No Comments

Tough stuff, with high expectations. But you actually meet them by the end of the year. Amazingly thoughtful and helpful.

A little bit of the "absent-minded professor", but extremely knowledgeable, an excellent teacher and just generally nice guy. Homework and tests are appropriately challenging without being excessively hard.

Very good, but very hard. An excellent prof and advisor. If you wanna learn about actual physics, these are the classes to take (with this prof =P)

very helpful with questions if you go to his office hours, and if you do you should get an A

The material is pretty easy, but the homework involves lots of work. He is interested in getting to know you, which is rare with RPI professors. Persans is a generally nice guy, once he wore two different shoes to class, and argued they were the same!

When you can track him down, he'll always answer a question - even if it's for a class he's not teaching.

Great Teacher. Will talk to you as long as you care to listen, actually answers questions. Very good at math/matlab/fixing lab equipment. Really nice guy, learns your name, spends a lot of time with students.

Awesome teacher, great sense of humor, loves what he does...pay attention and you can get some good quotes out of him...watch out though, he likes to hit the students :)...j/k

He's an awesome professor. Always makes the material interesting and keeps the class lively. All around a great professor.

Funny Little Man who makes the period before studio worth missing an extra two hours of sleep. Gets sidetracked sometimes, but it is amusing when he does. Really understanding guy who takes it a little easier on you when overloaded with other classwork. VERY fair grader.Loves dirty jokes!

class was disorganized, but he made up for it because he's a good explainer. very reasonable homeworks and exams. excellent to go to for help in office hours. very nice guy.

I hated RPI, but Persans is one guy I'll always remember. He was always ready to help, and has to be the nicest prof I ran into in the entire school. If you don't mind doing some work, I think you'll love this guy.

Great personality, made class fun. Really cares about students and their career goals.

Persans really cares about whether we learn. Go to his office hours.

PP is a great teacher and he has a lot of fun with the classes he teaches. I like the fact that the TAs are not teaching the class and it helps that Persans is easy to talk to and very friendly. :) A+!

A very able and enthusiastic teacher interested in helping his students learn

fun, energetic guy, willing to help out with hwk

Nice guy, always willing to help students. He even gives out his home phone number in case students have questions in the evenings. He helped me a lot with trying to decide which grad schools to apply to. His classes are fun to take because he makes them fun and interesting. The material was difficult, but he's a great teacher.

Take this professor's classes. Take them, take them, take them. I have never once in my life seen a professor so dedicated to helping students. He will assist you no matter what your problem is, whether it's understanding the material or making your way at RPI and beyond.

a very helpful prof!

I had him for intro to quantum phy, Execelent teacher. Only problem was that the book (sorry can't remember name) is insanely booring, i couldn't read it for more than 10 min before I fell asleap, so I recomend you pay attention in his class and use extra help if needed, cause i can't concieve of actually reading the book.

Prof Persans is one of RPI's best. He puts a lot of time and effort into this course. Getting a good grade in this course will require a significant effort. The class may be challenging, but the end result is worth it. Bottom line is, take this class and you will know quantum physics.

Definitely one of the best at RPI. Very clear, very helpful and one of the only professors genuinely interested in how students do. He tries to get students interested in the material, as well. The work is hard enough so that he's not handing out A's while not overwhelming people to the point of failing. If you can, take a class with Persans.

He's very student friendly and is very straightforward in his teaching of the subject.

He is a very good professor who takes the time to really make sure you understand the material.

Prof Persans was always willing to help students, and made the difficult material easier to understand. It was a great, worthwhile course.

Although lecture attendance is not mandatory, you should definitely go to class. He is a cool guy that wants you to actually learn the subject he's teaching.

good guy, entertaining classes

He did a very good job of introducing the class to Quantum Physics,his lectures were entertaining(he has a great sense of humor) and informative.And sometimes liked to go on tangents, but he told us,"If I stand over here, you don't have to know this for the tests,"and his little asides were enjoyable and whet my appetite for future physics courses.

I really loved going to his quantum lectures, not just because I'm interested in the topic, but because he has a way of presenting the material so you can really understand the fundamentals. He's pretty quirky and cracks jokes all the time too. The course wasn't required for me, but I really enjoyed it and did well despite my issues with math.

