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Two words...freaking awesome. One of the best professors I've had...say what you want about his teaching methods but at the end of the day they are really effective. If you have a chance to take his class, do it.

I feel like we didn't cover as much as we could have. He did emphasize a lot on theory. He was very clear, in fact its obvious that he was taught how to teach. Make sure that you study the book, and do the problems within the chapters, as well as the webassign and ANY practice he gives you. Tests aren't worth that much compared to other profs

had him as a TA... good guy!

Honestly if you just go to class and recitation and pay some attention, theres no way you can't get atleast a B. I thought his lectures were very interesting and I love his teaching style, he actually makes you think. Overall a really cool guy.

I hated Physics 1, but he actually makes the class interesting. Attendence mandatory, and there are homework assignments, but lectures aren't that bad. You get one 3X5 notecard to write whatever you want for the exam, like equations. Good professor!

Say what you want, but if your interested in physics or not you will love this guy, he just doesn’t give u equations he tells u the meaning behind! If you Get lower then a B in the class your stupid, exams are exactly from lecture and homework so don’t copy homework and show up for class! Bottom line AWESOME

He's one of the coolest guys you'll ever meet! He's so chill when talking in person, email, or lecture. He even goes as far as allowing you to call him by first name! I'll admit, the exams do get harder throughout the course. Defintely go to class and PAY ATTENTION! He's really easy on grading, a good chunk of it is hw and attendance. Easy B!!

Need to go to class everyday. It gets really boring esp. in summer as the class moves on. Its quite fun in the beginning. Easy B but if you are looking for A u need to study hard. HW is too easy compared to his exams. His grading policy is weird. If you make a very tiny mistake he will give u 9/10 but if you BS on somethin u'll atleast get a 7 or 8

He is an AWESOME lab instructor, really really helpful. Is very dedicated, and actually wants to help out and teach physics. Super nice, enthusiastic, and actually generates interest in the course.

Probably the best teacher ever.

He is an amazing teacher - very enthusiastic and loves to teach. Really puts in all his effort, so go to lecture and take notes. Just by doing classwork/HW/recitation work will get u a decent grade but study for the exams and that A is possible. His love for physics really reaches out - the BEST physics teacher I've had.

He is an awesome teacher. I took him over the summer for 203 and 204. He taught clearly and explained everything with attention to detail. He let me reschedule an exam so I could go on vacation.

He is a great teacher! It's obvious when teachers are interested in their work and enjoy teaching and he is one of the few. He's active and is able to keep the attention of the students for the duration of the class. Class grades aren't just based on a couple tests so a good grade is very possible. Highly recommended!!!

Just an all around great/nice teacher. I had him for both lab and lecture and he was always in a great mood and enthusiastic about helping his students.

Excellent Professor. One of the few great ones I had here at Rutgers. He is extremely helpful in student understanding. His personality and sense of humor are superb. He is a down to earth kind of professor and the class is definitely worthwhile, not because the material is easy, but he does supply you with vast material to aid your understanding.

He always brings an inspiring sort of energy to the class and presents the material in an interesting way. No matter how many questions I asked him on any subject at all, I could not stump him.

He was an awsome teacher all around. You can tell he is very smart by the way he speaks during lecture. I looked foward to going to lecture because it is not one of those classes you need to scrible down everything the professor says. The professor is more than willing to dicuss any topic with any students before or after lecture.

While this prof. was cool and enthusiastic,I must say that his exams were just WAY TOO DIFFICULT for a 100 level course with non physics majors.Labs were lengthy and confusing(can work in groups though for lab).GO TO TUTORING EVERY WEEK TO GET ANSWERS FOR HOMEWORK(it's graded)AND GO TO TUTORING BEFORE EXAMS!Physics was an annoyance to me and others

Gentile is genuinely a nice guy. However, taking him in the summer may not be the best if you need a good background in physics. Lots of easy points, tests are only 55% of the grade, but the book is HORRIBLE and in the summer you NEED a good book. He doesn't do problems in class! You won't learn as much as you should. Definitely not hard to pass.

