Russell Hickey

MATH17 · MATH6MATH17 · MATH6 · MATH5B · M5A5B617 · MATH5B6 · 150 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 83/100
RMP rating: 4.5/5
Take again: 82.83%
Difficulty: 3.3

The decision

if you want to learn difficult math well and are ready for , and real effort.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerExcellent lecturerHeavy workloadTest heavyCaring and availableChallenging math

Students overwhelmingly praise Hickey's explanations, care, humor, and availability.
The courses are genuinely challenging and , and .
Online reviews are more polarized because workload, testing logistics, and .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

58/100

A grades are common, but students consistently , and serious exam preparation.

In-person students more often frame the effort as worthwhile, while online students report more stress from testing and daily work.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

32/100

The math content is difficult and fast-paced, even though Hickey often makes it clearer and more understandable.

Both formats are challenging, but online reviews more often emphasize structure and workload strain.

Is attendance flexible?

MustTake

86/100

Most students recommend him because he teaches difficult math clearly, cares about students, and gives useful preparation despite the workload.

, but online recommendations come with and workload.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

55/100

Students mention , and mulligan exams, but several also call exams harshly graded and test-heavy.

Format shift

, while online reviews include more complaints about harsh or stressful grading.

Workload

Heavy

28/100

Many reviews describe daily or , and major weekly time demands.

Format shift

Heavy workload appears in both formats, with online reviews especially focused on daily notes and homework.

Teaching experience

Excellent

91/100

The dominant theme is that , and provides strong support.

Format shift

Both formats praise his teaching, though online reviews are more polarized because delivery and exams create more friction.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

82/100

Grades are repeatedly described as and but often carrying less weight.

Format shift

Online reviews explicitly mention 80% tests, while scores.

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

29 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

, care, humor, and office-hour help, while still noting challenging material and frequent homework.

Main concern

The main concern is staying caught up in a fast, test-heavy math course.

What students said

“The material is challenging, but he makes it understandable and .”
MATH5B6

“The tests? SO DIFFICULT. The homework? Every. Single. Day.”
MATH6

“The course was challenging, but and .”
MATH6MATH17

Remote format

Online

21 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

Online reviews praise his lecture videos and clarity but repeatedly warn about , and stressful exam logistics.

Main concern

The main concern is the demanding online workload and .

What students said

“Class is rigorous with three lectures a week and exams making up 80% of the grade.”
MATH6

“Very predictable format - approx. 3 lectures a week and 3 assignments as well.”
MATH6MATH17

“The course takes a huge time commitment and sometimes homework can take 3 hours.”
MATH5B

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

and demanding part of the course, with practice exams and and grading concerns.

Test HeavyDifficult ExamsPractice ExamsMulligan ExamIn-Person Exam Option

Assessment risk

Strict

35/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person and an optional Mulligan exam, but do not clearly prove closed-book rules.

Difficult ExamsPractice ExamsMulligan ExamTest Heavy

“ and harshly graded”
MATH6MATH17

“Your grade is primarily going to be made up of .”
MATH6

“he provides opportunities, with an .”
MATH6

Online

Online reviews describe exams as , and often better taken in person; reviews do not clearly prove webcam, Lockdown Browser, or open-book rules.

80 Percent ExamsStressful Exam SetupIn-Person Exam OptionPractice Tests

“Class is rigorous with three lectures a week and exams making up 80% of the grade.”
MATH6

“ .”
MATH17

“The lengthy process just to set it up.”
MATH6

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“The material is challenging, but he makes it understandable and .”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and support. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

91/100

“By far the .”

📚 Workload Demand

28/100

“Be prepared to do 3 lecture notes and 3 homework assignments every week.”

🧪

35/100

“Your grade is primarily going to be made up of .”

👍 Recommendation Strength

86/100

“If you want to learn, take him for these .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

Very detailed lectures that help students to learn the material.
The and organized, and .
and .

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

The material is challenging, but he makes it understandable and .
Not the most easiest class, but doing the notes and .
This class is HARD.

Theme 3

📝

Be prepared to do 3 lecture notes and 3 homework assignments every week.
Class is rigorous with three lectures a week and exams making up 80% of the grade.
The tests? SO DIFFICULT. The homework? Every. Single. Day.

Theme 4

❤️ About Support

He really cares about his students doing well, but you have to put in the work.
and is always ready to help.
He stays after class to answer question until the next class comes in most days.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

150

Lifetime ratings

96/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty recent and detailed reviews across online and experiences.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 5116

4 out of 512

3 out of 59

2 out of 54

1 out of 59

Course coverage

MATH622 reviews

MATH6MATH179 reviews

MATH5B8 reviews

MATH175 reviews

M5A5B6174 reviews

Show 1 more courses

MATH5B62 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

48 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 2 · A 13 · A- 9

B range

B+ 7 · B 7 · B- 1

C range

C 1 · C- 1

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 2 · Incomplete 2 · Not sure yet 3

Russell Hickey

x x if you want to learn difficult math well and are ready for x x x x, and real effort.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

FairEffort

Challenging

Recommended

MustTake

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

📚 Workload Demand

🧪 x x

👍 Recommendation Strength

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

📝 x x x x

❤️ About Support

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you want to learn difficult math well and are ready for , and real effort.

🧪

📝