GREAT guy!

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Great teacher!

Awesome Guy!

Great guy, really cares about his students and their success. Easily accessible if you're having trouble. Even though the course was hard, this teacher is one of the best on campus in my opinion.

good teacher. always there when you need him. hard class, but he's always there to help

Unbelievable teacher, doesn't get any better than Don McCarthy!

****ing badass. Take him if you can.

really good teacher. whoaaa we are going to Mt. Lemmon this... friday or someting like that ( i have to find out) but he is so good. Take him Please!! you wont regret yourself. haha

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Great teacher! I can't believe he is a volunteer! AMAZING!

He is the best teacher I've ever had. His class is not the most interesting, but he is so helpful. McCarthy is always willing to help when asked. I highly suggest this class.

Dr. McCarthy is one of the best teachers I've had. The class is kinda hard but he helps you with ANYTHING you need.

An absolutely amazing teacher. Not the easiest material, but he's here to help. This is what teachers should be, he isnt here for the money, or freedom of the job, he clearly does it because he loves the material, and he loves to teach people.

Amazing man.

Difficult class especially if you get behind but Dr. Mccarthy makes it semi interesting. If you can't understand anything he will help you as much as possible. Just show some type of effort and any amount of interest and he will give you a grade.

He's an incredible teacher with a love for what he teaches. He's incredibly creative and not very conventional.

He was one of my best Professors! He is ideal professor who enjoys teaching! The information is quite difficult, but if you ask for the help and put effort into your work you will most likely get an B out of the class. Advice for taking the class: Try and apply yourself, just read along in the book, do all the homework, and show up!

mccarthy is by far one of the best professors on campus. the class is hard as hell but i still pulled off an A by doing all the extra credit and being involved. sign up for one of his classes! his teaching will make you actually WANT to go to class!

Best teacher I've ever had. His passion for the subject makes you want to learn it. Always gives you the benefit of the doubt, but pushes you to do your best. Wonderful teacher and friend. His class will change your life.

I took both this class and 201 and must say he is one of the best proffessors on campus. He makes sure he has a great relationship with all his students which makes the students comfortable enough to do their best. Do homework on time as well as attend most of his lectures, you should be able to get an A.

Incredible teacher! Teaches with such a passion and is always willing to help. Also puts a lot of time and thought into running the class. Always has extra projects and what not going, and even takes interested students to the observatory on Mt. Lemmon. Great class, but you must keep up. If you fall behind though, he'll help you all the way!

...I'm writing in Don McCarthy when I vote for pres. this year. (But seriously, TAKE THIS CLASS!!!)

Mr. McCarthy is my favorite teacher at U of A. He is just so interested in doing all he canf or his students. He makes the subject and classes fun and interesting and do everything he can to help you earn an A. If you need a NATS credit take his class you wont regret it.

A really good Prof. does everything to get you through his class. Lets you do extra credit. Always willing to help. You should take his Class Nats 102

AMAZING professor, def. take his class. He will do anything in his power to help you succeed.

HANDS DOWN THE BEST PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA. He makes class very enjoyable and is very helpful. the home work is hard but go to his hw hours and you will get good grades on it every time. he helps students outside of the class and does the coolest stuff in class. TAKE THIS CLASS!

Great guy. Very nice and always understanding. Usually very clear in lectures

Dr. McCarthy is incredibly passionate about the universe around us. This shows in his teaching and how he approaches the class. He will go out of his way to help any student who asks, and will never hesitate to answer a question. Dr. McCarthy's class is a must take.

Great Professor! Willing to help in any way; AIM, email, hw hours, preceptors, etc. Plan on spending 4+ hours a week on one hw assignment. Exams are open book/open notes, but are hard. There is a quiz atleast once a week on reading material. Radio project is fun and it helps decrease the amount that the Exams are worth. Getting an A is hard work.

Dr. McCarthy is an amazing professor. The best...hands down. The class is pretty difficult, but if your willing to put in the work and effort, it will pay off. He will truly help a student in anyway, at anytime. If you get to know don, you will become a better person. I highly recommend this class.

He makes the class very interesting. TRULY cares about his students and makes a point to learn everyone's name in a 100+ student class. Really great teacher!

