This class was probably the best class I could've taken as a freshman. The first lecture completely blew me out of the water, but quickly, Campbell's teaching style became more comfortable. The homework is hard and time consuming, but this class was very memorable, and I met some wonderful people in it. If you want to take this class because of the challenge, then I would say to do it as long as you are aware that it is a CHALLENGE.

Campbell was a great, engaging lecturer, and moved at a quick pace to avoid distractions. I would say this though, read the book before, take notes and what it has to say, then add what Prof says afterward. Copying lecture notes may lead you astray, as he mainly just draws the scenarios and writes some of the math. He leaves out a lot of the theory/concepts. Attendance was not mandatory. A note though, if you have not taken multivariable calculus, definitely do some self-teaching, as this will make a lot of your concepts easier to follow. Campbell can overcomplicate things in his lectures, so as long as you can follow along with the concepts and try to replicate his math, then you should be fine.

Overall, this class was very generous in terms of content, support, and curving. If you do not want to dedicate your life to this class, then good luck. But if you are determined to learn on a rigorous level, then this is the course for you.

Campbell's strengths: Super organized, good at listening to and answering questions, very approachable, engaging lecturer, I always felt super respected. His welcoming attitude and jokes about how even he found questions challenging were good for morale.

Course strengths: Small class size so you make good, brilliant friends through trauma bonding. It's super collaborative. The homework is hard, but you can really put in as much time as you want-8 hours if you're stubborn and want to do it yourself, 2 hours if you use the answer key/friends as soon as you get stuck. The midterm is brutal but has a nice curve, the final is "easier" but then the might curve it funny. Attendance is optional, lectures are recorded. IMO the first week of class was the hardest, and it gets a little easier

Weaknesses: The lectures are long, fast-paced, and sometimes dry. It will be very hard if you haven't seen physics before. Some lectures are very fast and you get lost. Campbell's office hours room is kind of small, which is nitpicky. Class was long and draining, content is hard.

TLDR Campbell and my new physics friends were the best parts of 1AH, the workload is intense and challenging but it really makes you feel like you've done something.

This class had a very heavy workload and the tests were very difficult, but the curve was really nice in the end. The lowest grade on the midterm with the curve was something around an 82. I think if you go and talk to him at office hours, he can be very helpful, but sometimes the lectures can be a little confusing without the 1 on 1 explanations. The class is very fast paced, and you definitely should be reading the textbook. The TA for my class was amazing, so if you get a good TA the class will be a little bit easier as well.

This class ruined my life. It really is an honors class in that the grade at the end of the course is not an issue, but the mental turmoil and trauma it puts you through is. The problem sets are only 6 problems long, but would take me upwards of 8 hours a week, but I'm also not particularly great at physics so this was probably on the longer end in the class. There's also detailed solution guides online for the homework sets which saved my life. The first midterm is truly a terrible thing, but it does prepare you well for the final. There's definitely genuine value in taking this class over 1A if you're interested in physics since Professor Campbell did go much more in depth than the 1A curriculum, and he's a pretty chill guy who's passionate about what he's talking about. If you're willing to put yourself through torturous problem sets and tests, you'll get a good grade and learn something extra, but it really does drain the soul out of you.

If I’m being honest, I was terrified of this class the instant I signed up for it. If you’ve read some of the reviews of the other professors that taught this class you’d know why lol. But now that fall quarter is over I’m so grateful I took this class. Professor Campbell really is a great teacher because he’s not only trying to teach you the material, but also teach you how to think like a physics major. I remember some questions from the start of the course that felt completely impossible to do by myself… and by the end of the course those questions felt like a joke. Our TA, Charlie, was also an amazing physics super genius with very helpful office hours.
This class is only offered fall quarter, and I highly recommend not missing out on the opportunity to enroll!

P.S. I got annihilated by the midterm but don’t worry if you do well on the final you can still make it out with an A!