I took Professor Bellafard at UCLA Extension for 5A, B, and C. He was genuinely open to answering all questions I had after class. I came into Physics 5A knowing the class would be difficult, (I even purchased the principia). I think of his class as one of the most impactful and challenging courses I took at UCLA Extension. It definitely prepared me for the Physics portion of the MCAT. I appreciated the challenging questions you used to make us think about how concepts were correlated. Prof. Bellafard also gave us opportunities for extra credit as a class, tried to make the exams as similar to lecture as possible while also allowing us to use our brains to answer the question. Exams were usually 2-3 questions that encompassed 1+ concepts and he tailored lectures to the classes speed. I would suggest going into Professor Bellafard's class already having reviewed the day's material, these aren't concepts you will understand on the spot if you've never been exposed to physics before. And I would take the time to ask your questions before, during, or after class and during office hours, he is open to answering them.

Lecture: If you're like me and didn't take AP physics in high school, lectures are hard to understand. At first the classes started very simple, but as we progressed the material became harder and harder to follow.
Homework: He assigned a decent amount of homework with quite difficult questions, but he gave a reasonable amount of time to do it. I never found myself cramming to finish homework, but doing the problems was quite difficult.
Exams: Like any other physics class, the exams were pretty rough. There were only a few questions on the midterm and final, so if you didn't understand any part of the exam, you're grade was not going to be good.
Tips: The final was 50% of your grade, so I ended up switching to P/NP since the risk of failure was so high. Make sure to understand every single homework problem through any means. I regret not reviewing the textbook before each lecture: this will help understanding a lot.

I can't believe why many reviews are bad. If someone really took his lecture, I bet this professor would not get these harsh reviews. I took many lectures from him and I was new to the science area. He explained everything in an easy way for students even though concepts in physics are not easy. If students don't understand these courses, it should be because Physics is hard not the fault of the professor. Study hard(it's basic!) with the books and materials he provides, you could get a good grade.

Would never usually write a bruin walk review, but this professor REALLY sucks. He wastes lecture time going through irrelevant material, his explanations of difficult topics are terrible and he is extremely boring and monotonous. He makes notes on an iPad for the class to copy down, but when he finishes a page he goes straight to the next one without waiting for the class to catch up, and then refuses to post the notes.

Worst lecturer I've had at UCLA so far - avoid at all costs.

Don't really understand all the negative reviews of Prof. Bellafard. Legitimately the nicest professor I have ever encountered on campus. I "took" physics in high school, but barely learned anything, so this class was basically my first real physics course. He presents his lectures in a very calm manner, and does many examples (some of which become problems on the exams). Sometimes they do seem a little bit drawn out, but they always get to the point by the end- an equation, and how to apply it. He is very quick to act on suggestions made by the class and from what I have seen is quite accommodating. For instance, I heard a student in office hours ask for more visual examples, and the very next day he brought in a couple of physical objects and did examples to illustrate moment of inertia. Contrary to another comment posted, he does in fact post the iPad notes. One day he said "I'm going to start posting the iPad notes" then everyone applauded, and then he said "why didn't you guys tell me? I would have done it much sooner." Also started offering many extra credit opportunities after some struggled on the first midterm. The exams have been very simple, each of which having included a problem he did in lecture just about verbatim, and 2 other pretty straightforward questions. If you do the homework assignments and look at the lecture notes, you should be able to finish the exams in less than 20 minutes. The guy is also brilliantly funny in an awkward sort of way and is not condescending as some professors of more introductory material can be in the slightest. Really have enjoyed his class.

I thought Arash was a fair professor. His lectures were okay, but sometimes I would have difficulty following along. He was mostly clear with explaining things, while other things not so much. The midterms are actually not bad if you understand the concepts, listen during class, and do practice problems. He takes some of the in class examples and/or homework and puts them in his exams. I should've studied a bit harder, because I ended up getting an 11/30 on the 1st midterm (avg was a 23 I believe) and a 15/30 on the 2nd midterm (avg 21). He also gives us extra credit iClicker questions for every class (he didn't start this for us until after the first midterm)

Both midterms are 20% of the grade, final is 50%, HW is 9% and participation is 1%. Top 20% of the class get an A-, top 60% get at least a B-, top 80% get at least a C-, and top 90% get at least a D-.

