By the time you take Corbin, you will have heard how hard he is and how great of a professor he is. While both of these are mostly true, there is a little more to it than this.

Though his final and midterm scores are extremely low, the tests themselves aren't as hard as they seem. The main problem on the midterm is time. The problems are pretty predictable, and even if you miss all of the challenging parts you can still score way above the average because most people freak out for these tests and neglect to study the basics. If you don't waste time on what you don't know and think carefully before attempting each part then time is the only thing holding you back. This means practicing many problems is key so that you can recognize what to do quickly. The final gives you a lot more time per problem, but there is also a LOT of material that is fair game. If you have kept up with the material all quarter long then you should be fine. The questions themselves are much easier than the midterms if you studied the right things.

He is a great professor for many people, but not all like the comments seem to make you think. If you are someone who understands physics and math pretty well, then Corbin is about as good as you can get. If you don't have a very strong background in physics and math, then you will often get lost in his lectures. If you just write everything down and go back and look at your notes after you have practiced some problems, then things will go more smoothly. But if you are still having trouble then each lecture will get more and more confusing because his lectures really do build upon one another. And his office hours are apparently great, but good luck getting one-on-one attention if you need it.

If you are good and physics and want to become great then this is the guy for you. If you are shaky at physics and want to get better, then there are probably better options, unless you have a very good TA. Also, he often lets it be known how bad most textbooks (including the one for the class) are, but the practice problems and the simplified explanations actually complement his notes perfectly, in my opinion. Also, he makes it sound like the notes that you take are the key to doing well, but often other explanations can help make things make sense too. So, while he is a GREAT teacher, he's not quite as immortal as he wants to come off as.

Bottom line: Don't let him intimidate you. You'll hear many stories about how hard and scary he is, but he gives more A's than any other lower division physics professor, makes very useful notes to help summarize what he does in class, doesn't collect homework (but still gives suggested problems), gives a TON of partial credit, gives very predictable tests, and considers all of the test in you grade, so one bad test won't hurt you much at all.

In short: take him if you like physics and are at least moderately good at it, and don't take him if you struggle, as you will fall through the cracks. I learned to love physics even more than I did, and I got an A without going to any office hours or doing a ton of homework, but the experience is different for everyone, so, while he is a great professor, he isn't for everyone.

I decided to take corbin b/c he has such great reviews from others saying he's the best professor and super entertaining. Sure, he's entertaining and a darn good professor, but I also feel like he's overhyped a bit? Maybe it's cuz physics isn't my strongest subject, but I just barely understood what he was talking about while he was talking about it. Corbin assumes that you remember a LOT of stuff from 1A and 1B, and cuz of that, he jumps around a lot in what he writes down on the board, assuming that you can figure it out yourself. Granted, I guess I should've remembered that or could look it up on my own.. his teaching style was just very different and hard to get used to.

He doesn't do his lectures with notes (just uses his brain) and he DOES write a lot of useless stuff on the board. However, it's hard to determine (personally) what's useless or not at the time, so I just write everything down.

Tests are all DOABLE. It's just that I couldn't do it at the time. 1st midterm --3 problems-- averaged 40ish/90. Second midterm --3 problems-- averaged 30ish/90. Final average dunno; was 6 problems long.

I never went to office hours... probably should have but always had class during his office hours. He holds them 4 times a week, very generous! Heard it's usually full..

Yes, study a lot if you want to succeed. If you get average or below overage on the midterms you can still pull through on the final...

I'm writing this review at 2:30 am during my winter break because I'm so worried that I might have failed his 1C final I can't sleep.

I liked Corbin. He was funny, made physics interesting, and I would describe him as a good teacher. He didn't flunk me for 1b so I thought I'd take him for 1c too.

However, I can't seem to succeed in his class. I took all the advice that everyone gives to his students. I made a good set of notes, went to office hours, utilized the tau beta pi tutoring, and did all the homework problems. I put more work into this class than my other (more difficult) EE and CS classes combined.

