2.4
Quality4.2
Difficulty29%
Would Retake130
Reviews29%
Would Retake
130
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
130 total ratings5
18
4
20
3
14
2
30
1
48
What Students Say
“WORST WORST AND WORST”
PHY207 - 1.0 rating“Heed the warnings and satire 5/5 reviews”
PHYS208 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
83%
Textbook Required
54%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.54 avg changeRatings by Course
20800
5.0
(2)PHYSICS207
4.5
(2)PHYSICS208
3.2
(5)PHYS208LAB
3.0
(1)STATISTICS
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
20801
5.0
PHYSICS
5.0
PHYSICS207LAB
5.0
PHYSICSLAB208
5.0
PHYSII
5.0
Reviews (129)
Decent prof, explains things/speaks english well, but you really need to know your sh*t and put time into studying. he knows if ur slacking off and his tests can reflect it very well. no free lunch here
Classic example of CCNY professor who really needs to retire. He's ego is large and thinks hes never wrong. Never wants to talk to students and help them out.
Very hard, but explains everything clearly. Not an easy ride - he doesn't give a lot of A's.
One of the worst!! Do not recommend. Take someone else!NOT THIS GUY!!!!
If you are interested in learning and understanding the material well do not take this professor. He is one of the worst and could care less if you understand it or not.
Hard class,tough professor.If you'll study you'll do good.Have to work really hard to get a good grade.Nevertheless,he knows how to teach and explains everything very clearly.He is very organized and knows the material very well.
Exams aint that tough, but as compared to the Bergs teaching this course, this guy is a lot of work. Would recommend anyone else than him to make life easier.
Makes subject 10 times harder than needs to be. Makes it interesting. Grades harsh. David Letterman of Physics. Nows his material well and has a sly sense of humor. Be weary & ready to work. Not for the faint at heart.
don't take him.
This guy's head is swollen. Throws you out of the lab if you dont have your lab manual or if you sit where he doesn't want u to.
the most stupid and careless professor I ever had. don't take him even if he is the only prof. for this course.
Take someone else. Anyone else!! It's for your own good!!
he explains the material well. He knows what he is talking about and comes to class well prepared. However, be ready to work! His tests are very fair. If you go over all the homework problems and know how to do them by yourself, you will be fine.
he teaches good, but he does things like in the 50s. Try taking someone else
he is the worst professor on earth. He doesn't know how to teach or how to make students understand what he is saying. He is a NERD, so that's all I need to say. Never take him, by the way he usually teaches section LL, so never pick that section.
This class in general is very hard so be prepared to work. he is a very harsh grader and usually won't give partial credit. If you're not a fan of Physics, do not take this class because it will drag down your GPA and you will probably end up having to take the class again.
Do not take this guy. Syllabus is too ambitious and he moves way too fast. Before the term is over, over two thirds of the class would have withdrawn and at least one third of the remaining people will fail. He told the class that usually he only gives out one or two As.
nice but not good
whatever u do, dont make the mistake i made. I feel like crying...
He is the worst Teacher in the world! Administration should realy think about firing him. I actually think he enjoys seeing people squirm. His tests are hard and he is a harsh grader. by the mid term half of the class drops and only about15% of the original class pass. NOT AN EXAGERATION. THIS IS THE TRUTH. TO KNOW HIM IS TO HATE HIM.
Worst teacher in CCNY would be too good of a rating for this guy. He should have been fired a long time ago. Knows physics but has a MAJOR attitude problem. Don't ever challenge him because he's always right (according to him). I tried my luck thinking how bad can a teacher be?? Don't make my mistake. Wait 3 semesters if you have to. DO NOT TAKE
Prof. Falk teaches good. He wants you to ask questions if you do not understand the material and he explains as best as he can. But what I dont like is that he is not friendly and he can disparage you sometimes. His exams are pretty hard to fair and you dont keep your exams. Practice A LOT of problems if you want to do well. I won't take him again.
