great professor! very clear lecturing style, easy exams, and very approachable! used to hate physics but now i love it!

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interesting prof...organized lectures, tests were straightforward

Had this Prof for both 8A and 8B, he is GREAT. Very straightforward teaching + tests. A really nice guy to approach during OHs.

great professor, typical physics dude, but presents everything very clearly, tests are predictable

He is very clear and consise, his lectures are really organized, straight-forward, and cover all the material you need to know. Never talked to him in office hours, but he seems very sincere, friendly and approachable.

awesome prof... although at times clumsy with demos.

By the book lecturing. Does good examples and gives fair tests. Class is very easy.

very awesome lecturer. his lecture style is very clear and his demos are very cool. the only annoying thing is the online hw which is really a hassle. his tests are very fair but u really have to know ure stuff to do well on them. great class overall!

He's very available, and extremely approachable

An awesome lecturer, very clear, with very easy exams. It's funny to watch his demos (especially when they fail =p). Nice guy.

Very nice guy, organized lectures, notifies you with email what sections he is going to cover the next day. MTs are of medium difficulty. If you need to take the 8ab series at Cal, take it with him.

he's such a sweet old man....well he's not that old but very sweet. very clear in his lectures, helpful and kind at office hours, fair tests (pretty easy but just don't make stupid mistakes)

Easy guy. Lectures are clear and extremely relevant, yet not totally useful. I spent most lectures doing crossword puzzles while taking notes.

Great professor, and such a cute little man. Tests aren't too hard, they're straightforward, and are from the lectures, but it's easy to make stupid mistakes on them. The demos are simple and make understanding concepts easier. Pay close attention to the example problems he does in class.

It doesn't get better than Golightly. Only thing that sucks about his class is that only 25% get A's. Do not be fooled by how awesome he is. The class is still pretty cutthroat to get the grade you really want.

Golightly is an awesome professor! His lecture notes are very well organized and he always asks for questions after every concept he goes over. He is definitely dedicated to his students. Exams are pretty easy. But just be aware that he can only give out so many A's, so you've got to work hard.

He's an awesome professor. Teaches really well. Take him before he leaves! You'll definitely enjoy it!

Good teacher

Professor Golightly is the sweetest physics professor. He's dorky and enthusiastic. The tests are pretty easy because they are almost exactly like the review sheets.

Usually boring lectures, but interesting demos. He's a nice guy, very patient, and not at all condescending. Funny guy, his demos almost always screw up. He also has a somewhat nasal voice.

One of the best profs I've ever had. I dreaded taking physics before, but Golightly's such a great profs that I don't hate physics as much now. Very clear and helpful. His demos are interesting too, especially when they fail.

Golightly is a real good guy, its shame that UC Bezerkly is letting him go. He's quality.

Best physics professor period.

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To do well, do all rec practice problems, go to class to watch helpful (and sometimes funny) demos/ examples, read the assigned reading to solidify material, don't procrastinate (esp. on Mastering physics). Curve is kind and as a prof he goes at a relatively good pace, although a little on the fast side.

Homework is a pain and I didn't find it very helpful with my learning. He's a really cute little man

Couldn't ask for a better physics professor. Crystal clear lectures, board work, and fair exams that truly tested your understanding of the material. Make sure you understand all of his examples from lectures, do all of the recommended book problems, and pay less attention to Mastering Physics, which was just a pain.

I really recommend Golightly. His exams are fair and pretty easy compared to the others, and he's patient with silly questions. Discussions aren't necessary to go to (I had an inexperienced GSI). I got an A in the class, and I hated physics in high school. But it might be a little hard for people who've never been exposed to physics previously.

Golightly himelf is a great professor. I'm pretty sure he only teaches in the summer now, and if so, don't take his class. Really. During the summer semester, most students were international physics majors. The averages on tests were about 43 out of 50 with an sd of 6.5. It was really discouraging. I don't recommend taking the class in the summer.

Golightly was great. He does several demonstrations during class to try to keep it interesting, because some topics can get boring. His exams are incredibly straightforward and fair. The problems come from examples during lecture and the book. He is very approachable during office hours.

I walked into this class knowing nothing about physics and it still worked out. Lectures a bit boring and tedious sometimes but he does a lot of helpful example problems to help you learn and apply the concepts. Tests were extremely fair-mostly from Mastering Physics, unassigned practice problems, and his practice midterms.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Especially if you had never taken Physics before. This is actually my 2nd time taking the 8A course so I know what it is like to feel lost with a confusing professor. Golightly is crystal clear, extremely organized, knows what he is doing, and always willing to help. Exams are very fair, make sure to do the practice exams.

Gives wonderful lectures with a lot of demonstration. Great way to start college physics. It was very easy to form a good relationship with Prof. Golightly. Remember to go to his office hours a bit early, his is always packed full of people.

