good teacher. cares about what he's doing and posts all of his hand written lecture notes online, so you can go to class for quiz then leave. lots of practice material for quizzes and final, so quizzes can be easy if you understand the practice quizzes given

Lectures are great, he does not go over the material too fast which makes him easier to understand. He also has detailed notes and example problems on canvas. However, I found the quizzes to be challenging. Sometimes the wording is confusing so its not clear to me what is being asked. Go to his OH and do all the practice problems to pass the tests

Super awesome tests. Offers extra credit on every exam. There's also very accessible office hours. Dr. Joe also provides practice tests that are exactly like the real tests; same question and same number of questions, but only the numbers in the questions are different, so you have to know the concept. Overall, its pretty easy to get an A.

Had Joe for SS1. Hes such a nice guy who is approachable and straightforward with lectures and grading. Joe would upload practice tests before midterms and final so make sure to do them and go to OH to get help. Definitely one of the better physics profs at Davis!

The class is hard, but he's very thorough and helpful. If you put in the work, it's very rewarding.

A lot of people on here are complaining about how hard the exams are. The exams are definitely tough but it'll be curved anyway, and his lectures are usually pretty thorough. You can tell he puts a lot of time into the class

The midterms are really hard. if you are not a good student, take the class with him because he curves really well. Whether you study or not, you will not be able to solve the problems on the exams. But eventually you will pass the class no matter what. You will not only learn physics, you will learn calculus too. it's like a two in one class.

If you've had Weideman before, you'll probably go through the same thing with Mitchell. The hw and discussion is structured basically the same as Weideman's class. Lectures were a little boring, but he posts thorough notes online and will go through HW and more examples during OH. Exams were definitely very tough, but if you study, you should pass.

Everyone that's saying that Joe is worst professor they've ever had is being dramatic. The class is VERY hard but 9C is genuinely like that for any professor. He was very generous with his curve and even though I was often confused, I enjoyed going to lecture because of his occasional quirky jokes and I think he really does care about the students!

Such a nice guy. His exams are really hard and the grading was tough, however. You could try your best and still have to worry about passing.

Hard material to teach, but I think he did well. 3 midterms and he drops the lowest, so that helps. Tests were very difficult. He curves the class, but not like how he told us he would at the beginning of the quarter. Didn't curve anything until the very end so you don't really know how you are doing until after the final.

Easily one of the hardest classes I have ever taken at Davis but I still surprisingly quite liked him as a professor (very nice & cared alot). I had to get hours of tutoring though to understand the material as it was really really hard. Basically everyone failed but the curve was so insane that I feel like most got good grades.

I see a lot of people complaining about joe. Joe Mitchell taught us a course that is infamous at UC Davis. I am not an A student by any means, but with hard work and dedication in this class, I was able to get a good enough grade. Drops midterm, fat curve, VERY lenient grading on HW. gave lots of hand written, well explained notes and great O.H.

Yeah his homework and test are pretty hard, but you are never left guessing whats going to be on the midterm and final. Joe is a caring dude that presents complex topics in a simple way, but gets a lot of shade because his homework is hard.

Honestly, at the time I took his class I was super struggling. He's really tough on his students and is a tough grader in general, but in turn his curve was really fair and at the end he acknowledged that the class worked really hard. I always scored a little bit below average on the exams and ended up with a B- in the class.

This was absolutely a hard class, but I can't imagine getting this material across without it being damned difficult. His tests in particular had me stumped a good few times but his curve was fair and he was a good teacher in that he acknowledged and appreciated the hard work students put in. My best recommendation, take this class soon after 21D.

Good class, good curve, but if you want an A it'll take a lot, A LOT of work

Difficult class, but that's not entirely the profs fault

The midterm was similar to the practice exams, but the final was very different. The curve made up for it though. Also, homework was pretty difficult and took a long time, but if you take the time to understand it, you'll probably be fine. The professor was understanding and responsive.

