Hey all,
Has anyone here taken Cromwell's Basic Mathematics course? I spoke with a friend yesterday who had a meeting with him and he said it's a great course and showed me the syllabus, but he has never taken a class with Cromwell and neither have I, so if anyone out here has dealt with him, we'd love some opinions. I know he is very tough/stern, but I've also heard he's also very fair and treats you honorably and without sarcasm.
I'm basically also afraid of how I might be perceived...well, not me personally as I'm pretty clean cut, but my friend has a visible tattoo and other stuff they may not like at City Tutoring. He did share the handbook with him and for virtual classes it doesn't say anything about proper dress but still...any reviews would be helpful.
Is Cromwell's Basic Mathematics worth taking?
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HoratioSeymour
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2026 1:40 pm
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Ridge Rider
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2026 12:57 pm
Re: Is Cromwell's Basic Mathematics worth taking?
I have not taken any courses at CT, but I may have to if I end up getting an electrician license since there are some math requirements. However, a friend of a friend took Cromwell's Algebra I class last year and it was tough. Again, not speaking personally since I have no idea myself and I might have a different impression, but from what I've been told Cromwell is kind of a badass but at the same time got your back. Like for example unlike a typical professor, he's always sort of just there for you, even in things that are not math related. If you get busted for example and he happens to like your cause or the reason you got in trouble for, he will protect you and try to get you out of the mud.
You do learn proper math in the classes and he's very no nonsense and blunt, but not mean. His class enrollments are 99% guys and he provides a badly needed service for men since most educational establishments are absolute shit today and cater to the worst types of women such as feminists. So if you want a place where a guy can actually be a guy, then it's a good choice. Some rules are pretty strict though, but they don't apply if you're a virtual student. I have seen their handbook though and I disagree with some of Cromwell's rules, but again they wouldn't apply anyway in a virtual setting.
So my impression is if you want solid math that actually makes you really become good at it and cuts out all the bs you get in school, Cromwell's your guy. But if you want an environment where all you get is encouragement and Professor Leonard vibes, then Cromwell is most definitely NOT your guy. I mention Professor Leonard because he was pretty well known on YouTube and personality wise he's the opposite of Cromwell. I like them both, but for different reasons. I like Cromwell for the old school brutality that's virtually extinct today, hes like a throwback to an older America and I can tell he was influenced by the pre-boomer generation, and Professor Leonard is that sort of soothing cool guy you almost feel like you can smoke a blunt with...and get tons of encouragement (Cromwell is not the encouraging type in that sense).
The funny thing is that both of them are Christian and preach! Professor Leonard is a pastor in Idaho, and Cromwell preaches to young men on Sundays about a variety of issues, but it's hilarious to see how different they can be. Anyway, sort of a tangent here but yeah, take Cromwell is you want to be spanked and get the "bad" math out of you, and don't take personally any mean comments he may or may not make. That's what I've been told. I'd definitely take him if I needed to take a math test or something.
You do learn proper math in the classes and he's very no nonsense and blunt, but not mean. His class enrollments are 99% guys and he provides a badly needed service for men since most educational establishments are absolute shit today and cater to the worst types of women such as feminists. So if you want a place where a guy can actually be a guy, then it's a good choice. Some rules are pretty strict though, but they don't apply if you're a virtual student. I have seen their handbook though and I disagree with some of Cromwell's rules, but again they wouldn't apply anyway in a virtual setting.
So my impression is if you want solid math that actually makes you really become good at it and cuts out all the bs you get in school, Cromwell's your guy. But if you want an environment where all you get is encouragement and Professor Leonard vibes, then Cromwell is most definitely NOT your guy. I mention Professor Leonard because he was pretty well known on YouTube and personality wise he's the opposite of Cromwell. I like them both, but for different reasons. I like Cromwell for the old school brutality that's virtually extinct today, hes like a throwback to an older America and I can tell he was influenced by the pre-boomer generation, and Professor Leonard is that sort of soothing cool guy you almost feel like you can smoke a blunt with...and get tons of encouragement (Cromwell is not the encouraging type in that sense).
The funny thing is that both of them are Christian and preach! Professor Leonard is a pastor in Idaho, and Cromwell preaches to young men on Sundays about a variety of issues, but it's hilarious to see how different they can be. Anyway, sort of a tangent here but yeah, take Cromwell is you want to be spanked and get the "bad" math out of you, and don't take personally any mean comments he may or may not make. That's what I've been told. I'd definitely take him if I needed to take a math test or something.
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justcruising
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2026 7:07 pm
Re: Is Cromwell's Basic Mathematics worth taking?