Best physics8a prof; really clear lectures and very smart/helpful. Past midterms are really helpful; better to do those first and hone your studying methods according to the topics he wants in those midterms; Lecture examples are great too, include them on cheatsheet. HW is hard but really helpful. LABS are so easy. text/workbook sucks don't use it

Golightly is a great professor and gives good lectures, but it's really hard if you don't have a good GSI. Nevertheless, he's helpful during his office hours or after class. Took his class over summer.

I had him for Summer 2020! Even though the class was online, the class was still able to cruise on pretty smoothly. His lectures help explain the concepts behind each problem. Understanding the in class example problems was pretty important on the tests. The practice midterms and finals were the best study material. I wish I had him again for 8B :(

Very organized lectures with demos, engaging hw practice problems, and fair exams. Prof Golighlty is also very approachable and responsive to students' questions. Glad I could take this class with him :)

Amazing!! I was never good at physics but after going to lectures and reading through the textbook, I had a firm grasp on most of the concepts. Lectures were easy to understand and he was always very clear.

Golightly is so nice and very generous. Top 65% get B- or above. He tells you what is going to be on the exam and his practice exams very much reflect the actual exams. Never gate keeps and is straightforward. Do the homework, very relevant. If you get the homework, you'll be fine on the exams. I learned a lot and feel prepped for future classes.

Main thing that separates Prof. Golightly is the relevance of the practice exams he provides his students. They are extremely helpful in preparing you for what to expect and he gives you the solutions to them as well.

Clear lectures with very helpful examples. If you understand the homework then you will be fine on the exam. His exams were fair and easier compared to other physics professor. The only downside is that he hadn't taught the class in over 20 years so practice exams were limited.

Professor Golightly made physics lectures bearable with clear explanations and fun demos. He is a nice guy and clearly cares. Lecture attendance is optional, but I found it very helpful. The class is graded on a curve, and exams make up 70%+ of your score. Expect short conceptual quizzes and long and tedious math heavy online homework each week.

Very cool guy. For some reason he's been review bombed this recently--the vast majority of negative ratings left for him are completely inaccurate. His raw exam scores are 20% higher than the other professor teaching Physics 7A this semester (Bordel), his homework questions are very similar to exam questions, and there is no mandatory reading.

Amazing recorded lectures, lecture notes posted, attendance barely required(only for labs). Very passionate about physics and a good lecturer. Exam material fair, homeworks a bit tedious but equivalent to all the other lecturers for 7B. Would definitely recommend him for 7B. Went in as a senior hating physics, came out wishing I took more physics.

Golightly is an amazing prof for 7A. He seems to truly care and puts clear effort into teaching with fun demonstrations and easy to follow lectures. Lecture problems are somewhat easier than homework or tests, but one of the test problems was essentially pulled straight from lecture so they are still helpful. Homework is hard but worth doing.

Dr. Golightly is a very straightforward instructor; very reasonable exams, always communicated with the class, responsive to student questions. Lectures were sometimes dry, but demos were interesting. He often received rounds of applause after lecture, so many students liked him. For 7B i switched into an 8am lab just to be in his class again

Very kind professor and is really good at the Physics 7 series since he has taught it for so long. Lots of practice exams that are relevant to his exams and as long as you keep up with homework you will be just fine in the class.

He's chill and nice for physics. Exams are fair and his lec notes are good.

Very enjoyable experience. Beware that the class speeds up after about two weeks and the first midterm will be unlike anything you've experienced in high school physics, but after the initial speed bump, the rest of the class is very manageable. Golightly gives engaging lectures and seems passionate in his teaching style. Tough exams, good curves.

Don't listen to reviews below saying he's a harsh grader. The grade bins were very reasonable, 93% = A+, 89% = A, 85% = A-, 72% = B. Many people complained saying they should deserve a higher grade even when they bombed 1 out of the 3 exams (but did "better" on final), but if you keep up with lecture and hw, this course is very manageable.

He's a very nice and approachable professor and willing to help. If you understand lecture, homework, and the practice tests, the exams will definitely be fine - they are similar difficulty to practice problems and way easier than the discussion worksheets that GSI's write. Grade bins were generous at the end, and top 25% do get A's.

Great lecturer, manages to explain the mathematical concepts of physics very clearly and concisely. Probably has the best in-lecture example problems I've seen. Tests can be challenging but are extremely fair. Would absolutely take again.

Lectures were useful and helped me understand concepts. However, this class had a lot of homework, and included a lot of structured class time between lectures, discussions, and labs (the last two had mandatory attendance), so it had a pretty major time commitment.

golightly is super sweet and presents the material in a very straightforward way with a lot of examples, which was very helpful. his tests are decently hard compared to the in class examples but the bins are pretty generous.

Golightly is such a sweet guy, gives grandpa vibes. Very approachable and responsive to Ed and other questions!

I don't like physics at all, but he made it bearable. His lectures are ok but he's very helpful in OH and gives good lecture notes. The exams are super fair. He gives the vibe of a sweet midwestern grandpa. I didn't like how you do not know anything about your grade until after the semester ends but I guess that's the nature of physics classes.