AI Rate Professor

Mathematics

David Bonds

CALC150 · MAT155 · MAT64 · MATH155 · MATH150 · CALC155 · MATH125 · MATH100 · 198 lifetime ratings

AI rating
34/100
RMP rating
3.8/5
Take again
51.11%
Difficulty
3.6

The decision

if you will match his exact notation style and want rigorous math training; otherwise your GPA may suffer.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerNotation SticklerTough GraderTest HeavyPolarizingCaring but Harsh
  • Extremely strict on exact mathematical notation; correct answers still lose heavy points for missing equals signs or brackets.
  • Course is exam-heavy (often three tests carrying most of the grade) with and little .
  • some call him life-changing for .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

28/100

An A requires mastering his exact ; correct math still loses large chunks for missing equals signs or brackets.

Both online and in-person reviews stress notation deductions; and no dropped grades.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

32/100

Calculus content is already hard, and his pace, unfinished lectures, and notation rules make the intellectual load heavier than typical calc.

In-person comments emphasize slow but behind pacing; online notes scattered recorded sections.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

28/100

Most reviews mark attendance mandatory, with graded notes, extra holiday Zoom, and lectures that routinely run past scheduled time.

A few online sections report optional attendance, but the majority of .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

46/100

About half would take him again for deep learning and care; the other half call him a GPA tanker and .

Online reviews are slightly more mixed but still polarized; .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Harsh

18/100

; students lose double-digit points for notation alone even when the .

Format shift

Notation harshness is consistent across online and in-person reviews.

Workload

Heavy

26/100

Heavy WebAssign or , and optional but expected office-hour and Sunday sessions pile on time.

Format shift

Online students report 10+ hour weekly loads; and extra lectures.

Teaching experience

Average

52/100

Caring, funny, and clear , and more focused on notation than conceptual teaching.

Format shift

Online students like recorded Zooms but find section-skipping hard; in-person reports yapping and unfinished lectures.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

78/100

Typically three heavily weighted tests with little else (sometimes small homework percentage) determining the grade.

Format shift

Both formats describe exam-heavy weighting around 70-75% of the grade.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

37 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person students praise his passion and office hours but warn lectures run late, material is unfinished, and .

Main concern

, and extreme notation penalties make the class a GPA risk.

What students said

“He is a and awesome dude but just grades on notation super harshly out of the ordinary.”
MATH155
“It does not matter if you understand the material, if you do not solve the questions the way he does, its a fail.”
CALC155
“ if you took calc 1 somewhere else, he is all about notation and you must do it EXACTLY like him.”
MATH155

Remote format

Online

13 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Online sections still enforce his strict notation and ; recorded Zoom helps but lectures can feel scattered and hard to navigate.

Main concern

and notation deductions remain severe even online, and homework plus Zoom time can exceed 10 hours weekly.

What students said

“He is SOO awesome. He pushed me to become even better at math overall by thinking outside the box. Beware though, he once took off points of one of !”
MATH155
“ , as he puts a ton of . He's particularly strict on notation.”
MATH155
“This guy has zero tolerance for error and will fail you without remorse. and you are done for.”
MATH155

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are long, high-weight, and graded with extreme notation rules; practice tests help content but not the .

Notation-Strict GradingFew High-Stakes ExamsPractice Exam SimilaritySlow GradingNo Curve or Drop

Assessment risk

Strict

28/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, and punish missing equals, lim signs, or brackets even on correct work.

In-Person Timed ExamsExtreme Notation PenaltiesThree Test StructureLate Grades
“on the Series and Sequence test out of 614 points, counted it up and missed 61 points because I didn't write an equals sign, series sign, or lim = sign every SINGLE line of work.”
MATH155
“7/20 on a problem for missing a minus sign and not writing = at each step of the work.”
CALC155

Online

Online exams still carry most of the grade, mirror homework length, and as equals signs.

Exam HeavyNotation DeductionsLong Timed TestsNo Dropped Exam
“3 tests 74% and 26% is WebAssign. 1st test was 12 questions, 2 hours.”
MATH155
“ if no equal signs put in. Pay attention.”
MATH155

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“If you . Best professor I've had in my life. If you want an Easy A, you're better off looking elsewhere.”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (13 online, 37 , and polarized recommendation. Credibility rating: High.

✏️ Notation Obsession

18/100

“has the . if you don't solve the problem exactly how he wants it you wont get an A.”

🧪

78/100

“We had 3 tests, each 25% of the grade. But also he's a , and and show your steps.”

❤️ Caring but Polarizing

52/100

“Bonds is one of the greatest professors I've ever had. He genuinely cares about his students.”

🚫 GPA Risk Warning

28/100

“Even if you understand, do homework, get tutoring you will not do well bc of notations.”

Theme 1

✏️

  • grades on notation super harshly out of the ordinary
  • will literally find any reason to
  • Notations need to be exactly as his or you'll go from a B+ on a

Theme 2

📚

  • and so late into semester
  • No opportunities for credit other than the exams
  • Takes ages to grade the exams, the first of the 3 tests was graded after the W deadline

Theme 3

❤️ About Character & Teaching

  • Really cool dude tho for sure
  • He genuinely cares about his students and
  • Great guy and very good teacher if you want to learn math at a very high level

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

198

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

50 detailed reviews spanning 2021-2026 with highly , and polarized care versus harshness.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 5104
4 out of 531
3 out of 518
2 out of 518
1 out of 527

Course coverage

MATH15518 reviews
CALC15512 reviews
MAT1558 reviews
CALC1504 reviews
MATH1504 reviews
Show 4 more courses
641 review
MAT641 review
MATH1001 review
MATH1251 review

Reported outcomes

B range results lead the reported letter grades.

44 reported outcomes

A range

14

A+ 3 · A 11

B range

17

B+ 6 · B 9 · B- 2

C range

6

C 3 · C- 3

D range

3

D 2 · D- 1

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

4

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 1 · Rather not say 2