Well, despite some of the poor comments,,,,this class is a piece of cake if you put effort in....Its very easy to get a B. He gives out very useful practice test.. only problem is test are open ended and there are only 5....so dont mess up

Don't listen to anyone on here that says his lectures are vague. They are absolutely PERFECT in that they teach you to understand what is being taught - not just learning formulas and plugging numbers in.

I took 227/228 over the summer with Gentile and I must say he's the man. If you found his class hard and couldn't pull off at least a B or a B+ then you're just plain dumb. Gentile didn't curve and boosted your grade by counting homework and attendance for a lot when determining your grade.He gives you a deep conceptual understanding of physics.

Very thorough and clear understanding of the topic. Really helped me to understand the concepts and their application. Very nice guy, very willing to help you out. Highly recommended! You don't have to like physics to enjoy the course with "Mike," as he tells students to call him.

Professor Gentile taught me how to think conceptually. His approach to physics is different from any other approach I've seen other professors take.

Yeah lecture is conceptual but so are some of the exam questions. Even if you can't figure out a math problem, you can explain it conceptually and get points. I definitely recommend this class, easy B.

Friendly,fair,enthusiastic & helpful. Plenty of opportunity for grade points (hw,cw,lab,attendance). OK/fair exams. Scientific clothing was interesting. He enjoys physics. Easy to talk/listen to. He knew students names,which shows he puts an effort into prof-student connections. Good prof to get decent grade in physics or to actually discuss it.

Class wasn't bad. Homework and classwork count for a decent chunk of your grade so it can work for you or against you. Exams can be difficult but if you study well enough you'll be fine as you're allowed an index card anyway. He's very considerate and approachable on any topic. A's are possible in this class with effort. Do the homework!

I do not recommend this professor's class. He is very knowledgeable and a nice guy, but there is ZERO time spent on teaching us how to approach problems...it is nearly all conceptual. Recitations would be much more effective if they walked us through how to solve. The posted solutions don't make sense to someone who is having trouble with physics!

This is a very difficult class. He teaches it from a very conceptual standpoint and it is entirely up to the student to make up anything that the student does not understand. If you're an average student, don't take the class. If you are willing to work, this will probably be one of the most rewarding classes you can take.

Excellent professor. His lectures are pretty conceptual so don't expect problems being done in class. He integrates questions asked during class into his lecture which I found pretty cool. Very easy going and funny. The class requires work so it won't be an easy A. Time flew by in his lectures (don't expect to get out early -ever!)

Mike is the man. he def knows how to teach and unlike most prof he really like what he does. The test are not that difficult and you get points for everything you do in the class. Besides Rec the class is fun and very insightful.

Great professor, took the 227 Summer class. I learned more from him than my previous Mechanics 1&2 professors, combined. Read the book, Attend every class and do the homework, they're worth 40% of your grade total, a very easy 40%. Do all of the practice problems he posts online, to review for the exam-Understand them, and you're gold. I got an A!

Mike was the greatest professor I ever had! You can tell he loves the subject and he is a wonderful teacher. His class is very conceptual so recitation is very hard, but as long as you attempt the problems you get full credit. The tests aren't easy but they are fair. He gives practice tests with questions from previous tests that are a life-saver!

Excellent professor! Lectures were always interesting and tests were fair. I worked hard and did very well in the class.

He is a good professor. He makes lecture interesting. Only problem is he doesnt really help too much and he asks weird exam questions. Its not too bad though, I recommend him. Either way, take physics over the summer (but dont take too many classes with it).

Good teacher. He tries to make physics understandable, and he did it pretty well...but it's still physics. Tests are pretty straight foward. Your grade will depend on the recitation and lab TAs that you get...they try to round to make it fair at the end but...

Probably the best professor I had at Rutgers so far! Easy to do well since you can re-submit basically everything.

Best teacher ever! He loves physics and breaks it down to the basics. Proves you can learn physics without calc. If you have the option between this Gen Physics take Gentile!

Gen.Physics 203/204 during the summer w/ Prof. Gentile is awesome.He's extremely nice/helpful, and pretty much hands you an assured 45% of your grade just for going to class. 3 Exams are 55% of your grade,and consist of 5 open ended q.'s. Physics is tough, but he prepares you well.Not an easy A class, but very possible with hard work! Take him!!!