I thought others were exaggerating about Falk. Unfortunately, they weren't. The worst thing about him is his attitude. DO NOT TAKE him unless you want fantasize about punching him in the head every day.
Love this professor. Great guy. REAlly good for learning physics. Take him if you want a challenge and a good time.
DO YOURSELD A FAVOR DON'T TAKE HIM. THIS PROFESSOR SUCKS, I THINK HE SHOULD RETIRED. MAKES VERY STUPID REMARKS AND DISCOURAGE STUDENTS. DON'T KNOW MUCH BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN HIM MAKE LOTS OF MISTAKES IN THE BOARD. HE SHOULD GET FIRE AND SENT TO TRAINING. DON'T TAKE HIM .
Someone wrote this earlier and it's so true, "DO NOT TAKE him unless you want fantasize about punching him in the head every day." Compared to him McKelvie is the best professor in CCNY. Avoid him like the plague. I am not exaggerating.
Do Not Take unless you are already an ace at physics. I knew my stuff, and i still got a B. He is NOT friendly, by any means. His teaching skills are only shaded by his superior knowledge in Physics. He is a freekin genius, and he knows it.
He is not helpful at all. He is bad. I had to work hard in this class to get a B+. He don't tech anything in the class.
If you don't care about your grades (like me), you could do worse than this prof. He tells nice stories and presents the material quite clearly. However, his expectations from the students are not clear and he revels in failing underachievers. He loves enforcing meaningless and arbitrary rules like kicking people out of class for being late.
The worst professor EVER!!!! He's so full of himself and your almost guaranteed to fail. Avoid him like the plague even if it means not taking physics for the semester because you will fail regardless. I hate him and his friggin blue sweater
Very Bad Teacher. Barely teaches and when he does he teaches badly.His test are hard even though he doesn't teach.Very inflexible keeps all of your tests and only gives them back for one class. DON'T TAKE HIS CLASS unless you are extremely confident and good at studying from the book. You'll learn more from the text than him.
fantastic one, take him learn something
DO NOT TAKE THIS GUY!!!! his ego is too big to handle. he has the biggest attitude problem i have ever seen. he is never willing to aid a student. im not just saying all this cuz he gave me a bad grade because he didn't. i got an A. im saying this because he is truly and evil maniac. avoid any connection with him by all means.
Guys , please dont ruin your gpa by taking falk or Akkerman in Physics 208. Physics 208 is much harder than 207. Please take Tu for 208.
He is well organized and updates constantly on assignments. BUT, he isn't much help outside of the classroom, and an overwhelmingly tough grader. On our first two exams 2/3 of our class got 0's.
He is a tough grader and his tests are really really really hard. But he would show you a lot of things that other teachers would not. YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TO READ THE TEXTBOOK AND GET THE BASICS OF THE CHAPTER BEFORE GOING TO A LECTURE ON IT or else you'll be lost. Any questions you have just ask, he is willing to answer you questions.
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His test are extremely hard, try to avoid him at all cost, even if you think u know the material well. He says that a 50 average on test is a C, but thats not true. If u take him, youll probably have to take the class over. Although he does explain things well, his test are very hard, and hes a harsh grader. AVOID FALK!!!!!!
This professor is the complete example of student?s nightmare! A subject that I find fascinating soon became a dreaded one for me. This professor is not friendly at all, as a matter of fact, he is abusive to his students,He makes sure that you know that you are under his control and has the power to fail you. He actually appears to enjoy it.
I have noticed that he is being rated in error as Professor "Bevely Falk" from the Physic Dep. Those ratings speak for themselves. If you take a class with this professor, I wish you the best of luck!
This guy is supposed to be one of the finest teachers. However, that is a complete lie. He over-complicates every equation, and doesn't explain his methodology. So, if you aren't very good at studying by yourself, you aren't going to succeed in his class.
Horrible. If you took him, try to switch if possible. Try to drop if possible. You may think you can pass but you may also not. It will screw GPA up! I wish to god he dies soon. Very disrespectful rude mother follower & very discouraging. Went to office for help, he didn't help. He mocks students. Repeatedly ask's if ur registered for the course.
