Speliopoulos was decently clear and gave plenty of helpful examples in lecture. Sometimes his math could be tedious and advanced for the class. The first midterm was easy, the second hard, and the final middling. Comfort level with geometry is a big factor. I personally enjoyed the class, and had a good GSI. Key to grade is a great cheat sheet.

Professor Speliotopoulous is extremely meticulous to detail and derivations during lectures. I recommend getting black lighting notes along with attendance because it truly reinforces your understanding of physics. Helpful and patient to answer questions after class. Exams really tested your understanding and application of concepts. Great Prof

Lectures are difficult but clear, structured, and really helpful; the exams are difficult but far from impossible, also the class is curved so it is really easy to pass (but hard to get an A)

Spelio is the MAN. I don't get all the hate! He spent a little too much time on derivations and his exams were pretty tough, but I really got the material because of him. As long as you go to class and do the homework, you'll do fine with this guy. Very good lecturer.

Not as bad as his rating suggests. Although his lectures are very proof heavy and mastering physics is kind of useless, this semester I believe he made his exams easier. I think he is a good lecturer, however he needs to reconsider the material he lectures on (needs more examples, less proofs).

Was the reason I became a Physics major. Very helpful and clear. May spend a bit too much time on intricacies, but this opens up your eyes to how deep something as simple as Physics 7A can be.

He speaks clearly and explains everything really well. I was absent a few days and just walked into his office hours and told him I was gone, and he went over everything with me. Goes through a lot of proofs, but doesn't test on them. Tests a lot on algebra skills as well as physics.

Very different from what his rating suggests. He is a great professor.

Best physics professor! The lectures are very clear, with lots of examples and proofs! I can learn many things besides he textbook. The theories were well explained, and the examples are very closely related to the hw problems and exams. His exams are reasonably hard. Still many of the classmates I know get almost full credit on MTs and finals.

Enjoyable lectures, TERRIBLE tests. First midterm was relatively easy, second one was ridiculously hard (which, as the professor told us, was on purpose) as was the final. You have to go to lecture to succeed in this course, the book that is assigned is not the best at explaining things, it just throws formulas at you.

He is a great professor, always very clear and will follow the pace that students need. His midterms were fair but his final followed his reputation. Study hard for his final!

Very nice professor. Extremely patient and willing to help any student with any question. Tests are difficult though but he is helpful and curve is helpful.

Really nice and approachable. Lecture was interesting. Class was fast paced so it's helpful to use BOTH the textbook and attend lecture. Don't cheat on mastering physics, if you do, it's useless and before you know it, it'll be too late to catch up. Go to office hours because he can explain the same concept different ways there.

He is absolutely amazing. He is very patient, very clear, and super nice! I'm not sure where the scary reviews came from- maybe 7A/7B? I had him for both semesters and he's a really great teacher. His exams are FAR from unreasonable. He curves very fairly. Hands down one of the best instructors I've had at Cal.

For both his Physics 8A/8B, I really don't get the bad reviews. He slows down when needed and answers everyone's questions and is super patient. He's clear about what he wants you to know. He likes deriving things a lot but it really is for our understanding. GSIs in physics also make a big difference. Did average, but loved these classes overall!

Awesome professor! Highly recommend! He teaches well and he is patience in the class. During the lab, you can ask him as many times as you like if you question, he won't get angry. Take him, test is not very hard. The best professor I have ever had.

easiest teacher ever, easy A! just attend classes, and he gives you A. i strongly recommend u take this prof!! no comment!

This was a really fun class. Spelio is a great lecturer. His exams are really well thought out and are doable. The material is clearly presented and the methods are well taught. Demos are fun. It all boils down to your GSI though. Very doable class, although you'll hear nightmares about 7A.

I am preparing for the MCAT and I realize how awesome he taught physics. He is a great lecturer & very helpful in office hour, use him. Very helpful demos, don't just enjoy them, learn from them. Eng is a hard lang for me, so I had to listen to his lecture again at home and God, that helped so much. He is awesome, but not an easy A class, try hard.

Spelio is a very likable lecturer. Lectures are extremely clear, have lots of concrete examples and Spelio is very attentive to questions. Moreover, his office hours are amazing. Rarely anyone comes and he works out his exam problems. He's passionate and cares about students. However, his exams are absolutely KILLER.

Spelio is the best 7 series physics professor at Cal. Extremely clearconstantly interrupts his lectures to ask "Is everyone cool with this?" He has a wonderful way of explaining concepts (great drawings too). Expects a lot from his students. Pay attention & you will be inspired by his love of the subject. Exams are written with the help of Satan.

Actual god.

Spelio made me love Physics. I'm not joking. PLEASE don't let the tests scare you! See, I was kinda meh on 7A . But Spelio is an AMAZING teacher. His tests are hell, but work hard and go to lecture and you will actually have the tools to do well. He teaches so well and cares so much about the class and it shows. Honestly my favorite prof 3

The hardest professor I have had at Cal in my three years of pre-med, and even so, I feel like I have learned more with Spelio than I have with any other professor. He deserves a lot of praise for his teaching, but do not expect an easy semester in the slightest. Extremely difficult exams.