Professor Gentile makes physics very appealing. He is genuinely the fairest Professor I've ever had at Rutgers and he really wants his students to do well. He puts relevant questions on exams and doesn't try to trick students like other Professors.Physics is a hard course but if you study hard, you'll do well.

Loves the subject he teaches, so he is very helpful if you have any questions. Very approachable. He's really flexible in terms of grades. You really REALLY should read the textbook.. ALL OF IT. I know a lot of people didn't but the ones who did (I did) did better in the class. The exams are pretty hard, but doable if you put in the effort!

He's awesome! Great teacher and he really cares about the students. Tons of grades so it's easier to do well. Exams were hard but he was a really generous grader. Everything was curved except exams. My points came out to an 85% and I got an A. Definitely do the work and read the textbook. He pulls questions from there.

Very nice guy who grades well

He's obviously very interested in the material and in teaching it. He's clear and makes all of it very practical and easy to understand. Truly amazing professor!

Very Easy to get a good grade, but I warn you against taking this class if you are premed and need to take the MCATs. His conceptual teaching style and the fact that you don't cover many of the topics on the exam means you will need to teach yourself the whole subject even if you wind up getting an A. Take 203-204 if this is you else take him.

Hands down the best professor I've ever had at Rutgers. He makes the exams conceptual and he's a really fair grader. I learned more from him over the summer than in any class during the semester. Take him if you ever get the chance!!

Fantastic human being. If you show him you care about the grade and show interest, you can easily get an A

Professor Gentile really loves to teach physics and the lectures were very interactive and interesting. He was very helpful and the class was great overall. Definitely take Physics 193/194 with Professor Gentile; you will learn a lot and understand physics.

BEAST. Great professor and extremely clear lectures and course layout. Taking him for summer gen phys 203/204. Showing up is 45% of the grade and 3 exams constitute the rest. He gives a VERY generous curve. Exams are extremely fair, do his practice problems. a lot of people dont use the book he wrote but i found it very helpful when studying.

1. Clear logic 2. Patient Explanation 3. Motivational Lecture 4. Surprisingly Straightforward Exams 5. Has Humanity

Gentile is the man. Lectures are really interesting and he is great speaker. Bring colored pencils or pens to class because your notes have tons of drawings. You should not get anything lower than a B in this class. Super student friendly as long as you do the work. Really nice guy, extremely helpful.

Dr. Gentile's class focuses a lot on participating, ie showing up. There aren't any lecture notes online so going to class is recommended. There's a lot of group work, which is nice if that's how you learn (I don't learn well in groups) but he is straightforward about what is required and gives a nice curve.

Go to class, do your work, take notes, ask questions. Correct mistakes.

Tests are a lot harder than what you would expect. Don't chegg the mastering physics because the level of difficulty for those problems is similar to the level of difficulty for the exams. Don't procrastinate. Don't have to do well on exams because he gives so much credit in other places (labs, hw, group tasks).

Good class. Lectures are actually interesting and well taught. A tad too conceptual deriving stuff however which doesn't correlate enough with exams (which are hard). The grading scheme for the course is awesome, other departments should take note from this course because this is a very student friendly science course. Easy B if you study for tests

If you've new to physics, this class is going to be really tough. He did not give a curve (to be fair he really couldn't, test averages were in the 70s overall). Exams are incredibly difficult. If you get full scores on everything else (hw, recitation, cw) and C's on the exam, you should get a B (45% hw+cw+recitation, 55% for the exams).

Let's be very honest right now. Coming from a student with over 120 credits, this guy is in the top 3 of all professors I've ever had in my life. And I'm not just saying that. We get it. It's physics. It's not easy. But, if you want to do well. I promise you that with gentile you will do well. Put in the time studying, read the book, khan academy.

Gentile is an amazing lecturer. He gets very animated and is passionate about what he teaches, making it easy to follow along. Go to class! No slides! I've seen several people saying beware for MCAT takers, but I disagree. This was the only physics I took as an undergrad and I scored very well on the physical science section of the old MCAT.

Professor Gentile is great! I really enjoyed his class and I am not a physics major. He really cares about his students and gives you the materials and plenty office hours to make sure you can do well in his class. His lectures are great and he explains things very clearly. I would recommend going to office hours for help with the material.