Dr. Persans is one of the best professors in the department. He is a very good advisor, offers clear and imaginative explinations of material. Rewards cleaverness and abstract thinking on exams. He classes wont be cake, but he makes it easy to get alot out of them.

While a bit scattered at times, he really put a lot of effort into his lectures. You could tell he would go and think about it at home because if he thought he didn't explain something well enough, he'd spend the first part of next class clarifying. Always around the night before homework is due to help. Explains things very well in office hours.

Professor Persans teaches his class quite well. I felt that the textbook was more useful than the lectures in the majority of cases, but coming to lecture was still worthwhile. Above all, his personality is excellent and he knows the boundaries between teaching well and being a good friend.

You're in for an adventure with this one. He's funny and works great with students. Has a good amount of patience and is always willing to help out. If you can get a class with him, I would.

Marvelous

so cute

Honors Physics II - Decent teacher, but gets sidetracked easily and did not give me that nice feeling of understanding. Needs more repetition to ingrain important ideas, but was a pretty good teacher overall.

Nice guy, good teacher. Not quite as good as Napolitano, but you will definitely learn the material. Hes just a little odd when he teaches. He interrupts himself and isnt completely organized. He uses power points sometimes, which arent the greatest, but he doesn't use them too often. Again nice guy, definitely his strong point

Persans overall is a good teacher. I had him for Honors Physics II and he was able to present the concepts in an overall effective manner. I saw overall because not everything was straight forward. Make sure to take notes and go over his PowerPoints after class. Go to TA sessions and do lab write-ups the weekend after. Ask questions,he has good ans

Goes at a great pace, enjoyable and easy to understand.

Lectures are clear and organized with fun asides. Tests can be difficult, but if you go to class and do all the work, you can get an A. Physics II can be challenging, but I would gladly take it again with Persans!

<3 bob vila. such a good teacher, really wants his sections to succeed. hope youre reading this!

Prof Persans was very good. He's clear, and makes an effort to help students do well on tests, he writes them. I learned and understood the material well, his tests were difficult but not impossible.

The great thing about Persans was that he was very animated, so it made it easier to stay awake. The best thing was that he wrote the tests which gave you an edge. Although people would disagree, if you knew the material the tests were actually really basic. HW was hard, but office hours help. I suggest Prof Lewis for office hour help.

Dr. Persans demands the best performance of his students (physics majors- take note!). If you learn the (comparatively) large amount of material required to get an A in the class, he is always available to clarify finer points. If you slack off, expect no sympathy. In Fall 2011, his 1-hour lectures were less focused on lab activities than Dwyer's.

I ll just say one word...PERFECT, I wish every teacher was like him, he is the BEST, he tries to help you by any means possible, he really wants to you to success, not only in the course but also in your life, if your thinking to register for his class or not, i ll say go for it,if the class is not already full,which is quite possible.

Persans is a brilliant teacher. He's clear and effective, makes use of demonstrations in lecture, is helpful in lab, very approachable, and is also a really nice guy. Great professor.

Very effective and helpful professor who is one of the most approachable teachers I have had at RPI. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to the material and is happy to answer any questions to clarify concepts for students.

Opposite of Roberge's lecture style. Roberge is rigorous, thorough, and precise. Persans has a much more intuitive, casual style. It may or may not appeal. Clearly an intelligent man, but his lectures can be a little scattered, as he tends to interrupt himself and make corrections to equations already on the board as he remembers something.

Persans is most well known for his brief stunt on TV as the most interesting man in the world. But he also knows some stuff about physics. As far as physics classes go, Persans is about as tough as it gets.

Persans is literally the man. I took him for Physics I Honors, and I was always at his office hours for help or just to chill with him. He is sometimes unclear in lecture, but he will do everything to help you succeed. One of the greatest people I've ever met! So kind and understanding. His course was very difficult, but I enjoyed it.

You'll get a better grade if you go to office hours. He just wants to see that you're trying.

He has an obvious love for physics, very geeky and that's part of what makes him a good professor, besides his sense of humor and laid-back nature. He is always willing to help, and you'll probably need it because it is not an easy class.

