Professor profile for Leszek Demkowicz
Student reviews of Leszek Demkowicz
Review from a student who took EM 311M
Avoid this man at all costs. The grade histories speak for themselves as to his grading standards, when 40+% of students either fail or drop. Dr. D has also been known to lie to his students: when a worried student comes into his office to talk before the final about their grade, they are usually sent away with the assurance of a B. Most of these worries were not unfounded, as the students end up retaking the class. I'd be curious to know how many students leave the major after taking this course, since after almost every proof is put on the board, he states "Of course, this is intuitively obvious, if not, I suggest you find a new major." This class has a way of becoming a black hole for your time, and will drain away from other courses if you are not careful. Tests are impossible, and consist largely of proofs. There is no partial credit (apart from the occasional pity point), and he covers more material than the curriculum outlines, so it is thrown at you at a breakneck pace. AVOID THIS PROFESSOR!
Avoid this man at all costs. The grade histories speak for themselves as to his grading standards, when 40+% of students either fail or drop. Dr. D has also been known to lie to his students: when a worried student comes into his office to talk before the final about their grade, they are usually sent away with the assurance of a B. Most of these worries were not unfounded, as the students end up retaking the class. I'd be curious to know how many students leave the major after taking this course, since after almost every proof is put on the board, he states "Of course, this is intuitively obvious, if not, I suggest you find a new major." This class has a way of becoming a black hole for your time, and will drain away from other courses if you are not careful. Tests are impossible, and consist largely of proofs. There is no partial credit (apart from the occasional pity point), and he covers more material than the curriculum outlines, so it is thrown at you at a breakneck pace. AVOID THIS PROFESSOR!
Review from a student who took EM 311M
I have to admit, this class is VERY HARD. But you do learn from it if you come out with a good grade (either from him or by yourself). The homework are very frustrating to do. It's often neccessary to allot about whole day (maybe more) for his weekly assignments. The tests are difficult, consisting of derivations (not solely derivation) and homework-like problems. I usually just B.S. the derivations, they only worth 5 pt a piece and no more than 25 total. I think it's a good approach if you are lazy, since 75 is an A in that class. Attempting to solve the rest of the problems (again, I'm lazy, getting the right answer is a pain esp. when the work is over a page) in addition to B.S.ing the derivations will get you in the A range. <br> I'm not saying this class is easy, but getting an A is very possible in this class if you are willing to put in A LOT of time. I would consider this as one of the hardest classes I've taken in my 1.5 years experience at UT.
I have to admit, this class is VERY HARD. But you do learn from it if you come out with a good grade (either from him or by yourself). The homework are very frustrating to do. It's often neccessary to allot about whole day (maybe more) for his weekly assignments. The tests are difficult, consisting of derivations (not solely derivation) and homework-like problems. I usually just B.S. the derivations, they only worth 5 pt a piece and no more than 25 total. I think it's a good approach if you are lazy, since 75 is an A in that class. Attempting to solve the rest of the problems (again, I'm lazy, getting the right answer is a pain esp. when the work is over a page) in addition to B.S.ing the derivations will get you in the A range. <br> I'm not saying this class is easy, but getting an A is very possible in this class if you are willing to put in A LOT of time. I would consider this as one of the hardest classes I've taken in my 1.5 years experience at UT.
Review from a student who took EM 311M
This is already a difficult class and I would say this professor makes it a little more difficult. He goes through the material quicker than other professors, so that he can spend more time on the last 3 chapters of the book, which are VERY difficult. This means the last midterm, and a large portion of the final are over this very difficult material. Whereas I talked to people in other professor's classes and they barely reached this material, only having a few questions about it on the final. So the question is this: Do you just want to get through college easily so you can hopefully get a job, or do you want to LEARN this stuff. If you want to learn, I suggest taking him, if you want to coast, look elsewhere. Looking at his grading history, it seems he has become somewhat more leniant over the last couple of years. Its still a tough class though. He will give you copies of his old tests, and your tests will be very similar. In fact some of the exact same questions will be on there, so be sure to study the old tests. He seems to care about how the class does, and holds an extra study session 1 hour a week (plus he has normal office hours). I suggest going to this study session every week. He REALLY seemed to like those of us that showed up. He commented towards the end of the semester that maybe we weren't the ones that needed to be there, because we all had pretty good grades. Either that is a coincidence, or he helped us out with a few extra points on the tests because we showed effort. Study early so that you can get good grades on the first tests, because the last test and final will definitely drop your grade. 75 and above is an A, and I had a 90 and 97 on the first 2 tests, but barely made it out with an A in the end.