I took this class during a summer session and it was the worst thing ever, way too much to do in one week. So much lecture to constantly catch up on and he ended up uploading videos whenever he wanted not even on class days and times. He was a good, clear lecturer but was really slow. Tests are just a combination of two practices he gives you.

Prof Mitchell is great, and I learned a lot! Admittedly it was REALLY tough (not really his fault; SS is fast, content is heavy). Sometimes I felt hopeless, but as long as you continue working hard and focus on learning the material, you'll be fine. Very accessible and helpful. Seems to genuinely care, curves appropriately, acknowledges hard work

Generally speaking, he is a conscientious professor. Instructions are recorded on video, and detailed lecture notes are provided. This is very helpful when reviewing for an exam. His assignments and exams are challenging, but he will adjust the Curve and the final exam's difficulty according to his Midterm results.

Lectures were all recorded during remote instruction. Weekly quizzes and homework. The exams were much more difficult and there was a huge curve. His PDF notes were very useful!

I hate physics more than probably anything on this planet- But this dude made me not hate getting up at 9am to participate in lectures. He is such a chill and nice guy who actually cares and empathizes with his students. Your grade is basically evenly split between tests, homework, and discussion/lecture stuff, he rlly wants you to learn. 10/10

One of the nicest and most considerate professors I've had at this school, especially during the pandemic. He showed so much compassion and consideration for students' wellbeing, and genuinely cared about us learning the subject material more than anything else. Super nice dude, take him for physics. 10/10

Chill professor & a solid choice for PHY10C(Y). His prerecorded lectures are organized & easy to follow along. He somewhat has a slow-paced vibe but you can just speed up the videos. Weekly worksheets, weekly HW, & 2 exams. Just participate, put in some effort, & you'll be fine.

Disclaimer: I hate physics. But he was a great professor! Actually makes you interested in the material by explaining why it's important and how it works. There is quite a bit of hw, but it's graded by effort rather than correctness. Loads of lecture videos, but he talks slowly so you can x2 and understand everything. Nice guy. (taken winter 2021)

Joe was accommodating to students and had always uploaded lecture notes and videos before the actual date. He was kind and helpful during office hours. Tests were somewhat similar to his practice midterms/finals. Quizzes were straightforward. PHY 9C is hard but he made the class manageable

5 quizzes and a final made up 95% of the grade. Tough but fair quizzes. He posts tons of practice quizzes and dropped a quiz. Final was really difficult, but he curves generously. I actually had Joe as my DL TA. He was patient, considerate, receptive to Q's, and very kind overall. Do lots of practice problems, go to OH, and you'll succeed :)

Physics is HARD. However, he made it bearable. The lectures were easy to follow, gave lots of practice problems for the 5 quizzes and the final. There was a generous curve and I wish he taught 7B next quarter so I could take him again.

As physics professors go, he is a good one. Lectures are clear to follow and he gives a lot of practice material. He is clear about what content would or would not be tested on. The class is set up in a really horrible format where most of your time is spent with your TA in discussion, but the professor himself can't be faulted for that.

Joe is someone who embodies the positive side to academia. He tries to challenge his students and pass on his passion for physics. I am proud to know that he is a UCD alumni and such a gifted physicist. The class is hard, but if you apply yourself you will have all the tools to succeed. I wish you the best. You are in good hands with Joe.

I was scared to start the 7 series for physics and Im incredibly thankful I was able to have Professor Mitchell. Physics is hard in general, but you can really tell he cares not only about how his students are doing in the class but also for our well being in general. The quizzes/final were hard, but grading is fair and there is a helpful curve!

A lot of work to do, but very clear at lectures and practice exams that he gives will allow preparing for exams. Great overall professor.

Super accommodating and nice, the class curve was fat. Exams were really similar to practice, lectures were a tad fast and confusing, but we did have 50-minute lectures which was unfortunate. Homework was great practice for exams and I appreciated the two grading schemes he had. 9C is daunting, but his class made it *a little* less scary for us.