Professor Gentile is hands down the best professor that I have had at Rutgers. He is excited about what he teaches and wants his students to feel the same way about physics. He cares about how his students do in the class and how much they have learned after taking the class. I would definitely take this class again!

Professor Gentile is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, however, his lectures do not correspond well with his exams. Spends all of lecture deriving equations but the exams are nothing like that. Did well on everything else (lab, recitation) and got 60s on the exams and still ended up with a B in the class.

I took him over the Summer and he was a thousand times better than Brahmia; went from c+ to b+. The homework is actually interactive and I learn. The recitation is interactive and I learn more--10 pts (show up, do work, get 10 pts). Lecture has participation points. Exams, 6 questions, open ended-partial credit, need I say more.

Not just a great professor, but a great guy as well. Exams are hard but there's lots of other ways to earn credit (lab, recitation, homework etc). Do take him if you can for any class.

This man is by far the best professor I have ever had in my life. He truly cares about teaching Physics and it is important to him that students learn the materiand the best they can. He kept me interested in the subject the whole time and was more than happy to help students before, during, and after class. He should teach teachers how to teach.

His lectures arent that helpful, but you have to go because he makes you hand in something for participation like half the time. Tests are kind of hard but count for less than half your grade so its hard to do bad in the class.

BEST PROFESSOR AT RUTGERS HANDS DOWN! You can tell this guy loves teaching and loves physics. Not a physics major but he makes everything interesting and easy to understand. He listens to you and respects students. Lots of opportunities to get good grades even if you do poorly on exams. Wish he was my professor for every class.

AMAZING! Mike was one of my favorite professor at Rutgers. He truly wants the best for his students and makes it so easy to get help and get a good grade! Only 60% of the grade comes from exams, while 40% is easy lab, recitation, and lecture grades. I wish all my professors were as great as him.

Show up to lecture , go to recitation, and do lab corrections and my man Mike will usually give you that A. The exams do get harder but Mike is a real bro and curves to help the class. He is also is an amazing teacher and is very understanding.

Michael is the best professor I have ever met. The set up of the class and his personality both contribute to how good this class is. It's not a cake walk, but he gives you all of the tools that you need to succeed. He is super fair. We all respect him tremendously. If you need help there's a ton of support, you can succeed if you try even a little

Very kind and funny, obviously knows what he's talking about. A lot of ways to get easy points and as long as you understand how to do the practice questions posted before each exam you will be fine.

He is probably one of the best professors in the physics department and among the best lecturers I have ever come across. His lectures are interesting, inspiring, and he loves answering cool physics questions. I must say I hated the way they decided to grade the semester I took it, though- it was based overwhelmingly on ambiguous group projects.

Some of the best lectures come from Prof. Gentile. Clearly shows that he cares how his students do in his class. Although, the course is exam/project-heavy, you will feel prepared going into them.

Mike is so passionate about what he teaches and making sure that everyone understands. He cares so much about his students and actually listens to their feedback. Lectures are super easy to follow and makes physics so much more accessible to those who don't have a super strong background in it.

Had him for Physics for the Sciences. Mike is the exact kind of professor you want for a class that has to cover a lot of material. He's extremely kind and responsive to in lecture questions and emails, as well as just great at presenting material to the class. The class is really difficult but he makes it possible!

Exams are relatively easy bc of the notecard, lectures are recorded. Only participation matters in recitation but he's very caring and will accommodate you if needed. Getting an A is easy if you're willing to put in a little extra but not too much.

Professor Gentile is amazing. He is very enthusiastic about physics and he also understands that not everyone is so he does his best to keep things interesting. The course is not too tough and the labs can be lengthy but otherwise not too bad.

Mike is one of the best professors I ever came across. It's very hard to fail to this class. This is coming from someone who did physics, only because its required by the major. His lecture and homework questions are very helpful in understanding physics. The Recitations and lab also very helpful. Great guy.

Not a hard class but a tedious amount of work. Does group tasks during lectures, which are submitted for class participation grade. Group tasks are not hard, and he gives you the answer right after, but this requires attendance. The labs are moderately hard but most of the time finishable during the 3 hours. Lectures feel and are super short.

