Physics 121-123, Astronomy 333. Awesome professor! She's very down to earth and good at explaining things in a practical approach. She has quoted House of Pain in class before. Definitely not the stereotypical Physics/Astronomy professor.

DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU WANT AN EASY SCIENCE GUR! She is a wonderful professor and very approachable, funny and excited about Astronomy. The class is more challenging than your average B-Science GUR but not impossible. Tests are easy- 11 short answer questions and you get to eliminate1.

She is awesome!

She really knew her stuff! The tests are SO MUCH easier than the notes you take in class. BUt it IS helpful to go frequently.

Great teacher, obviously is VERY passionate about subject. Sometimes is kind of hard, but her tests were ALWAYS very fair. She made the class interesting and worthwhile, if you're going to take this class, she'd be the one to take it with.

Very interesting class. A really hard class though, and you need to study a lot. Not an easy B science GUR.

She is a great teacher, definitely the best of the physics prof's. Very fun, down to earth, easy to learn from, and willing to accept many methods of problem solving/teaching.

The best physics teacher there is. Her tests may seem hard, and you may think you did bad on them. But, she gives so many partial credit. She doesn't try to give anyone a bad grade. Also, the quizzes help more than hurt you.

Dr. Larson's tests are kinda hard, but she in always willing to help. She does her best to give as much partial credit as she can. I would reccomend forming a study group in this class, otherwise you are going to be in pretty bad shape. She is without a doubt a wonderful teacher.

Dr. Larson's class will result in a great understanding of physics, due to the weekly quizzes and homework. However, it's a difficult class with alot of homework. She is very willing to help and explains things clearly. Good Prof, but difficult class.

She is the best Prof. but very hard. and the final project will take 4 ever to do. The weekly quizes are easy if you do the homework.

Kristen is ultimate. Not only is she an excellent enthusiest on the subject, but clear and helpful too. Physics was always a side interest of mine, but because of Dr. Larson, I've been much more curious. Plus she is ultra hot.

Very fun teacher, knows her stuff. Looking forward to future classes with her.

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Great teacher! Watch out for the exams though, they can be a bit difficult, so prepare yourself.

Great knowlwedge of the subject and great at teaching it. Extremley helpful outside of class. Very fair on grading.

Brilliant professor! Excellent illustrations, examples, shows multiple ways of solving problems, is available outside of class, knows physics inside out, is an astronomer, and a full-time professor. Also, very hot, but sadly married ;)

Make sure you do the homework! She makes the tests really easy on purpose. If you did the homework then the tests are a breeze. The real reason to take her classes is because shes a major hottie.

This class was great! She went over everthing clearly and in depth enough so we would know exactly what she was talking about. The tests were pretty good... not to hard

Mind you, this class is a water-downed physics. The homeworks are difficult, and not clearly explained so have to be able to understand basic pysics to take this class. Other than that, it was awesome. Take it concurrently with Geology 101.

Larson is an excellent professor. She's very enthusiastic about the subjects she teaches, and knows how to make them easier to understand (this is very important, considering the general difficulty of these subjects). I'd highly recommend her.

Good teacher, the homework is hard, but she gives you a second chance, which is good because if not I would be failing. She makes sure everyone understands and is available outside of class.

Larson is the AWESOMEST teacher at Western! I've had her every quarter since I transferred here, and all I can say is that she is fantastic! She is such a great teacher. Her classes are on the hard side, but you learn a LOT, and she actually teaches what she tests on, which can be unusual at times. I highly reccomend her!

Take her class. No matter what. Do it.

An interesting lecturer who is very clear about what things she believes are the most important to learn and thereby what will be on the tests. A very interesting class when all I expected was an easy A for my Sci-B. Also one of the best looking teachers I've had.

This class is easy, but it's still worth going every day, because the subject matter is interesting, and she is a good lecturer. Online homework, and in class tests (non-scantron).

awsome

She does a great job and I enjoy going to her classes. The tests are like the homework! I think that she does things the right way. Her astronomy classes are especially good. But taking a physics class from her is a notch above the average too. When she teaches 1st year physics, take it from her because she explains it so well!

Larson is the best teacher I have ever had. I was enthralled the very first day and did not want to leave when the lecture ended. I'm really sad this class is over. TAKE RELATIVITY! She knows how to make difficult concepts clear. Unlike other professors, she challenges your intellect and pushes you hard, but her grading method is very lenient!

I had Kristen for both classes in the Modern Series, it may not be your cup of tea, but expect to make it so. Her homework assignments are long, but deceptively easy. She does not allow calculators on the exams, but all of the problems can be solved symbolically. I highly recommend Dr. Larson for whatever class you can get her for.

She is a great teacher. Extremely excited about physics, great at explaining problems; in multiple ways if she has to. She realizes that busy work doesn't help, but doing problems does. If you can take physics with anyone, you have to take it with her. Her spots fill up fast!