This is an awesome course and the professor is great. Joe's lectures are not the best, but they are enough for the course contents. Those exams are hard and account for 90% of your grade. However, the curve is very nice. He curves each individual exam, as well as the final grade. I would highly recommend Joe and his course.

Lectures were mostly stating formulas and the homework was not great prep for the exams. But, the practice exams were very useful and the curve was so generous I can't be mad about it. I'm thrilled to have finished physics, and to do so in such an accommodating setting.

While his lectures could have improved, they sufficed for the course. The tests themselves were very difficult, but had a nice curve, and even curved all the end grades too. Very accessible in his office hours, and discussions helped with content. Also nicely had two different grading schemes depending on your performance on finals or the midterms.

He's a very fair and generous professor. He records lectures, uploads annotated slides, and gives useful practice exams (with solutions). The exams were pretty doable if you had a good understanding of the practice exams. Curved to a C+ on exams, had a slight curve on entire class, and offered two possible final grade weights. Take him if you can!

Joe gives a lot of help outside of class. Everything in this class is organized and grades have big curves. However, his solutions are sometimes unreadable, since he doesn't provide a lot of explanations.

Really good professor, The material is hard itself but the curve helps all the time

His lectures took me a while to get used to but it wasn't too bad. Since PHY is a 5-unit class, expect to spend some time on it if you want to understand the materials. I just dislike how I had to do all the labs in order to pass the class.

Mitchell is very clear in what he expects out of his students and provides useful office hours support. He also records all of the lectures, and his midterm/final practice packets are similar to the exams. He also curves a lot. My only criticism is that his lectures give you the absolute bare minimum for what you need to complete the homework.

He is a good lecturer. Homework was tough but really helped you understand everything.He curved the average to B-.

organized and clear. also lots of curves. exams are hard

I would've given Joe a 5/5 rating if he didn't take forever to post the exam grades and lecture videos. Overall, he's REALLY good at teaching. His lectures will help you clearly understand the material but be aware that he does make his problems a lot harder than the typical physics problems. He does give HUGE curves at the end though.

solid professor, practice tests reflect exactly what's going to be in midterms and finals. would take again

If you wanna get an A, it's gonna be very difficult. But he is very clear in lectures and the tests are reasonable for a physics test. He curves a lot and cares about his students. Diff knows what he is doing.

He's literally the best physics professor at Davis. You won't find another professor that teaches physics as good as he does.

Joe is very good at explaining physics. His exams are pretty difficult, but the partial credit and curves are insane. I would estimate his brain to be approximately the size of a large watermelon. While not necessarily the best professor I've had, he is definitely up there on the list of guys that exist. Joe my beloved

He's very very good. TAKE HIM if you can. His exams are definitely tough though, so you will have to spend a good amount of time if you want to do well. He gives the best lectures that I've witnessed so far :)

I had joe for 9A-9C and at first i hated his teaching style but i cant lie, he is actually amazing. Exams and homework are hard but he is great with grading. Write down anything related to the question on the exam and you get half credit for trying. 10/10 guy. Super generous curve to an 82% average. GO TO LECTURES. He is great in explaining.

Probably the best physics professor I've had here. His lectures were helpful for prepping for both homeworks and exams, which were both pretty difficult (but also supplemented with an amazing curve). He was also really helpful with homework and explaining general concepts during office hours. Overall, a great professor. joe mitchell my beloved

Mitchell is an amazing professor. Here's some pointers for anyone taking him: 1) Go to his office hours if you can! It really helps with his difficult homework and he explains things well there. 2) Always attempt every problem of his exams, great partial credit 3) Clap after his demonstrations in lecture, we gotta keep the tradition going hehe

Joe's pretty cool, he does his best given the difficulty of the material. The curve is pretty massive and if you just want to pass it's only kind of painful. The first three weeks made me question my choice of major, but it gets better. Pretty good lectures and a nightmarish final. Far and away the best physics professor I've had.