I think the final saved me, because I was pretty below average on the midterms. I thought I was going to fail this class for sure, so it was a big surprise when I saw ended with a B in the class.

Let me preface this by saying I don't normally write reviews about professors (actually this will be my first), but I strongly believe the previous ones are out of date--except the lengthy N/A-graded paragraph review two down from this . While I received an A in the course, my review will be from an unbiased perspective about Arash so I hope you find this honest and helpful.

1. Course (part 1): If you've taken a high school physics course, whether that be normal or AP, and enjoyed/was indifferent about Physics beforehand, Arash will make you love it. He is very clear in explaining classical concepts, and his "calculus-proofs" are no more than simple summation-cross product derivations that explain the "how" and "why" rather than spoon-feeding formulas. Course (part 2): If this is the first time you're taking physics (like my friend this quarter who also got an A), you should definitely brush up on 32A and derivatives/integrals. I agree the occasional HARD AF proof he does in class (I think one was a change of coordinates), which makes no sense to most people, will NOT be on the exams or homework. I suggest you get a PDF of the textbook, and read the chapter section before lecture. But, if you're lazy like me, you could just read it sometime before the exam lol.

2. Testing: For a physics professor, his midterms are extremely easy. If you can do the problem set, and by do I mean the difficulty of the HW problems that are "graded" are Gradescope, you're fine. Sometimes he takes it straight from the Problem Set, so review the solutions in preparation for a midterm or final. (You could be an overachiever and look up extra problems online, but really for midterms all you need are his lecture notes (!!! notes over textbook definitely) and the problem sets. FINAL: Ok I have to admit his final was harder than both midterms, but it's definitely do-able. At least for ours, there were 6 problems. 1 was straight from a Problem Set from the quarter, 3 were standard level problems (you'll understand standard when you do his problem sets--all of which you can Google if you're stuck), and 2 that were NGL balls-to-the-wall just write random shit for partial credit LOL.

3. Character: Arash is funny because he's sometimes socially awkward. His cross British/Middle Eastern accent is lit though. Very clear as I've mentioned before, and very open to questions or class suggestions (see review 2 down, I'm too lazy to write more).

4. Homework: Each week problem set due Monday 8am the following week. Should not take more than an hour or two, so you can finish in one day (especially with Google). 9% of grade, but try to do it for exam practice.

5. Extra Credit: Bro, mans gives hella EC. Pretty much every lecture for the last 3-4 weeks he threw in an EC problem on the board. You need this iClicker app (I stopped after 14 day free trial) but some people totaled up to 15 points EC. He factors EC after final grade so it should be helpful for everyone.

Overall, really nice guy. Easy to talk to, and extremely flexible. He actually cares for his students. Yes there will be times where maybe you need clarification, but of all professors I'd feel most comfortable asking him. Best of Luck in 1A with Arash.

I had an absolutely horrible experience with my TA, almost causing me to drop a letter grade, but Bellafard was kind enough to help us work things out.
His daily lectures are surprisingly interesting and he's got a chill vibe. He's a really fair teacher and I'm glad I had him for sure.
But be prepared to put in work. If you put in the work, you'll do fine.

This was the first physics class I had ever taken in my life, and well let's just say the professor did not do the best job in introducing the subject. His lectures were not very engaging and I honestly taught myself the material more by going through the textbook than by actually reading through his notes. Also, my TA was extremely unhelpful in explaining problems and giving tips for exams, so I stopped going to discussion halfway through the quarter (and I actually ended up doing better on later exams). However, the professor is willing to help you succeed in this class, for if you completely mess up the first midterm (which I certainly did) and then improve throughout the quarter, you can still end up with a decent grade. My main point of advice is that if this is your first time taking physics, try not to get this professor. He is passionate about the subject but not in a way that helps out physics-newbies.

Guys! Initially I was as afraid as you when I saw his views and score. But after I took this class, i think this man deserves a second chance.