No idea, but my friend just signed up for it and actually met with Cromwell in a video call. No difference between what he saw in the video call and his youtube videos...it's exactly the same, very serious and firm, but extremely detailed. He took the placement test and Cromwell sent him back his results with a very sternly worded letter basically saying, in very polite terms, "your math is shit", you can't even factor properly! Which is 100% true since my friend was an honors student but always felt he didn't really know true math except computationally, so that clashes with City Tutoring's method as they use the "new math" approach of the 1960s and some old philosophies from the past about what education is like.
I'd definitely take the class if this would have been an option when I was either in high school or community college. He also has a CLEP option and many students do well with that since the CLEP looks like a joke in comparison to what they give you at City Tutoring, so it can be a good option to save money as his courses are quite cheap in comparison. I honestly don't know how he keeps prices so low...he must be super dedicated and a true believer to do something like that.
For comparison, I work with an Indian guy and his son is enrolled at AOPS, and AOPS tuition is way higher and you get different instructor quality. Also the guys enrolled at AOPS tend to be more competition based and extremely nerdy, and from what Ive been told, the guys at CT are way more chill, but oddly super loyal to each other and even defend each other IF someone breaks some rule or something. So I kind of admire that sense of friendship they seem to have. It's like they all respect Cromwell, but treat each other as brothers IF Cromwell goes on "dictator" mode. It's a fascinating dynamic.
I'd definitely take the class if this would have been an option when I was either in high school or community college. He also has a CLEP option and many students do well with that since the CLEP looks like a joke in comparison to what they give you at City Tutoring, so it can be a good option to save money as his courses are quite cheap in comparison. I honestly don't know how he keeps prices so low...he must be super dedicated and a true believer to do something like that.
For comparison, I work with an Indian guy and his son is enrolled at AOPS, and AOPS tuition is way higher and you get different instructor quality. Also the guys enrolled at AOPS tend to be more competition based and extremely nerdy, and from what Ive been told, the guys at CT are way more chill, but oddly super loyal to each other and even defend each other IF someone breaks some rule or something. So I kind of admire that sense of friendship they seem to have. It's like they all respect Cromwell, but treat each other as brothers IF Cromwell goes on "dictator" mode. It's a fascinating dynamic.
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Ridge Rider
- Posts: 19
- Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2026 12:57 pm
Re: Is Cromwell's Basic Mathematics worth taking?
Update: I also met Professor Cromwell in a video call since I was curious about his class after my friend met with him. Originally the call was going to be for 15 minutes, but I was able to keep him for much longer because I had questions and it's only fair he answers them.
I'll just share my impression: we didn't talk about Basic Math because I was more curious about Algebra 1 specifically. I think he's a very serious guy, and he will definitely answer your questions. I also appreciate the time he spent answering my questions. If you're looking for someone like Professor Leonard, he ain't it lol.
As weird as this is, I think he's actually an ideal instructor for guys who have trouble in school with either concentrating, or with professors who just don't care. What I mean is that he's a "man's man", not sure if that makes sense, but it's the impression I got. Ironically I don't think he'd do well with gifted/nerd types only because in general their focus is much more on competition and winning awards and prizes, which apparently Cromwell truly hates.
So yeah if you're failing in school, don't get your prof, or struggle with math, he will definitely beat it out of you and he can be a bit rough but I enjoyed my chat with him. I hope it's ok to share this on here and if admins have a problem with it I'm ok with the post being deleted, but I figured it can be helpful to others who are curious. I was also shocked by the fact that apparently he writes letters on behalf of his students to their professors essentially telling them their teaching is lousy, which to me is insanely bold, but then when I think about it I also think well no one else really has the style to do that, so I sort of get the logic behind it.
Anyways, just my thoughts. Good luck guys!
I'll just share my impression: we didn't talk about Basic Math because I was more curious about Algebra 1 specifically. I think he's a very serious guy, and he will definitely answer your questions. I also appreciate the time he spent answering my questions. If you're looking for someone like Professor Leonard, he ain't it lol.
As weird as this is, I think he's actually an ideal instructor for guys who have trouble in school with either concentrating, or with professors who just don't care. What I mean is that he's a "man's man", not sure if that makes sense, but it's the impression I got. Ironically I don't think he'd do well with gifted/nerd types only because in general their focus is much more on competition and winning awards and prizes, which apparently Cromwell truly hates.
So yeah if you're failing in school, don't get your prof, or struggle with math, he will definitely beat it out of you and he can be a bit rough but I enjoyed my chat with him. I hope it's ok to share this on here and if admins have a problem with it I'm ok with the post being deleted, but I figured it can be helpful to others who are curious. I was also shocked by the fact that apparently he writes letters on behalf of his students to their professors essentially telling them their teaching is lousy, which to me is insanely bold, but then when I think about it I also think well no one else really has the style to do that, so I sort of get the logic behind it.
Anyways, just my thoughts. Good luck guys!