You are forewarened! Avoid this instructor at all costs! This professor has no business teaching as he cares not for his students and utterly fails at his responsibility of teaching. This instructor epitomizes the failings of unions and tenured professors; poor instructors just can't be removed and this should be a crime. This instructor took a highly interesting subject/class and contorted into something needlessly complex, difficult and unfair. It is infuriating to think I paid for this!
Well, 110 out of 140 people dropped the class after the first 2 tests. Of the 30 of us that remained most are going to fail. His tests are too difficult compared to other proffers teaching the same class and he seems to hate students. He also makes fun of anybody who asks him a question during the first half of the year. DO NOT TAKE!
He is the hardest professor I've encounter so far, and the worst thing is that he does not care about his students, if he has to fail the whole class, he will. Out of a 100 students that started the semester, about 15 are left. DO NOT TAKE HIM.
do not take him...unless you want to get an F or W
all awful things you hear of him are true. i stayed in his class and thot i could do it. i got 90's on the first 2 tests, then 30 on the third. NO PARTIAL CREDIT OR CURVES. i got a C-, which isn't passing (C). He has an awful soul and attitude. He will be nice to you only if you DROP. teachers with no interest in helping students shouldn't teach..
This guy is the WORST!!!!!!! He makes fun of u like yo mama jokes and he hates helping u. I mite be a straight a student but i will never take him again! I cant believe that i didnt drop out! WARNING! This guy is the next darth vader! And he mite be made out of toxic waste. He makes fun of u in class. if u are 5 minutes late you cant b in the class
never try to take this guy. He is the worst prof in the world. He makes ur live a misery. he gave me a plain F. When I do good in any exam he down grades me making students fail. he just enjoys students dropping. 208 is hard enuf but this guy makes it worse. He is so crazy abt vectors so dont try taking him run for ur life.
THis man is too hard. He uses a computer projection to teach and goes super faster. You wont learn anything when you come to class. His finals are unbelievable it is so hard that pple just left the exam hall after 2mins and really long too. He is the worst prof u can imagine very bad attitude and loves to make jokes that are funny when studs fails
This guy shouldn't even be teaching at all. He should be fired immediately except the school is actually retarded enough to give tenure to "F***ing FALK" who is one of the most terrible and low quality teachers at the school
He is one of the least interesting, mean and very bad teacher i have ever met. his test was not actually that hard, but his teaching skills is very low. he teaches with slides, sometimes you don't even have the time to copy; understanding is afterward.
Terrible. If there were negative ratings, this man would receive them. AVOID HIM at all costs! I'm warning you! I can't even begin to tell you how bad he really is. Please do yourself a favor and pick a night class or something. It would BE MUCH WORTH IT! PLEASE don't take it, don't go through what I'm going through.
For those who are looking for some hope. 1st exam: 54. 2nd exam: 69. I asked him if I could still get an A; he said it's impossible. 3rd exam: 95. (He went over problems in class - perhaps a gift for those who had not dropped.) Time for finals - studied old exams. I don't know what I got for the final exam but grade for class: A. It IS possible.
STAY AWAY from this professor, do not try to be a big-shot, you do not get a gold medal on your degree saying "I survived Falks physics course". You are most likely an engineering major taking this course, so you got a whole crapload of other work to do in the meantime, why suffer? This guy does not care about his students period.
What makes Falk difficult is that he expects you to know how to work with every ounce of material, and to be able to do so very quickly, without mistakes. So you will REALLY know your material if you pass his class, but in no way because of his teaching skills. He often seems bored of the subject and does not hold back on demoralizing his class.
He's extremely mean and cold-hearted to everyone in the beginning because it's his way of "weeding out the weak" but you won't benefit much from his class if you're not a physics major. If you want to have a decent physics class, take Smith or Das.