Easily best physics prof I've had at Davis. His lectures actually explain and help you do the homework! Although homework is difficult, if you go to OH you'll get it done. Also, curve is AMAZING. The average in the class was a B, but that is the average after all of the curved tests. Don't miss out on him. He will save you stress and braincells.

3.5/5. His lectures are organized and understandable. MASSIVE D/Ls every day during ss1 & D/Ls can be somewhat useless. Exams largely connect to lectures, but some questions can be really confusing & tricky. The overall score is heavily dependent on MT and final (95% total), and the raw averages are around 50% in both tho he curves them to ~75%.

Took Professor Mitchell for 9c SS2. Super test heavy and problems were similar to the practice tests. Lecture was recorded but tbh I used Michael van biezen, physics ninja, and ochem tutor for concepts. Very amazing guy, come to OH he will help with the HW. Fair grader and curve should be immaculate.

I took PHY 7A and dropped, so I know how bad physics profs are and Joe was great. The ppl complaining about him don't know how much worse physics can be. He put questions from the practice midterm on MT 1 and gives homework extensions. He can skip algebra steps in class, because he's used to PHY 9A, but just ask him and he'll kindly redo his work

9-10 Homeworks, 2 midterms, 1 final. physics is a very difficult subject, so I understand that people really struggle in this class. Joe is very nice though and tries to explain everything, but it is still hard! there is a substantial curve which is saving my grade. I think there could be some improvements, but def not the worst physics prof

Honestly, as far as physics profs go, he's your best bet, better than Weideman for damn sure. He's always willing to help and responds fast with emails, willing to take criticisms and actually apply feedback to his lectures. Constantly looks for ways to improve the class, TAKE HIM!

Great Professor.

Very good lectures. Very clear with grading. Gave plenty of practice (warmups were very helpful), and practice exams very similar to tests. His office hours, although limited, were very helpful. He seems to genuinely enjoy physics and hopes that everyone can pass his class.

Coming from someone who's only background in physics is one semester in high school, Mitchell breaks down very difficult topics to digestible, and simpler concepts. His final was basically post-midterm 2 material. I was at a 69% with the exam curves, and he added an additional curve & boosted my grade to 73%. Would take again!

Very kind and accessible professor. After having Weideman for 9A and 9B, Mitchell was a complete breath of fresh air. He gave actual practice problems and really encouraged us to understand the subject properly. His exams were tough but fair. Would take again for sure.

He teaches at the perfect pace. Gives practice midterms/finals which are very helpful. The tests are difficult but fair. Only downside is he doesn't respond to emails quickly and it takes a long time for him to put things into the gradebook.

Joe is a true GOAT! Course is organized and his lecture notes give a clear and detailed explanation for the each concept. There are a lot of practice problems as well before two midterms and the final exam. Homework is hard but he gives us plenty of time to do it with some extra extension. Super recommend him if you really want to learn in 9c!

E&M is going to be a hard class no matter what professor you get. However Mitchell is a great teacher and the homework is closely aligned with subjects learned in class and problems you will see on Exams. Just make sure you're multivariable calculus is good

He is the GOAT. E&M is extremely tough and Prof Mitchell made it much easier to understand. He is very test heavy, 80% of the class was off of exams. 20% for 2 midterms each, and 40% on the Final. Unfortunately I messed up the final but otherwise it was a really good class. He does have a lot of content dependent on MAT21D so brush up on that.

For a physics professor, he provides very clear explanations and his examples are very thorough. Exams are very similar to the practice tests. Do the practice exams and you'll do well on the actual exams. Weekly homework assignments are pretty difficult but aren't terrible and he often extends deadlines. Made lectures pretty enjoyable and engaging.