I went in this class just for my GUR only to end up falling in love with the class. I am so sad that this quarter is over. She is the best professor you will ever have. I never needed the book because what she lectured was identical to the test. Wish I could have her again.

Still a great prof!! all of the other comments pretty much sum her up, highly recommended!!

This prof is one of the best I have had. Weekly quizzes are easy if you do the assigned homework, and the answers to the homework posted night before the quiz. midterms are easy if you do the homeworks. Offers lots of extra credit and is very engaging

LOVED Dr. Larson! she's easy to follow and very excitable! Tests are a bit long, but if you do the homework, you'll be fine.

I really thought Larson was a good professor. Sometimes things didn't click with me when she explained it but that's just because I'm brand new to the subject, eventually she'd keep bringing things up and they tended to sink a little more. Her midterms were fair and she graded very generously. She was interesting too, being big on Astronomy.

Excellent professor. I wish she taught the entire physics series because I wouldn't hesitate to take her for all three physics classes. She's great at explaining concepts and is very willing to help. She's also very entertaining, so it's difficult to get bored with the class. Definitely take her class, if you get a chance.

Excellent professor. Not only was she brilliant in her field, she is also a great teacher. Very animated and engaging. Very few powerpoints. She just has a way of speaking and explaining pretty complicated topics in a way anybody could understand. A little mathy but never on tests only on home projects.

As someone who is terrible at math I was glad to find that she focused completely on the concepts of Astronomy. She was a great teacher and obviously very into the work and the mysteries of space. Her focus was on coming to lectures not on the books and I found the tests to be easy. WARNING: THIS CLASS WILL MAKE YOU WANT TO BE AN ASTRONAUT!

Took this as a GUR, ended up really liking it. Its very physics based, but still easy. Her online review quizes are based 99% on in-class lecture, so GO! and its enjoyable, shes very animated and funny. Tests are fair as long as you go to class and skim the reading. Great GUR if you're not looking for a lot of work, but still need to study!

Physics of Music was interesting but very hard and was not a course I liked taking due to the fact that there were no tests to check progress and the course was based around what seemed like you already needed to have physics to understand it.

I LOVE Professor Larson she is the best teacher. Her class problems are awesome and makes it so you actually learn physics. Her exams are very fair and does not try to trick you. I cannot see myself doing physics without her.

She's awesome

Why are you still reading this review? Go, take her class...Dr. Larson is AWESOME and you will be mind-blown with what you learn! Make sure you go to lecture- her tests are all short answer q's, and lecture based. But she is so good at lecturing that if you take notes you'll breeze through! Also there are 1 million possibilities for extra credit!:)

She is a great teacher, very enthusiastic, and very fair with her tests and grading. make sure you do your work on time and UNDERSTAND THE IN CLASS PROBLEMS they are always word for word on the test!!!!

Kristen Larson is one of the best professors I've ever had! Definitely my favorite, I have he biggest crush on her, PURELY because she's such a great teacher and has such a great personality.

I thought Kristen Larson was a fantastic teacher. She was very enthusiastic about her subject and made you want to listen. She worked through problems which enabled you to try it yourself and then get her feedback - and these problems ended up on the exams! She's fair and relatable and overall a fabulous instructor. I encourage anyone to have her.

Worthwhile class, Larson is accessible, engaging & will never make you feel bad for asking questions. She made a GUR class interesting, fun & had great EC opportunities. She was very helpful during office hours and wants to challenge students but also see them succeed. She is also incredibly knowledgable in many fields beyond physics and astronomy.

Loved astronomy as a kid, but lost hope since I am bad/no interest in math or physics really. This class made my day since the math was understandable and her explanations were really clear. Great lecture overall and cool demos. Amazing information about astronomy.

This was my favorite class so far at Western. I loved the demos she gave, and also her style of teaching. Lots of opportunities for extra credit, so I ended the course with over 100% at the end. I recommend going to class every day, and paying attention. She loves astronomy, and loves to teach. All around a wonderful lady, and teacher.

Best Physics teacher in the department. Her lectures are great and very easy to follow and she does a lot of examples. Exams are straight forward and easy, very similar to examples done in class, very easy to get 100% on her exams. She does a lot of take home finals and allows you to work in groups too.

Very good teacher. Assignments are all relevant and tests are straightforward. A bit too animated if you aren't into that.

Kristen is a great physics professor. Her tests are very predictable as they are mostly based off the in class problems she guides you through. Her teaching style is different than most people but I like it. The final is hard as hell but mostly take-home. She is a good lecturer, I would recommend taking her for physics 162 as it is a tough class.

When I took it one test was able to be dropped in case you bomb it. Do the examples she has on youtube and you should be fine. Physics 162 is pretty conceptual so just realize that. Overall really cool lady and gives fair tests.

Dr. Larson is great. She's a prime example of student oriented professors at Western. This quarter, when test results were lower than hoped for, she devoted a class period to discussing how she could improve her course (homework adjustments, online learning tools, etc.). Next quarter she plans to implement many student suggested improvements.

