Comments:MTH 2321 - Avoid taking Professor Cates at all costs! He makes you watch videos BEFORE showing up to class, even though all of class is just him going over the same type of problems, so it is like watching the videos twice. He is a harsh grader on exams - I drew a partial graph and he took off a whole point because it wasn't "complete" even though all of my math was correct. The homework load is not too bad, there is a reasonable amount of time to finish it. However, he never really explains where these equations/formulas come from, but you get a formula sheet for each of the exams.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:MTH 1308 - Do not take his class! Unless you want to spend hours and hours studying in the library, attempting to teach yourself material because he doesn’t teach it, I highly recommend another teacher. He is condescending when you ask for help and does not do anything to ensure his students successfully pass his class  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:1308 - Genuinely the worst teacher at Baylor. I took his class last semester and got an F. He didn't work with me at all. Every buisness student needs to take this class in order to get into the buisness school. BU needs to really look at who they are letting teach these classes because this man is not capable. He explains things too quickly, makes fun of students, and grades incredibly harshly. Who doesn't give partial credit in math??? Honestly not sure how BU still employees this prof because he is genuinely one of the worst teachers here. Stay away from cates and DONT EVEN TRY with math at Baylor.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1301 - I’m not sure why he had a lower rating. I had him for Ideas in Mathematics and he was a good teacher. He spends most of class lecturing but does a really good job of asking questions in class. He gives a decent amount of HW but gives you plenty of time to complete it. He can be a little sassy but I think it’s funny honestly. I’d give him a 7/10 overall!  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:MTH 1308 - Although most of the reviews you will read are bad, don't be too afraid. My experience with Professor Cates was satisfactory. He does have a flipped classroom (watch videos outside of class to learn material for HW and Exams) which can be annoying, but I got to watch them when I felt like I wanted to do math. His actual class is interesting. I tried to keep it lighthearted so his mood would be uplifted, and sometimes it worked. Class time is mainly just going over problems. KEY: All of these problems are fair game for EXAMS. If you are confused, DON"T SAY YOU ARE CONFUSED! Word it differently. That's what helped me. Interact in class if you know the answer, and be confident! On the Pearson Homework, you get 3 attempts per question, so think through it (but it's easy stuff). I like math and this class went well for me, but not so much for the other half of my class that dropped after Halloween. I was sick for the last exam and he let me come in the next week to make up the test, so he CAN work with you if you put forth the effort in class. Overall, if you are good at math, don't mind the abnormal teaching style, and can make grumpy people smile, you should consider Cates.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:MTH 1321 - He definitely is very knowledgable in the subject matter and teaches well for the most part. His issue is that he is really terrible at interactions in class. He is rude to students and is very rigid and hard to talk to and will often belittle students or make sassy remarks when they ask genuine questions. As someone who doesn't like asking questions, his class was decent but if you need more interaction when learning he is definitely not the person for you.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1301 - PRE-CALC: DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. He is the worst professor and I did his online course. He was mean and if you asked him a question, he would say, "did you look back at your notes" The workload was insane and it was like you were teaching yourself. The exams were brutal because if you wrote a decimal point a little off, her would give you no points. He ruined my mental health and he should be fired. I ended up dropping his class even though I stayed in his class until almost the end. IDK how he is not fired. He does not teach at all.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:precal for bus - This guy was horrible. He didn't make reviews for his exams. He assigned homework that was not similar to the tests at all. The only way to study for his tests is to watch videos from the textbook. His videos are not good. He made a review for the final and then the final looked nothing like the review.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1308 Business Precalculus - ok so I took him over the summer... MISTAKE!!! don't take his class in person because everyone I know has dropped out of his class. In the beginning of the year hw had a good amount of people in his class, now he has only 1/3 of his class...  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1321 - Cates is not terrible, but was very annoying as a professor when you ask for help or need more of a clear understanding. He does a bad job at explaining why or how something is. He talks to his students in condescending ways as well. His flipped classroom style is awful. Having to watch the lectures on your own time and teach yourself is frustrating and not a good use of time. He uses class time to do new problems similar to those in the videos, but does not explain the concepts. If you need help in homework, do not go to to his office hours. It is useless. Instead, email him what problem you need help on and he will send you a solution. This I found to be the most helpful part of his class.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:MTH 1321 - DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT TAKE CATES. I think his teaching skills are poor. Not sure how he's still employed. I would prefer that when he goes through a question in class, that he doesn't judge the student for asking. He is very judgmental and sometimes rude. What I hate is when a student asks a question, implying they don't know how to solve the question and he solves only ONE part of the question. He will solve one part of a 4 step question and move on. It sucks! I understand sometimes people have bad days but his seems more of a bad attitude. I also wish he wouldn't zoom through a question but take us through each step. Some of the material is difficult to understand without going through it step by step. Half the time he solves a question, he's covering the board and I can't see and by the time he moves away, he's solved like 2-3 steps. Then when you ask for clarification, he kinda acts like it's so obvious to tell, especially when he does mental math. It's as if he doesn't want to be here and I don't appreciate that because I paid to take his class. This professor also grades pretty harshly, takes unnecessary points just because he can. He'll give you a whole letter grade below of what you deserve. He does not have his students interest at heart. I would never recommend Cates to anyone unless they want to suffer. I really wish I dropped his class and took a different professor!  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:Calculus for Business Stu - Professor Cates is by far my least favorite professor I have had here at Baylor, not just in terms of teaching, but also in terms of personality. Professor Cates is often very condescending, especially when students ask questions. I have found him to be impatient and sometimes rude. He is also a very hard grader. His teaching style involves assigning videos to watch outside of class (along with the other homework) and expecting students to come to class the next day understanding the material (which was often not the case). All in all, I would avoid taking professor Cates if I were you.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:MTH 1308 - made a bu books account just to let you know how horrible this man is. absolutely the worst professor ive ever had. he made me feel like an idiot every time i asked a question. he is so condescending. most of my class dropped his class he was that awful. i talked to him many times and told him i was struggling but he never offered any help. he only made it worse by making me feel stupid. one time i was talking to him after class and he told me to drop. please do not take him. i wanted to drop out of baylor as a whole because of him. he ruined my first month of college bc all i was doing was math! hes the worst. mr cates if youre reading this, do beter.  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:1308 - I think Mr. Cates was the best math teacher I have had. He teaches in an extensive manner however if you have a question he will make you feel dumb. His homework is highly minimal, with about 15 problems per class. I would say I did 30 minutes of homework for each class, which is nothing. On homework, there are example problems to see exactly how to solve, and he has videos posted teaching you all you need to know. There is no excuse not to get a 100 on homework. He also gives tons of extra credit but only randomly and never if you ask. He gave us 10 bonus points on a test for winning a football game. However, studying for his test is extremely time-consuming yet you will be rewarded if you take the time. His tests are copy pasted of homework and notes. Therefore, if you can do every problem, you will get an A. However, you must pair your knowledge with showing every aspect of your work. IF YOU DO NOT SHOW WORK DO NOT TAKE CATES. However, if you do study hard for test but don't like homework busy work, and show your work. You will do awesome.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1220 - Coming from Calc, this class was supposed to help me "work on the fundamentals of calculus". Instead, I got the most unhelpful teacher I possibly have ever had. Cates is passive aggressive, lazy, and unhelpful to the extent that I've never experienced in any level of schooling. I kid you not, I showed up to his office hours on multiple occasions to be dismissed so I could "correct the problems on my own", mind you it was an exam I just bombed. He says the best way to succeed on his exams are to study from the notes and homework, which is great but there's hundreds of questions and 0 clarity. I guess the only way to study is to somehow memorize all of the questions and answers on the previous exams, this guy is seriously not fit for teaching at all and I don't understand how most of our class is going to pass the final, myself included. Do yourself and your GPA a favor and DROP THIS CLASS.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:MTH 1309 - This was my first time taking a calculus class and I wasn't able to pick which professor I took. So unfortunately for me, what I was met with from Professor Cates was unhelpfulness, a demeaning attitude, and mind-numbingly boring lectures. He uses a "flipped classroom method" so essentially you will be teaching yourself an entire semester of calculus. In class, he focuses on examples that are much easier than the homework and gives no help on what to study when it comes to exams. (Get ready to hear "study your notes and homework" about 30,000 times) He wants you to believe he cares, but if you ask a question he will undoubtedly make you feel stupid. The only reason I am doing well in his class is because I spend usually an hour per day reworking homework problems and studying on my own to supplement his lack of teaching. The exams are typically 10-12 questions and he will take off points for literally anything without providing explanation as to why. If I would have known how bad his class is I would have done absolutely anything to change professors. Do not take his class.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1308 - Even coming to Baylor from a terrible public school math department and learning math mostly online due to Covid, I’ve never had a worse teacher than Steven Cates, and I don’t think I ever will. I was hopeful of coming to Baylor, thinking they would have decent math professors and maybe make math a little bearable. WRONG. I don’t even understand how Cates is still employed here. I could’ve learned better at Khan Academy. He doesn’t explain anything or does anything other than the absolute BARE MINIMUM for ‘teaching.’ He hates questions and doesn’t explain WHY he does anything, just DOES math problems and expects his students to pick them up immediately. I don’t understand how this man gets PAID for insulting his students for fun when we have a question about his ‘teaching.’ Even tells he asks us to ask questions!!! SPOIL ALERT: Don’t ask questions unless you want him to make you feel stupid. He is very deceiving because when you first meet him he seems like a sweet old southern man who could even be your creepy uncle, but you’ll soon come to find he is one of the most passive-aggressive and selfish professors you’ll ever take. He avoids doing his job at all costs, never hosting office hours, “teaching” by requiring his students to view the online videos he probably made during quarantine, and letting out class early on every Thursday before a gameday even though all of his students were confused on the material. Also, does anyone read these reviews?? HELLO? Why is no one concerned by all of these 100’s students explaining their thoughts/feelings about a degrading and disrespectful treatment by Cates? Clearly, this man does not line up with the ‘Baptist/Christian Values’ at Baylor that WE PAY WAY TOO MUCH MONEY FOR. After the drop deadline passed, our class went from 45 students to maybe 19. My entire class joked about skipping our exam that we felt no preparation for and going up to the Livingstone's house to demand this man loses his job. How is this treatment towards students allowed/tolerated here? I know we aren’t the only ones with complaints! I could go on and on about how terrible Cates made me feel as well as the rest of my classmates every day of class. I genuinely think he enjoys humiliating and insulting his students. I’ve never met someone like him in my entire life. If you get stuck in his class, go ahead, do yourself a favor, and drop.  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:1301 - Gently, I believe whole-heartedly this Steven Cates was not made for teaching. He only has one teaching style and if it doesn't work for you, tough. In addition, his syllabus will say "Office hours made by appointment only" and if you try to schedule time to come in to learn what you can't grasp in class, he'll refuse. I remember several times I emailed him to meet in person, and he insisted on "Squashing it over email." Unreachable and unhelpful. The workload itself isn't unbearable, and he's more than happy to discuss questions you have in front of the entire class, but has proven to be unreachable, unavailable, unhelpful, and overall pretty unpleasant. He lures you into thinking it's going to be a great semester by inviting his students to his church, but then clearly doesn't show any care for his students by the way he doesn't help them. Calculus is already hard, and he made it harder. I took this class online the summer that followed and my GPA thanks me everyday.  