1. Go to class. 2. Do not talk before class, he will give quizzes. 3. Study before each class. He likes to do "sponge activities" these are little games/quizzes that he does before class that cover the material from the previous class. The class participates as a group, he'll call a few people up, and if you fail the activity you'll have a quiz next class. They aren't usually that difficult, but they can be tricky. You can also get certain "prizes" from the activities, like extra credit or help on a test.

One of the best professors I've had so far. But be ready because he is not like your normal professor. He's like a football coach...he'll cuss and scream at the class to get his point across. He does "sponge activities" about once a week where 3-4 people get called up to do problems in front of everybody. This makes sure that you study before every class and you really know the material. Take his class.

Pros: He is available for office hours frequently.

Cons: He grades according to how he feels like he should grade and will randomly take points off if he does not like you. Professor Lemons also completely degrades his students and would rather try and show his students how he is "smarter" than them, than to teach them well. He also has no idea how to explain anything to his students.

Professor Lemons was BY FAR the worst professor I have ever had. I would strongly recommend any student to avoid taking a class taught by him because he has no respect for his students at all.

I won't be the first to admit Stat social Science can be a hard class and that Prof. Lemons runs a tight ship, but in spite of his rather difficult tests and quizzes, he is a fair man, and rewards hard work. He WILL call you out if you're asleep, playing games, or on facebook and not miss a beat in his lecture. He tends to enjoy singling Cadets out for his pop quizes, which are done in a game show type fashion.

Where to start with Lemons. He's ex military, completely jacked, and I'd peg him at under 30. He's a hard ass who doesn't care about publicly humiliating you by making you do a problem in front of 250 people. Fortunately I never had to do this. Every week or so you have a 'Sponge Activity' which is a crazy game show style quiz which one to three people take on the overhead. Bonuses for getting the activity correct range from not having to take a quiz to getting ~10 percentage points on your final grade (i kid you not). Failing the activity means something bad is going to happen.



You start the class with 0 points and you accumulate points based on your performance. You can get a 120% in the class if you did everything and got it all right, but its pretty tough. Homeworks are graded for extreme accuracy.



Although how he runs his class is kind of weird, you cant say he isn't knowledgeable. He is available if you need help and I think deep down hes a pretty nice guy (one on one anyway). I did not do well in this class and I withdrew because I was uncertain if I could get a good grade in the class. I took the class later with Megan Lutz and got a solid B.

He is hilarious and will boost your grade if he can tell you are putting out the effort. He can get pissed off so don't fall asleep or anything to distract the class. But you will love him if you don't piss him off. He offers lots of extra credit and DO IT because his class is not easy if you suck at math like I did. I should have gotten a D+, but he knew I came to class EVERYday so he gave me a C+. Also go to his tutoring sessions on the projects or minitab assignments because he gives you the answers!!!

Great teacher!! Will help students in any way possible. Make sure he gets to know who you are, go to his office hours. Makes everything very understandable. He posts the lecture notes on blackboard but only the " student" version so you have to go to class to see the full version. Gives a lot of bonus points throughout the semester. HIGHLY recommended!

This guy is great, one of my favorite professors. Anyone should be able to get an A in this class as long as they attend class and study the lecture power points. His tests are hard but he gives lots of bonus points and he curves the final grade so much you would think it was christmas

I LOVE this professor!! He doesn't take any crap, and I wish all my professors were like him. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I actually want to be here to learn something, not sit in class and socialize, then get a A for doing nothing. You can not talk in his class or play on your laptop, and if you do the entire class will be given a quiz. I thought that after the first quiz people would learn to shut up, but of course that didn't happen. So if you have a lot of loud mouths in your class, good luck!! As far as teaching the material goes, he's great at explaining the concepts and relating them to real-life situations. He wants to make sure everyone understands and will answer every question you ask until you get it. He curves the final grades IF you don't have absences (attendance checks are done at random, so you could miss class and get lucky). For our last exam he held 4 2-hour review sessions to try to help us out, 3 of them were over the weekend. Not many professors would take that much of their own free time out to help students. I don't think the exams were that hard, as long as you go to class and pay attention.