Joe is probably one of the better professors compared to others I've heard about, and he did his best to listen to what his students wanted (he had us take surveys on how we wanted lecture to be structured). The Phy 7 series isn't the best (as we all know by this point), so he worked with what he had.

Joe is a great physics teacher! His lectures are fun (he brings in lots of props), and he is very approachable and open to questions, no matter how simple they are. Tests are fair and similar to practice midterms. Physics is definitely hard no matter what, but Joe does his best to make it more interesting and generously curves the course.

I really enjoyed having Mitchell as my 7C professor! 7C has lots of dense concepts but his lectures and examples made them more understandable. I believe the quizzes were also fair and accurately represented the lectures and practices. I will say that the final was difficult, but the curve was good. First 7 series class I got an A in :)

JOE MITCHELL is great! I had him for phy 9a-c and I got so lucky. He's funny, straightforward, and smart. Homework will take the better part of your time, and exams are heavily curved. Do the practice exams! Physics is tough regardless, but Mitchell is fair and cares about his students. Labs are so fun too, especially 9b (depending on your ta).

Joe might not be the best physics teacher but he is definitely a nice guy. Physics is hard but he is dedicated to making the class clear and funny. However, he seems to take forever to uploads notes, recordings, and replies to emails especially during weekends and holidays. Exams are similar to the practices and the curve is very generous.

Best prof for 7 series. Nice guy and mostly fair quizzes. Final was very tough but he gave a huge curve. Very helpful in office hours. Grading took forever and he didn't notify us about canceling final review session but I understand he has a lot going on. He cares for his students and wants us to pass. Conceptually heavy course but clear teaching.

Great instructor! Cared about student's opinions and structured the class based on how the majority voted. Definitely the best physics professor I've had at Davis. The class itself is naturally hard because it's physics but he does a good job explaining topics. Very nice and approachable

Definitely take Mitchell for E&M - he makes a tough subject much more manageable. His lectures and materials are well-organized, and using unstuck study in addition to the textbook can really help with mastering the content.

Only 7 HW's and 3 exams. Exams are VERY similar to practice ones. I only reviewed textbooks when I was confused, so to me this class was stressful. But my grades always turned out higher than expected! He curves exams as he puts them in, not at the end. At times he speaks monotone, but he did fun demonstrations in class that always made me smile.

ppl lwk dramatic. quizzes were def hard and final was harder but it wasn't anything new and that's how physics is, to make up for it he just curved hella hard. lectures were slow and he isn't the best prof but he's nice and funny and knows physics is hard. he was always behind but his curve really saved us. gave a lot of partial for frqs.

The physics' department saving grace. If not for Joe Mitchell, UCD physics would be done for. He is trying to make the most of a crap physics program and it shows. He is routinely the most mistreated professor by the physics department and the physics students. He deserves a lot more, and rightfully so. He knows FRQ > MCQ and students > quotas.

Great professor! I wish he had done some more demonstrations in the class but overall it wasn't difficult. I'm not a particularly STEM focused person and this class wasn't very difficult.

Best physics professor at UCD, he's great. Electromagnetism is very difficult but he made it approachable. Lectures were very thorough and understandable.

best prof at ucd! we

Probably the best professor in the physics department. He gives traditional problem sets instead of those Weideman problem starts, which help you understand the material much better. His lectures are very clear and organized, and he provides plenty of practice tests to study from, many of which are similar to the actual exams. Also, super nice guy.

Great guy and professor. I enjoyed his lectures and he really stimulated my enjoyment of physics. The HW is difficult but you will learn from it. Exams were somewhat long

Great guy, electromagnetism is just hard. The homework has many parts so make sure to understand as much as possible from lecture.

Joe is a kind and funny professor. Physics is not my strong suit but the practice midterms were very similar to the real ones. Lectures could be heavy, and I would've preferred more examples and less theory. He is very generous with his curve and partial credit.

Lectures are pretty clear and in-class demos are good for conceptual understanding. Lectures were recorded and curves were very generous.