Great teacher! Loves to teach and it shows! I would just reccomend going to all of the hw study sessions he has. Test can be a little hard if you don't pay attention or go to class. HIGHLY RECCOMEND!

he's a great teacher, and he is ALWAYS wanting you to succeed. The first day of class he said I struggle for you guys not to get an A in this course, and it is true. If you go to his office hours and/or study sessions, do the hw, and extra credit. You will get an A. he is just a great teacher.

Extremly helpful! lots of work go to all homework sessions, you'll need them.

Dr. McCarthy is one of the best professors I've had at the U of A by far. He's cordial, passionate about his subject matter and brings cosmology to life. I read on here that someone said he was boring, well that kid must think every professor is boring if he doesn't like this class. Take my word for it, take this class, you won't regret it.

Wonderful teacher. He is animated and completely passionate about Astronomy. In addition, I attended his office hours frequently and he was more than happy to help me. He also bends over backwards to help his students succeed: he gives them many chances to redeem points they lost. He also learns the name of every student, in a class of 140 kids.

Don is one of the best teachers I have ever had. Even for non-majors, he makes astronomy fun and interesting. His class is full of fascinating material that you don't find on your average Discovery Channel program. However, his class requires a very large amount of work outside of the classroom. Homework is daily and always long and intensive.

Dr. McCarthy is the most helpful professor I have ever had at the U of A. He goes out of his way to help anyone with homework or a concept from class. There is a lot of homework, but it does help prepare for the tests. Dr. McCarthy makes the material fun and interesting. I would definitely recommend this class.

Dr. McCarthy is one of the most helpful professors I have ever had. He gives you many, many opportunities to succeed and learns the names of every student. Expect to work hard and learn a lot. His lectures are always interesting with great visuals and charts. This was one of the best General Ed. classes I have taken.

Dr McCarthy is PHENOMENAL. He is SO helpful, literally any time of day you need him he will be there for you. Hands down best prof I've had thus far.The class is very interesting and isn't EXTREMELY difficult but it definitely requires some work, this is not an easy A. I worked hard for mine.

Fantastic teacher, easily the best one I have had at U of A. If you need to take a science course, this is absolutely the professor you should take it with.

Dr. McCarthy is such an awesome guy. He is literally hot, in the infrared.

The coolest professor I have ever met. very helpful. and very kind

Dr. McCarthy is such an awesome teacher. He is literally hot, in the infrared.

Dr. McCarthy is one of my favorite people on the UA campus. He is always willing to help, and teaches in an incredibly clear manner. He learns your name quickly, and always treats you with respect. He's willing to stand out in the cold late at night just to look at the stars and keep teaching! This guy is incredible! Anyone is blessed to have him.

Extremely nice guy and very willing to help. However, this is far too much work for a Gen Ed. You have homework due every class period and it will take you a minimum of 1.5 hours every time. You also have to write 3 short papers. Overall, he is a great guy but I found myself putting way too much time into this class that should have gone elsewhere.

Dr. McCarthy is the best professor I've ever had, hands down. He puts his heart and soul into teaching and it shows! He literally does everything he can to help his students succeed and is by far the most dedicated teacher I've ever had. It's a pretty tough class, but he provides the tools and opportunities to get an A.

Dr. McCarthy is one of the best teacher at the University of Arizona. He does not care about minuscule things, he emphasizes the concepts. He also offers "Resurrection Points" where you can earn back ALL missed points on exams (even up until the final). There is a lot of homework, but nothing too hard. He also offers a TON of resources to get help

Dr.McCarthy is a great teacher with a passion for astronomy. He goes above and beyond what most professors would do. Just prepare for a lot of homework that gets very tedious.

One of the most amazing professors at UA! His passion for the subject is shown through each lecture. Daily homework and clicker questions so attendance is mandatory but he is an extremely helpful professor he offers so many resources to get help, and also a chance to receive all of your exam points back through resurrection points.

An amazing teacher! He really wants his students to prevail and he is really passionate about his job. One of the best teachers i have ever had. He gives daily homework and attendance is mandatory, but that is never really an issue- you will most likely enjoy attending class. He is a fun and interesting guy who loves what he does and does it well.

Dr. McCarthy is an amazing teacher! He makes the effort to learn your name and help in whatever way he can. This class is an interesting topic but the lectures can be quite boring. I often found myself gazing off. The workload for this gen ed is also ridiculous. Daily homework is a pain as the semester went on.