This is worst professor you can have! His exams are extremely difficult. For those who are unlucky enough to have him, before you get into his class check the academic calendar to know when is the last day to drop classes. If you get less than a 50 in the first and second exam, you should drop the class immediately. There is no way pass the class.
NEVER EVER!!! take this guy.. he think that because he graduated from MIT he can give you that type of work.. main problem expects you to know all the work with the horrible explaining he does..one word.. AVOID.. he thinks hes hilarious, OHH man hes is just terrible.. have not seen one good review about him...
If you have a lot of academic self-confidence and really strong prior preparation in math and physics, you might like this class. Be bold and ask questions, even though he's not at all approachable. To put things in perspective, I had an 80 average, was demoralized and considered whithdrawing. It curved-out to an 'A'. Falk has attitude problems, an
The real problem with Falk is not that he is demanding and unsympathetic (though he is both of those things), it is that he is a BAD teacher of the material. The fact that he is not a good teacher in combination with his sour attitude just makes it all the more painful for students and their gpas. The gods were laughing when they named him Falk.
Teaching is very details and he givesnice proof for every concept. You may feel hard problems in the first exam but really your knowledge increases incredible by the second exam if you obtaine an 70 in one of his exam you will have an perfect A. He calls superstar people who get this grades of 70 and above. Very nice proffesor. He is hard.
Take him if you want to kill your GPA. He calls people with 60's Nobel prize winners. That how low everyone gets.
Everyone is way too cynical about him. He's a decent prof. who presents the material well. If you think he is going too fast or don't understand something he said, he welcomes questions & clarifies until you are satisfied. His exams are fair (everything on them is discussed in class) & resemble the Webassign problems he gives. Dont get intimidated.
Not friendly to anyone who has never taken a physics class prior. Being that the class is introductory physics, it makes me wonder why he teaches Phys207
Very difficult class. It is hard to learn from him because he uses the projector for lessons, which makes it difficult to understand concepts.He tries to help by answering questions, but often times it is difficult to retain the info. Tests are really difficult and you need to spend most of your time reading the textbook to understand material
Falk is mean, but not a bad professor like most make him out to be. He is not an easy A, so if that's what you want stop reading. Unlike other professors you cannot pass and know nothing about Physics. With Falk if you pass it's because you earned it. You have to actually study (like dedicate a day's time per week to study) and do your hw.
He can be real cruel to students, its funny and sad when he continues to question a student who clearly doesn't know the answer and makes them feel stupid. That said, he's one of the best professors i've had in terms of teaching me the actual subjects. Cruel person, great teacher, its hard to find a professor who is both anyway, just suck it up.
If you have little to no physics background then I do not recommend this prof. Knows what he's talking about but goes through the material very quickly. Tests aren't impossible but you must know concepts very well rather than just formulas plus he barely gives partial cred. Not at all an easy A but if you can keep up with him you can do well.
Worst professor ever. I got a 93 on the first test, 95 on the second, and 60 on the third. I got a D in the class, and I am not sure what I got on the final. GPA KILLER! AVOID!
I wasn't to thrilled with his teaching style because he scanned through numerous slides at a fast pace... however at the end of the course I realized the necessity of his hastiness. We ended the material with a week to spare which we used for simulated test taking. This really helped me. I also really enjoyed his personality. TUFF class...
Falk insists that you know the material in order to pass his class. If that's being too tough of a professor at CCNY, then the school should rethink its academic policies. Perhaps his manner can be off-putting, but that probably comes from years of students whining about grades and watching the college degrade academic standards in response.
One of the WORST Professors I have ever taken. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS. He rushes through the slides and when you ask him for help he tells you "You should know how to do it... come back when you figure it out". AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!
He is one of the smartest professor I ever seen, but he has the worst atitude. His testes are out of the blue and he woundn't teach you how to solve them. Like many other comments said, he amuse student by asking questions. Anyway, he is a good professor if you want to get a Phd and Master degree. Just don't take him.
