Clay, Gary  

Landscape Architecture

2.32/4.00

19 evaluations


LA 100


5th Year Senior
N/A
Required (Major)
Feb 2012
Gary Clay is actually an amazing professor. Some of these reviews are probably written by people who take themselves too seriously. Professor Clay can be a bit scatter brained and sarcastic, but if you take it with a grain of salt you'll realize he is actually helpful when it comes to designs. If you ask the right questions, he will not only give you the right answer, he will spend the time it takes to work through your problems with you.

LA 114


Junior
C
Required (Support)
Aug 2001
Gary is a fake. He pretends like he knows something that he really doesnt. He uses words like "literally" and phrases like, "wouldn't it be neat if" to put st udents in a daze. This guy is a phony.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Aug 2002
Unless you are horribly cynical, narcissistic, pessimistic, sadistic, and compulsively blame others for your failures, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't like Gary.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Major)
Jun 2003
If you want to listen to someone talk on and on about nothing in general, and take useless field trips, definatly look into this class. Giving us the assignment sheets at the begining with due dates would have been just as effective as sitting through his class all quarter. Just a bunch of BS, 9 or 10 generalized assignments, so we dont really get a grasp on anything. Im sure most people forget everything from this class anyway, seeing as we went over things so quickly. Gee "wouldn't it be nice if" we could get a useful class freshman year?

LA 220


Junior
C
Required (Major)
Mar 2010
Clay was good in many respects, but is not real good with specifics. Definately a mellow teacher, I would opt for Clay over a lot of LA profs.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Nov 2017
Gary is a wonderful professor and person.

LA 241


Junior
B
Required (Support)
Apr 2010
Gary is very knowledgeable about his craft but when he is walking by teling stories in studio, you need to grab him and give him a red pencil to help you. Otherwise he can be kinda of a broken record \"looks like you know what your doing\" is his standard desk crit. Good person and always willing to give a few momens of his time in his office to help all LA students.


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
May 2012
I love Gary Clay as a professor because he's very objective. In a major where opinion rules, Clay gives yes and no answers and will tell you what works and will not work. The main negative is that he is very moody. He will come in to class one day and be happy and jolly and helpful. The next session he could be a different person. His mood depends on if you're working on his work or the work of your studio class (which will pour into Site Engineering time). Stay on his good side, go to his office hours, even if it's just to chat for 5 minutes, and you shouldn't have too much of a problem with Professor Clay.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Feb 2015
Gary is a piece of crap who fails to understand that we are taking other classes, he cannot teach and expects way too much. Screw you.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2015
Just get on his good side and you are all good. Gary pretends to like everyone but he always has his favorite students in the class...


Sophomore
A
Required (Major)
Jun 2018
Gary is one of the most enjoyable professors I've experienced at Cal Poly.


Sophomore
B
Required (Major)
May 2019
He was very moody one day, and discouraged me. His swale project was very difficult and time consuming. Very very few people get A in his class. He is down to earth and chill after that quarter.

LA 351


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Sep 2005
Moderated Comment
I am going to attmept to use this site as a constructive alert source. ... I feel that this guy is out to just produce the shitiest designs and if you don't pull something together he will find a way to make fun of you in the class. Learning used to be about teaching styles and how well you relate to the material. Clay has no idea what design is and uses great phrases like "trully to make your design stand out you should go and look at what so and so did." This is not teaching to me and quite frankly you would be better off taking anyone but him for an instructor. If you are already in his class... Good luck and stay focused. Don't listen to him!!