"Your review should have read 'Whenever I see Professor Persans I picture a hot girl in a bikini'." -Professor Peter Persans, March 3rd 2016 to the Quantum Physics II class

Persans really cares about his students, and is incredibly intelligent. Additionally, his personality and lightheartedness make him very approachable. He really cares about his students learning the material, and it'll be a challenging course but you'll really learn a lot.

This guy has forgotten more about Physics than you will probably ever learn.

Professor Persans is the best professor I have had by far. He will teach you anything you want to learn about and will work hard to explain the material. If you put in a good effort, there are many ways to pass the class. But you have to work for it. And for heaven's sake READ THE BOOK. The labs are brutal, so start them first thing.

Great professor. Entertaining lectures and I learned a lot. The class was always going to be challenging, but he was very clear about his expectations and offered many opportunities for those who lacked in labs/tests/quizzes/etc.

Persans is a bro

He was probably the best professor I've had thus far at RPI. He's a great lecturer if you don't mind him going off on "asides". His quizzes can be a bit unpredictable but are usually sort of lecture related. His labs are fantastic. He also recognizes that despite most teaching being lecture based most people learn from the homework.

In every Institute, there is that particular College. In every particular College, there is that particular Department. In that particular Department, there is a singular, and particular person, that is complete. Persans is perhaps the wisest, most knowledgeable, person I have or ever will know. This man cares, he knows, and he will teach you.

Makes an effort to speak to students and really cares about having them understand. If you're having trouble in class, he really encourages you to go to office hours and get extra help. Physics II does not have interesting subject material, in my opinion, but he made it as fun as possible with interesting demonstrations at the beginning of lecture

A very good, thorough professor. Loved the material and wanted to make sure students learned. Lectures were engaging and entertaining, as he always incorporated humor into them.

Great professor! He is very friendly and approachable and is more than willing to re-explain concepts when students are confused. He is also very funny. The homework for his classes are high in quantity, but they do prove to be helpful in giving an understanding of the topics and boosting your grade.

From a Physics 1 mentors perspective: students dont see this but Professor Persans really cares for the students, even when he isnt even teaching Physics 1. He always made sure us mentors were prepared for our weekly sessions. Also did a lot for the exam review sessions. He is an amazing person.

He is a fun guy who cares about the material. His lectures are interesting and interactive and questions are answered with respect. He is goofy which makes his lectures fun but organization is low. Tests are mostly multiple choice (rip partial credit). Labs can be long and boring. Overall, definitely pick this guy though.

Professor Persans is by far one of the best professors on campus. He's extremely funny, he knows what he's talking about, and his lectures are always entertaining. He is extremely helpful in PHYS labs and, as a Physics 1200 facilitator, he is also really awesome to work with. He WILL make some mistakes in exams and lectures. It is guaranteed.

His lectures were a riot. Sit in the front row so he recognizes you, it's easy to be a favorite. He explains things pretty well and "reserves the right to be merciful" when grading. He's a bit disorganized though, and there are sometimes mistakes or inconsistencies on what is actually assigned. Overall good professor.

Google "Persans" and go to images, you won't be disappointed

Took him for Quantum 2. Can take a while to get used to his disorganized lectures, but really cares for students. Grades quizzes easy, but tests tend to be more difficult. Don't make the mistake of doing minimum work, you can really learn a ton from him if you are engaged. Extremely knowledgeable even if he doesn't come off as such immediately.

Persans is a great professor, he understands that Physics 2 is HARD. He is very willing to help. Wants to see his students do well. His lectures are actually really funny too

Persans is a good teacher, but he is disorganized. His focus is to get you to learn on your own, and therefore is homework heavy. I learned a lot from his class, and enjoyed his lectures.

Physics II is hard to begin with. Persans is a good teacher but 8 hours of class and lab plus homework per week is a lot.

Physics 1200 is a rough class, Persans is funny clear and clearly loves the material. Funny guy, follow himon twitter for quiz answers. Persans as your lecture professor is not a bad decision. Tests and labsare nasty, but they are course wide.

Out of every professor on campus, I respect Persans the most. When you talk to him, it makes it seem like his purpose in life is to help you understand physics. He is incredibly devoted, hilarious, and a rigorous but generous grader. Anything you could ever want in a Physics professor. Your experience at RPI is incomplete without a class from him.

