Professor
Robijn Bruinsma
2 of 4
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2017 - Professor Bruinsma's sense of humor is incompatible. It is natural. He doesnt even try to be funny but he will make you laugh during every single lecture. Beside, he cares about his students. He takes the time to explain something that might not be clear or difficult to understand. His tests are reasonable as long as you pay attention in lectures and understand the homework. I had amazing TA when I took this class the Winter quarter so that was one of the reason why I was able to do well.
Winter 2017 - Professor Bruinsma's sense of humor is incompatible. It is natural. He doesnt even try to be funny but he will make you laugh during every single lecture. Beside, he cares about his students. He takes the time to explain something that might not be clear or difficult to understand. His tests are reasonable as long as you pay attention in lectures and understand the homework. I had amazing TA when I took this class the Winter quarter so that was one of the reason why I was able to do well.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2019 - Absolutely incredible professor. This subject itself is difficult but watching Bruinsma get so passionate about the topic made everything a little bit easier. I looked forward to coming to class every day. The tests were actually fair compared to the homework and the material taught, but it doesn't change the fact that quantum mechanics can get really hard. Homeworks were kind of tedious. The textbook is a surprisingly easy read but Bruinsma's lecture notes are next level, so it definitely pushes you to spend a lot of time with the material on your own. Bruinsma cares about his students and it shows. So thankful to have had him as a professor!!
Spring 2019 - Absolutely incredible professor. This subject itself is difficult but watching Bruinsma get so passionate about the topic made everything a little bit easier. I looked forward to coming to class every day. The tests were actually fair compared to the homework and the material taught, but it doesn't change the fact that quantum mechanics can get really hard. Homeworks were kind of tedious. The textbook is a surprisingly easy read but Bruinsma's lecture notes are next level, so it definitely pushes you to spend a lot of time with the material on your own. Bruinsma cares about his students and it shows. So thankful to have had him as a professor!!
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - very heavy workload with (about 10-15 hrs homework per week to expect) but the professor is very helpful who add extra office hours(3 hrs per week and he stay late until you asked all your problems too). He knows a lot intersting facts about physics career too internationally. and also he's a very funny professor who can always make hard lecture funny and make you more interested in the subject. TA constantly come to lecture to hack what's the process of the course so that the discussion is a perfect reinforcement of the lecture. the homework is challenging (usually 9 problems per week, 3 is DIY by professor) but also intriguing which really help you understand the material. The exam is too much though. I can't finish all my problems during the midterm. But in general, If you are here to persue knowledge (or plan to go to graduate school) take with him. the extra knowledge he provide will for sure benifit you for your further career. and the patentness of him are for sure will help you catch up with what you haven't learned but all the others knows. -- as long as you are willing to spend time on the subject. on the other hand, if you are looking for a easy A, then take with others, the course is fulfulling but definitly can not be described as easy.
Fall 2019 - very heavy workload with (about 10-15 hrs homework per week to expect) but the professor is very helpful who add extra office hours(3 hrs per week and he stay late until you asked all your problems too). He knows a lot intersting facts about physics career too internationally. and also he's a very funny professor who can always make hard lecture funny and make you more interested in the subject. TA constantly come to lecture to hack what's the process of the course so that the discussion is a perfect reinforcement of the lecture. the homework is challenging (usually 9 problems per week, 3 is DIY by professor) but also intriguing which really help you understand the material. The exam is too much though. I can't finish all my problems during the midterm. But in general, If you are here to persue knowledge (or plan to go to graduate school) take with him. the extra knowledge he provide will for sure benifit you for your further career. and the patentness of him are for sure will help you catch up with what you haven't learned but all the others knows. -- as long as you are willing to spend time on the subject. on the other hand, if you are looking for a easy A, then take with others, the course is fulfulling but definitly can not be described as easy.
Most Helpful Review
Math Methods was a good class. The lectures were organized and clear. The notes were posted online and available before the lectures, which made the preparation easy. Professor Bruinsma was very accessible both during the lectures and outside the class. He even held study sessions every Wednesday with free pizza. The homework assignments were fairly long; but, this was a math class, so doing a bunch of problems seems appropriate. We used Boas's "Mathematical Methods." This book is much more readable than Arfken's, which is commonly used for this class. So this was a plus.The TA solved most of the difficult problem during the discussion sessions, so getting the HW done wasn't really an issue. There were two midterms, and the average scores were in the 70-80% range. The final exam was on the harder side, but reasonable. The review sessions were the crucial, as he addressed the exams in detail. The pace of the class was strong. We covered chapters: 1-8, 10, 13, and 15; also, parts of 11 and 12. My overall impression is that this was a class by a physicist for physicists -- it was tough but meaningful. So, if you like physics and math, take him.
Math Methods was a good class. The lectures were organized and clear. The notes were posted online and available before the lectures, which made the preparation easy. Professor Bruinsma was very accessible both during the lectures and outside the class. He even held study sessions every Wednesday with free pizza. The homework assignments were fairly long; but, this was a math class, so doing a bunch of problems seems appropriate. We used Boas's "Mathematical Methods." This book is much more readable than Arfken's, which is commonly used for this class. So this was a plus.The TA solved most of the difficult problem during the discussion sessions, so getting the HW done wasn't really an issue. There were two midterms, and the average scores were in the 70-80% range. The final exam was on the harder side, but reasonable. The review sessions were the crucial, as he addressed the exams in detail. The pace of the class was strong. We covered chapters: 1-8, 10, 13, and 15; also, parts of 11 and 12. My overall impression is that this was a class by a physicist for physicists -- it was tough but meaningful. So, if you like physics and math, take him.
Most Helpful Review
Note: this eval only applies to his biophysics class and not his lower div classes. He's the only prof that teaches this class so you have no choice. Luckily, he's super intelligent and enthusiastic, which is what biophysics undergrads need to look up to. Exams were take home and easy as long as you work in groups and go to his OH. He insists that you do NOT take notes in lecture, because he wants you to just sit back and listen, which is totally relaxed. All in all, it was a very fun and insightful experience.
Note: this eval only applies to his biophysics class and not his lower div classes. He's the only prof that teaches this class so you have no choice. Luckily, he's super intelligent and enthusiastic, which is what biophysics undergrads need to look up to. Exams were take home and easy as long as you work in groups and go to his OH. He insists that you do NOT take notes in lecture, because he wants you to just sit back and listen, which is totally relaxed. All in all, it was a very fun and insightful experience.
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