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:Calc 1 - Steven Cates was and will most likely remain the worst professor I have had at Baylor. To sum him up for all the freshmen looking at this right now, he is extremely condescending. Cates teaches with subpar ability, and I found myself having to learn the material on my own. The worst part was that my class did not ask questions out of fear of his condescending manner. He makes you feel very stupid for asking even the hardest questions and discourages growth. Every single classmate I had agreed with me, as well as those in other sections. Do not take Cates, seriously. PSA: He apparently likes to fake a heart attack to each section he teaches, he did it with me, so if that doesn't tell you enough about him I don't know what will. Just take someone else. -Chomp  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Ideas In Math - Your opinion of Steven Cates will entirely depend on how detail-oriented you are, and how much you have in terms of math background. He can often be unreasonably harsh when grading exams, and sometimes it takes some digging to determine where you went wrong. He seems to be particularly picky about rounding, and how your problems and work are organized. It might help to show your work step-by-step, although I never tried that when I was a freshman. He occasionally marks things in red pen without articulating why your answer is incorrect. As a person with ADHD, this was very painful. He seemed to treat my accommodations as an active inconvenience to him. Asking questions usually leads to him restating what was previously said, and I was actively afraid of asking questions for fear of being dismissed or actively annoying Cates. As others have said, he has no set office hours. He meets only by appointment and he seems to use in person meetings as a last resort, preferring to help over email. The Mathlab examples are a good way to understand concepts that you’re struggling with. You’ll have to consult some outside resources if you struggle in math. Be warned that tutoring is also not offered for Ideas, so you’ll be doing a lot of independent work. I generally recommend Cates as a last resort prof, and if you have him, I hope my tips help.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1309 - Cates is the most cringe professor at baylor. his jokes and classes are always awkard and goes through the problems so fast expecting everyone to already know what hes teaching. I got my grade to a B- due to studying outside of class. If you dont want moody library to be your home, dont take cates.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:2321 Cal 3 - Mr.Cates has no office hours. He refuses to meet with students and is not really helpful. He is very rude towards students when they ask questions and is a very very HARSH grader. Takes off points everywhere. This is the first B that I am getting in a math class. I learned that the only way to get an A in this class is to memorize the EXACT steps that he did during class. If you write your outside knowledge and still got your answer right? He takes points off. So I would recommend someone else over him. Homework : Acheive 3 a week each has 8-15 questions. Not horrible but takes a long time. Exams : he is a very harsh grader again. so make sure to put every single step down (including -0). He treats his students like we are in kindergarten. It was an interesting class. I think I deserved an A.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Calculus 3 - Mr. Cates is extremely rude, condescending, and unhelpful. He does not do office hours, and refuses to meet in person for office hours. He is an extremely harsh grader, and no sympathy for his students. He is just there for the paycheck. He looks for reasons to fail his students rather than to help them. I might end up failing his class despite being very knowledgeable of the subject, purely because of how ridiculous, unhelpful, and rude he is.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1301 - I do not understand how Professor Cates could have any good ratings. If you have taken a course with LITERALLY ANY other professor at Baylor you would know this to be true. Professor Cates is extremely LAZY. The laziest professor I have had, we were supposed to have class twice a week, but he NEVER held class. He would just post videos online and expect you to understand everything from the go. He is cruel and will never allow any extensions for any assignment or exam, no matter the circumstance, so try not to get sick or have an emergency. He loves to respond to emails with sarcasm, so be prepared for that. He does not grade any homework or exams himself, he relies on Pearson to do all the work for him. He has very little involvement in the teaching aspect of the class. Baylor is literally paying him to do the bare minimum. Cates is chilling. He really needs to structure the course differently because this is not acceptable for a college course being offered at a university that wants to become "a world-renowned university". Illuminate campaign, who? This class took me back to junior high public school. P.S. if you ever have technical issues with Pearson that is not his fault...so try to reach Pearson on your own because he is not helping you.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Math 1308 - I truly have no idea why Dr. Cates rating is so low. I took him after having to drop pre-cal during the first semester and I can't emphasize how much better he was than my first professor. He's always willing to help students with problems and does a great job at explaining problems to the class. His exams are not bad at all considering he includes problems that come directly from the notes and anything else that wasn't directly from the notes mirrored very closely other problems in the notes. I will admit that when it comes to exams he's a very tough grader so be sure to include all of your work and leave nothing up to debate. His final was a little more difficult than I was anticipating it to be but it was still absolutely doable. My only guess for why his rating is so low is because people haven't experienced other math professors. I highly recommend taking Dr. Cates.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:MTH1301 Online - This is a VERY early review, but if you’re thinking of taking him, don’t. His assignments are easy and the workload is minimal, but he is terrible. You have 1-2 small assignments per week and 3 tests. As for his review: I asked him for an extension during the snow storm because I had NO power and was living in my car, and he said no, he doesn’t make give extensions for anyone. So on that note, he’s a 0/10 person. Very rude in emails. You are just another student to him. Take literally anyone else if you want a caring professor.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1308 - If you are considering taking his class, DON’T. Dr. Cates is the worst, most inconsiderate and least empathetic professor I have ever had. I took his class online during the pandemic and he taught entirely asynchronous, which is a crap idea for a math class anyway. Beyond that, he did not care even a little bit about the circumstances of his students. There were no opportunities to review work and improve our grade, despite the fact that he had us TEACHING OURSELVES. Our final exam was taken on Zoom, and he sent an email prior with a lot of different rules. None of these included asking permission to leave to use the restroom. However, because I got up for three minutes during the final, he emailed me saying he was docking five points from my exam. I wish I could say I’m surprised but this is entirely consistent with his behavior all semester. I doubt he is any different in person.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1308 - Professor Cates is the worst professor I have had this far. He is also easily the laziest. I had signed up for an in person math class because i knew i needed to be in person to learn the material the best I could. We get to class and he tells us that the class is actually going to be almost entirely online. He just posted his COVID lecture videos rather than actually teaching us the material. He does not hand grade any assignments or tests. Everything is graded by the computer. and he would not look over any of the tests. So, there were 8-10 answers on tests (out of 50-60 total questions) that i got wrong because I over simplified, or simply did more work than was required. He also is incredibly rude. I was struggling with personal stuff as well as getting COVID, and so I emailed him about getting an extension on a test. He emailed back telling me that he would not be allowing me to do that (even though he told us to just email him if we needed an extension due to COVID and he'd be happy to help) and told me good luck.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:MTH 1308 - Professor Cates is not a good professor. I asked for help multiple times during the semester and he was never willing to meet, not even a single time. He is a tough grader and refuses to even give partial credit for things like putting down a fraction when the question asked for a decimal. I never got taught by him which was difficult because I am so bad at math. Avoid at all costs.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:MTH 1308 - I took this class over the summer and online, so my opinion may be different than those before me. I never actually got taught by this professor. While the videos he provided were good and informational, they were another professor, which is why I had to give a low rating for teaching ability. I knew condensing a semester-long class into a month would be a higher than average workload, but it was very manageable while I took another course and started a summer internship.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1320 - (i took him for pre-calculus and will speak on that class but have not taken any of his others and cannot speak for those) Ok, so listen here. If you are stuck in cates' class and want an A, I'll show you how. Mr. Cates is unlike most professors at Baylor. He comes off very cold and very mean so don't expect anything less, but please know that deep down he does want his students to understand the material. I hated his class in the first half of the semester and thought he was a complete jerk but thats really not the case. He is just EXTREMELY structured and does not vary from that so... step 1: READ THE SYLLABUS for the love of GOD read it again and again STUDY it, write everything down on your calendar !! Step 2: PAY ATTENTION IN LECTURE there is NO problem on the exam that he has not done in class or in the homework. and also he gives quizzes and hints for exams so DONT SKIP ANY LECTURE step 3: DO EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM ON THE HW ( and if you want A's on the exam make sure you can look at the problem and do it 100% on your own) he is super available in his office hours and I would finish my hw IMMEDITAELY after class and then go straight to office hours to check and also ask questions on what I did not understand (also youre not allowed to take pics of the correct answers, you have to copy everything by hand , heads up )! I've seen a lot of people on here say he gives pop quizzes when he doesn t really. The "quizzes" are 4 problems from the hw that you SHOULD HAVE ALREADY DONE AND BROUGHT TO CLASS and he asks that you have your hw available so you just copy it !!! be SUPER SUPER SUPER detail oriented! you will make a 75 on a quiz if you miss A N Y T H I N G on a problem and a 50 if you miss 2 details on 2 seperate problems. he doesn't care about your grade and don't ask for him to review it bc he will probably throw it in your face because you are probably wrong, but you should ask what was wrong if you genuinely do 't knwo. Step 4: is to understand everything going on and yeah, is it a lot? yes but this is how you make an A. The final is compartmental which basically means there is little to no help for you unless you are just natural at math. There was stuff on the final we had never SEEN in cates' class and he still didn't curve it. I also saw a girl kicked out 5 minutes into the final for cheating and failed the class so don't try that either. Just make sure your other exam scores are high enough that even if you BOMB the final, you'll still make an A (good mantra for college) all in all, ouwardly, he's a jerk but I believe he has good intentions. know your material forward and backward. go to office hours and study hard and you will be just fine! best of luck!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - IGNORE THE GOOD REVIEWS PLEASE!! HE IS SO ANNOYING. DON'T TAKE HIM. he literally doesnt care if you are on your phones in class or dont pay attention at all but the second you ask for help he becomes SO RUDE!! His email reponses are so unnecessarily rude. Not to mention he doesnt teach, all he does is work through math problems. FOR SO MANY REASONS DO NOT TAKE THIS MAN!!!  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Pre-Cal - This man is horrible. There is no way that you can ask him any type of question without him being rude. He gets offended if you question his "philosophy" over math and honestly just take another professor. He is not worth struggle.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1320 - I wouldn't recommend taking him unless you are very familiar with the material prior to taking the class. He is very straightforward with what he teaches and expects you to know it immediately and if you don't he makes you feel dumb for asking questions. Very rude when he speaks to you directly. On the bright side, his quizzes are literally just 4 problems directly from the homework and his tests are literally just tweaked homework problems. But if you need help in any way, I wouldn't take him. He always cut me off mid-sentence and would be very condescending and danced around answering my questions.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1322 - DO NOT TAKE THIS PROFESSOR FOR ANY MATH CLASS EVER! He is the most obnoxious professor I've ever had, doesn't actually teach math, and overall is just a terrible person. His attitude toward people in class is incredibly condescending, and just gets worse in office hours, especially toward girls. He makes sexist comments constantly and his class is designed to make people feel stupid. He clearly plays favorites and does not care what anyone thinks. His quizzes are copying down the previous night's homework, sometimes upwards of 40 problems on a TR class. He gives an obscene amount of homework, has stated that he doesn't care if you come by his office hours and copy the HW answer key for the quizzes, as long as you have the answer, and marks off for the most trivial things on his tests. His marking is not disputable in any way, and if you have a question about a problem and he perceives it as arguing for points, he takes away all partial credit. I have done well in every math class I've ever taken, and barely managed a low B in his class, even after going to his office hours on almost a daily basis. It's not worth the anxiety and stress that his class will cause. When you get to the departmental final, do not expect to get anything above a C because he doesn't teach math or concepts, only memorization of homework problems. Best of luck to those who do take his class, but if you can take to a different professor, GO TO THAT OTHER PERSON!  