AMAZING man- definitely dedicated and one of the best teachers I have EVER had. Is extremely passionate about what he does, and BEYOND patient when helping you out. Tries everything he can to help you pass his class, and he deserves a TON of respect for the passion he puts into teaching. AMAZING MAN!

Awesome teacher. Really loves Astronomy and gives great lectures. Class takes a lot of work and daily HW is a pain, but helps. If you go to class and pay attention you should be fine.

Ok heres the deal with Doc, He make his class fun but his homworks are hell from time to time. When you go to see him which you can cause he is always avaible, he will help you. He may talk in circles, but he will keep helping you till you understand. Doc is probaly the most avaible teacher on campus and is always ready to help someone.

He is a great teacher, very clear in his explanations and is willing to clarify anything in class if someone doesn't understand it. There is a lot of homework, but it is helpful for the tests and understanding the subject.

Dr. McCarthy is a wonderful professor! He cares very deeply for his students and really gives interesting lectures. Such a sweet man! Homework assignments and tests are slightly difficult, but he gives MANY opportunities for extra credit.

I love Dr.McCarthy! He is so nice and he is extremely helpful. I don't really like all the clicker questions though and the homework and tests are kind of hard.

He's a really good teacher. This class is not easy, with homework due every class. I can honestly say I learned a lot of stuff in this class. He is such a good teacher and I met with him multiple times so we could help benefit my grade. Good class

Don genuinely cares about every student's education. He knows the names of all 150 students in my class. Astronomy was sometimes hard for me, but Don is very helpful. Once a week, he offers a 1hr study session. He has office hours, but you can go into his office any time and he'll help you. He's a very interesting person and is fun to talk with.

Don definitely cares about your education. He has a one hour study session once a week. He is a great teacher, very helpful and interesting to talk to. There is hw due every class, and he does take attendance. If you do the work and get help when you need it, you will easily do well in his class. Tests and lectures are very straightforward.

If you want an awesome college experience take this class. You have to put work in, but Don is more than willing to help his students out. I recommend this class, and I can't describe how lucky I was to be put into it. Don is the best professor I've ever had.

Don is dedicated to his students, but this class is tedious. If you have a busy semester, do yourself a solid and avoid his class. He will absolutely work with you, and give you extra credit at every turn, but there is homework every day.If you have an easy semester, this class is an easy A. Bottom line: outstanding teacher, time consuming class.

Dr. McCarthy is a great teacher! He gives a ton of homework(homework is due everyday). He really wants you to succeed and will always help you if you approach him. He emails back rather quickly and helps you on homework if you have questions. Tests are easy because you are allowed one piece of paper with notes and the final is not cumulative.

By far the best teacher I have ever had. He is very knowledgable in his field. You can tell he's one of those teachers who could easily retire but keeps teaching just because he loves it. Extremely helpful and almost begs for students to come to his office hours. Attend class and it's an easy A.

Don is the BEST science teacher I've ever had! His class takes up so much time and at times is difficult, but he is more than willing to help you out. He takes the time to know everyone's name and is just super cool to talk to. If you're looking for an easy class, this isn't it, but if you're looking for an interesting one, take this!

By far my favorite teacher at this school. His lectures are always helpful and entertaining; there is never a dull moment in this class. He gives you several opportunities to raise your grade so do not pass them up! Overall a great class!

Very easy class. He knows the students by name which builds a friendship bond. Always interesting with no dull moments. Very easy A unless you can't handle it. Then i suggest that you change your major to psychology and take the easy way out.

One of the best instructors at the University of Arizona. An outstanding individual and incredibly inspiring. he makes you WANT to do well and care about the subject you are learning. Also: hothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothothot!!

Dr. McCarthy is a fantastic teacher. If you have the chance to get him as a professor, DO IT. He is super smart, passionate, and really cares about his students. The work can be difficult, but he makes sure it doesn't consume you life. He just wants to challenge you. He loves having students meet him outside of class.

Best thinking class I ever toke

Really great teacher with great demos.

Dr. Don McCarthy is one of the best teachers I have ever had. I wasn't a student who cared about the subject material, but he did his best to keep me and others engaged and interested in Astronomy. There is homework almost every night, but the class is still worth it. He is so caring and passionate, easily one of the best gen ads one could take.

