PHYS 1420

Professor Yagi was great, but the lectures were a little wonky. He did not go too fast but sometimes the lectures were pretty slow/more focussed on derivations than on what was asked during midterms/final. The final/midterms were to a large part multiple choice questions, which made them very tricky, and there was a lot of weekly homework. But he is always open for questions during class and office hours.

I had no previous physics experience, and I didn't even need to take physics anyway, so this class was definitely hard. The amount of work each week is A LOT. The Mastering Physics homework plus the written homework and the preclass readings. I found the preclass reading to be pretty annoying, but I probably would have understood the material a bit better had I actually put effort into them. The midterms were not terrible, as there wasn't that much content in each one, but the final was hard because it covered so much material. It was only worth 30% which was good considering I bombed it. The pacing of the class is also extremely fast, and we were still rushing at the end to cover all the material.
All this being said, I think Yagi is a great professor and super helpful in office hours, so for those who need physics should take this class, but be prepared for the workload.

I had no prior physics experience and I really struggled with this course. The main issue is that the work, at least for me, took so long. Each week requires hours of time, and it feels like it overtakes your life. Unless you're really confident in physics, reading the textbook for every class is a must. It's best if you get into a routine of doing all the readings and assignments early so you don't feel like you're drowning. Making sure you understand everything as you go along is hard but will help you in the long run. Tests are hard but the averages tend to be low and if you get good grades on the other assignments it'll buffer it.
Yagi is a nice guy who is super understanding. If you're struggling with an assignment, he's always willing to point you in the right direction. If you need to take this class, I highly recommend him.
Summary: it's hard and demanding, but force yourself to stay on top of the work and make sure you ask for extra help if you need it and you'll get through.
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