures are clear and helpful, and his tests are not quite hard as long as you've done enough practice questions.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Dec. 11, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

- Lectures: he goes to great lengths to make sure that students understand the material, often answering any questions/clarifying information during lectures or office hours. They are not recorded though, so definitely go to lectures/make a friend. If you go to lectures and do your homework, then you'll definitely pass the class.

- Homework: assigned every week (roughly 4-10 problems from the textbook) but not collected/graded. Instead, there are 15-minute quizzes each week regarding the previous week's homework during your discussion (excluding the week of midterms/finals/breaks). The quizzes are usually just 2 problems taken from the homework with the numbers slightly changed. They're 10% of your grade, super easy, and he drops the lowest quiz grade.

- Midterms: Usually 4 questions w/ multiple parts. 1st midterm was extremely easy, average was an A. The 2nd midterm was a stark contrast to the 1st. It was harder than the first and the average was like a D; with that being said, the material itself was already tough, so as long as you study and ask questions regarding the midterm practice problems he sends out, then you'll be fine. Also, the class is curved, so he'll adjust accordingly. I'd study harder for the 2nd final though, whether that be going to office hours or asking your TA, unless you understand everything about the series tests.

-Final: Half of the final was on material after the 2nd midterm, the rest was a culmination of the 1st & 2nd midterm. I study a lot more for the final and it definitely helped out. The first half was not difficult, just a check to see if you knew what you learned from the entire quarter. The second half was a bit tougher as it was new material but still doable. tldr; it's not hard, just know what you are doing and you'll be fine. Most people finished within 2 hours.

- Grading: 10% HW, 25% midterm, 25% midterm, 40% final; OR 10% HW, 30% better midterm, 60% final (he'll choose the grading scale that gives you the best grade). There is no extra credit or makeups for quizzes or midterms/finals, so make sure to try your best. His tests are pretty fair (only the 2nd midterm was questionable), and he's really approachable and nice so don't be afraid to go in during office hours to ask for help.

tldr; if you have the chance, take his class. jacob knows what he's doing and he does it well.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: N/A
Dec. 9, 2019

Very Good!! Good hand writing! structured lecture. Fair midterms

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 32B
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B
April 14, 2020

Rooney is an integral GOD who goes to war with the math titans every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 4:00 sharp in MS4000. With no armor other than a plaid untucked dress shirt, khakis, and strap on sandals man cooks hot pasta out of integrals so spicy they'd cause your eyes to tear up and your nose to sweat before you even caught a whiff. Behind his abnormally blue eyes and orange hair is a supercomputer so potent that it has likely already mapped the inside of the black hole at the heart of the Milkyway and mined enough bitcoin to rival the buying power of the US government. The lines "Oh our great Prometheus what fire of knowledge do you bring to us mortals today?" was uttered on many occasions with great reverence to our savior. And what does this King ask for in return? Merely that you don't speak during his lecture... certainly a small price to pay for eternal salvation.

Seriously though do take him. So smart and so knowledgeable on the subject. And just an incredible lecturer.

Helpful?

4 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: I
Nov. 25, 2019

Amazing professor! Takes doubts meticulously, maintains class decorum, and teaches flawlessly. Would recommend taking him. Tests may be challenging to some but overall you learn something from them. Also he is very approachable and will try his best to cater to everyone's doubts during and after class.

Helpful?

3 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 32B
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B+
Feb. 25, 2020

32B can be a rough class. None of the math itself, in my opinion, is particularly difficult in execution (Can you take an integral? Can you do it twice? Maybe thrice? A couple cross and dot products here and there?), but the concepts of 32B can really twist your mind. Even as someone who took MVC before (and had to retake because, of course, it'd be too easy if I got credit for it), I struggled a decent amount in this class. Pro tip: GET GOOD AT DRAWING PICTURES AND DRAW A LOT OF THEM. It makes the problems so much clearer if you do.
With that said, OH MY GOODNESS THIS MAN IS A GODSEND. He explains things succinctly and clearly, and he really commands respect. While he can be a little intimidating at first and you DEFINITELY do not want to annoy him, he's a genuinely awesome guy who's kind of a goofball if you spend enough time talking to him. He gives engaging lessons, provides clear examples in lectures, and answers students' questions completely and clearly.
His grading is weird, but I'm personally okay with it. While there is "homework," it's not collected. Instead, some homework problems are selected on weekly quizzes (excluding week 1 and weeks with midterms), and you drop your lowest quiz score. The grading scheme is either 10% Quizzes + 20% Midterm I + 20% Midterm II + 50% Final Exam or 10% Quizzes + 20% Better Midterm + 70% Final Exam, whichever is higher. Each grading scheme has its pros and cons, but I think it's fairly reasonable. (God have mercy on you if you do that second one though; 70% of your grade being the final is high risk but high reward.)
The only mark against him I can say is that he does not mess around on his tests. His midterms are only 50 minutes and they ask you to do a lot in that short a time. It's definitely doable if you understand the content, but if you happen to be a slow test-taker, you might be a little out of luck.
Overall, an amazing professor who does an amazing job teaching the material and is all-around a great guy. Considering this is only his second year of teaching as a professor, he's exceptional and I'm sad I'm probably never going to have him again.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 32B
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A+
March 30, 2020

Professor Rooney is a G. Before coming into 32B all people told me was that "32B is the hardest lower div. math class you'll have to take," "32B is soooo hard," "Oh, you're in 32B? Hahahah, that's rough... good luck..." They are probably all right, but Rooney made it a lot better and actually enjoyable through clear and straightforward explanations. If you have the chance to get Rooney, TAKE HIM (for 32B at least??).