Very smart and explains concepts well. Answers questions whenever asked. He teaches well and doesn't dumb down concepts like other professors would. This is Physics, you need to study and do the homeworks to understand. Focus on learning main concepts inside and out. Tests can be hard, but he does curve at the end. I had a 70, 40, 92 on the tests.
not good
Currently taking his class. I think I'm failing. His tests aren't impossible, he just does not give out much partial credit. Basically, to get points on a question, you have to get the question completely right even if you use the right formula. Nothing wrong with that I guess, it show's who really knows the material, I just think it's really tough
He is mean, has a bad attitude and takes pleasure in berating students. Despite all that, its to weed out those who don't study enough. His tests are fair but he is a harsh grader. If you put in the time to study, you will learn. I didn't study as much as I should have and felt I deserved the grade I earned.
He is a very arrogant professor who doesn't cut slack to his students. If you get a question wrong, for an exam, rarely he gives partial credits, and when he does, he's very stingy about it. He will catch you if you try to cheat, he's very slick. He acts as if he's the head of the physics department, when in reality he only teaches Phy208 and 207
Good.
Great Teacher, Take him if you can.
Do not take under any circumstances.
In Dr. Falk's class you will L-E-A-R-N, not only about physics but about the beauty of the natural world. Its safe to say that he is only reason I can appreciate the world as much as I do now. The man has an amazing sense of humor and will inspire you to do great things. He NEVER dumbs down the materiel and his tests are fair.
eh....I haven't had much interest in physics before this course. completely LOST IT after taking PHY208 with Falk. THANK GOD THIS IS THE LAST COURSE OF PHYSICS I'LL EVER HAVE TO TAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *for all my chemical engineers out there*
He knows he has an upper hand since he controls the grade so he is not shy about being arrogant, unapologetic and giving bad attitude. Outdated teaching style. Wasted too much time giving out graded exams syllabus 1-by-1 during class. Don't bother reading textbook. You can only do it his way or no credit. His exams are not difficult unlike him.
He's tough as nails. You'll have to put in a lot of time outside of class practicing problems if you want to get a good grade. Read the book along with studying lecture notes, his lectures aren't clear enough by themselves. I got an A so it is doable, just be prepared to warm the seat big time.
Professor Falk is the absolute best, I love going to class and learning with him. Great man, great teacher.
So falk is a freshman's worst nightmare. Why? Because freshman's have not experienced bad teachers yet at ccny. If you are an engineer, be ready to have every class with a "falk" in your sophomore and junior year of engineering focused classes. His tests aren't too hard--just study the textbook questions. He does not curve or give partial credit.
Harold Falk is one of the worst professors I've ever met and a disgrace to educators and academia. I first thought he was kind hearted with a rough shell but upon his constant belittling of late students, students who commute 2.5 hours daily to attend his 9:00 class, ridicule of students who ask questions, and failing of brilliant kids, DO NOT TAKE
Falk is someone who is out of touch with his students and with the class he is teaching, he expects you to have mastered all the material. I had to drop the class because of his second test, the entire class average for the test was below a 30, uncurved, meaning most of the students had to drop the class because they couldn't realistically get a C
Outdated teaching style & uses time inefficiently for procedural matters. Poor communication skills w/regards to base information must be understood prior to teaching more advanced concepts. Very obviously a brilliant man, but he definitely has a lack of "theory of mind". Teaches to match the way HE would learn, not the way most students would.
Love Dr. Falk. Great man!
Falk teaches in a lot of detail and shows where the proofs come from, which, imo, makes him a great teacher. He hints clearly what will be on the exams. He is pretty sarcastic at the expense of some students. The challenge is that his tests are only 4 questions long and he is pretty stingy with partial credit. Overall, not bad but study hard!
Many people say Falk is mean. The truth is, he's not mean. He is LAZY. Re-uses the same test questions, which is why he doesn't let you keep exams. Scrolls through the same Mathematica documents year after year for his "lectures". Goes out of his way to avoid answering student questions over email, then cryptically provides non-answers in lecture.
