Professor profile for Mircea Driga
Student reviews of Mircea Driga
Review from a student who took EE 325
Nice guy, horrible lecturer. Cheating is rampant. Grading is non-sensical. If the book were really complete and covered everything he expects us to know, it would still be ok. But the book he uses is sparse. He likes to say he's teaching electromagnetics, not mathematics, but that's ridiculous. If you don't teach the (sometimes very specialized and unintuitive) mathematical solution to a problem, you're essentially not teaching the concepts either. I can honestly say I knew this stuff better in high school. He has a way of making very simple mathematical expressions enigmatic and arcane through his incompetent rambling. That's not even considering how heavy his accent is and how slowly he talks and how often he loses his own line of thought. He often gets stuck slowly repeating some useless truism that he thinks is really clever, then runs out of time, and glosses over an important concept or procedure just so he can finish the lecture on time. If you take Driga, just remember that the grades are a total crap-shoot. It has nothing to do with what you know or don't know.
Nice guy, horrible lecturer. Cheating is rampant. Grading is non-sensical. If the book were really complete and covered everything he expects us to know, it would still be ok. But the book he uses is sparse. He likes to say he's teaching electromagnetics, not mathematics, but that's ridiculous. If you don't teach the (sometimes very specialized and unintuitive) mathematical solution to a problem, you're essentially not teaching the concepts either. I can honestly say I knew this stuff better in high school. He has a way of making very simple mathematical expressions enigmatic and arcane through his incompetent rambling. That's not even considering how heavy his accent is and how slowly he talks and how often he loses his own line of thought. He often gets stuck slowly repeating some useless truism that he thinks is really clever, then runs out of time, and glosses over an important concept or procedure just so he can finish the lecture on time. If you take Driga, just remember that the grades are a total crap-shoot. It has nothing to do with what you know or don't know.
Review from a student who took EE 325
I second the guy who said your grade is a crap shoot. He is exceptionally moody and runs a classroom with Gestapo-like approach. At times, I felt like I was in 3rd grade again. He is known to pick on certain students he decides that he does not like. The material is difficult and he does a poor job with it. His lecture leaves much to be desired, and the book he uses is not very good. He works simple, simple examples, then assigns much harder problems that you are left unequiped to solve. The class was very frustrating and I thought I would receive a C. I got an A. I do not know why.
I second the guy who said your grade is a crap shoot. He is exceptionally moody and runs a classroom with Gestapo-like approach. At times, I felt like I was in 3rd grade again. He is known to pick on certain students he decides that he does not like. The material is difficult and he does a poor job with it. His lecture leaves much to be desired, and the book he uses is not very good. He works simple, simple examples, then assigns much harder problems that you are left unequiped to solve. The class was very frustrating and I thought I would receive a C. I got an A. I do not know why.
Review from a student who took EE 325
Well if you are already stuck with him, try and get his old exams!
Well if you are already stuck with him, try and get his old exams!
Review from a student who took EE 325
How did I get an A in this course? Well, homework grades are based on "if you turn them in, you get a perfect score." Then, you study ALL the solutions to the homework problems, because the exams are just like the homework. Dr. Driga repeats this in class: the homework is a lot like the exams. It isn't just a lot like it: often a test problem is a homework problem with a changed geometry or numbers, i.e. something trivial. His lectures are ok; everything is a story. You have to listen hard b/c he doesn't like to yell unless it's to rip on some student who isn't paying attention. In this respect, it's a lot like a junior high class: Dr. Driga tells someone to hush up, or leave. Oh, and one more thing: TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE. He'll kick you out if it rings, I promise.
How did I get an A in this course? Well, homework grades are based on "if you turn them in, you get a perfect score." Then, you study ALL the solutions to the homework problems, because the exams are just like the homework. Dr. Driga repeats this in class: the homework is a lot like the exams. It isn't just a lot like it: often a test problem is a homework problem with a changed geometry or numbers, i.e. something trivial. His lectures are ok; everything is a story. You have to listen hard b/c he doesn't like to yell unless it's to rip on some student who isn't paying attention. In this respect, it's a lot like a junior high class: Dr. Driga tells someone to hush up, or leave. Oh, and one more thing: TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE. He'll kick you out if it rings, I promise.
Review from a student who took EE 325
His class is horrible. One reason is I don't really enjoy electromagnatics at all, but hell this is a required course. But more importantly is that his monotonous/dull voices when combined with his lack of focus/direction and slow pacing style of teaching really made coming to his lecture a torture for me. I'd also like to point out he implements strict discipline in class; he'll make you look like a fool if you discuss anything with your classmates during his lecture, even for just a little bit. One last thing, the text he used is really terrible, I learned most of the stuff from the Schuman's outline, which is really well focused, neat with many examples.
His class is horrible. One reason is I don't really enjoy electromagnatics at all, but hell this is a required course. But more importantly is that his monotonous/dull voices when combined with his lack of focus/direction and slow pacing style of teaching really made coming to his lecture a torture for me. I'd also like to point out he implements strict discipline in class; he'll make you look like a fool if you discuss anything with your classmates during his lecture, even for just a little bit. One last thing, the text he used is really terrible, I learned most of the stuff from the Schuman's outline, which is really well focused, neat with many examples.
Review from a student who took EE 380N
The worst course I have taken in graduate studies. You will have no idea what is going on in the course. The exam seems to be like something which you would never have seen in his class and the grading will make you even more confused. I am still wondering for what reasons he had given me an A in his course. So if you want an easy A and not spend too much time on any course load then do take this course, but if you planning to learn something I would rather take the robotics course in Mechanical Engg.