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:MTH 1322 - HORRIBLE TEACHER! DO NOT TAKE THIS MAN'S CLASS! He is the most condescending person I have ever met. If you ask questions in class, he will treat you like an idiot and get defensive. Even when he is at office hours he is not helpful. Idk how he still has a job. Over half the class had to drop because they were not going to pass. The people who get As are those of us who are able to teach ourselves. If you can't teach yourself calculus, DO NOT TAKE THIS MAN'S CLASS! He has 4 tests including the final and a quiz on the HW almost every day. The HW quiz is just copying HW problems that you were supposed to do. They are rather easy unless it is a day he decides to give you 30 problems on Tuesday due Thursday or assigns a bunch of HW over breaks. His tests are harder b/c instead of teaching you how to do all the problems his motto is memorize the HW because I will take some of those. Seems easy until you realize that there are almost 120 HW problems per test. Then you realize before the departmental final that he really didn't teach you concepts only specific questions. If you are stuck in this man's class, I suggest prayer. It worked for me. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Calc 1 - Cates is a subpar professor at best. He teaches directly out of the book and drills it into you to memorize the notes and homework for the exams. You will hear him say that a million times, like you probably could make a drinking game out of it. He comes off as condescending and personally was no help in office hours. When I explained to him that I didn't understand the homework he just kept repeating the same thing to me over and over. I would highly recommend not taking his class.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1322 - calc 2 - I found Cates to be an awful teacher. He doesnt really know math that well and will just tell you to work it on your own when you ask a question he doesnt know the answer to. His tests are literally just copied from the homeworks so if you somehow memorize the homeworks perfectly you'll be fine. Hes pretty rude and demeaning if you ask questions.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1301 - Professor Cates was a hard professor at the first part of the semester, but as we went through it he became more lenient. In the beginning, I was failing his tests and was nervous because I thought I was going to fail the class. But I went from a 68 to a 92 because he dropped our lowest two exams and replaced it with the final exam grade. He is a funny guy and the class can be boring, but if you just study the homework, then you'll do fine in the class. He is sarcastic and I laughed at most of his jokes. He will help you with any questions you have and cares about his students  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:ideas in mathematics - cates has a lot of negative reviews, but that’s far from what I saw in the class. the only grades are exams, so homework is important but not graded. he adjusted the syllabus towards the end of the semester to ensure we could pass his class, and our final exam substituted for our two lowest exam grades (taking my average from a 78 to a 92). I had a multitude of unexpected medical crises come up in ways that conflicted with his class, and he worked around every one of them. cates is kind and funny, and I highly recommend his class.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 Ideas in Math - A lot of the reviews that I have seen on here for Cates are negative, but I personally have had the opposite experience. While the lectures are extremely boring, he goes over absolutely everything you need to know for the exams. The only grades for the entire semester are your 4 exams. However, if you do better on your final exam than on one of your previous exams, he will replace that grade with the final exam grade. He also gives you 5 bonus points on each test if you do better than your last test. All of the homework is optional, but it is almost identical to the test so you are only hurting yourself if you don't do it. He has office hours almost every day where he is more than willing to help you out with any questions and encourage you. Overall, the class was fairly easy and I would recommend taking Cates.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Calc I - I took Cates for Calc 1 and made an A but had to really work for it. I took calc 1 already in high school and made a 99 and understand math very well but struggled because Cates's tests were not good reflections of what we were taught. Also, every time I went into his office hours to get help I left almost in tears because he made me feel so stupid when I asked for help. He is pretty sassy but don't be fooled because in class he is pretty nice but at office hours he turns into sassy Stephen. This man and his class frustrated me so much and I wouldn't recommend taking him if you have better options.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Calculus I - Dr. Cates is overall an ok teacher. I had him for Calc 1 and I easily got an A. However, I had already take Calc in highschool and didn't place high enough on the ALEKS exam for some reason and so I retook calculus. I have to say first that I believe that Calculus is a very difficult subject to teach and the reason I believe that is 3/3 Calculus teachers (including Dr.Cates) I have had were honestly not very clear and abstract. The way to do well in this class, or calculus in general, is to do the homework to the best of your ability and then go on YouTube for help. Thats the only way I've survived calculus. Anyway, Dr. Cates is a fair man, I'd say. He does go off topic a lot and over-explains the most simple things, but I guess thats the way he is. Overall he is an ok teacher and is quite helpful during office hours for those who need help. His exams are pretty thorough and comprehensive so be sure to study the homework so you know what you're doing on the exams. Oh, and he says that the exams are exact copy and paste from the homework, but that isn't entirely true. Some of them are exact copies, but others are different in a few ways, and some are not on the homework at all. Just work hard, and you'll get the grade you deserve.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Calculus II & III - So here is the thing about Professor Cates and his classes: he isn't going to be like your high school teacher or courses. His teaching style is very simple in that he goes to the board and works problems directly from the book. He does not really take the time to explain concepts or specific details, but rather expects you to figure them out as you work through multiple examples. Your homework is going to come directly from the book and are usually odd numbered, so you will have the answers in the back of the book. For quizzes, all he wants is to check that you did your homework and did it correctly. You will get to have your homework out and are simply expected to copy your work down. He's strict on grading these and doesn't give partial credit, but he does curve grades and gives opportunities for extra credit if the entire class at least tries on all problems. You also get a few dropped quizzes at the end. He also will let you check your homework with his key if you go into office hours! Tests are usually exact problems from the homework and notes. Literally, just familiarize yourself with problems he worked on the board or that you were assigned for homework and you should have no issue. He does gives partial credit on the tests. All in all, he really is a nice guy. He can be sarcastic, but he's just trying to be funny and lighten the mood. He's just not going to hold your hand and walk you through everything. He expects you to be able to learn and think on your own. If you've done fine in math classes in high school, you should be fine with him so long as you are willing to put in the work to study and figure things out. If you're disciplined enough to do that, you should do very well in this class. I've taken him for two semesters in a row and gotten high A's both times.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Calculus III - This is the only class I've failed at Baylor. I would spend hours each night trying to figure out a way to manage Dr. Cates' class. How the class is structured: homework each class (probably an hour to 2 or 3 depending on how hard the unit is). Homework comes from Calculus Early Transcendentals (3rd Edition) - Jon Rogawski, Colin Adams. Homework is 16% of grades (He takes 10 - 15 minutes of class time for us to do "quizes" where we copy a question from homework and he grades THAT instead of the actual homework which is a huge waste of time that could have been used for some instruction) and the 5 tests are split equally also 16% each. Not cumulative and usually about 7 to 9 questions. Final is worth 20% and replaced lowest test grade. Pretty typical. Here comes the bummer. So, story-time, here I am a being a Baylor bear and showing up to class on the first day of class. He does his thing about the syllabus and I'm like okay seems good enough. Next class he begins his lectures- which aren't lectures. He took no time or effort to explain concepts, applications, or themes. He would merely just work through a few even numbered problems from the book and have us do the odds for homework. He didn't explain why things were done specific ways. There barely any content and a 2 year old could have done his job at working through problems which were already done on a sheet of paper. So he would mindlessly write his equations on the board while we would mindlessly copy, not understanding the processes behind it. Then I'd go back to my dorm, ACTUALLY learn how to do it, work with Chegg Study to get the answer then come back for the next class. If the class was only homework I would have been okay, but its not. Test 1 comes up and I'm all ready, first unit seemed pretty easy, but little did I know how PICKY Dr. Cates is in grading and how little credit he gives you if you don't do the problem EXACTLY like HE wanted it done on the homework. I didn't write L(t)= in front of one of the problems and he counted off 7 points on the 8 point question. Even when I answered every question I still ended up getting a 68. This was so discouraging I ended up spiraling in the class, and failing. On the first quiz I wrote in pen, and he counted it all wrong because he wanted it pencil. He does no curve on any tests and won't work with you on your grade. He invites you to office hours to check your homework answer only. He is not motivating or engaging and doesn't know how to teach a course, grade, and has been my least favorite professor at Baylor, and I've plenty of bad professors who's classes I've managed to overcome their bad qualities, but Dr. Cates' out does them all in this area. I do not recommend him and encourage students to avoid taking his class.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:Math 2321 (Calc3) - AVOID CATES. The ratings of this professor will be pretty ok, but this is only because they do not account for the bad parts about him. He is beyond picky, it's ridiculous what he will count points of for. For his exams (which make up most of the class grade) you study enough, it's no longer about whether or not you know how to do each problem, it becomes a game of did you remember every little dot, fraction line, and parenthesis, that is how you pass the exams (or get any credit at all on the quizzes) you miss a dx on a quiz and you got a 0 for the problem. This is really the only problem with him, but if i had the choice I'd take someone else just because of this.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1321 - Mr. Cates is a very sarcastic teacher, but it makes the class less boring. If you have taken calculus before, I would recommend taking him, but if you haven't, I would take someone else. He teaches problems from the textbook, and his tests are almost identical to the notes from class. He has quizzes randomly at the beginning of class which is straight from the homework, and he lets you use the homework on the quiz. He also adds a 20 point bonus if everyone at least tries on the quizzes, and at the end of the semester he drops 2 or 3 quizzes. I liked that his tests contained material from our notes and homework, but it did not prepare me for the final at all. He is also very helpful in his office hours, if you ask him for help he explains how to do it. He also has all the solutions from the textbook, and let's you check your answers.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1322 - - In regards to teaching, Cates is solely focused on teaching SPECIFIC PROBLEMS. He begins class usually by jumping straight into a problem rather than teaching the concepts associated with solving them. Usually if you ask a question, Cates will respond with another question back, or doesn’t answer it completely. There are pop quizzes which are basically homework problems from the textbook over the specific section. HOWEVER, you will need PERFECT HOMEWORK, since there is no partial credit, and he is rather nit-picky about details. He will constantly emphasize to copy homework onto the quizzes, and he recommends simply memorizing all the problems for the exams. If you are looking to actually learn mathematical concepts rather than memorization, I would highly recommend another teacher.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Ideas in Math - He is a great professor for "easy" math, such as Ideas in Math. Your entire grade is based off of 3 tests plus the final. Tries to make jokes in class and is very helpful if you don't understand a subject.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1321 - AVOID Cates. He makes it almost impossible to pass the class no matter if you have taken Calculus before. I had to drop everything to bring up my grade from failing. AND NO GRADES EVER GO INTO CANVAS. Tons of people dropped his class. He is an extremely rude. I go to his office hour every MWF to ask questions and he will always find a way to make you feel stupid. His voice is always condescending and he always sounds like he does not want you to be in his office. Surprise quizzes are LITERALLY the homework, but the class failed most of them because he is SO picky. He drops 2-3 quiz grades. It is hilarious what he counts off for. I spent on average 10 hours studying for his exams (no joke), only to make three B's and one F. The tests are always hard because he gives you crazy numbers and no calculator. The tests are partial credit, but like I said, he is very picky. I finished with the 3rd highest grade in the class, and it wasn't a great grade. Edit: I pulled an A in the end, however he chose to register it as an A-. This is not normal for professors and lowers your GPA. Again, do not take him.