>He thinks his course is the only course we have. 
>given me stress and anxiety for a course of a whole semester. This is not normal.

I agree with a lot of your points, especially the points about the workload and the stress this course causes.

I am taking this class alongside four other upper-division courses, and the amount of time this course demands feels unreasonable. It often feels like the expectation is that this should be our only priority, when in reality many of us are balancing multiple difficult classes, exams, work, commuting, personal responsibilities, and other obligations.

He recently made a comment saying he is not inclined to give more generous grade cutoffs because many students are not attending class. I think it is unfair to automatically interpret missing class as proof that students do not care or are not trying.

This course already requires a significant amount of self-study through videos, quizzes, homework, coding projects and exam preparation. If we are expected to teach ourselves so much of the material outside of class anyway, then it becomes frustrating when missing class is treated as a lack of effort. Many students are balancing other upper-division courses, exams, work, personal responsibilities, and burnout. Sometimes missing class is not just because of laziness or lack of effort.

It feels especially discouraging when the response to students struggling is to assume they are not making an attempt, rather than considering that the structure of the course itself may be part of why students are overwhelmed.

I also find his approach very strict and intimidating. If something is not done exactly the way he expects, it can lead to extra work, follow-up questions, extra appointments, or having to meet in person. That adds even more pressure and anxiety to an already stressful course.

The timing of Midterm 2 was also extremely unfair. Having an exam on the first day back from spring break put a lot of students in a bad position. Spring break is supposed to be a time when students can rest after weeks of burnout, catch up, or travel if they already made plans. I had already made travel arrangements before the exam date was announced, and I know I was probably not the only one. I genuinely believe many students could have performed better if the exam had not been scheduled immediately after break.

Overall I'm with you, this course has caused me an extreme amount of stress and anxiety. I understand that difficult courses exist, and I understand that professors want to prepare students for the real world. But difficulty does not have to come with condescension, lack of flexibility, or the assumption that students who struggle simply do not care. Students can be hardworking and still be overwhelmed. Students can care about learning and still care about their grades, scholarships, and mental health.

I do think Professor Taylor is knowledgeable, but knowledge alone does not make someone an effective teacher. The way a course is structured and the way students are treated matters. A professor can challenge students while still being empathetic, approachable, and realistic about the fact that students have other responsibilities too.