This is already a difficult class and I would say this professor makes it a little more difficult. He goes through the material quicker than other professors, so that he can spend more time on the last 3 chapters of the book, which are VERY difficult. This means the last midterm, and a large portion of the final are over this very difficult material. Whereas I talked to people in other professor's classes and they barely reached this material, only having a few questions about it on the final. So the question is this: Do you just want to get through college easily so you can hopefully get a job, or do you want to LEARN this stuff. If you want to learn, I suggest taking him, if you want to coast, look elsewhere. Looking at his grading history, it seems he has become somewhat more leniant over the last couple of years. Its still a tough class though. He will give you copies of his old tests, and your tests will be very similar. In fact some of the exact same questions will be on there, so be sure to study the old tests. He seems to care about how the class does, and holds an extra study session 1 hour a week (plus he has normal office hours). I suggest going to this study session every week. He REALLY seemed to like those of us that showed up. He commented towards the end of the semester that maybe we weren't the ones that needed to be there, because we all had pretty good grades. Either that is a coincidence, or he helped us out with a few extra points on the tests because we showed effort. Study early so that you can get good grades on the first tests, because the last test and final will definitely drop your grade. 75 and above is an A, and I had a 90 and 97 on the first 2 tests, but barely made it out with an A in the end.
Review from a student who took EM 311M
The first day of class is frightening. He literally comes in and immediately tells you that Dynamics is the hardest class you've ever taken and lots of people will fail. Then he informs you of his strict no eating/drinking/hat wearing in his class. And then the class became very enjoyable for me. He has a very consistent style - he introduces the topic and derives all the necessary equations/concepts, and then goes right into the textbook and starts solving problems. So if you learn better by watching someone work problems rather than lecture, this is a good fit for you. Literally told us exactly how many of each type of problem (and from what chapter) we would face on the final, and it was not cumulative, but rather covered the same material that our last midterm had covered, so it was easy, but long and tiring. Quizzes in the TA session once a week, 3 midterms, and a final exam. 75 and above gets you an A. Best advice I can give you: Get a hold of the solutions manual.
The first day of class is frightening. He literally comes in and immediately tells you that Dynamics is the hardest class you've ever taken and lots of people will fail. Then he informs you of his strict no eating/drinking/hat wearing in his class. And then the class became very enjoyable for me. He has a very consistent style - he introduces the topic and derives all the necessary equations/concepts, and then goes right into the textbook and starts solving problems. So if you learn better by watching someone work problems rather than lecture, this is a good fit for you. Literally told us exactly how many of each type of problem (and from what chapter) we would face on the final, and it was not cumulative, but rather covered the same material that our last midterm had covered, so it was easy, but long and tiring. Quizzes in the TA session once a week, 3 midterms, and a final exam. 75 and above gets you an A. Best advice I can give you: Get a hold of the solutions manual.
Review from a student who took EM 311M
I will agree with the previous review of Dr. Demkowicz. This man in my view represents all that it soulless and evil about university professors. Not only is he a poor instructor, his attitude in class is very unprofessional and may be somewhat offensive to some. On tests the grading is VERY harsh...you get little to no partial credit whatsoever. He spends so much time deriving formulas instead of working valid examples that some of his lectures are completely useless. He also expects you to be able to regurgitate these derivations on tests verbatim. I transfered into Aerospace Engineering about a year and a half ago and this is my 4th year at UT. This man is quite possibly the worst professor I've EVER had at UT. Avoid him at all costs, even if you have to push back taking Dynamics...because you'll probably end up taking it again anyway if you take it with him. Of course if you like being call "stupid Americans" by him, then by all means take Dyanamics with him.
I will agree with the previous review of Dr. Demkowicz. This man in my view represents all that it soulless and evil about university professors. Not only is he a poor instructor, his attitude in class is very unprofessional and may be somewhat offensive to some. On tests the grading is VERY harsh...you get little to no partial credit whatsoever. He spends so much time deriving formulas instead of working valid examples that some of his lectures are completely useless. He also expects you to be able to regurgitate these derivations on tests verbatim. I transfered into Aerospace Engineering about a year and a half ago and this is my 4th year at UT. This man is quite possibly the worst professor I've EVER had at UT. Avoid him at all costs, even if you have to push back taking Dynamics...because you'll probably end up taking it again anyway if you take it with him. Of course if you like being call "stupid Americans" by him, then by all means take Dyanamics with him.