Kristen is a great phys professor. This is the second class I've had with her in the 160 series and her tests are BY FAR the most predictable things you will find in college. She is a fair grader and really good at public speaking and presenting concepts that would normally be hard. This class is pretty hard, but she makes it doable. Take her!

Much better than my previous two teachers, She give great feedback and better example of the situations on tests and in homework. Grading system really works in your favor and she has a final project instead of a test, which is much less stressful.

I've had her for three classes now and she is by far my favorite professor at Western. She really cares about the students, cares about the material and cares that the students understand the material. Awesome lectures that will keep you attention. Gives predictable tests based off that she usually gives you exactly what the test is on when review

Good teacher.

Dr. Larson was amazing, she was entertaining and adorable all the way through. I would take a course from her again in a heartbeat, highly recommend it

Kristen is a great professor. Lectures are super helpful and test questions closely resemble in-class problems as well as homework assignments. She also responds very quickly to messages and emails, and is a fast grader (which is greatly appreciated). I am looking forward to the rest of the physics sequence because of her!

Gives good and engaging lectures and expectations are very clear. Encourages collaboration and is very caring about students.

Prof. Larson is sweet and caring towards her students. Lectures are great and cover everything you need for homework. Homework is for every class time you have, a quiz consisting of about 5-8 questions from the lecture with multiple attempts and no time limit. Only a final exam made up of quiz questions. Easy class 10/10.

I had prof Larson for my Astronomy 103 class and she is an amazing professor. Even with doing online zoom classes, she still attempted to make class fun, and had a great way of trying to engage the students. She is a very caring teacher and will always try to help students get the best grade they can. Highly recommend !

I somehow got a good grade without going to many classes. If you want a pass for online classes this one is good. But if you want to actually understand, you should go to class because the notes posted are too vague to understand on its own. Late work is allowed and quizzes and projects easy to understand and navigate.

Many of my classes are without zoom meetings so there are very few of my professors I actually get to meet and interact with. Professor Larson made zoom meetings very interesting, is very humorous and makes going to class very enjoyable. I really hope I get to take more classes with her in the future !

Professor Larson is great at taking difficult concepts and make them accessible. Her lectures were very informative and every day I felt like I had actually learned something. Although the class (PHYS161) has assigned readings, the lectures don't really rely on them. However, be prepared to write fast and become an algebra god.

Professor Larson is a very reliable teacher. I was initially hesitant about taking university-level physics but she was great at breaking down concepts into terms you can understand and doing actual problems in class, not just talking at you. The MasteringPhysics homework program is a pain sometimes, but that's standard across the department.

So much extra credit. Easy tests. Entertaining lectures. Dare I say more?

Larson is one of the best profs for 161, especially if you're new to physics. She explains physics clearly, deliberately, and sets up problems step-by-step. All of her class lectures for 161 are problem-based, so if you work best that way, then she is the way to go. One MAJOR setback about Larson is that she is NOT very accessible outside of class.

I don't like physics and don't understand it, but she took it day by day and explained it in ways that made it more understandable/simple. Started each day with a quick review of previous material that was super helpful. Lots of working through problems in class. I had it 4 days/week, 50 min lectures so was able to take it all in w/o losing focus

great class, learned lots, this quarter was mostly online but class could be attended entirely async. there were short quizzes due one week from the lecture, and weekly projects. lectures were well paced, and the assignments were easy and fun. Larson has been doing astronomy for decades and she is very passionate about it which shows in the course.

She teaches in a way that makes the material fun and exciting to learn. There was a textbook online, but if you went to the lectures or viewed the recordings online, it wasn't needed. This is probably one of the best starting science classes you can take, as long as you pay attention and take note of the topics touched on in class.

Professor Larson is wonderful at making the lectures interesting and fun. As someone who plans to go into art education, I felt like the course material was very achievable for non STEM majors. I appreciated that there were a lot of examples for each concept, and short projects that help you understand each section better.

She made her lectures interesting when they were in person, I enjoy astronomy in general and so I ended up enjoying this class a lot, I felt like I learned more than I had known before and would recommend

Dr. Larson is one of my favorite professors so far. She cares about her students and loves what she is teaching. She makes sure that we understand the content, record lectures and is accessible after class. Homework is worth more than tests and we were able to rewrite them for credit.

easy way to knock out a science GUR, don't have to go to class or read the textbook just do the quizzes and projects and you'll be fine

Class was available in-person, synchronous Zoom, & asynchronous Zoom recording. Free textbook. Daily lecture quizzes (short, open-note, on Canvas). Weekly projects (also fairly short, on Canvas). Final was online, timed but could be taken at any time that day. Easy SCI GUR.

Love Kristen. She is so passionate about astronomy and although the class is lecture heavy, she makes them so interesting with demonstrations. There is opportunity for extra credit and the assignments are fun to do. I took this class purely for fun and it was worth it. It is not too hard and as someone who has always liked stars it was perfect.