Dr. McCarthy will know and remember your name after you meet with him once. Use his office hours (bookstore room sessions) and make sure you make an effort to meet with him. The class is really hard but if you know how to ask the right questions you will understand the whole concept not just a definition. This is not an easy A course.

Dr. McCarthy is very creative with his lectures and is quite inspiring. He is always willing to help and responds promptly.

Dr. McCarthy is one of the nicest people I've met. He's very passionate about astronomy, and he tries to make it interesting for the rest of the class. The lectures can be heavy, and you have weekly homework, but its never taken me more than an hour. It can be hard work, but it pays off. He offers resurrection points for missed questions on exams

Don is a great guy, but this is a hard gen ed. If you want an A you must work for it and show Don that you care. Unless you REALLY like astronomy I would advise not to take this class. Tests are hard and you have to write a semester long essay

This is easily one of the hardest gen eds that you will ever take. There is homework almost every night that can take up to two hours to complete, and there is a semester long essay that is graded tougher than an English essay. It is a very difficult gen ed and wouldn't recommend taking. Don is a great guy and cares about the students though.

I frequented his office hours and study sessions because he is so enjoyable. He LOVES astronomy and LOVES teaching. He has a wonderful teaching philosophy (no memorization needed). I went on trips to Mt. Lemmon and the mirror lab with him! Take his class!

Dr. McCarthy is one of the best teachers I've ever had. Despite his busy schedule, he was always available outside of class to help with any and all questions I had about the homework. The weekly homeworks were challenging, but if you go to his office hours he will explain everything in detail for you. I can't recommend Don or this class enough.

Not much to say other than probably one of the best gen ed class I have taken at the U of A. Although science has never been my specialty, I highly recommend this class. If you do poorly on an exam, you have the opportunity to make up every point through a thing called "resurrection points". From this, I received 120 extra points on an exam! 10/10

This professor is probably the best professor Ive had at the UofA! Although his class is tough he is very inspirational and cares about his students. He sets aside time to help you if you are struggling with the content. He gives tons of extra credit opportunities for things such as astronomy observation nights.

This professor is one of the best at the U of A. He makes his classes interesting with the use of experiments that he does to prove many of his points. The class is easy if you go to class and do all of the home works, and if you get a bad grade on the homework you can go to office hours to talk and get a 100 %. The tests are based off of lectures

Don McCarthy is awesome! He is a great professor in the classroom and an even better one in office hours, where he will talk to you about all kinds of subjects and help you with anything you need! He is one of the best at the University and you won't regret taking him.

Great guy, interesting material, knows his stuff

Don was the best professor I've ever had a class with. I took Cosmology 201 with him and even though it's not an easy class his way of explaining things is so great. He's able to simplify these crazy ideas and explain them to you visually so you really understand it.

Super nice old man but most confusing class Ive ever taken in my life

Don is the most caring professor you will have, all you have to do is communicate with him. It is nightly homework, but if you miss it, he gives the opportunity to make it up so long as you submit something. He will work with you for just about everything. With all the make up opportunities, everyone can get a 100%, just meet him half way.

Dr. McCarthy is a very caring professor. He is accessible, very responsive, and thoughtful in instruction and feedback. His syllabus is straightforward and there is ample opportunity to improve your grade(s).

An awesome human being and professor.

Don is an amazing teacher and a great guy who will always remember your name. He is always accessible outside of class to get help with the work. But the downside to this class is that it is a lot of work just for a gen ed. When you are not an astronomy major its hard to spend 2 hours on homework due every class.

This was one of the hardest gen eds I have ever taken, I extremely regret taking such a difficult course. Don Mccarthy is a great teacher, but the material can be hard to understand. The homework is HARD af, the three exams were extremely difficult.

He was pretty good, assigned 1 set of problems per week that usually weren't too difficult to complete (you often got a choice of which problems to work out).

Don McCarthy is one of the best teachers Ive experienced here at the U of A. He wants to help, you just have to advocate for yourself. He is very respected and enthusiastic about what he does. However, Astronomy 170B is the hardest GenEd course I have taken. Do not take if you cannot handle a heavy work-load, and challenging concepts to grasp.