Grading distribution: 10% Quizzes, 20% per Midterm, and 50% Final OR 10% Homework, 20% better Midterm, and 70% final.

Homework is assigned each week and there is a 1-2 question quiz every week pretty much based exactly on the homework. Free points here.

Midterms and the final were very doable if you understood all the concepts and practiced it in the homework. I honestly don't know what other tips to give - I feel like with Rooney's lectures and expectations, if you go to his lectures and understand the examples he gives and those that are in the homework, you'll do fine on the tests and get a good grade in this class. Oh, also, don't get behind, and draw good diagrams. Pretty much every concept in this class requires you to understand previous concepts, and if you can draw good diagrams, you'll be able to visualize everything so much better, and eventually get to the point where you can draw bad diagrams lol and get away with it.

I can't forget to shout out my TA, Eli Sadovski (I definitely spelled the last name wrong). Being in Eli's discussion felt like having a genius supplement all of the lecture content from a slightly different perspective. He would give examples and from those, extract an intricate concept that solidified a similar concept that Rooney went over (or would go over). In the end, I would leave discussion satisfied by my understanding of how the different concepts interact with each other.

I'm so lucky that Rooney and Eli's sections were the ones left over for me to enroll in.

Good luck y'all!

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Jan. 27, 2020

I absolutely loved 31B with Rooney. He is an amazing professor who teaches all the concepts extremely well. He also goes over a wide range of examples during class and is very patient and helpful during office hours. 100% recommended. The quizzes and homework are really helpful to keep up with the content.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 32B
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: B
March 3, 2020

Disclaimer: this quarter has not finished (just want to do all the reviews together with teacher's evaluation) - Projected grade: B

To start off, I am not a great student. I sleep through many classes (4-5 pm is late for me v_v). However, Prof Rooney is an excellent lecturer and math professor. He uses layman's terms to introduce the topics that are incredibly confusing (Jacobian, Triple Integral, Vector Line Integral, etc.) His test is fair (although I didn't do particular well), and it reflects what we learn and what we practice for homework and quiz. Overall, very well spoken, funny professor with fair grading!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B
Dec. 26, 2019

Professor Rooney is a great lecturer and I felt like the concepts during lecture were clear, well-explained, and made sense. The only problem was that the examples, sample problems, and overall depth of what we covered in lecture were NOTHING like the homework problems. Test questions are significantly harder than the problems you do in class. The first half of the class was really easy and well-paced, so I got a perfect score on the first midterm, but after the first midterm the pace quadrupled and I felt like the second half of the class could have been its own class in itself. It was just way too much information that we weren't really given enough time to master and we also weren't really given hard-ball questions in class that he worked out of the board, so they were difficult to self-study. The last week of lectures felt rushed to squeeze in the last bunch of concepts for the final. The second midterm and final were WAY harder than the first midterm and quizzes in discussion and brought my grade down.

Honestly, I think Rooney is such a skilled lecturer and great at explaining things, so I think if he were to pace the class better and include more complex/difficult problems in class rather than basic examples, we would have all felt more prepared. But by the time the final rolled around everyone in my study group felt solid about the first half of the class and clueless about the second.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 32B
Quarter: Winter 2020
Grade: A
March 20, 2020

His lectures are clear and helpful, and his tests are not quite hard as long as you've done enough practice questions.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
MATH 31B
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Dec. 11, 2019

- Lectures: he goes to great lengths to make sure that students understand the material, often answering any questions/clarifying information during lectures or office hours. They are not recorded though, so definitely go to lectures/make a friend. If you go to lectures and do your homework, then you'll definitely pass the class.

- Homework: assigned every week (roughly 4-10 problems from the textbook) but not collected/graded. Instead, there are 15-minute quizzes each week regarding the previous week's homework during your discussion (excluding the week of midterms/finals/breaks). The quizzes are usually just 2 problems taken from the homework with the numbers slightly changed. They're 10% of your grade, super easy, and he drops the lowest quiz grade.

- Midterms: Usually 4 questions w/ multiple parts. 1st midterm was extremely easy, average was an A. The 2nd midterm was a stark contrast to the 1st. It was harder than the first and the average was like a D; with that being said, the material itself was already tough, so as long as you study and ask questions regarding the midterm practice problems he sends out, then you'll be fine. Also, the class is curved, so he'll adjust accordingly. I'd study harder for the 2nd final though, whether that be going to office hours or asking your TA, unless you understand everything about the series tests.

-Final: Half of the final was on material after the 2nd midterm, the rest was a culmination of the 1st & 2nd midterm. I study a lot more for the final and it definitely helped out. The first half was not difficult, just a check to see if you knew what you learned from the entire quarter. The second half was a bit tougher as it was new material but still doable. tldr; it's not hard, just know what you are doing and you'll be fine. Most people finished within 2 hours.

- Grading: 10% HW, 25% midterm, 25% midterm, 40% final; OR 10% HW, 30% better midterm, 60% final (he'll choose the grading scale that gives you the best grade). There is no extra credit or makeups for quizzes or midterms/finals, so make sure to try your best. His tests are pretty fair (only the 2nd midterm was questionable), and he's really approachable and nice so don't be afraid to go in during office hours to ask for help.

tldr; if you have the chance, take his class. jacob knows what he's doing and he does it well.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
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