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1322 - Calculus II - Positives: Cates is a very nice person. He holds many office hours and is available for questions at nearly any time of day. His class is well structured and follows the exact format that his syllabus does. Quizzes are fair and are easy to get 100s on. Negatives: Despite being available, the help that is provided is sub-par. If there is a question in class, the responses are usually, "Well try it!" His teaching style is memorization. When telling us how we should study for tests, he would tell us that we should practically have the book memorized and whenever a problem comes up on the test, it should be instantly recognized with the answer already in the back of our heads. As far as grading is concerned, the grades are harsh. Instead of the traditional method of grading according to the concepts understood, Cates will grade steeply on accuracy despite claiming to give partial credit. With quizzes, the emphasis of learning is nonexistent. The format is simply copying the homework from the night before. He repeatedly encourages the class to come to office hours before class and copy the answer key. These quizzes are four questions each and no partial credit is given. Occasionally, the answer key won't be sufficient for him and he'll go ahead and count off anyways. Conclusion: Cates is a wonderful person, but if you're looking for a professor that can advance you conceptually to a higher level math, this is not the professor you are looking for. The class is high effort with very low conceptual gain.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1321 - Seriously one of the worst professor I ever had, even in high school. Extremely condescending, does not care, when I talk to him feels like I am talking to a wall. Never had that much trouble with anyone.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Cal 2 - Cates is not as bad as everyone makes him out to be. Do the homework every night before the quiz, and you copy it directly off of your homework to make a 100 on the quiz. You do not get any partial credit on the quizzes, however, he drops 4 at the end of the semester. He is a fair grader on the tests and all of the questions are directly off the homeworks, so if you just rework the homeworks you will recognize the questions. He is very helpful during office hours and will just give you the keys so you can check everything.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Bus Calc 1309 - As a student who is naturally good at math, I found this class absolutely absurd. Cates is unnecessarily sarcastic and demeaning.I have extremely tough skin and don't get hurt or embarrassed very often, however he found away to dig so deeply into my confidence that I actually second guessed not only my major, but my decision of Baylor as a whole. He gives you a sense of false hope, making the homework quizzes seem like easy A's when in reality he grades them extremely harsh. When he says to study the notes and homework for the tests, he really means memorize them because the test comes directly from the notes and homework. Overall, I DO NOT recommend Steven Cates to any student reaching for a 4.0... or anyone at all really.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1320 Precalc - DO NOT TAKE HIM!!!!! Terrible terrible terrible. If you enjoy nails on a chalkboard, this is for YOU! If you enjoy wanting to off yourself every class, this is for you. HIs classes are a waste of time with his teaching methods. He doesn't hand out ANYTHING in class so studying for tests are so difficult. He gives out quizzes based on homework but if its not PERFECT then you're gonna get an 80 or a 60 or 40 on the quizzes. One or two 80's doesn't seem like an issue, until the quiz grades add up and replaces a grade, then you realize you have a 70 average on all your quizzes. Kind of a lot of homework, but it wasn't due so you could bs it, other than the fact that the quizzes came STRAIGHT from the homework. Test were hard. Don't take, just do yourself a favor and take someone else!  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1322 - 1322- If you enjoy nothing but concepts and just examples then try your luck. Just remember that you need PERFECT homework for the quizzes because that negative sign is the difference between a 100 and an 80 or 60 or lower. His office hours are you looking at the solutions manual, no actual help from him. His lecturing his him reading off his script and when asked off hand about anything not on there, he is unable to provide an answer. He only knows how to do what is assigned if he has his notes in front of him. Would not recommend!!  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:1321 - Mr. Cates can be very sassy, but overall his course was not bad. I took AP calculus in high school so I recognized many topics we learned about. He sometimes gives homework quizzes which you are guaranteed a 100 on if you complete the homework. Tests are average in difficulty. He is strict on notation, but besides that they are not that bad. Overall, the class is doable even without prior calculus knowledge.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1320 - Take head to previous reviews... If you can deal with a GROWN MAN that is described as \"sassy\" then more power to you. Very ridiculous person, can definitely do without the sarcasm. Avoid at all costs. Reminiscent of Mr. Garison. personality wise.  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:MTH1321 (Calc 1) - He is really not that bad. He is sassy, however, his class is doable. I took calculus in high school, so I might be biased. Basically, if you do all of the homework, you are guaranteed a 100 quiz grade average. So, the only grades left are the tests. The tests aren't easy, and he grades a little hard, but as long as you do all of the notations and work the questions like he did in class, then you'll be fine. And there are 5 bonus points on every test. Also, all of the test questions are from the homeworks. So, before the test, just rework the homeworks and you should be fine.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1302 - Do not take this man, period. I tried to talk to him after a test and he is very condescending, and snarky. take any other teacher you can and if he is your last resort wait to take the class. he is very anal about how you show your work and if you do anything wrong he marks the whole question. the tests are questions "like" the ones on the homework but a crucial step in the problem is different so the problem is something else. rude teacher, bad class, stay away if you can.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1321 - Do not take this class unless you have already taken calculus. He is unhelpful and rude to his students. He is also extremely anal when grading and will take points off for no reason. I ended up getting a good grade on my final because he did not grade it. I do not recommend this teacher.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:MTH 1321 - I'm not entirely sure what everyone's deal with Cates is. I feel like I might be the only one here who actually enjoyed this class. He had a very easy-going tone, would always stop to ask any questions after working out a problem, and seemed to be open for help whenever we needed it. There will occasionally be quizzes that are nothing more than copying your homework, so as long as you do your homework right, you should be fine for them. Although I may also be a bit biased, as I already took AP Calculus in high school and already knew what I was doing coming into this class, so that could have had an influence on it, but I do distinctly recall he was always willing to provide help to students who may have been struggling in the course. He had a friendly tone and cracked the occasional joke as well, but never let it overtake the lectures. I feel I may be in the minority, but I honestly liked Cates and would take him again if I had the opportunity.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:MTH 1321 - IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR LIFE WHATSOEVER, DO NOT TAKE STEVE CATES. Not only is he absolutely unhelpful by not at all teaching the course, he is probably the sassiest man I have ever met. I do not take this lightly. Quite literally all he does is write the problems on the board while talking to himself, at the speed of sound and then asks "Any Questions?" of course we don't have any questions because we are 3 problems behind!!! Extremely anal on hw and quizzes. Tests are bearable. Again, I do not recommend this professor by any means.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1301 - While he's not the best professor in the world, he definitely served his purpose. Especially in my Ideas of Math. class, he was clear about what parts of the solution was done because of that *kind* of problem, and what was done because of something unique about that particular question. Additionally, he makes little comments throughout the course, most of which I find vaguely amusing. Unlike the other comments, I've never known him to be rude in any of his little jokes. As others have noted, for this course the homework is absolutely not required; you'd better do it, if you want to do well on the exams, but he doesn't check. I found his grading system lenient and refreshing, because he gives you points if you improve, and offers a small 'incentive' (such as a CD) to encourage students to get above a C-grade on their exams. While he does move through material in class at an incredibly fast pace, if you keep on top of the homework, and make an effort to ask questions outside of class, you'll do fine. The final exam is literally questions form the tests, so you know the exact kind and wording of the questions that the final will include. The key is to practice the homework in the manner he teaches it; regardless of if you know how to solve a particular type of problem already, just pay attention in class and solve the exam questions like he teaches. You'll do fine, honestly, in this class. It just requires a measure of personal responsibility.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1308 - Professor Cates seems extremely fake. He's pretty condescending and will interrupt you if he doesn't like what you're saying. The class is super easy if you are good at math, but he bothered me so that made coming to class a drag. If you don't have to take him, don't. But if you end up with Cates, its not the end of the world. Just take good notes, and do the homework. The test questions are all from the homework, which is really nice.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1321 - Mr. Cates is very sassy, makes jokes and remarks that can be seen as annoying and rather disrespectful. His workload is average, he gives homework after each lesson taught. When teaching he goes at his own pace which is fast. Although he stops momentarily for questions, that duration of time is usually a good 3 seconds and with his pace everyone is still writing down what is on the board. 4 test and a final that replaces your lowest test grade. I would not recommend this professor.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1321 - Steven Cates is a bad teacher and a rude, sassy, and generally fake man. Avoid this class!! He will barely explain anything and you will have to already know calculus to do well in his class. The man once gave me a C on a test where i got every question right and did the right work because i didn't do my work like he wanted it. If you try asking him why he mysteriously deducted points he will be rude and condescending to you. Find another teacher.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1321 - Do Not take this class whatever you do. He is rude and unhelpful, so you basically have to teach yourself everything.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1321 - DO NOT TAKE CATES I didn't listen to this advice and ended up regretting it. He is awkward and rude and merciless. He's nice if you go to his office but it feels fake. I took calculus in high school and it was still more difficult than it had to be. Avoid taking his class if possible.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1321 - There are a total of 4 tests and then the departmental final at the end of the semester. The tests are ridiculously hard. Some questions are straight from the homework, but the others are "like" the homework problems but over complicated and almost impossible. He allows you to copy down the homework in his office hours, and instead of actual quizzes, you just copy down the homework and submit it as a quiz. He is IN NO WAY helpful during his office hours. He is sarcastic and condescending. I've never been bad a math, he is an OK lecturer but the class is very difficult and he does not care what his students make in the course, or if you know the material. I DO NOT recommend taking him.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:MTH 1321 - I'm not quite sure how to rate the workload because his quizzes are straight from the homework. He actually requires you to copy straight from your homework so as long as you did your part it's an easy 100 quiz grade. This could also mean a heavy workload since this actually doesn't reinforce anything and it's your job to pick up the slack and actually learn rather than copy. My real dissatisfaction is a personal experience when we just started an exam and my nose started bleeding. I didn't want to bloody up his test so that it'd be a murder scene when he grades it so I stuck to trying to stop the bloody situation, only able to answer one question before having to stop. He saw this and immediately came to help me. He asked if I was able to continue taking the test and clearly I wasn't able to since every time I tilted my head down to look at the test, a river (I'm exaggerating) came pouring out. So I told him I wasn't and he said that my final would just count for this and I was satisfied with that. I only assumed that he'd use my final to automatically replace this test grade and then my lowest one but apparently not. It was my fault for assuming he'd do me a favor but at the same time it felt like he was setting me up for failure (I exaggerate, just a lower average than I wanted. I was expecting higher) since I wasn't really in any position to take the test at all. If I had known he was going to use my 'final grade replacement' on that test I would've just let my blood drip everywhere in his classroom. So be warned. If you're in no condition to take his test, spare yourself from letting him automatically use your final test replacement. Just let it go and finish that test.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1321 - I really didn't like Cates much. He was OK, but he really didn't explain things very well to the people who aren't mathematically inclined, and he wasn't very good at rephrasing things so they made more sense. He was very nice though, and his random math puns made Calculus bearable. I wouldn't take him again, but he really wasn't terrible if you're good at math. Calculus is just a hard class, especially if, like me, you're not mathematically inclined. He lets you replace a test with the final grade, and he has pop quizzes that count for as much as a test. He was a harsh grader, but he also has office hours for 4 hours every day.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Calc 1 - I have no idea what all of y'all are talking about when saying that Cates is rude to his students. He is without a doubt a nice man and possibly the nicest teacher I had my freshman year. Yeah he's sarcastic but never in a rude manner. He is available almost all the time during his office hours and is willing to help. Take Cates, this is coming from a student who failed the first three tests and still made a B in the class, granted I had an above 100 quiz average and I scored very highly on the last test and final. Cates' class is not bad, if I had taken the class more seriously I would have easily gotten an A.