Professor Persans is awesome and cares about his students. One of the nicest and smartest professors at all of RPI.

This class was difficult at times. Although he did always end lecture early, there was a ton of content that was covered (even though I had credit for the course from high school, the course covered vastly more). Go to office hours and ask for help on homework and make sure to pay attention in lab and it should be ok.

Really great professor, makes lectures interesting. Physics II is the hardest class I've taken at RPI, but he was open and went out of his way to helping students who were struggling.

I have reviewed professor persans before and now that I am taking a different class of his again I will review him again. He very much cares for his students, and put in extreme effort to compensate for the COVID crisis. He has my utmost respect. His lectures are occasionally disparate, but effective and entertaining. Take his class.

Professor Persans has been really understanding to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of my peers and I have had other professors not be as understanding in the slightest. Persans listens to feedback and takes it seriously. That is very appreciated right now. You can tell he wishes he could teach us in person, but right now such is life.

Professor Persans was amazing to have. He's a great lecturer who keeps everything engaging and interesting. Workload can be a bit much at times but it's usually easy to handle. Exams were very well written and fair. Due to to COVID the class was on/offline hybrid, it was executed very smoothly. A great professor and a very funny and caring man.

Prof. Persans is one of the best professors at RPI. Great lectures, great stories, fair homework and tests.

Prof. Persans is a really knowledgeable person. He likes telling jokes and stories. His tests are a bit more creative and harder compared to other profs'. However, he is usually very generous and gives out many partial credits. A really helpful and accessible professor! One quote I like about him is: "if a student has a problem, I will answer it."

He's the GOAT. Fantastic lecturer. Conceptualizes info very well. Assignments are well structured and fair. Extremely helpful when you ask him questions. Great sense of humor. Couldn't imagine a better professor (Physics 2).

Dr. Persans is great. Knows his stuff and helps students during the lab section. lectures don't suck too much. Physics 2 is just a really hard course.

Going into Physics II, I was absolutely terrified because of the reputation it has. He was really straightforward about the difficulty of the class and promised he would do his best to help us understand. His lectures are great, and in the lab blocks he will walk around, chat with students, and help them with any problems they are having.

Very enthusiastic about the content but doesn't understand that his students are in class because it's a requirement and not because they love physics. Also if you ever want to contact him, don't email him because he never responds.

Prolly my favorite college professor yet. The best thing is that the lectures are dynamic and engaging because of him. This is especially important to me because without a teacher making the lecture a little fun it is hard for me to pay attention. Also, my TA Viet is cool.

Professor Persans made the content easy to digest. Lectures were great. The labs are definitely at times a little more involved but the grading is fair and Persans/the TA's are always willing to help. Back test are a must to prep for exams.

Physics 1 and 2 at RPI sucks and the students needs to teach themselves 80% of the material. Despite this, Persans is a great lecturer and witty professor, he's the best physics professor I've taken a class with so far.

Had him for modern physics as a freshman in the fall. Very funny/witty, but goes on tangents for 30 minutes about something not on the homework or exam which means less real class time. You have to go to class to get the worksheet. No lab. He's a very easy grader and it does not take much effort to get an A. Also, the final is optional!

His class is entertaining, and he cares about his students. The material was tough and confusing if you have no background in it. If you go to office hrs and put effort in, you can do well. The class was a little disorganized, but it will probably be more structed in future years. Persans has some fun stories and is very approachable.

Great professor

Awesome lab professor! Great guy with a great personality. If you talk with him during lectures you become very close in a good way. Would always help you in lab if you are stuck, and give you the details on what went wrong. Gives you more information than you need for labs, homework, and even exams so nobody could be confused.

Physics 2 can be tough, but Professor Persans makes it manageable. His lectures are engaging, and he's always willing to help during lab sessions. I found Unstuck AI and back tests to be super helpful for preparing for exams.

This is specific to the lab, NOT lecture. He is very good and helpful when you have questions. The class as a whole is difficult but manageable and crib sheets will be your best friend. The labs provide more equations that are useful on the exams. Also its very possible to get over 100% in the lab category so make sure you do.

Persans is the best. His lectures give a good crash course in the material, but you won't truly understand unless you do the homework and read outside of class. Tells fun stories, engaging lecturer. A more than fair grader.