A lot of people warned me about Professor Falk. I didn't listen. Thought to myself how tough can it be? I was wrong. started with 120 students. 30 students attempted the finals. doesn't drop the lowest exam, doesn't curve. The labs and the online homework doesn't contribute to the grade. But you fail if you don't do them. AVOID at all cost.
Tough grader, almost no partial credits, lots of homework that don't count toward your grade at all, but if you don't do it you will fail the class. Doesn't care about the labs, but if you don't do it you will fail. Each exam is 20% and the final is 40%. No formula sheet during exams, except on the final (which he provide). Avoid, or take xanax.
The biggest issue with this man is his grading policy. It has been shown in academic research time and time again that a small amount of tests, each of which only have 3-6 problems on them, is NOT accurately reflective of a student's knowledge in the course. Professor Falk's insistence of clinging to outdated student evaluation methods is troubling
Professor Falk does not give partial credit and he does not curve. His lectures are not specific, extremely uninformative and he doesn't explain his algebra leaving students confused
Worst professor ever. Only 3 exams and a final. Doesn't drop any, almost no partial credit. Exams are only 4 questions, so it is very easy to fail by making a simple mistake. Lectures are boring a complicated. AVOID BY ALL MEANS!
Professsor Falk really is a difficult one. He urges students to ask questions and communicate but he's better left alone. He is a very strict grader but is fair, but does not give credits more than what you deserve. Do the hw very carefully(exam questions from hw) and you will be fine. His classes are boring though, bad for the pple whosuck@physics
Fave! Easiest class! Luv Falk!
Terrible professor. He required attendance everyday and would begin roll call 5 minutes before class started, which was 9:25. If you were one minute late to lecture, you wouldn't be accounted for in attendance. He harshly grades tests and rarely gives partial credit. Not solving problems in the way he taught in class would lead to no credit
Dr. Falk does physics best. I hated 207, but he made 208 so easy to learn. Take him for a good grade. I got an A at the end of last semester and was only hoping for a B+. Take falk!
Falk is the man! Best for physics.
Famous teacher at CCNY. If you're here reading this, you already know what a great teacher he is. Don't be late. Stay till the end for a great grade and the answer to life.
He is a little demanding, but if you put an effort you will be satisfied. Short exams, questions are reasonable and in overall a good professor.
Not only is he authentic, theres no other professor that loves Physics more than him. Would take again
Grade composed of 100% tests. Says he counts lab/hw but doesnt specify how. Awful professor, would fail his own child. Only goes over problems in class, you cant do without the textbook. Do not take him under any circumstances. Uses his own notation on tests which you must follow or answer is wrong. Tests are 4 questions. No partial credit. Awful.
Falk is fun!
Falk is the worst professor Ive ever had. The way he teaches is just going over problems that dont have the same format as the homework so when you go to do the homework you basically have to teach yourself everything. The problems in class dont have clear questions so you dont know what your finding until he gets through most of the problems.
BEWARE of this guy, He is possibly the worst professor ever lived. He doesn't teach, uses completely different examples on lecture than from book, the GPA grade is based on only 4 exams with 4 questions each. even as a person he is horrible.
His test grading is harsh & unclear. Test questions come from homework/notes but if you don't use his notation you'll get 0 points for a right answer. Your whole grade depends on tests only. He has an attitude problem so don't be surprised if he rudely addresses you in class. Also does not answer students' questions well. I regret taking his class.
WORST WORST AND WORST. NEVER EVER TAKE THIS PROFESSOR. THINK A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE EVEN ADDING HIS CLASS TO YOUR SHOPPING CART. HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED!
Don't get cocky- this class will be your entire study-time/workload the entire semester w/ falk. Heed the warnings and satire 5/5 reviews. Avoid him 100% D O N O T T A K E F A L K If your options are take falk or take someone next semester, take the latter. Show up late? get called out. Pull out your phone? Get called out. WEBASSIGN SMH
I came into Falk's class thinking that it would be manageable; intense reading, poor communication, and difficult homework are things that I expect. Not only was Falk worse than I imagined, but he was a true piece of work. He's horribly rude, doesn't teach properly, gives wrong expectations for exams, and is practically inaccessible. DON'T TAKE!
