Brent Corbin
Department of Physics
AD
3.8
Overall Rating
Based on 114 Users
Easiness 1.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.1 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.9 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Tough Tests
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
32.5%
27.1%
21.7%
16.3%
10.8%
5.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

45.3%
37.8%
30.2%
22.7%
15.1%
7.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

35.3%
29.4%
23.5%
17.6%
11.8%
5.9%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

41.0%
34.2%
27.3%
20.5%
13.7%
6.8%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

45.7%
38.0%
30.4%
22.8%
15.2%
7.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

48.8%
40.7%
32.5%
24.4%
16.3%
8.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

24.1%
20.1%
16.1%
12.1%
8.0%
4.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

28.0%
23.3%
18.7%
14.0%
9.3%
4.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

26.6%
22.2%
17.7%
13.3%
8.9%
4.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

34.9%
29.1%
23.3%
17.4%
11.6%
5.8%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

25.7%
21.4%
17.1%
12.8%
8.6%
4.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

23.1%
19.3%
15.4%
11.6%
7.7%
3.9%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

23.9%
19.9%
15.9%
12.0%
8.0%
4.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

22.3%
18.6%
14.9%
11.2%
7.4%
3.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

32.1%
26.8%
21.4%
16.1%
10.7%
5.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

26.5%
22.1%
17.7%
13.3%
8.8%
4.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

26.1%
21.7%
17.4%
13.0%
8.7%
4.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

27.4%
22.9%
18.3%
13.7%
9.1%
4.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

30.6%
25.5%
20.4%
15.3%
10.2%
5.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (92)

5 of 10
5 of 10
Add your review...
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: B
June 22, 2022

This class is a fever dream. Every single lecture I walk out with a bunch of notes that don't make sense to me. I rarely ever confidently box an answer on the exams. I truly believed that I would not be able to pass the class. But as long as you put in the effort to dissect his notes and do practice questions, the curve will save your grade. This is not to say that Corbin doesn't know what he's doing- it's actually very clear that he knows a lot about what he's teaching. It's just that he's not the best when it comes to breaking down the concepts he's presenting in a clear way. There are also no recordings/ zooms/ adequate resources or prof notes/ slides to refer to when studying. I felt pretty isolated in the whole process, so make sure to go to discussion and office hours at the very least.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: B
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
June 21, 2022

This class will kick your ass. About every engineer I've talked to has a Corbin horror story. Get ready for tests with averages in the 30s and content that makes you question your choices in life. Electric fields and voltage distribution is the hardest content I've been exposed to in my first year. All that being said, Corbin's lectures are engaging and he is helpful during office hours. He's a bit scary and will shoot down any questions asked during lecture, so save any of that for office hours. There is no safety net if you miss lectures as everything is 100% in person on a chalk board. At the end of the day, the grade distribution is pretty fair as it is most A's and B's. I was in the 47th percentile of the class and got a B. All in all, you'll have to work for it and accept you'll be confused a lot of the time, but it's not the worst thing in the end.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
June 19, 2022

He is an astounding professor. If you are looking for a proper understanding of physics, take this class. Otherwise, absolutely avoid it. There was another review that said that you should not take this class unless you have a deranged need for complicated physics problems. I have a deranged need for complicated physics problems, so I liked it, but I would not recommend it to anyone just looking to get through their physics 1b requirement.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
March 30, 2022

Physics 1B with Corbin shouldn't be difficult if you took and did well in AP Physics C in high school.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: B
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 30, 2022

I took Corbin's Physics 1A class in the fall and as expected, his lectures are top-notch but tests are HARD. He still used the 5 quiz format for this quarter, and personally I felt as the quizzes were easier compared to the ones I took in 1A but the final was absolutely brutal. He curves the median to B, which will absolutely be in your favor; I bombed the final with a 38% and still passed with a B.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: P
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
June 20, 2021

Basically, what you hear about Corbin is true. Quite an engaging lecturer for sure, not boring and he knows his stuff. Workload isn't too bad, we just had Mastering Physics assignments which were a bit much at times but not impossible. The worst thing of course, were the exams. Corbin's tests are super theoretical and are usually nothing you have ever seen before. In addition, I felt some questions were a bit vague, and you have to assume in what format he wants the answer sometimes which can be aggravating as it can lead to unnecessary point deductions. While Corbin does teach well, his tests can be extremely difficult, so for the average student, look elsewhere. But if you are very strong in physics and/or don't mind a GPA drop, feel free to take Corbin, as I believe he does teach 1B better more thoroughly than other professors.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
June 14, 2021