The worst course I have taken in graduate studies. You will have no idea what is going on in the course. The exam seems to be like something which you would never have seen in his class and the grading will make you even more confused. I am still wondering for what reasons he had given me an A in his course. So if you want an easy A and not spend too much time on any course load then do take this course, but if you planning to learn something I would rather take the robotics course in Mechanical Engg.
Review from a student who took EE 325
Driga is okay, perhaps his personality scares off a lot of people, but if you work hard and get on his good side, then you will appreciate what he might be able to offer. That's what a few of us did when we took his 325 class, and we came out with an A and a pretty good understanding of electromagnetics.
Driga is okay, perhaps his personality scares off a lot of people, but if you work hard and get on his good side, then you will appreciate what he might be able to offer. That's what a few of us did when we took his 325 class, and we came out with an A and a pretty good understanding of electromagnetics.
Review from a student who took EE 341, EE 325
Professor Driga has a passion for the subjects that he teaches. He has a bad reputation for being a scary guy, but after having two courses with him I would classify him differently. He is a traditional type of person who only asks for your respect during his lectures. DO: All of your homework, work in groups if you have trouble with some concepts. Visit him in office hours for specific questions. Sit in the front row and be on time every day. DO NOT: Wear a hat, let your cell phone ring in class, talk to your neighbor during lecture etc. If you can adhere to these simple rules, Prof. Driga will recognize your efforts and will reward you for all of you troubles. He tends to be more surly in EE 325 due to the fact that a good portion of the class does not want to be there, however in EE 341 he is very very interested in the progress of his students. I highly recommend taking courses with this man, he knows his stuff and will help you understand subjects that can otherwise be very difficult.
Professor Driga has a passion for the subjects that he teaches. He has a bad reputation for being a scary guy, but after having two courses with him I would classify him differently. He is a traditional type of person who only asks for your respect during his lectures. DO: All of your homework, work in groups if you have trouble with some concepts. Visit him in office hours for specific questions. Sit in the front row and be on time every day. DO NOT: Wear a hat, let your cell phone ring in class, talk to your neighbor during lecture etc. If you can adhere to these simple rules, Prof. Driga will recognize your efforts and will reward you for all of you troubles. He tends to be more surly in EE 325 due to the fact that a good portion of the class does not want to be there, however in EE 341 he is very very interested in the progress of his students. I highly recommend taking courses with this man, he knows his stuff and will help you understand subjects that can otherwise be very difficult.
Review from a student who took EE 325
I really liked Driga. He's one of the two professors at UT Engineering that I really respect(in addition to Brown). Yes, you will go to class and every single day you will see exactly what is in the book be on the board, and yes, you will have to pay attention, otherwise he will notice and make you look very stupid in front of the entire class. He has an amazing memory, he will remember your grades, your conduct, and your name, so do not skip class. He tries to establish his dominance over the class early on, so expect him to be very strict for the first month or so, but he will let up later and will joke around etc. with you, and he can be quite funny at times. The HWs are pretty hard, but just work hard on them, you will learn from them and they prepare you very well for the exams and I very much doubt they were even taken into consideration. The first exam is really easy, most people got As, then the second exam was pretty hard, but still not too bad... The 50% of the final consisted mostly of the material that werent covered in the first two exams, and wasn't bad at all. I ended up with an A, but I was expecting a B, so whatever grade you expect, you'll probably get a whole letter grade higher than that. Overall, I recommend him over any other EE 325 profs, although he doesn't cover a lot of examples to prepare you for the homeworks, he's very VERY fair in grading(in fact generous), and he has a lot of influence and reputation in the EE department, so if you can win his favor, expect to have a very powerful signature on that referral.
I really liked Driga. He's one of the two professors at UT Engineering that I really respect(in addition to Brown). Yes, you will go to class and every single day you will see exactly what is in the book be on the board, and yes, you will have to pay attention, otherwise he will notice and make you look very stupid in front of the entire class. He has an amazing memory, he will remember your grades, your conduct, and your name, so do not skip class. He tries to establish his dominance over the class early on, so expect him to be very strict for the first month or so, but he will let up later and will joke around etc. with you, and he can be quite funny at times. The HWs are pretty hard, but just work hard on them, you will learn from them and they prepare you very well for the exams and I very much doubt they were even taken into consideration. The first exam is really easy, most people got As, then the second exam was pretty hard, but still not too bad... The 50% of the final consisted mostly of the material that werent covered in the first two exams, and wasn't bad at all. I ended up with an A, but I was expecting a B, so whatever grade you expect, you'll probably get a whole letter grade higher than that. Overall, I recommend him over any other EE 325 profs, although he doesn't cover a lot of examples to prepare you for the homeworks, he's very VERY fair in grading(in fact generous), and he has a lot of influence and reputation in the EE department, so if you can win his favor, expect to have a very powerful signature on that referral.
Review from a student who took EE325
Professor Driga is one of those rare professors who explains difficult subjects thoroughly. It is not often that I see professors lecture without notes and have the attention of the class. I was able to use the knowledge from his electromagnetics course to make a few breakthroughs for my company.
Professor Driga is one of those rare professors who explains difficult subjects thoroughly. It is not often that I see professors lecture without notes and have the attention of the class. I was able to use the knowledge from his electromagnetics course to make a few breakthroughs for my company.
Review from a student who took RzdoVKTYQJuxXNPVN
bgm4Vp Thanks so much for the post.Much thanks again. Great.
bgm4Vp Thanks so much for the post.Much thanks again. Great.