Falk is clearly brilliant in his own regard, but he does not know how to teach. He will routinely ask students if they have questions and not see the 3-4 hands that go up. He is extremely rude to students and will take attendance before the starting time. If you are late, you will be marked absent regardless of circumstance. Take any other prof.
I recommend Prof. Falk to you as the man to go for 208. I know many people felt that he wasn't a wonderful professor, but he definitely made 208 clear as a whistle. Don't be misled! Go with Falk!
+Smart, sometimes funny, answers all the questions, lectures are interesting. -his lectures are slides from Mathematica, scrolling up&down is annoying. Final grade is based on 3 exams (20% ea) and a final (40%), nothing else. Exams are OK but no partial credit. Calls students and asks questions - super stressful. A minute late - you're absent.
Similarly to the guy below me, Falk's class was a big reason for me dropping my physics major. No curving in a subject where most of the class will only get 50% of an average exam right. Falk also has no tolerance for lateness even with subway delays. He must enjoy failing people or something rather than actually trying to teach...
Mandates homework, but does not grade it and lab reports are not graded. First test was similar to lecture examples (did well), second test was tricky and confusing (failed), and the third test was surprisingly straightforward. On the last week of lecture he reviewed an old final. Took advantage of that, studied effectively, and earned a B grade.
The warnings and rumors were true. About more than half of the students dropped the class. My biggest regret was not listening to my guts and believing that the class wouldn't be too bad. Boy was I wrong. Two failed exams and not an ounce of dignity were what I received from the class. Please, take it over the Summer or the following semester!!!
His exams are really difficult and the grading is strict -- expectations are high. Calculators and reference tables are not allowed, which means they require mostly symbolic answers. If you write an answer that was supposed to be a vector instead of a scalar, then you will get no credit at all. His exams are also copyrighted, which is odd.
Lectures are boring and not very useful. He skims through most of the topics and expects us to know them as if we know quantum physics. Very unreasonable with the grading, as well. He has no mercy when it comes to giving partial credit. If youre wrong, youre wrong. If youre partly right, then youll receive a minimum of 5 points. Just horrible.
Do. Not. Take. Under. Any. Circumstances. You will regret it for life.
If you are serious about engineering or physics, Falk is one of the best teachers. Most of his class is Q&A. He seems rude but will spend a lot of time on anything. My exams were in the sixties These are decent and you will pass with less. The final was easier and had over 100 possible points. The class is hard but prepares you for future classes.
Just don't do it. In short, Falk is quite stingy with partial credit, he does not allow you to use a formula sheet or calculator during exams, and the difficulty of the exams don't match up with the quality of homework and classwork problems he assigns. Save yourself the money, time, and effort with this one and find a different physics professor.
Falk is a tough guy,but it is possible to get an A in the class if you invest a lot of your time in it. His passing score is 55,anything above 80 is an A. Lectures are pretty heavy, and it feels like he overcomplicates the material. Exams are hard but fair, they somewhat resemble problems from homework and lecture examples. Almost no partial credit
Dont bother. Ive taken classes with tough professors, Falk was plain sadistic. Look forward to a strict attendance policy, getting called on to answer questions when you least expect, and obscure test questions with no partial credit given. Plus the odd racist comment. HW & lab are mandatory but not graded. 2/3 of the class ended up dropping.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS! Never under any circumstances! Half the class dropped and he was rude to students. I rarely write reviews but this class was that awful.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
83%
Textbook Required
54%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.54 avg changeRatings by Course
20800
5.0
(2)PHYSICS207
4.5
(2)PHYSICS208
3.2
(5)PHYS208LAB
3.0
(1)STATISTICS
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
20801
5.0
PHYSICS
5.0
PHYSICS207LAB
5.0
PHYSICSLAB208
5.0
PHYSII
5.0