It's definitely a must to read the book and take notes before attending lecture or else you will be very confused. The homework is very hard, but Speliotopoulos is phenomenal during office hours and helps you so much with any questions. I found myself really struggling at the beginning of the semester, but by going to office hours, I ended up fine.

I had spelio fro 8a/8b and I really enjoyed physics with him. He explains concepts well and has lots of interesting demos. Midterms/Finals are pretty difficult but there is a generous curve. If you do a lot of practice problems and pay attention in class you will be fine. The book is not necessary and GSI's aren't very helpful

Don't think you're sly by bs'ing the homework. His class depends on the tests. If you do the homework honestly and thoroughly, you'll ace these classes easy peazy. Slightly weird/arrogant in lecture, but a sweethart in office hours. Work hard and you got this!

Physics 5a is a tough class anyway, and Speliotopoulos gives hard problem sets and lectures well but abstractly and at a high level. The two midterms were medium in difficulty and the final was considerably harder, but both had generous partial credit and good curves so that you can afford to make mistakes and miss problems. Big on problem solving.

Although it was my first college course, Professor Spelio. made me love physics. His lectures were math heavy but very clear and easy to follow (I took notes and reviewed them because it was a bit fast). The way he taught made me question the 5W&1H for physics. Easy to reach via email and office hours. Tests are hard but well-thought and curved.

The first time I take upper div class, and his class was tough. The exam questions sometimes get pretty crazy. Glad I got an A- still

Same poster as the one below: just wanted to mention that many people used Chegg to cheat on homeworks, which is why they found exams so hard. Don't cheat, and you will realize just how helpful Spelio's lectures are when working through tough problem sets that prepare you well.

This review is about 2 years late. That being said, what I learned from Spelio is what is currently saving me in my last quantum class in my physics undergrad. If you're going for physics, you MUST take Spelio. Seriously. If not, he's a great teacher, but be prepared for one of the hardest classes you'll take. It's super interesting, but OH GOD

loved him!!

He's a very cool professor, very smart, definitely cares about his students. Amid remote instructions during COVID, he still live streams his lecture in lecture halls just in order to show us the demos to help us understand concepts better. Definitely will take again. Class is not easy but also not that hard. He explains them very clearly.

Spelio was super nice this semester (Fall 2020) with covid and the election and everything. He's a typical Cal professor in that a lot of the course minutia are left to the GSIs, and he mostly just lectures, but his lectures are very clear and he's super nice about answering questions. His tests were very fair. Would take him again :)

Professor Spelio was pretty fair about the circumstances for the Fall 2020 semester! The grading scale wasn't solidified until a bit late in the semester and the final grading could have either helped or hurt you, but I think it was a fair scale. I'd say the lectures are helpful and clear, but the exams tend to be harder than lecture problems/hw.

Achilles really cares about his students is very accessible through emails. His lectures, with a lot of demos, are cool and funny. It seems like he has taught this class countless times so he knows what's the best way to make students understand the materials while maintaining the goals of the class. The tests are hard but not impossible.

I took both 8A and 8B with Professor Spelio, and he teaches the content super well. It was my first physics classes, and 8B being personally harder. Professor does lots of practice problems and demos in class, so the hard part is to go back and make sure you understand why he does each step. Helpful to do practice problems and old exam problems.

Awesome lecturer. Teaches physics in an applicable manner-- tests are difficult, but he provides a decent amount of practice exams and homework questions. He is a fair grader. Lots of partial credit on exams. He definitely loves what he teaches! (this is coming from someone who absolutely hated physics in high school)

Relatively clear grading criteria and very fairly run course (the context being that Berkeley's physics curve, especially for pre-health majors, is total ass). Prof. Speliotopoulos's best attribute is EXTREMELY clear lecture explanations of concepts.

His tests are really not that hard (mostly because they are curved VERY generously). He's organized, and teaches you how to think like a physicist. Yes, there are proofs in class but he's clear about what is in scope. Exam problems were often directly from lectures, so pay attention and make sure you understand in-class examples well.

His lectures are exceptionally rigorous, methodical, and systematic, though they sometimes prioritize theory and derivations over practical examples. While homeworks are challenging and time-consuming, they prove rewarding. Tests are difficult, with mean scores hovering around 50%, but generously curved. I wholeheartedly recommend this professor.

A very solid choice for physics! 5A is a challenging course, but his lectures are comprehensive, rigorous, and clear. They really help you understand and appreciate the theoretical and mathematically rigorous nature of physics concepts.

Excellent professor!

Very helpful, gives plenty of advice on how to improve lab setup.

Great! Super helpful

Overall a very solid professor, tho can be quite difficult.

Very nice dude. Approachable and helpful.

Seems intimidating at first but he's actually very kind and helpful. Somewhat harshly graded, I know basically no one that got 100% on a lab after the first unit, but the GSI grades not him so just beware.

Pretty helpful throughout the lab process if you ask questions. Class seemed like it was graded fairly. Time consuming but chill class.