Textbook is online and free. Attendance is taken daily for points. Nightly homework, usually not too long and tedious. (3) tests, (1) 8 page paper. Can get points back on test 1 by improving on test 2. IF YOU WANT AN EASY PASS CLASS DON'T TAKE IT! BUT IF YOU WANT TO LEARN GENUINELY FASCINATING MATERIAL AND LEARN SOMETHING EVERYDAY, TAKE THIS CLASS!

Dr. McCarthy is a great man and is always eager to help students, but his class is very hard. It is possible to get an A, but you will need to go to office hours & take advantage of all the ways to earn points back. This is NOT an easy gen ed and if you are not passionate about astronomy, I would not recommend you take his class.

Dr. McCarthy is a fantastic teacher who is very passionate about teaching. The homework sets were sometimes difficult but if you go to his office hours to talk about it, he gives you back all the points. His main goal was to make sure his students were learning more than worrying about grades.

Dr. McCarthy is too pure for this world. He integrates live experiments, videos, and reflection periods to keep us engaged during lectures, not to mention the activities he offers outside of class. He also allows "redemption points" for tests, so you can fix your mistakes as you improve. This is a man who cares about students' learning experience.

Don is such a great person and clearly really cares about his students but DONT TAKE THE GEN ED. it is honestly pretty hard ESPECIALLY online. if you have the option to take this class in person, may it would be better but this is one of those gen eds where the material is way too intense to be an easy gen ed.

100% my favorite prof I've had at UA! Don is genuinely the sweetest person, and he cares SO much about his students. The material is a little difficult, coming from someone who sucks at science, but it's definitely do-able! He offers so much help, and he really wants to see his students succeed, which is definitely different from most profs here :)

Dr. McCarthy is SO kind and caring. The subject is super hard, very math heavy, but he makes it a little easier. Big essay due at the end of the course, but you submit it in chunks so its so much easier to handle. You can tell he truly does care about his students and their education, he is a lot of fun!

Professor McCarthy is a great lecturer and the homework is definitely manageable. If you don't get a 100 on an assignment you can go to office hours or schedule an appointment with him and discuss it and he'll bump your grade up by a lot. The class doesn't get too technical and he explains the concepts really clearly. Highly recommend him

Don is my favorite professor at UA. Take advantage of all the resources he gives you! Rework any homework, go to office hrs, optional observing, supp. instruction, etc. Extremely interesting material and opens the door to what astronomy is all about. Just do your work and you will be fine! May even switch majors because of his influence. 11/10

Short homework assignments due before every class, three exams, one final paper, lots of extra credit opportunity. Overall not terribly difficult but if you stop paying attention in class you're probably going to have a hard time. Super interesting class though, I plan on taking another astronomy course with Don.

Don is a great teacher and is always eager to help students during office hours and he replies very quickly to emails. I emailed him once pretty late at night and didn't expect to get a reply until the morning but within 5 minutes he responded. Taking notes and paying attention should get you a good grade in the class.

It takes a special professor to be able to teach material this complex. Dr. McCarthy is a real gem. He's kind, cares about his students, and really wants to make sure that everybody understands. The usual amount of homework, and quite a bit of writing, but only three big tests throughout the semester. Hard material, but I loved this class.

Dr. McCarthy has the best lectures and really cares about his students learning the material. This class is hard, I would definitely suggest to go to office hours with him or a TA, however I would take this class again for sure.

cool guy, great class.

Dr. McCarthy is a great teacher, my favorite this year. He makes class fun and if you forget to submit a homework or in class assignment just email him and he accepts it late with no penalty. There is homework every night, but it is super easy as long as you listened during lecture which is easy to do because he is so entertaining.

Great professor, difficult material. There is a short homework assignment due before each class period that takes under an hour to complete. Go to class because lectures aren't available outside of class and you get points for showing up. He did make the last 5 homework assignments extra credit which helped my grade a ton. Only 3 open-note tests.

The only reason I didn't select "lots of homework" is because even though there's homework before every class, it's really short and doesn't take long at all. Everyday is a lecture but he's pretty interesting and encourages participation. Participation isn't required but there are daily note sheets to keep track of attendance.

I loved this class a lot! I learned so much from Dr. McCarthy, and everyone really respects him. He is willing to give you points back on a homework assignment if you go to his office hours. Homework was a little tough but it helps to go to his office hours for help on it.