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1321 - Cates is extremely sarcastic and he constantly makes jokes that aren't funny and is rude to his students. He's not very strict on homework but i'd advise doing it since his quizzes come straight from the homework. I've only been to his office hours a few times but when I did i felt like i was annoying him and it didn't seem like he wanted to help much. His tests are extremely hard and i've failed every one of them since he doesn't give any partial credit. He says he'll give you partial credit but nah he doesn't so you really have to make sure you know how to do the problem exactly like he does. Just do yourself a favor and don't take this class. I took Calc in high school and made an A and now I have a D.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:Math 1301 - Dear Lord this was an awful prof. Very condescending towards students, unhelpful, and turned what should've been an elementary college math class into one of my hardest classes as a freshman. I still don't know which trait I disliked more, his bitter sarcastic personality that nobody except for him found funny, or his useless work the problem on the blackboard and answer no questions approach to teaching. He also claims to give partial credit but in reality he doesn't and if you can show how you arrived at a correct answer, it won't be graded as correct unless its done exactly the way he demonstrated it. Avoid this snooty, sarcastic, GPA killer and try to take someone else. If I can find one positive? He was always in his office when he said he would be.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:Calc 1 - Cates isnt as bad as everyone seems to say. I took his calc 1 class in fall 2011, and my B grade was mostly my fault. For homework he lets you come to his office and copy down the answers out of the solution guide. Homework grade is determined by a 4-problem selection of homework problems each day that you copy off your homework onto another paper. That counts as a test grade. So i would definitely recommend going in and copying the answers so you can get 100 for that. I didn't and it was the difference btwn an A and a B. Cates also lets your final replace a poor test grade if that helps you.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:MTH 1301 - I don't know what these other people are talking about. He may not be the best professor in the world, but from what I've heard, he's better than the others. Homework isn't even mandatory, but you'd better do it if you expect to do well on the tests. If you improve on your tests, he automatically gives you 5 extra points. The final is strictly questions from previous tests, and your final grade replaces your lowest test grade! He also makes it clear that he is available outside of class if you need extra help, so really if you don't do well, it's your own fault. If you actually do the homework and take good notes, this class is a breeze.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:MTH 1301 - DO NOT TAKE DR CATES. Personal preferences aside, he is a extremely ineffective teacher. You do not turn in homework, your only grades are the tests and they are very hard. Also, he says he will give you partial credit, but he doesn't. He is unwilling to help you in his office hours, although he insists that is the only way you should get help (he discourages you from a tutor and the math lab). I would strongly recommend you stay away from taking him,  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:1301 - I took ideas in math over the summer thinking it was going to be an easy class. WRONG. Cates is by far the worst teacher I have ever had. He stands at the board and reads from the text book. There is homework but he does not collect it. Do the homework!! If you don't you will fall behind. The tests are not too hard and the final exam is a bunch of questions that have already been on tests. Keep all tests for that reason. He is the hardest grader and will not listen to reasoning. If your answer is correct but the work is done wrong he will take off a lot of points. Do not take him if you don't have to.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1304 - Mr. Cates is an awful professor. Do not take him unless you want to feel threatened and confused the entire semester long. He has the most contradictory grading scale that it's literally appalling! One of the worst professors at Baylor. Baylor should actually be ashamed for hiring him.  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:Ideas in Math - Mr. Cates is a little strange but seems like a nice person...his voice is hard to listen at times also. I will say that once you get past all of that, he is a good teacher. He is a little speedy, but very clear with his lessons and when he works examples. He is a little repetitive which is both good and bad; it can get annoying but he always asks if anyone has questions which gives the class a fair opportunity to learn from him. He definitely knows what he's talking about and teaches the lessons confidently. Doing the homework is a must even though it is optional, but if you do it the tests should be pretty manageable. This class is boring but an A is well within reach if you work for it.  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1301 - DO NOT TAKE MR. CATES EVER! The class isn't that hard, the material makes sense but Mr. Cates is an INCREDIBLY harsh grader! After taking the final I was expecting an A in the class, I knew everything on it. I had a C+. I asked Mr. Cates if I could see my grade so I could contest it. When I saw it I found out I only had two questions wrong. He took off points everywhere for not rounding BEFORE the final answer. He refused to even consider changing the grade. He felt that his style of grading was fair. One-on-one I feel that Mr. Cates is a very nice man, but in class he insults the intelligence of his students on a daily basis. If there is anyway you can avoid taking Mr. Cates do it. Nice man, horrible teacher.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1321 - Mr. Cates is hard to say whether you like/dislike him. He is a good teacher, but only to those students who seem to already know the material or are math majors, because they get it easier. I feel like he gets all the information in that you need to know, but he doesn't spend alot of time teaching what he knows the class needs. Instead he focused on just getting through all the material. The test are hard, they test over all notes and homework and that is alot of material, he gives a study guide, but it doesn't help. The homework is never bad, but the quizzes are anal so you better write everything correct or you miss the entire question...yes missing a negative will cost you the whole question and up to 2 points on the exams. He is a hard grader and it feels like when you take the final it is going to pay off, but it won't. I struggled through the final the same way that I struggled through his exams. I wouldn't say don't take him, but I would say think twice cause he is no joke.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1321-Cal 1 - Would not suggest this professor, he is very rude and talks down to anyone who asks a question. The homework is generally pretty easy, but he expects you to go to his office hours EVERY SINGLE DAY to check your answers (apparently having the right answer is more important to him than understanding the concepts). He is a terrible grader, any copy errors on the quizzes and he takes off for the entire problem. Tests are even worse, he takes off HUGE points for tiny errors (ex. losing 5 out of 8 points for forgetting the negative in answer, all other work is present and correct). He says in class "If you don't feel comfortable simplifying then just leave it as is, you don't want to make more mistakes" and then counts off for not simplifying. He is very rude when you go to his office to talk about your tests afterwards. The questions on the tests are much harder than the homework, they are definitely more complex and he only goes over problems from the book. I have taken calculus before and the way he tried to teach the material was so confusing that when I tried to go to tutoring the tutors were just as confused as I was. All in all, DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS. I will say that I did not take him by choice, I signed up for a specific prof and 2 days before class started they switched the prof. I should have dropped while I still had the chance...  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:Mth 1301 - Worst professor ever. He just stands up and writes on the board the questions from the book. A chimpanzee could do his job. When I took his class he only had tests for grades, which sucks since you don't know if you know it well or not and don't have hw to check your work. He is a terrible professor. Took the class with Shelley Brooks later and got an A. Take her she is mean and sarcastic but as long as you can be the same back to her she will like you. Don't take Cates, he is hogwash!  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1304 - I have taken pre calculus before this class, so I expected it to be a walk in the park. That was not the case. At the beginning of the semester he will tell you about all these ways you can make good grades and how things have extra points added to them. Some of it sounds really promising, and it is, but other parts are not. The quizzes were the things that really irritated me. Mr. Cates will assign homework, and then sometimes will have a quiz (which is a pop quiz) and will have a blank piece of paper with the number of the question he wants you to copy. It's always 4 questions, 20 points each. He is an extremely picky grader, and if you skip one tiny step the entire problem is wrong, and he hacks off 20 pints. He also says that if everyone attempts every problem on the quiz he will give everyone a 20 point bonus. Out of the 12 quizzes we had all year we NEVER actually earned a bonus. On tests he is picky too but, he does give a generous 5 point bonus if you get above a 70. Mr. Cates also LOVES to prove that he is right and you are wrong. One time I asked a question about something and apparently I misunderstood something that he did. He was positive that I was wrong and so I backed down and said it must have been something else. So he kept saying how if he made a mistake I need to tell him blah blah blah. He acts like he cares about you understanding, but really he just wants to hear you say "I'm stupid, and you know everything." He's very defensive about his teaching, which I don't understand why. However, he is a nice man outside of class, and does encourage people to be active in the Baylor activities. But I suggest taking someone else.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1304 - Cates is a pretty good precal professor. I could've made an A in this class so i'll give you tips. First off, theres homework/quiz grade, 4 exams and the final (5 total). He usually adds 5 points to an exam if you pass (over 70) or if it wasn't your lowest grade which was nice. Also if your final exam grade is better than your lowest regular exam grade, he will replace the lowest exam with the final exam grade. Now, understand you will want to work hard and have the 4th exam dropped because it is the most demanding concept wise. The other 3 were really easy if you study. Do ALL your homework and show all of your work. When you take quizzes, it is simply the homework problem transferred on to the quiz. But he WILL take off points for pretty much EVERYTHING so be careful (ex: Taking 2 points off for not having infinite arrows on the end of your graph)! Legitimately do all your homework after every class, get a white board and a marker, and just go over your homework again 2 days in advance until you know it all and you will have no problem getting an A. STAY ON TOP OF YOUR WORK! This class moves really fast and it's NOT HARD unless you fall behind! PS: For the final exam, study the final review and the past 4 exams and it's easy!  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1304 - I've always been raised to respect my professors and I have never had a problem with that until I met him. He was initially one of my favorite professors and he seemed so willing to help with any course material. Recently, it's like he flipped a switch and just hates everyone. He's a total creep and does a lot of inappropriate staring. If you ask a question, he'll try to make you feel stupid for asking it and he won't give you any sort of answer. He's very disrespectful and attempts to act superior in all situations. He's been so rude and condescending that I can't even sit through his class and pay attention. He is an awful person and his teaching approach is awful. I sincerely believe that nobody should sign up for his class. It'd be a huge mistake.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:Math 1301 - Mr. Cates was a great teacher. The class wasn't bad at all. The only grades are tests and the problems on the test are very similar to the problems in the notes and homework. If you just study the notes, you will be fine. He offers extra credit on the last 2 tests if you get a 70 or higher.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1321 - Without a doubt, the worst math teacher I have ever had. I have never made anything below a B in math before and made an A in college pre-calc before this class. He is flat out rude and demeaning to his students and when someone asks a question, he acts surprised that someone would not be able to understand something so simple, then he will go on to reexplain the question in the same way as if it helped. The usual response when someone asks where a piece of information came from was "uh, the book". Flat out rude. I went to math lab and tutoring sessions and still was lost in his class. His teaching method might help you but please know that over half of my class dropped this course. I would have dropped if I had enough hours to. The only people that did well in this class were those who had already taken calculus before. I am shocked that such a terrible professor remains on Baylor faculty after so many students drop and fail his class.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:MTH 1301 - Cates was okay. He’s a math professor, so it’s hard for an art major like myself to appreciate his class or his teaching style, but I definitely could have had worse for this required class. He taught straight out of the book and made sure students understood everything he was talking about. He frequently stopped his lecture to ask if anyone had questions and always encouraged students to speak up when they didn’t understand something. He made himself very accessible if students had questions, too, so by the time tests rolled around, there was really no reason for people to do poorly. However, he was a beast grader on tests. The material is easy, but if you don’t work the problems exactly the way he wants you to, you’ll lose points for showing the wrong kind of work. Yes, it’s busywork, but it was better just to placate him and show every. single. detail. of work on tests than to let your GPA drop because you were lazy. Homework is optional, but you should do it if you plan on doing well on the tests—and like I’ve said, if you want to do well on the tests, you have to do the problems exactly the way he shows in class. (In other words, take good notes.) There are definitely worse professors for this class, but just be warned about his grading style before you take him. Also, watch out for some ridiculously corny jokes. They’re so bad you have to laugh.