Ali M. Tabatabaian

Tababtabian is not a very good professor. He seems to be a nice man outside the classroom, but he's horrible inside. He goes very fast in class and doesn't collect any of the homework; therefore, no one has an incentive to do it. He does go over the assigned work, though. But, when you ask him a question, he already expects you to know the answer and you get the vibe that you're wasting his time. Like I said, he is a benevolent man, but a horrible teacher.

First, beware that he does give an entrance test, so if you're at all unsure about your algebra, don't get stuck with a class you can't take while all other sections are already full.

Nothing more needs to be said about his accent, only that I understood him and I'm not Indian.

Contrary to what a reviewer said, homeworks are not harder than average. He DOES NOT pick the hardest problems.

Endearing guy.

First off, it goes without saying that, yes, this professor has an accent; however, I still passed this class.

His personality is good, but can seem scary at first because there is an entrance test that you must pass (according to his curve) to stay in the class. Study your algebra!

He ends up being a pretty laid back guy though during lectures. If you're quick, you might even catch him making a few jokes.

BUT, if you're not solid with your math background, I don't suggest taking him. If you need an extra oomph of help in your lectures, maybe I'd keep searching for a different section.

Exams are hard (but fair) and are graded on a curve. Each of the 3 exams are worth 25% of your grade, and the remaining 25% is your homework and quiz scores -- yes, homework is graded! Final is not cummulative.

I know people on here mentioned Prof. Tabatabaian had an accent, but I thought to myself, "Ok..he can't be THAT bad. If he does have an accent, I'm SURE I'll be able to handle it." I didn't trust the reviews..I thought you guys were just exaggerating so I went ahead and gave Prof. Tabatabaian the benefit of the doubt.

BOY WAS I WRONG!

Okay..I'm sure this teacher means well.. he seems like a very nice man but D-A-M-N! His accent is reallyyyy bad and to top it off, like another reviewer mentioned, he mumbles to himself sometimes...you can barely make out what he's saying! Additionally, he hardly explains anything -- he breezes through material pretty fast and if you're not a math whiz, you're pretty much left hanging. You guys are so right; it seems like you need to have some kind of Calculus background to survive in his class. I mean Prof. Tabatabaian is a really nice man, so go ahead and give him a chance if you want but remember: You have been warned! (By the way, I ended up dropping his class last semester cuz I didn't want to risk lowering my GPA.)

Calculus is a good class because it enhances your quantitative reasoning. Because of this professor, calculus becomes hard and complicated. Mr. Tabatabaian is a good teacher but because of his thick accent it is hard for students to grasp the subject he's talking about. That's not all, he mumbles sometimes. I've witnessed students withdrawing and dropping his class. He grades hard especially on quizzes. Even though you get the final answer and you did all the steps but missed "one step" your work will be nothing. The other problem is that book and the professor's way of solving a specific problem are different. So you get 2 contrasting steps to solve a problem. If you have taken calculus in high school or have a history of calculus, then it's fine taking this teacher. But if you have no history in calculus and just took trigonometry in high school, then don't take this teacher. If you want to take calculus, I would recommend either taking pre-calculus or Calculus w/pre-cal to get further help.

this is my third semester of calculus, and this is the best teacher i've had. there really isn't much more he can do. he is a real nice guy, and is able to teach real well. unlike other teachers that i've had, he is a real kewl guy, and you don't feel any aprehension to ask questions or talk to him after class. i have teachers that make you afraid to speak to them. and when you do get the nerve to speak to them, they make you just want it to end. this guy is the total opposite. i am doing pretty decent in his class. i am only averaging about a c, so i am not giving him a good grade because i am acing the class. i admit, it's not an a or b on my fault.

The instructor is a very nice man, and obviously very intelligent, but he has a BIG problem!!! He is extremely difficult to understand (because of his THICK accent) and he tends to mumble on top of that! Once you get past the "language barrier" you start learning, but I found myself concentrating more on the words that were coming out of his mouth, rather than the content.

He was one of the best teachers I have ever had at SFSU because he challenges the student and is a very nice teacher. He is extremely articulate and very smart as well. He gives a moderate amount of homework, but it definitely helps the student understand. I have heard from others that he is a very tough profesor, and that is true, but the reward is great. I learned so much from him, so take his class and experience excellence.