Pros: HUGE curve if you attend all classes, really fun attitude, great atmosphere for learning, review sessions, super nice guy, great in office hours

Cons: Pretty difficult material, tests are really hard

Professor Lemons is by far one of the most challenging teachers I have had at Virginia Tech. His teaching style is intimidating to say the least. His tests--and the material they cover--are difficult to understand and master. But despite all this, I have never miss a single class of his, nor do I plan to. Professor Lemons truly cares about every single student sitting in each and every one of his classes. His methods--quite classroom, sponge activities, etc--truly show how desperately he wants us to not only succeed, but reach our full potential. His class has been ridiculously hard (the first test literally had me on the phone crying to my mommy) but the inner strength and self-value I have gained because I took this course were worth it. Professor Lemons is one of the best teachers at Virginia Tech and I wouldn't be the same person having not been his student.

Lemons is a good professor. He is really intense but in the long run that helped me. Sometimes it can be irritating because you feel like he isn't being fair or understanding. But he is. His class is just a class you need to study and be prepared in. And come to every class. It will all work out in the end. The curve is splendid! And the recitation is like having points given to you as long as you go.

The only thing that would account for Lemons having a bad rating is because students can't handle a professor who is down to earth and confident in his teaching. He is extremely fair with grading and knowledgeable about all matter. Students often mistake confidence for cockiness thus resulting in not liking him. He is often available and will help you with whatever you need. Best Professor

Pros: great curve at the end. awesome teacher. really wants you to learn the material and awesome during his office hours

Cons: it is a hard class and a lot of work/studying

study after every lecture and go to his office hours or call him if you need help. he is really nice if you talk to him and extremely helpful

He can be intimidating sometimes, but he knows his stuff. He has sponge activity right after he completes one power point notes, they help you to study and they are fun too! His quizes are alot harder than they exams but if you pass the sponge activity he won't give you any quizes.

One of the most interesting professors you will ever have. Fun to listen to and makes Statistics interesting and bearable. Show up to class and know your stuff and the class will not be difficult. Awesome curve and attendance credit

He is really fair i think-- we get partners on a test plus a group of 3 for the final. Make sure you go to class and actually pay attention, don't fall asleep!! Definitely one of my favorite teachers

Seems really intense at first, but it's all in your best interest. Sponge activities can be scary, but if you study before class they really aren't hard.

He teaches STAT 3005 like were little kids...I think it makes the material very easy to understand and apply

Pros: Knowledgeable about statistics and really makes sure we understand the concepts being taught.

Cons: Punishes the class (occasionally) due to one student.

Dr. Lemons is a good professor. His teaching methods may be unusual at first, but he means the best and wants us to succeed and do well in the class. The lectures are not difficult, and the notes are easy to follow along with, but the trick is to take GOOD notes! On occassion, he may have "sponge activities" where he picks students from the class to complete a problem or task. This activity, if won, has special prizes at the end (money, take-home exam, double/triple up on exams etc...). You need to study in order to succeed in the sponge activity because they are very important in showing him what the class knows/doesn't know. Also, the rescitation classes that accompany statistics is an easy class - just one worksheet a week. They are worth 2-3 points and they can help boost your grade (ex: 15 points in worksheets = 1 exam).

Pros: Engaging, enjoyable, intelligent, works for the student

Cons: none

Professor Lemons is a great professor. He works with his students who are his 'family' as long as they A) help themselves and B) help each other. He has sponge activities, as many have mentioned, that put a small 'sample' of the class to test the understanding of the previous classes material. Sponge activities are random...and quizzes are only given if you fail a sponge activity or someone is caught talking before class - yes talking before class. He wants everyone to study from the time they get into the hall until class starts...it actually helps if you use the time correctly. He doesn't curve tests or quizzes, but gives a generous curve if you attend every single attendance check.

Overall a great professor who helps the students. I would totally take his class again if I had to over again, or was a stat major.