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - Professor Cates is a good teacher. He assigns homework, but he doesnt collect it. However, the homework, notes and tests are very similar, so you do need to pay attention in class and do the homework. He is very big about showing work and doing things on the tests exactly how he did them in class, and will count points off if you vary. He only has 3 tests, so you must do well on them. However, he does allow that the final replace your lowest test grade. He is a very fair grader. Generally, he is a good teacher, and a very nice man.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Pre calc - Not a nice man. He is not helpful, he does not respond to questions well, and he is very rude. In class he is very clear about what he wants you to know, which is helpful. But don't ever expect a favor from him  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - I loved this class i am absolutely horrible at math and was dreading this class but he was such a good teacher hes funny and he makes it as simple as possible no homework really and the exams are exactly whats on the homework often word for word and the final is actually easier than the exams because he uses exact questions from the exams to make the final just show your work and thats about it he often gave us extra points too for improvement its pretty much impossible to fail his exams  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Ideas in Mathmetics - Kinda strange guy. Corny jokes but nice. He goes SUPER fast, but will take questions. He also repeats the material alot. Homework is optional-that being said, I didn't do it at first & bombed the first two tests. His final, though, consists of questions taken directly from the other 3 exams & he reviews you in class. Also gave 5 pts for scoring higher than your previous test grade everytime and drops your lowest grade & counts the final twice. No reason to not get an A in here.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:precalc for business - awesome instructor! formula to success... take notes+do homework+remember the formulas for their proper use= EASY A!. he talks funny but he knows what he is talking about! occasional corny joke! just laugh and write down the notes!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Ideas in Mathematics - Mr. Cates is a very good professor. He knows the material well and he wants to make sure you know it also. He tries to teach you shortcuts. Sometimes he moves a little fast, but he constantly asks if there are any questions. No homeowork assigned, only "On your own." 4 exams including the final. Your final replaces the lowest grade. I got bonus pts on just about every test. Class period before game day is review. And the final is a combo of each test. Should be an easy A. He is VERY sarcastic and makes you feel dumb sometimes for asking a question, but I would probably take him again.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - Cates is really a good professor. He is so clear in everything that he talks about. He is a bit redundant at times, but he just wants to make sure that you get the message. Not to often, but at times he'll throw in a little random joke. He moves a little fast sometimes, but if you ask questions he is more than willing to stop and make sure you are 100% fully understanding. There is no homework in this class, it is only 4 exams. The class before the test is a review day and he post a review sheet on line so I would look that up. He is amazing and I would definitely take his class. Oh, and go to class everyday and on time. He is NEVER late, and takes attendance every single day!!!  - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1301 - Mr. Cates is extremely patient; he really cares that each student understands what he is teaching. He tried to tell jokes, and they usually didn't make sense. He is very repetitive in his teaching which could be kind of annoying if you understood it the first time. He really wants students to ask questions so that he can help. He's a great guy! The homework is optional, and it also serves as the study material for the test. DO THE HOMEWORK  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1321 - First of all i want to start off by saying that i Do Not Recommend this professor at all! he's not exactly very helpful when it comes to learning the material. he has this demeanor of not really wanting to be there and that his students are kind of an annoyance. when he teaches the material hes not very clear and basicly just copys exactly what is said in the book (which already sounds confusing to begin with when you try to read it). As far as homework goes hes not really strict on doing it, and really doenst care if you do it or not, but his quizzes are the homework so its better if you do it. His quizzes are random and unexpected and consist of a blank page with 4-5 numbers on it that correspond to homework problems that he assigned, and all you can do is copy down the work you have for that problem. His grading is very hard! one little mess up with any form of notation can cost you 3-9 points on you exams even if you know what your doing. So look very carefully at everything to write down for exams and quizzes. altogether not very helpful and not a calc. prof. that i would suggest.   - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Ideas in Math - Overall Advise: Avoid him. He talks an increditablly boring subject, and makes it even more boring. I will say this, he is an extreamly nice guy and always will to help. However, he is totally unfair when it comes to grading. I cannot stress the word "unfair" enough. It doesn't matter if you get the correct answer or not, you have to do it his way and show EVERY LITTLE BIT of work. I spent so much time on each test trying to figure out how to show simple things that were so simple you can figure them out without thinking. If you don't write down EVERYTHING, you will do poorly. On the 3rd test, I got an F, which was totally unfair b/c I only got 1 answer wrong (out of like, 15-20 questions). The only grades in the class are tests. 4 Tests and a final. The final replaces the lowest test grade. Every question on the final is from a previous test (EXACTLY the same questions). He gives you a 5 point bump on every test that is higher than a 70 OR if it is higher than your lowest test grade. This class is sooo boring. There are always a TON on absences. It's not all his fault, a lot of it is just the subject matter. Sometimes he tries to make the subject more "lively" or "fun" but it doesn't really work. As a person, he's a great guy, not so much as a professor. Look elsewhere.   - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1301 - Mr. Cates is very thorough and patient with students. He is very approachable and understanding when a student is confused or needs extra help. He is the best all around math teacher I have ever had. The work is very managable and he presents the material in such a way that it is eay to grasp concepts. Good choice!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - First of all Cates is extremely condescending and he always seems like he would rather be anywhere else in the world than teaching a bunch of annoying college kids. He spends the whole period writing problems out of the book onto the board...but you can't read his hand writing!! He teaches and speaks very quickly, he has no tolerance for questions even though he stops every 30 seconds and asks if everyone understands. The math itself is VERY easy and he doesn't require you to turn in any homework or take any quizzes. So that means your entire grade is based off of the tests and final. The final replaces your lowest test score but the kicker is that he is a hard grader. If you don't find the answer the exact way he taught it, you will get counted off regardless if the answer is correct or not. I've never strongly disliked a professor at Baylor before but I can honestly say I cannot stand Cates. He will drive you nuts do NOT take him!!   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - Class itself is boring and I didn't find the notes to be too helpful. Homework is optional, so I would advise doing that before the tests in order to gain some understanding. Form a study group, it helped me out a lot. And study really hard for the final because 1) he uses the exact questions from previous tests, and 2) will replace your lowest test grade with your final grade if you do better on it. Ended up helping me out a lot, and getting me to that B+.   - Grade In Class:B+

Comments:1304 - Dr. Cates is very helpful if you ask him at the right time. Don’t talk to him right after class or anything because he’ll just tell you to go to his office hours. He knows his stuff but can’t teach it. He mearly does problems like you’ll have on your homework but you don’t gain any understanding in the material. He has random quizzes over the homework but there’s no partial credit. There is homework every night which is expected in classes, math especially the tests aren’t too bad and he is slightly better about giving partial credit as opposed to giving none.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1301 - Very nice and helpful but has an annoying accent, talks very fast, and has crazy, hard to read, handwriting. Pretty much he does all the even problems from the homework in class and then you do the odd by yourself and check them yourself. There are only 3 tests and a final but your final can replace your lowest grade. Homework is not turned in but it's very helpful for the tests. It's definitely not a hard class but not as easy as you might think.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Ideas in Math - Honestly, dont take him. He will annoy you when he hands back your exam. You will get every answer right, and still make a B for rounding errors and missing steps. Also, he does problems on the blackboard all class. You could really cut the middle man and teach yourself this if there was no attendance policy. Overall, I would look else where  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:PreCal - Mr. Cates is an excellent teacher that covers ALL of his bases when teaching you the material. He always asks if anyone has questions before moving on. And he WILL help you during office hours. The only downfall is that, like most math classes, the grading is difficult. Homework quizes are like this: you do the homework, go to his office and use his book to check (or even just copy the answers and work), then when he decides to give a quiz (which are random) you copy whatever you got on to the quiz paper. sound great, but there are only 4 or 5 questions and if you miss anything as simple as a negative or "y=" then the entire problem is wrong :/... The test are easy and graded reasonably. If you redo all of the homework and go to his office for any questions you have you should make above a B... Overall, good teacher, gives great help, just grades difficulty   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Business Calculus - Oh, I forgot about the logistics in his grading: You must show all work and get all your notation right. Most get a little pissed when their notation costs them a letter grade. I did. You can complain about the professor all you want but it doesn't change how he grades so just adapt. Don't miss any integral signs, equal signs, boxing of answers, etc. And try to be neat and legible with your writing.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Business Calc - Here's a detailed scouting report of the Business Calculus class, taught by Cates: I can only speak from my experience with him last semester as a freshman and I think he was a pretty nice guy that wanted his students to do well. I never saw him for help during his office hours but it surely couldn't hurt. Oh and try your best not to get on his bad side, which isn't a hard feat but just don't talk while he does ... he doesn't like it at all. If you're taking business calculus, chances are you don't really care so much about calculus and you're only in it because you have to be ... You don't care whether you get the material after the semester, you just need it for each test ... right? Depending on what kind of student you are, it's not hard at all to simply pass the class and reach your business requirement. If you want an A, it'll take some work. It's not really a particularly hard class, but you need to be especially persistent with your homework (reason in next paragraph) and studies. In class: it's quite the bore ... not going to lie. I would be a hypocrite to say "Pay attention for everything he says" because I didn't. I tried, but the most effective thing I could do was copy everything he did on the board and try to pick up on snippets he said he and there. If you're better at just listening and trying to get the material right when he explains it in class, go for it. For me, it just helps to have notes written there so that I could always go to them if I didn't understand something. -Note: What he writes on the board is almost identical to the homework problems you'll need to do that night, so you better not miss too many days. It's a hassle catching up. *If you don't copy ALL the notes in class (it's vigorous but necessary ... for most), you probably wont do well on the homework, thus the quizzes, thus the tests, thus the final, thus the class.* The foundation of your grade lies in what you do during class time. Quizzes/Homework: He starts out the first day explaining that there is a potential quiz EVERYDAY based exactly off the homework problems you should have done the night before. He allows you to use your homework on all the quizzes by simply having a mostly blank sheet of paper with a # of the problem, meaning you better copy the # of the problem and the problem for every homework question. I think every quiz has 4 questions. He explains it all first day of class. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you do your homework and do it right. That way you have no excuse whatsoever to not have an A+ homework average and in the end, your hwk avg is worth a test grade. It's huge. He'll also throw in some extra credit deal where if everyone in the class attempts the problem ... you get 20 pts more on the quiz. It's not much but it's enough to hassle your classmates to start caring. Tests: The first one is by far the easiest and one you absolutely must force yourself to ace. If you don't, and you don't change your preparation and study, you're in for a long semester. I aced the first test with some prep put in (the material is easy enough for you to get so prideful that you think you don't need to study, but do it anyway). The rest of the tests were in between failing and A :). Don't be too discouraged if you fail one or two. There's still hope. Try not to cram for it ... inevitable to do so anyway? Maybe. -Note: *You're best shot at doing well on tests is to be able to look at a homework problem or a problem you copy on the board in class and be able to do it with no notes, no homework to refer to, looking at nothing but the problem. If you can do this for all the homework problems, you're set.