So I don't know what to think. Corbin, if you're browsing bruin walk for laughs or an ego boost over your break, please don't fail very many students in your 1c class this fall. Because one of them probably didn't do the worst but didn't master the material either. And their Christmas will be ruined if you flunk them.

Took 1B and 1C.

Corbin is easily the best professor I had so far as a sophomore. Paces his lectures extremely well. Enlightening lectures, to the point that the book is not necessary apart from getting homework problems.

Sure he might make harder exams than other professors do, but you will never encounter anything we didn't talk about at class. And you learn more anyway. And also, look at the grade distribution. FREAKING 30% A's. What more do you want? I was so scared coming into his class, but Corbin gave me my only A in UCLA so far..

He has office hours everyday = win.

He's a cool guy too. Keeps me entertained in class; cusses, makes dirty jokes, etc etc. His class in one class that I never fall asleep in.

IGNORE THOSE COMMENTS THAT SCARE YOU OFF. TAKE CORBIN.

Sounds like Jeff Bridges

His grading is pretty harsh, even after the curve. Mostly C's. You'll learn a lot of physics, but is the grade worth it.

Ok here's the deal with Brent. He is an extremely good teacher; he covers all the material thoroughly, and makes sure you really know how the physics works (not just what you need to know for the homework). However at the same time, he is extremely challenging. So here's what I advise, if you are extremely worried about your precious GPA, then do not take Brent, cause getting an A in his class is extremely difficult. However if you really want to learn physics, and I mean completely understand it, while not being too worried if you get a B, take him. Brent's test can be somewhat evil, this is true. However, they have very generous curves, and Brent himself is anything but evil. He cares about his students and is passionate about the subject. I would definitely suggest taking him, but be prepared to work. Cause if you want an A, expect to go to office hours almost everyday and/or go to all the workshops. However due to his grading philosophy its much easier to get a B. To beat a dead horse, this is how Corbin grades:

A -- You have mastered the material, can do whatever he throws at you.

B -- Are competent, can do any problem with a few hints, and after playing around with it for a long time you will eventually get the correct answer.

C -- He feels that while you might not of done that well, you can pass the next physics course.

Professor Corbin is the best professor I have EVER had. He is absolutely passionate about physics and will get you interested in the topic. AMAZING lecturer, explains the concepts in a very good way and somehow makes things sink into your brain. I not once looked at my physics book while having him, compared to other professors where I not only had to go to lecture, but read the book in order to understand the material. I know he is tough, but it's because he cares about his students and wants you to learn from your mistakes. As he told us, if he gives you an easy exam where everyone gets near perfect, what's the point? You can't learn from your mistakes. This is why many pre-meds might not like him, since they are accustomed to getting nothing below an A on mediocre exams, and Corbin's exams are nothing like that. Honestly, I was scared to death to take a class with him, but now, I wish I could have had him for all my physics classes. He is truly an amazing Professor, best at UCLA.

If you want to work hard and gain a good understanding of the material, Corbin's your guy. If you want to slack all quarter and get a decent grade, take someone else. He's also an awesome guy in person, and explains stuff well in office hours, so definitely go.

Brent is by far the best professor I have had here at UCLA. Not only does he communicate well with the class and explain the course material in an intelligible manner, he cares greatly about the student's understanding of the ideas and concepts explored in class. While the course curriculum was difficult, Brent's explanations and elaborations of the material helped me to not only comprehend the many formulas and concepts (ranging from magnetism to Einstein's Theory of Relativity), but allowed me to explore the concepts inside and out. However, I offer one caveat: His test curves are extremely low!! If you really want to test your understanding of the course material including your ability to implement the concepts learned in class in a variety of hypothetical physical situations, I highly recommend taking Brent's course. However, if low scores leave you emptier than the vacuum of space, you may want to opt for a more self-esteem-boosting professor. Be aware, though, that you are sacrificing the dedication and commitment of a devoted professor which, in my opinion, well outweighs any A grade.