LA 352


Junior
B
Required (Major)
Sep 2001
"What if you tried this..." "Wouldn't it be neat if..." You will hear these statments at least 10 times a class. He is a nice enough guy and tries to get everyone involved but doesn't always manage to do it. Gary follows the same grading policy as most of the LA department with the exception of a few teachers. It is as follows: A - Suck up and make sure the teacher knows your name and likes you. B - Don't suck up but do pretty good work that they somewhat like. C - Jerk around and don't show up to class at all but get your work in. D - Jerk around, don't do anything, produce crap that took an hour to throw together. Turn in most things, but they all have to be late. F - I don't know anyone who has ever failed an LA design studio. I don't think it is possible. Maybe if you never show up and don't turn anything in, even then I think they would give you a D just for your name being on the role and being an LA major.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Oct 2001
G-Spot Clay the man who does everything "literally". But "wouldn't it be neat if" the Landscape Architecture department actually had some good proffesors? grading policy is similar to that mentioned above. I also found it unneccesary to come to this class on fridays because half the time Gary and his teaching partner werent even there.

LA 400


5th Year Senior
B
Required (Major)
Dec 2011
don't bullshit a bullshitter. I love gary because he hates brown nose-rs. Gary does not take any of he pansy touchy feel-ie BS that usually gets you an A in any other LA class. If your design is truly well thought out and WORKS and you can clearly and concisely ARTICULATE your thoughts, you will go far. He's a tough nut to crack and not the best conversationalist, but at the end of the day, the man is going to give it to you straight. If you did well, you get an A, if not, you don't get an A and he'll tell you why (this is not making fun of you/bullying/being mean, this is his way of constructively telling you how to improve the next time around, take notes, heed his advise, and better luck next time.)

ARCH 453


Junior
A
Required (Major)
Oct 2012
I was an architecture student in the interdisciplinary class with Gary as the LA instructor. Gary is amazing. He gives great advice to help his students. He always makes a point to stop by at least once a day to go over group concerns, design problems, or just to chat. You may not always agree with his design suggestions, but at least he gives them and is invested in his students. He is not just concerned with the landscape students, but also the ARCH, ARCE, and CM students.

LA 453


5th Year Senior
A
Required (Major)
Oct 2006
Not only do I wish that I would have listend to what the other person wrote about him in 3rd year design, I regret ever giving this professor a chance. I have on several occassions entered professor Clay's office only to find him acting like a child towards another student. Such as... I witnesed Professor Clay stick his fingers in his ears and mutter nonsense while a student was attempting to gain sightfull (yes that was her first mistake) understanding to an otherwise misleading assignment. Not once did I get any positive or useful information while I was working on my senior project. I recomend that Ms. Hill take disiplinary action against this professor with the intent of putting Professor Clay on Probation! If you have already attmepted to sign up for other classes required and he is the only professor available, please contact Ms. Hill and attempt to have another professor added to the list or switched out. Do not forget to mention that you visited this site and gained sightful as well as useful information in making your request. Best of luck and with any kind of departmental support we will have a better department, one without an ass who embarrasses the good name of Landscape Architecture.

LA 454


5th Year Senior
B
Required (Major)
Sep 2007
I swore that I would never take Clay for any class as long as I was in the LARC department but of my own volition (and stupidity) I did the unthinkable fall quarter of 5th year - please don't repeat my mistake. Because I actually enjoy learning from professors, I usually try to have rational, meaningful conversations with him (if I'm in a position where I have no choice). The problem is that he doesn't LISTEN to ANYTHING you say. He will argue his invalid points even in the face of a rational, well thought out argument. He enjoys cutting down weak or timid students, preferably in front of their peers so he can seem "cool". His jokes are infuriating - I've never come so close to throwing something at a person in a position of authority before. As a 5th year faculty and holder of PhD., Clay has NO EXCUSE for his anti-intellectual, touch-feely, wise-ass teaching style. He should be using his experience to help evolve the student's concept of landscape architecture beyond retaining walls and green blobs on paper. Instead he panders to the lowest common denominator, and gives his students NOTHING. I whole heartdly imagine clay smashing beer cans on his head at frat parties 20 years ago...what a douche bag.

PEM 995


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2016
Prof cried today.... What a weirdo hahahah get a grip of your life.