* Final: I went into it with a 86 or something and I needed like a 96 or higher to get an A in the class. He tells you straight up that the final is all the past exams combined ... So memorize all of them and how to do them (in the same way you're ready to do well on tests). It obviously requires work and there are different test forms (basically the same tests but with different #'s in the problems and thus different answers), but during finals week, you should have enough time to do this. I stayed up quite late doing this and it really did pay all as I barely scraped by with an A. And make no mistake, I'm not good in any way in calculus or math in general anymore. It's just all about persistence and how much you want it.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Bus. Cal - Mr. Cates is a very nice man and is very helpful and patient. He does, however, go through class notes very quickly and does not allow for students to work through problems themselves, which is a problem sometimes when working on homework (you rely too much on the notes and not what you learned in class). He loves to help, so take advantage of his office hours or make an appointment. The first test is way easier than all the others so don't slack off after the first one.   - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Pre-Cal - I assumed that since I took pre-cal in high school and had gotten a B that this class would be a breeze. False. Professor Cates has been one of the hardest teachers I've had at Baylor. He is hard to understand during class and is not very willing to answer questions. Would definately reccommend going in to talk with him. He is more willing to answer questions if you go in and see him. There are ususally daily homework quizzes so do your homework  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1304 - Cates is TERRIBLE. Do not take his class. He is SUCH a rude, demeaning, and weird person. He talks about 400 miles an hour and if you ask a question, he just says what he said a minute ago AGAIN, then moves on- leaving you with your questions unanswered. I guess if you already know the material, you'll be fine, but if you ever have any questions, Cates is literally unable to answer them. I went into his office one day and pointed to an exact question I had and he told me to look at my notes from class. UNHELPFUL.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1301-Ideas - TAKE CATES FOR IDEAS IN MATH!! He explains things really well and gives 5 pt bonus on tests, and your final exam gets to replace your lowest test grade if it's higher!!! His tests are easy if you do your homework and copy down the problems he do on the board in class. I made a 69 on my first test because i thought the class was supposed to be really easy, so i didn't study, but that's not true!!!! You have to at least finish all your homework problems. I did what he said, and I made a 98 on my second test!!! Third test is an A too!! I think he is pretty helpful if you don't understand any problems. EASY CLASS compared to other professors in the same course.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1309 - First off, I did not go to class or do the homework so I deserved what I got. However, Cates talks down to his students and was very rude on several occasions. He gives pop quizzes probably averaging once a week, just do the homework. His tests aren't terribly bad. If you are looking for a nice guy, this is not it.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1301 Pre-Calc - I advise anyone who dislikes math to reconsider this prof. I know some people found his teaching style helpful, but it made the material far more challenging than was necessary for me. I thought the material was presented too fast, and I get the feeling that he gets that criticism a lot. He often asks for questions, but if you actually trouble him with any, he rushes through an equally hasty answer. He offers office hours, but I'm still down-grading his availability because I always felt like I was bothering him for not understanding something. Understand he grades QUITE strictly. I've never had an issue getting full credit for a math problem if I knew how to do it before this class. It was commonplace for me to rack up 10-20 deducted points for missing steps alone on tests (even if it was correct and other steps were present). If you have confidence in your math ability or like teaching yourself, give Cates a try. If not, just save yourself a world of hurt and go for Ideas in Math. I wish I had.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1301 - Cates is a peculiar kind of fellow, but is a nice man. He grades very critically and counts off for every little thing. If your answer is right but you skipped showing one step the whole thing is wrong. I knew people with good backgrounds in math had trouble in class. He goes rather quickly and when I went to go ask for help I felt it was forced. I am now in another professor's class and it is a million times better so just be careful when you choose your professors it can make a world of difference. Take him if you have a super strong background in pre-cal and do not take him if its been awhile since you have been in a math class.  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:Mathematical Ideas - For Mathematical Ideas and Concepts, Cates was a fair teacher. He does tend to move VERY fast through the lessons, and if you are not paying complete attention, it can be easy to lose track. However, the material in this course was not hard, and I could learn most of it by simply doing the homework. He is very picky about the tests, and if you do not do it exactly as he does, he will take off points. Not the best to go to for help either. Overall, he's an ok professor.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1301 - Mr. Cates is something else...I guess he's a good professor overall, but I just never could seem to find my niche in his class. My C+ may make this sound bias, but I just don't like the way he teaches math. Already disliked math to begin with, but he has made me even more glad I never have to take another class in it again.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1321-Cal 1 - Dr. Cates is a great calculus professor. I took calculus in high school, but I did not understand it very well. Dr. Cates explained it in a way i could understand. He gives homework, but he does not take it up. However, there is a quiz every day, and you have to do the homework because he puts 4 questions from the homework on the quiz and you use your homework and write down whatever answers you have written on your homework. It is helpful to go to his office and use the solution manual to check your homework, and he encourages this. He is very picky about detail on the quizzes and gives no partial credit. There are 3 tests. If you either improve since the last test or make 70 or above, you get an automatic 5 points added to your test. If your final exam is not your lowest test grade it will take the place of your lowest test grade as well as count for your final - altogether that is 36% of your grade. Study the homework for the tests and rework the problems. Also, take notes in class because usually he does a few of the homework problems while teaching his lesson. Overall, Dr. Cates is a good calculus professor because he explains well and is reasonable. He gives plenty of chances to get an A in his class.   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - I am an A student & this is the class that lowered my GPA big-time. If you are not a math person/test-taker, I wouldn't recommend this class. All he gives are tests & homework is not picked up. When you see him, he is ONLY available during his office hours. Like I said, unless you are a great test-taker, take him. I should have dropped when I had the chance.   - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1304 - Great teacher. He is a little bit goofy but overall he is a very good teacher and he makes things easy. He explains everything but if you dont go to class you'll get a C or B. Go to class, study for an hour before tests and you'll get an A.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1304 - Awful, just awful. Cates is a strange old man with nothing better to do then make confused students feel like crap. I have honestly never seen any professor belittle students the way he did. On top of that, he can't teach at all and isn't willing to help you even if you come to office hours. Avoid at all costs!  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1304 - Goodness, I could not stand this man. He's a horrible, horrible teacher. If you don't have a prior knowledge of the material, don't take him. And he's soooo awkward to boot.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1301 - AMAZING! Easy work load, nice guy. Wants everyone to do well  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Ideas of Math - Cates is a great professor. The only thing i dislike about him is that if you dont show ALL of your work on tests, he counts the whole thing wrong, but at the same time, if you show all of your work and get the answer wrong, he gives you half credit. But I learned everything really well, he great at teaching and knows the material very well! Take him!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:math - He wasn't a hard teacher at all. He gives you every opportunity to make an A. TAKE HIM!  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1321 - He is a pretty good teacher. He has great office hours and is always willing to help. A lot of people in my class failed his tests, but I did not have too much of a problem with them. Homework is mandatory in his class because they count as quizzes and they all add up to equal a test. Overall, I would recommend him. He is not an easy teacher, but he is not a hard one either.   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - Cates is a rude, mean, and he cannot teach!!!He reminds me of Richard Simmons by the way he looks and acts! This class is dumb and he likes to give big F's on your test.I had to teach myself this crap and that is the only reason I got a B. If you go to him for help, he wont help you, he will just ask if you have your notes. I wouldn't take him again unless you know he likes you. He takes off of a lot of points if you dont round correctly so if you take him remember to round.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:MTH 1304-PreCal - Looking back at my notes from his class, I see nothing but examples from the book. I went to class everyday, did my homework and got and 80 avg. on the quizzes. Then why the F? Because all Cates did was give you facts. What good is memorizing facts, if you have to apply them? The tests were horrible. He took off for everything. When I did go in for help, he would give me a really demeaning look and say" I just don't understand why you don't get it?" A good thing about him...he was available for help , but like I said, not worth it.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1304 - Take his class only if you have taken pre-cal in high school. His notes consist of homework problems and he goes pretty fast. The only people that did really well were the people that had a good background of pre-cal in high school. Do the homework because that's what the quizzes consist of. The tests are do-able if you keep on top of your homework.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - If YOU are a BAD TEST TAKER do NOT take this class with him. He only has 3 exams and a final. If you flunk one test you will be in a constant uphill battle for the rest of the class. He gives you the expected amount of homework for a math class but make sure you go in with questions for him. Honestly, I would NOT take him again.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1304 PreCal - My favorite teacher thus far. He is hilarious! And not only that but he is a good teacher. He will not move on with a problem until everyone understands it. Explains very well and is very patient. He is awesome. I wish I had taken him for calculus also because my new teacher stinks! Take Mr. Cates! Easy class and enjoyable.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1304 - He assumes that everyone knows the material. He has office hours where you can copy or check your homework answers before the quiz. Quizzes were pretty much everyday. He doesn't really explain that well. If everyone agreed that one problem on the test was not like the homework then he would review it and redo grades but that rarely happened. The tests are not multiple choice. If you do your homework and understand the material, you should be fine. The reason I made an F was because I didn't take the time to learn the basics in transformations,logs,and trig.   - Grade In Class:F

Comments:Ideas - Very easy class. Cates does a solid job of explaining all the lessons. You don't even have to keep up with your homework as long as you go over it a few days before the test. He doesn't drop a test, but your Final Exam score replaces the lowest test score, and he uses the same test questions on the Final that are on all the other tests. I studied like hell and made a hundred on the Final, and so can anyone else...just don't throw your tests away throughout the semester.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1304 - His homework load is average, but overall, he is a terrible teacher. He speeds through notes, and only asks for questions when he stops to take a breath. Whether in class, or outside of class, he is unable to answer a question. An amiable guy to be sure, but don't take his class if you haven't already had calculus.   - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1304 - This is a pick it up and do it yourself class. He does offer to help you if you need it but tests are extremly difficult and he is probally one of the hardest grading math teachers. Cates is different...awakard at times...not lots of fun... but wants you to do good and wants respect...  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1401 - Okay so he is nice and really goofy, but I honestly hated this class. Cates would rush through as much material as possible everyday. He counts off for random stuff on tests, even when you get the right answer. There is a homework quiz almost every single day. He does have office hours though where you can go and check your homework and get the right answers and then use it on your quiz in class.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - He is a great teacher. he makes sure everyone knows what he is talking about. he does make this real annoying sound but its fun to count how many times he does it in a class period. But he gives no homework just exams and they are from the homework which he does not take up  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1304 - awful teacher, this guy is awful ... don't even bother showing up for class, you can teach yourself, the only good thing about this class is that the quizes are straight from the homework, so if you do the homework you can bring it to class and use it on the quiz ... also if you are having problems wit the homework, you can go into his office and he will let you straight up copy the answers from his book so thats good ..... but the final is REALLY HARD ... and he doesnt really prepare you for it.