This Cluster is probably one of the more doable ones. I definitely had to put in work and study A LOT for the final but I like how this class does not give any one assignment a lot of weight. Yeah the final is 30% but I got a B- on the final and still ended with an A (I did do well on the other assignment and the midterm though). The final was pretty hard but everyone pretty much agreed. They don’t curve anything so all the grades you receive are just raw grades BUT I think at the end of the quarter they do give a small boost depending on how the class did overall so for example maybe I got a 90% in the class but the boosted everyone’s grade 4%, not 100% sure. Anyways, the class is doable but you have to put in the work and go to lecture! I reccomend it. It also gives u a little gpa boost if u do well because it’s 6.0 credits instead of 5.0 like most classes! (:

Dr. Larkin is a great professor. Although he goes through his slides quite quickly, he is always more than happy to explain the material during his office hours. I would 100% recommend going to his office hours if you're having trouble. This class isn't a cake walk as it does require lots of reading and work but it's definitely worth it! All in all I would definitely recommend Larkin.
I'm selling both books required for this class: The Story of Earth and A Short History of Nearly Everything! If interested text me at **********

Professor Larkin is a great lecturer. He's extremely intelligent and knows how to convey tough topics in physics and astronomy in a way that everyone can understand. He will be the lecturer for much of the first quarter.

This class is geared toward non-STEM majors, so the material does not go too in depth, and the tests are pretty straightforward with few conceptual questions. There is one midterm and one final as well as weekly quizzes that are submitted online before lecture. They do keep track of attendance via iClickers, but they are pretty lenient. You can get a good participation grade as long as you attend a majority of the lectures.

In terms of the sections, I did find them to be a bit dry. However, they are pretty easy and my TA (Scott Sunell) was super nice and helpful. There is one paper that you have to do, but it's pretty easy, and you are guided through the process throughout the semester. I did feel that the paper was graded more harshly than any other assignment throughout the semester, but it was still a fair grade.

Overall, this is a pretty easy (but engaging!) GE cluster with professors who are really knowledgable and put a great amount of effort into making the cluster enjoyable.

Selling "A Short History of Nearly Everything" at Half Price!
Y************* / **********

BE PREPARED TO WORK! GE clusters have heavy workloads, so don't be fooled when your NSA recommends you this course; however, Prof. Larkin is a great lecturer, and even for me, who is a non-science major, I found the material interesting. He goes through slides fairly fast though, so you'd need to review at home.

Apparently, NSAs try to get students to enroll in this class at freshman orientation... I was told it was relatively easy and straightforward, but this class was pretty difficult in my opinion. Be prepared for an intense final, and keep up with the readings. The geology unit after the midterm is quite boring, and Prof. McKeegan is knowledgeable, but not as engaging as Prof. Larkin. I ended up dropping out of the cluster after fall quarter, but I know a lot of people stay to finish the full year.

Larkin is engaging and his lectures were always something to look forward to. The material was confusing, but he did his best to help you. His office hours were SUPER helpful if you're confused as well. Would recommend

Use the text bank to look up past midterms, because a lot of the questions will be repeated from previous years.