Corbin is difficult for sure. Don't expect to do well on his tests. However, he curves like a god, is fairly approachable, and seems to care about his students.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Summer 2020
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Oct. 8, 2020

To say Physics 1B was a difficult class would be an understatement. You need a really solid understanding of calculus (even better if multivariable calculus) to even comprehend what Professor Corbin teaches during his lectures. But if you have that background, then the lectures should be fine, since Corbin is otherwise a very good and really fun lecturer. The quizzes are hit and miss; sometimes Corbin will prep you very well for an easy quiz, other times it will absolutely demolish you if you don't do the homework (and maybe even if you do). The final is just 5 quizzes back to back and requires god-tier time management in order to not end up missing loads of credit. But overall, Corbin preps you well enough to succeed in his class as long as you show up to lecture (the advantage of Zoom classes is the fact that you can revisit recordings of old lectures).

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Summer 2020
Grade: B-
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Oct. 1, 2020

Brent Corbin is a very nice man, with a zest for learning and a love for physics. He really enjoys his subject, and always brings up real world examples of what he's teaching about; often, these examples are projects he has actually worked on! In office hours, shows off all the radios he tinkers with, and answers lots of questions.
My biggest problem with the class is that the tests were VERY HARD. Even after attending office hours and doing all the homework, the exam was like a punch in the face. The problems related to what we had learned, but were nothing like the homework or included a brand-new, confusing, element. There is no advice I can give on how to do better on these. Luckily, at the end of a class, he gives a generous curve, but beware!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Summer 2020
Grade: A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Sept. 16, 2020

Overall, Professor Corbin is a fantastic professor. He is a clear and engaging lecturer and you can tell that he is truly passionate about the material. He explains the material in intuitive ways that help give students a fundamental understanding of physics. At times, the material may be dense, however, so I found it helpful to have read the relevant sections in the textbook before the lecture, even though they were never assigned.

His tests and quizzes are very very difficult, and completing each question within the alotted time is a major challenge. You cannot simply memorize formulas to do well on his tests; rather, you need to have a solid understanding of the underlying physics, which can take a lot of work. He did curve the class generously (in part due to the challenges posed by COVID) which did counter some of these issues.

Lastly, there was quite a bit of online homework for this class, but done over the course of the quarter, it was fairly manageable. DO NOT save it for the last minute, you will hate yourself for it. Furthermore, many of the homework problems were helpful in preparing for the exams. Corbin tends to not like if you ask for help on too many of these during office hours (attend these!!!), so save those for the TA discussions/office hours.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: B
June 22, 2022

This class is a fever dream. Every single lecture I walk out with a bunch of notes that don't make sense to me. I rarely ever confidently box an answer on the exams. I truly believed that I would not be able to pass the class. But as long as you put in the effort to dissect his notes and do practice questions, the curve will save your grade. This is not to say that Corbin doesn't know what he's doing- it's actually very clear that he knows a lot about what he's teaching. It's just that he's not the best when it comes to breaking down the concepts he's presenting in a clear way. There are also no recordings/ zooms/ adequate resources or prof notes/ slides to refer to when studying. I felt pretty isolated in the whole process, so make sure to go to discussion and office hours at the very least.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: B
June 21, 2022

This class will kick your ass. About every engineer I've talked to has a Corbin horror story. Get ready for tests with averages in the 30s and content that makes you question your choices in life. Electric fields and voltage distribution is the hardest content I've been exposed to in my first year. All that being said, Corbin's lectures are engaging and he is helpful during office hours. He's a bit scary and will shoot down any questions asked during lecture, so save any of that for office hours. There is no safety net if you miss lectures as everything is 100% in person on a chalk board. At the end of the day, the grade distribution is pretty fair as it is most A's and B's. I was in the 47th percentile of the class and got a B. All in all, you'll have to work for it and accept you'll be confused a lot of the time, but it's not the worst thing in the end.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Spring 2022
Grade: A
June 19, 2022

