Gordon Savage - University of Waterloo

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Gordon Savage - University of Waterloo

Professor: Gordon Savage

Department: Engineering

College: University of Waterloo

Rating # 1

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This guy literally doesn't care about the class. He's not afraid to insult students during lectures and his office hours are worse than useless.

Rating # 2

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: B-
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Lecture notes are condensed version of his own textbook, both of which are pretty clear. Will get very angry if you take your phone out during class, sometimes rude when asked questions he deems bad. Personally found lectures interesting, and he tried to keep things entertaining with a few jokes. Tells you exactly what's on exams, so go to class!

Rating # 3

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: A+
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 1.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

One of the best professors I had during my time at Waterloo. Very fair tests and assignments - directly from lecture notes.

Rating # 4

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: Not sure yet
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Honestly one of the better profs this term. Don't know what happened, but basically none of the reviews on here applied to him. Lectures were clear and to the point, nice examples, he cracked jokes, willing to answer questions. Don't let anyone play on their phones or talk during lectures and maybe he'll be as nice as he was to us.

Rating # 5

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: B-
Overall Rating: 3.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: No
Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He really doesnt give a care anymore but despite what most say, hes a decent prof if u listen in class. His course content is pretty abstract and difficult to understand though. Do lots of old finals and dont memorize solutions. Also, read the book if u dont understand lecture notes. Beware he doesn't reuse old exams anymore like he used to.

Rating # 6

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 5.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: Yes
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Hes great

Rating # 7

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 4.0
Course Difficulty: 2.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Better prof than others give him credit for. He's very good at teaching the concepts in SYDE 351. Also, when the class did very poorly on midterms he was willing to accomadate by writing an easy final so that most people could pass. Requires effort to do well in, but not an unreasonable amount.

Rating # 8

Overview:

Course: SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Professor Savage's teaching methods are out of date and his exams and unreasonable. He uses public humiliation in class as a tactic to get students to work harder and it appears to boost his ego when students struggle in his class. Expect zero help outside of class. The only possible way to pass this course is to review past midterms and finals.

Rating # 9

Overview:

Course: SYDE351SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 2.5
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I took , SYDE283 and SYDE351, and I failed both the first time. He moves fast, but if you listen to everything he says he is actually a good lecturer. My second time taking 283 with him I actually enjoyed the class and it ended up being one of my highest marks. Pray you get Birkett for 351. No phones. Attend Lectures.

Rating # 10

Overview:

Course: SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: Yes
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Must do past midtermsfinal exams to do wellpass the course.

Rating # 11

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Masochistic professor, enjoys students suffering, even when it doesn't teach them anything. Lecture are very boring, can learn better by reading notes. Likes to fail most of the class.

Rating # 12

Overview:

Course: SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.5
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Tends to hate students. His lectures are fast-paced math with diagrams thrown in. Assignments don't reflect exams at all. Just about the only way to pass is to memorize the solutions to old exams, the questions for which he gets from another textbook.

Rating # 13

Overview:

Course: SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Horrible prof, one of the worse prof I have ever met. If someone told you that prof cannot to anything they want to do because we as a student can stop him... (this guy can).. even the department cant stop his bad teaching. Solution to passing his course is to depend on MIT videos (amazing prof btw). He should just retire...

Rating # 14

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Terrible Prof. He simple does not know how to teach this course. The text book he provides is a joke! Totally not worth 60$. In my personal opinion he should be sacked as he is just as good as someone of the street teaching students that are paying lots and lots of money for!

Rating # 15

Overview:

Course: SYDE351
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.5
Course Difficulty: 3.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

His notes are terrible, solutions don't even match. He doesn't know the answers to in-depth questions. Teaching incredibly unclear, basic concepts are next to impossible to understand from him or his notes

Rating # 16

Overview:

Course: SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 2.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

biggest waste of money in the universe to even be in this class. watch the MIT lectures on opencourseware and those will get you through (hopefully). i hate this guy with a passion. i hope he retires before he can ruin more lives

Rating # 17

Overview:

Course: SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Horrible prof. To pass this course: (1) read book and then go to lectures so you understand what's going on (2) attend his tutorials, these questions will be on the exams (3) memorize ALL answers from ALL old exams (not just the recent ones) (4) make absolutely no small errors on exam problems or you will lose all the marks for that question

Rating # 18

Overview:

Course: SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 2.5
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Probably one of the worse professors/teachers I've ever had my whole life. Only good thing he does is that he recycles past exam questions.

Rating # 19

Overview:

Course: SYDE283
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.0
Course Difficulty: 5.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: No
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Horrible prof. His exams are impossible unless you have the past ones. Recycles. No interest in teaching; unfair marking.

Rating # 20

Overview:

Course: EMOEMO
Grade Received: N/A
Overall Rating: 1.5
Course Difficulty: 4.0

For Credit: N/A
Textbook Used: Yes
Would Take Again: N/A
Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Worse prof in the whole world. He takes a lot of his exam quetions from the past exams, butyou cannot write exactly what he wrote in the solution in the past exams or he'll say "that's my answer not your answer". Unfair marking, cannot ask him for marks even if he marks it wrong, he'll blame you for writing messy or didn't make it clear.

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