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:Business Calculus - He's a great teacher and always knows what he's doing and always takes questions and answers them well. However, he moves really really fast, gives homework every night, and his tests are a LOAD to study for. Maybe it's just me but I just can't the hang of calculus, period. Anyway, he's a good prof but this class takes a lot of time and work.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1304 - I had him for precal. But I had already took precal and calc in high school. He DOES NOT KNOW how to teach. He is nice and everything but does not explain anything. I felt sorry for the kids in my class you had never taken precal because he did not teach them well to prepare them for calculus. His tests are easy(remember I already took the subject in high school) and they are from the homework and call notes. All you need to do is do the homework and you will get an A because if you get the concept you will get a good grade. The quizzes are the homework..well sort of. How it works is that he will pick a few problems out of the homework and gives you a balnk sheet of paper. Your are to copy what you did for your homework. So in other words, do your homework. He is nice and everything but when you ask him a question he gets really fiesty and tries to argrue with you, even though you are only trying to understand it.   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:MTH 1304 - He is very helpful and is always available during office hours. His tests are straight-forward and his quizzes are just homework questions. Overall, he is a great teacher. I would recommend him.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:precal - Really, really awful. So unhelpful, awkward and he takes off tons of points for ridiculous mistakes. DO NOT TAKE.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1304 - He's a really good teacher and he's funny. I'm not very good at math, and he lays the material out there in a way that even I can understand. The quizzes are just the homework, so do the homework and you'll do great. Sometimes he goes a little fast, but overall he's a good teacher.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:1301 - Mr. Cates' exams are very similar to the notes and homework. If you study them, you should do great!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1304 - Mr. Cates helps students outside of his office hours when they need extra help. He's willing to go the extra mile.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1320 - He is the most akward person ever, has yelled at me MULTIPLE times in class for things like asking for more time on a quiz or for asking questions. His office hours are nice, but he is so nitpicky, nothing will help your grade.   - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1304 - He grades harder than every teacher I have ever had. He screws you over on grading. I found a question that was in our test that came straight from the book, and I got it COMPLETELY wrong because I didn't show an addition step... You have to suck up hardcore.. and be a girl..  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1321 - Horrible professor. He takes off points for stupid things like not labeling, etc. He is a very nice man and available often to help, but cannot teach to save his life. I went in to his office to ask him a question a couple times and he didn't explain it at all. I would recommend him to NO one (unless you have taken calculus before and know exactly what you're doing). I took cal 1 again with a different professor and got an A.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:Calc 1 - As I started the semester in this class, it all seemed okay. I liked the assignment quizzes. Do your homework and get a good quiz average. That was fine with me. However, he assumes kids do very strange things that I know do not happen. He said he does not curve tests, because he wants to prevent a class from getting together and planning to bomb a test in order for there to be a large curve. I am sorry, but when has this ever happened? There will always be AT LEAST a handful of kids that are not stupid and would not comply, thus throwing off the plan. For him to think that is very strange. Also, after doing every single assignment correctly (aka I get 100s on all of the quizzes), I get a D- on my first test. Every single answer was right, but I did not show enough work. I asked him about this, and he tells me it is because I skipped about 3 or 4 steps. Note: They were problems that I figured in my head a little, and after remembering I needed to show more work, I went back and arrowed in necessary steps to reach the answer that I did. I point to the work that I arrowed in, and he simply responds with "I understand, I understand". I do this day don't know what this meant. I know my grade remained the same though. It seemed that he also marked fairly spontaneous amounts of points off for the work I supposedly did not provide. Also, if I answered with "2x+5" instead of "y=2x+5", he took off a larger chunk than I would expect to be necessary. In other words, I got all the answers right on the test, and even showed work, but it was not good enough. The amount of points representing what was not good enough for him amounted in around 38 points, thus giving me the D-. Crazy. Anyway, I did appreciate the fact that if you do better than you did on the first test, you get 5 extra points. I still barely made A's with this addition, however. He also teaches VERY FAST. He asks if anyone has questions, but he asks so fast that no one has time to think if they even have any. When it came to the final, I did much worse than I hoped to, despite the huge amount of time I put in studying. I calculated that I needed a 93 on the final to get an A in the class, which I knew I could not get since I thought I did horrible, and since when I felt like I aced a previous test I did not. I ended up with an A in the class, meaning that I obviously made an A on the final. I remember that other teachers graded my final, however. Coincidence?  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:MTH 1309 - This professor was absolutely terrible. Definitely the worst professor I've EVER had. He never actually taught during class, and anytime I went in to get help he would look at me like I was an idiot (and my questions were not stupid at all)... I could honestly say that this man had no heart! And I'm not usually a mean person like that!!  - Grade In Class:C

Comments:1301 - Cates is awkward. The class isn't bad at all if you do your homework. Everything taught in that class you can learn on your own time. The tests are homework problems and the final is questions taken from the test. Do your homework and you'll be fine.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Calc 1309 - He is very inconsiderate to students needs. I had suffered from some personal problems and requested an incomplete for a grade and although I got the appropriate excuses he still did not want to give me an incomplete. I thing this professor doesn�t belong at Baylor because he does not understand the stresses that we undergo each day! The test were very difficult and not a very good measure of my abilities. Do not take this prof if you need a prof that .understands students!!! Also he suspects everyone of cheating which makes me uncomfortable.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:1321 - very helpful teacher. moves at a fast pace if you dont quite understand math. will make time to help you if you cant come during office hours. has reviews before test if you ask. i didnt do so well b/c of my other classes and math is hard for me  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1301 - Cates is funny, and quirky with an endearing sense of humor in the classroom, but one on one he is so rude and unfriendly, he makes you feel two feet tall with phrases like "I just don't see why you don't get it." Some like him, I didn't.  - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1308 - Very, very fair professor. He gives alot of quizes but they come straight from the homework and he ended up dropping 4 of your lowest ones. His tests are also pretty straight forward, alot of the questions are the exact problems from the homework. The final is also really easy, its exact problems from previous tests and he ended up replacing our final with our lowest test grade too. I had 3 tests that were C's and below and still managed to pull an A in the class. I'd definately take him again  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1308 - One of the nicest professors at Baylor. Very helpful. Not the greatest teacher, but he helps you out at every turn. Wonderful guy!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - if you like being spoonfed, this is your guy...easy..do your homework..it's not that much but be on time otherwise you cant turn it in...good with partial credit, easy tests, no quizzes...take the guy  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1304 - so here's the deal, math at Baylor just sucks, so that's unavoidable. uh cates is aight I guess, you have to learn how to write really fast because he talks and writes faster then i've ever seen. do the first 5-6 questions from your hw every night because the quiz is always over those.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:1309 - Prof Cates is my teacher for a subject I don't particularly enjoy. Although he pretty much only works examples on the board in class, he DOES give lots of partial credit on tests. He also gives tons of random bonus points and curves. He does near-daily quizzes, which are copying down four problems from the homework. ALthough he gives no partial credit on these, missing all four is a 40 instead of a zero. He also dropped our four lowest quizzes at the end of the semester. He helps with any problem you ask him with, and posts test reviews online.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Cal - Forget long descriptions, the truth to this professor depends on your own skills at calculus. You can listen to other people say he's a great teacher, but having taken another professor for this same course, I'd say he grades 100 x harder, and gives no partial credit. either you get it right, your you don't. avoid.  - Grade In Class:DROP

Comments:1309 (Bus Cal) - This class is pretty straight forward. You show up, take a quiz, which is just copying from your homework, and have 3 tests, which are really easy if you've kept up. However, he assigns more problems than necessary. Also, he spends most of class time just doing examples from the book. All the problems on the final are taken from old tests. Cates notices how hard you work in class, and if he sees you making a good effort, he'll try his best to help you. As long as you check your hw with Cates before class and memorize a couple formulas, you shouldn't have a problem making an A.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Pre-Cal - I don't know how well I would've done in this class if I hadn't taken it already in high school but it's really easy! Keep up with your homework for the random quizzes (you just copy down your homework and turn it in). He just does example problems for lecture and explains the section a little bit. He has pretty good office hours and basically tells you to come to his office and copy the homework! Defintely recommended!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1304 - all he does is put examples on the board in class, he teaches everything exactly straight out of the book, going to class is just a waste of time except for the RANDOM HW QUIZZES.thankfully looking at the book is all you really need to figure out whats going on, except for the chapter about sine's / cosine's..etc he doesnt seem to care about the students that much EXTREMELY NITPICKY. 1 little mistake counts alot of pts off.   - Grade In Class:B

Comments:MTH 1309 - We pretty much had a quiz everyday that was randomly selected from our homework problems. If you keep up with the homework, then it shouldn't be a problem. Mr. Cates tends to play favorites so just make sure you don't get on his bad side. The tests were what did me in. As for content on these tests, look at the other comments because I took this class last semester and don't remember what was on the tests.  - Grade In Class:F

Comments:MTH1309 - Cates is an overall great teacher. You'll have a quiz almost every day but its all problems from the homework (which you are allowed to use). Tests are easy! Hes a real nice guy and seems to always be there to help. He's a real good choice for this class and I would highly reccomend him to anyone, especially if you dont know a lot about calc.  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1308 - Good teacher, explains problems pretty well. Teaching style is boring - he does problems on the board the whole class, back turned to you. Also students must do all hw assignments in order to get good grades on pop quizes, which are held mostly every class period. Dont fall behind in class because it is hard to catch up.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:ideas - I really enjoyed Mr. Cates... he is very informative and makes sure you understand the material before the test. I highly recomend taking his class.  - Grade In Class:B

Comments:Pre-Cal - Your grade in this class depends on how much work you put into it. Quizzes/HW are given, but you can check ALL answers at his office. He tells you exactly which questions appear on test, but it is out of like fifty problems. Your Effort=Your Grade  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1301 - I know little about math and it is NOT my subject, but Mr Cates makes it so easy to understand, i highly recommend taking this class!  - Grade In Class:A

Comments:1309 - Prof. Cates is a great teacher! He reminds me a little of the designer Christopher Lowel. But, he goes over all the hw problems in class, is available to let you check hw since he has quizes over it in class and is a really great man! I highly recommend taking him! You get review sheets before every test and a bonus question.   - Grade In Class:A

Comments:Pre-Cal - Very different personality. Through out class all he does is write ex.'s on the board, when students ask questions, he can not explain them to students. Test are dreadful!!! Totally unpredictable questions that were not discussed. Hard grader, if you make 1 mistake... 10 pts off!!! 1/2 of my class has to retake Pre-Cal... Do Not Take Him!!!   - Grade In Class:D

Comments:1315 - This teacher is not good news at all. I wouldn't say the worst, but he gives alot of meaningless work and is not helpful at all. I do agree that he is rude and sarcastic alot of the time. The class was extremely boring and his tests sometimes don't make sense.  - Grade In Class:C+

Comments:ideas in mathematics - Don't take this teacher! Mr. Cates was very unhelpful, and an extremely boring teacher. He is also rude to students. No homework questions are answered until the class right before a test. Most students fall asleep during classes, and some even walk out. There is not much homework, but if you are not mathematically inclined, you'll have to find somebody who is, because you'll basically be teaching yourself.  - Grade In Class:D