Review from a student who took EM 311M
The class should be offered in mathematics department for very good reasons: 1. Dr. Dem talks only about proofs, 2. The final exams and assignments are all mathematical, and 3. Only math students get good grades. He is condescending for bad reasons. The lectures make little to no sense. The class lacks examples and office hours are for official bullying. He is bad not only in this class, but in several other FEM classes where he give bad grades to make sure that students leave the program of study. HE IS A VERY DISCOURAGING PROFESSOR. Previous reviews of doing all the homeworks to learn from the course is false. The homeworks are a bunch of symbols presented as an engineering assignment. Such work was already relegated to ENIGMA. Fun quotient of this class is exactly zero.
The class should be offered in mathematics department for very good reasons: 1. Dr. Dem talks only about proofs, 2. The final exams and assignments are all mathematical, and 3. Only math students get good grades. He is condescending for bad reasons. The lectures make little to no sense. The class lacks examples and office hours are for official bullying. He is bad not only in this class, but in several other FEM classes where he give bad grades to make sure that students leave the program of study. HE IS A VERY DISCOURAGING PROFESSOR. Previous reviews of doing all the homeworks to learn from the course is false. The homeworks are a bunch of symbols presented as an engineering assignment. Such work was already relegated to ENIGMA. Fun quotient of this class is exactly zero.
Review from a student who took EM311M
There is no hardware or any cool stuff in the class. The subject is like a hypnotic session - imagine and you understand the material, feel the power of proofs, prove whatever is inside the head, present the intangible engineering, and do good in imaginative proofs to get lazy - and the session leaves you with bad grades.
There is no hardware or any cool stuff in the class. The subject is like a hypnotic session - imagine and you understand the material, feel the power of proofs, prove whatever is inside the head, present the intangible engineering, and do good in imaginative proofs to get lazy - and the session leaves you with bad grades.
Review from a student who took ASE384P-The Finite Element Methods
I was having a hard time understanding his accent and jokes. I approached him in office hours to know how I can improve my grades. He skirted answering my questions whether or not they were pertinent to the coursework. Later, I was told that good grades are reserved for his own students only. My experience with Dem is distinctly the worst ever in entire university. He did not provide answers to final exam. I could never know where I lost points. The final exam itself was nowhere close to class material. The class does not present any perspective or clarifies the method of finite elements - instead there are numerous tangential proofs from mathematics in a convoluted language. I realized that he is not teaching the material ethically, but trying to dupe students in believing him. Completely demotivated, I had to leave the class. Dem is mean and very cold; you would know it in class and office hours both. Since I was anyhow interested to learn finite element methods, I sit through a similar course taught by Kallivokas in Civil Engineering Department. It was worth it because Kalli is a much better teacher. I come from a middle class American family and could not afford to waste my tuition money in Dem's class. Kalli's class was worth the effort.
I was having a hard time understanding his accent and jokes. I approached him in office hours to know how I can improve my grades. He skirted answering my questions whether or not they were pertinent to the coursework. Later, I was told that good grades are reserved for his own students only. My experience with Dem is distinctly the worst ever in entire university. He did not provide answers to final exam. I could never know where I lost points. The final exam itself was nowhere close to class material. The class does not present any perspective or clarifies the method of finite elements - instead there are numerous tangential proofs from mathematics in a convoluted language. I realized that he is not teaching the material ethically, but trying to dupe students in believing him. Completely demotivated, I had to leave the class. Dem is mean and very cold; you would know it in class and office hours both. Since I was anyhow interested to learn finite element methods, I sit through a similar course taught by Kallivokas in Civil Engineering Department. It was worth it because Kalli is a much better teacher. I come from a middle class American family and could not afford to waste my tuition money in Dem's class. Kalli's class was worth the effort.
Review from a student who took EM311M
He is the worst human-being. For awhile I skirted myself calling a Longhorn. I can not believe that such a mean professor lives in the same country I love most - Texas. For him, the success of student is secondary. The class is a mockery of Americans and the subject is taught badly enough so that only a handful of students can get through. Final exams are worst.
He is the worst human-being. For awhile I skirted myself calling a Longhorn. I can not believe that such a mean professor lives in the same country I love most - Texas. For him, the success of student is secondary. The class is a mockery of Americans and the subject is taught badly enough so that only a handful of students can get through. Final exams are worst.