Lots of leeway when grading, takes into consideration exam difficulty and how the class as a whole performed. Plenty of opportunities to raise your grade with in-class participation, HW assignments, recitation grades, etc. Fun and helpful when explaining concepts. The class itself is time consuming but wouldn't want to take it with anyone else.

Amazing professor but you will hardly learn from this class and probably panic doing the practice exams. The grades for the exams are low overall, we go over concepts and barely do any math up until the exam. You have to teach yourself the formula's and how to use them. There is an index card for each exam and there is a small curve at the end.

Lab:15%, Recitation:10%, Lecture Tasks:5%, HW:10%, 2 Projects: 10% each, 3 Exams: 15% each. Lectures are recorded and uploaded along with his notes. He does random group tasks (GT) during lecture that make them "mandatory". GT are not every lecture. Labs are moderate and recitation is participation grade (so just attending gets you 100).

Best prof at Rutgers. Actually cares about you as a person first, student after. Genuinely wants everyone to do well. Exams were tough but didn't make up a big part of your grade. Has a heart of gold. Impossible to hate him. Attendance mandatory but if you have friends u can alternate. TA's are very helpful. Study hard for exams, but hes the goat.

Really good for the summer, class is pretty easy, lectures were long but digestible. You can talk to him after class and he gives great explanations for any topic, even if its outside the scope of the class

Gentile shows genuine interest in physics, which I fully respect. His easy going attitude and fun lectures make the difficult subject of physics enjoyable, which is hard for me to say because I did not like physics at all in high school. He is very nice so I recommend asking for help after lectures and going to office hours.

A breath of fresh air compared to alot of other STEM professors here. Extremely caring and compassionate person who cares about each one of his students. Never studied for a single exam and I got a C+ since there are so many other ways to raise your grade in the class. Lab resubmissions allowed, lectures and recitation had completion based grading.

Professor Gentile truly makes physics an enjoyable class. He's caring, lenient with makeup classes/exams, and a great professor overall. He listens to his students and gives good feedback. The labs are a bit long, but they are helpful; understanding each of the experiments will help a lot for the exams. He also lets us use notecards for the exams.

Mike is truly passionate about what he teaches. Physics is a hard subject but he explains it in a fun and conversational way so students are able to grasp the material better. The only downside is that if you get a bad TA for lab they can be annoying about lab grades. Exams are 5 questions open ended (multiple parts) but generous partial credit

Only upper level science course i enjoyed even though it is not my highest grade throughout all my science classes here. Gentile makes the course very portioned grade wise. I did not study for an exam and i got a C+.I think its impossible to fail the class as long as you put a sliver of effort in. There's a reason his classes are always filled,GOAT

I took this Analytical Physics 2A during the Summer 2025 Semester. - Lectures ARE 4 hours long - Attendance is required (he'll ask questions and you must answer them + submit them after class) - You can use 1 index card for his exams - Gives past exams questions for practice - 3 exams + HW + attendance make up your grade - He's the goat

Great professor. Clear lectures, fair exams, and he genuinely cares about students. He communicates well about deadlines and exams. Practice exams were close to the real ones. He even let us cross out 1 of 5 questions on Exam 3 (the final one) for 20%. The class is tough (each exam is 20% of the grade), but fair. Would definitely take him again.

Genuinely the greatest. Such a kind human being. I still keep in contact with him after almost 2 years since I took his class.

Professor is great but class itself not so much. Exams are impossible. Practice exams don't help. Labs and recitations are a waste of time. When it comes to finding equations feels like they are all made up doesn't make any sense. Overall, the course needs some work when it comes to how difficult it is especially the questions asked on exams.

Very nice guy. Lectures are good and they are recorded so you can go back if there is something you missed. Attendance matters as there are random checks fairly often. The lab is a bit tedious but the TAs are usually helpful and there are resubmits. Also be prepared for group work as that will make or break your recitation and lab.

Mike's lectures can feel a little slow sometimes, but at the end of the day, he presents complicated physics concepts in an accessible and easy-to-understand way. The homework is challenging and helps you think about the concepts taught, and the practice exam questions are great. Recitation and lab feel a little disjointed from the course, though.