He is an astounding professor. If you are looking for a proper understanding of physics, take this class. Otherwise, absolutely avoid it. There was another review that said that you should not take this class unless you have a deranged need for complicated physics problems. I have a deranged need for complicated physics problems, so I liked it, but I would not recommend it to anyone just looking to get through their physics 1b requirement.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: A
March 30, 2022

Physics 1B with Corbin shouldn't be difficult if you took and did well in AP Physics C in high school.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2022
Grade: B
March 30, 2022

I took Corbin's Physics 1A class in the fall and as expected, his lectures are top-notch but tests are HARD. He still used the 5 quiz format for this quarter, and personally I felt as the quizzes were easier compared to the ones I took in 1A but the final was absolutely brutal. He curves the median to B, which will absolutely be in your favor; I bombed the final with a 38% and still passed with a B.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: P
June 20, 2021

Basically, what you hear about Corbin is true. Quite an engaging lecturer for sure, not boring and he knows his stuff. Workload isn't too bad, we just had Mastering Physics assignments which were a bit much at times but not impossible. The worst thing of course, were the exams. Corbin's tests are super theoretical and are usually nothing you have ever seen before. In addition, I felt some questions were a bit vague, and you have to assume in what format he wants the answer sometimes which can be aggravating as it can lead to unnecessary point deductions. While Corbin does teach well, his tests can be extremely difficult, so for the average student, look elsewhere. But if you are very strong in physics and/or don't mind a GPA drop, feel free to take Corbin, as I believe he does teach 1B better more thoroughly than other professors.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Spring 2021
Grade: A
June 14, 2021

Corbin is difficult for sure. Don't expect to do well on his tests. However, he curves like a god, is fairly approachable, and seems to care about his students.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Summer 2020
Grade: A
Oct. 8, 2020

To say Physics 1B was a difficult class would be an understatement. You need a really solid understanding of calculus (even better if multivariable calculus) to even comprehend what Professor Corbin teaches during his lectures. But if you have that background, then the lectures should be fine, since Corbin is otherwise a very good and really fun lecturer. The quizzes are hit and miss; sometimes Corbin will prep you very well for an easy quiz, other times it will absolutely demolish you if you don't do the homework (and maybe even if you do). The final is just 5 quizzes back to back and requires god-tier time management in order to not end up missing loads of credit. But overall, Corbin preps you well enough to succeed in his class as long as you show up to lecture (the advantage of Zoom classes is the fact that you can revisit recordings of old lectures).

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Summer 2020
Grade: B-
Oct. 1, 2020

Brent Corbin is a very nice man, with a zest for learning and a love for physics. He really enjoys his subject, and always brings up real world examples of what he's teaching about; often, these examples are projects he has actually worked on! In office hours, shows off all the radios he tinkers with, and answers lots of questions.
My biggest problem with the class is that the tests were VERY HARD. Even after attending office hours and doing all the homework, the exam was like a punch in the face. The problems related to what we had learned, but were nothing like the homework or included a brand-new, confusing, element. There is no advice I can give on how to do better on these. Luckily, at the end of a class, he gives a generous curve, but beware!

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Summer 2020
Grade: A
Sept. 16, 2020

Overall, Professor Corbin is a fantastic professor. He is a clear and engaging lecturer and you can tell that he is truly passionate about the material. He explains the material in intuitive ways that help give students a fundamental understanding of physics. At times, the material may be dense, however, so I found it helpful to have read the relevant sections in the textbook before the lecture, even though they were never assigned.

His tests and quizzes are very very difficult, and completing each question within the alotted time is a major challenge. You cannot simply memorize formulas to do well on his tests; rather, you need to have a solid understanding of the underlying physics, which can take a lot of work. He did curve the class generously (in part due to the challenges posed by COVID) which did counter some of these issues.

Lastly, there was quite a bit of online homework for this class, but done over the course of the quarter, it was fairly manageable. DO NOT save it for the last minute, you will hate yourself for it. Furthermore, many of the homework problems were helpful in preparing for the exams. Corbin tends to not like if you ask for help on too many of these during office hours (attend these!!!), so save those for the TA discussions/office hours.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
5 of 10
3.8
Overall Rating
Based on 114 Users
Easiness 1.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.1 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.9 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Tough Tests
    (47)
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