Review from a student who took EM 319
Lesz is not a guardian angel for success of student - he used mathematics, as a reason, to give me bad grades. Notwithstanding he is a good talker, I cannot trust his words and neither should you. He disappoints you throughout the semester. Since he loves only mathematical proofs, he should not teach the class of engineers - he is not innovative, completely hands-off, and extremely lazy.
Lesz is not a guardian angel for success of student - he used mathematics, as a reason, to give me bad grades. Notwithstanding he is a good talker, I cannot trust his words and neither should you. He disappoints you throughout the semester. Since he loves only mathematical proofs, he should not teach the class of engineers - he is not innovative, completely hands-off, and extremely lazy.
Review from a student who took EM311M
Leszek is 'Nygma' of 'Gotham' - the mathematical mindgame is his method of education - behind his smile is a callous, methodical, and cold-hearted professor like Prof. James Moriarty. Sorry no name calling. Demkowicz is the only professor whom you should avoid because he was not recruited for his teaching - he was taken into the department by Poli*h intelligentsia. The R*ssian roulette he plays - for the final exam - leaves several students discouraged and disoriented. The final exam is like a rat pulled out of magician's hat. The university must take action against such demotivating professors who use R*ssian mathematics as a tool to discriminate against minority, women and students of color. As long as Demkowicz is a professor, nobody will ever be proud of being a Longhorn. I am not.
Leszek is 'Nygma' of 'Gotham' - the mathematical mindgame is his method of education - behind his smile is a callous, methodical, and cold-hearted professor like Prof. James Moriarty. Sorry no name calling. Demkowicz is the only professor whom you should avoid because he was not recruited for his teaching - he was taken into the department by Poli*h intelligentsia. The R*ssian roulette he plays - for the final exam - leaves several students discouraged and disoriented. The final exam is like a rat pulled out of magician's hat. The university must take action against such demotivating professors who use R*ssian mathematics as a tool to discriminate against minority, women and students of color. As long as Demkowicz is a professor, nobody will ever be proud of being a Longhorn. I am not.
Review from a student who took Thesis
How do you feel meeting Doctor Faustus (Johann Fennhoff) in real life ? You can take him as your adviser and he will hypnotize you to believe in his medieval mathematics.
How do you feel meeting Doctor Faustus (Johann Fennhoff) in real life ? You can take him as your adviser and he will hypnotize you to believe in his medieval mathematics.
Review from a student who took EM311M
Dem is a double-edged sword; his class is a pre-requisite, but he is a mathematical monster (M-square). M-square starts creating trust and then back-stabs with bad grades.
Dem is a double-edged sword; his class is a pre-requisite, but he is a mathematical monster (M-square). M-square starts creating trust and then back-stabs with bad grades.
Review from a student who took Thesis
Demkowicz is a heartless monster. He gave me incomplete and later very bad grades - that was not all - he retracted financial assistance to my research and program of study. Worst adviser ever.
Demkowicz is a heartless monster. He gave me incomplete and later very bad grades - that was not all - he retracted financial assistance to my research and program of study. Worst adviser ever.
Review from a student who took Thesis Advising
Demkowicz is an extremely bad adviser. My girlfriend dumped me for taking this cold man as my adviser. AVOID him completely.
Demkowicz is an extremely bad adviser. My girlfriend dumped me for taking this cold man as my adviser. AVOID him completely.
Review from a student who took Dissertation
Demkowicz is not a good professor. He presents mathematics to confuse and distract from meaningful material. Mathematics is a tool for him to discourage and disorient students from learning. His notes are full of blunders and in-class errors translate badly on transcript. I did not find smartness or innovation in his classes. His teaching style is antiquated, and any good university will rethink keeping him. He enjoys being mean to students, and slaps bad grades. Truly a bad professor who feeds on fear and insecurity of student, rather than building their confidence to pursue career in science, and engineering. AVOID THIS PROFESSOR.
Demkowicz is not a good professor. He presents mathematics to confuse and distract from meaningful material. Mathematics is a tool for him to discourage and disorient students from learning. His notes are full of blunders and in-class errors translate badly on transcript. I did not find smartness or innovation in his classes. His teaching style is antiquated, and any good university will rethink keeping him. He enjoys being mean to students, and slaps bad grades. Truly a bad professor who feeds on fear and insecurity of student, rather than building their confidence to pursue career in science, and engineering. AVOID THIS PROFESSOR.
Review from a student who took lACBWeaOZHFdPWTgb
ZUwdJn Thank you ever so for you blog post.Much thanks again. Awesome.
ZUwdJn Thank you ever so for you blog post.Much thanks again. Awesome.