Review posted on Mon 28 Jun 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 1B

He was one of the best professors i have had so far. Very enthusiastic and concerned. He does make the tests a but harder than most others professors out there but he also curves the class very generously. The lectures are amazing and if you take notes you will be fine. I was one of those people who didn't take notes. I attended about 50% of the class but still managed to get an A by cramming the night before. All tests have one question that comes straight from hw which mean f you do the hw you are guarantied 30/90 points on the midterms and 30/180 points on the final. Keep in mind that the average the first midterm is about 40/90 and the second one 50/90. So over all I think he wasnt as hard as everyone makes him seem like. You will enjoy his class no matter what.

Review posted on Sun 27 Jun 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 1B

Amazing Professor!
Physics 1B covers a lot of hard, yet interesting concepts.
If you really want to understand and have a firm grasp of these ideas
take Corbin.
Corbin's lectures are almost always very interesting because he likes to tell
anecdotes to explain concepts that may be confusing or boring.
In order to get an A, going to most of the lectures are mandatory
and going to his office hours and workshops will certainly help towards your final grade.
(Not because this is sucking up, but because these extra hours do really help)
His tests are challenging, but the grader is very generous with partial credits
If you have chance to take him for any physics class, go for it
but make sure to work hard and not procrastinate

Review posted on Tue 15 Jun 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 1B

Corbin is the BEST professor I had since I came to UCLA. He's an excellent lecturer. Although his material is challenging, he always explained everything crystal clear. He cares a lot about his students. His midterms and final are moderately hard, but good notes can help a lot. He tries to push you a little bit on the tests, which made you want to learn more (at least it made me learn more). He taught me how to approach a problem instead of just memorizing the boring formulas. If you really want to learn something in physics, definitely take him! go to lectures, take good notes, and go over his notes before exams, then you are good to go =)

Review posted on Fri 11 Jun 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 1B

Firstly, Corbin is very concerned about his students. He really wants them to understand the material and is very helpful
in office hours.(although it can get kinda crammed sometimes). He is also usually pretty friendly and easy to talk
to, especially so if you make an effort to communicate with him. Corbin is the type of professor that attempts to
really get to know his students, and he will definitely remember who you are if you go to his workshops or office hours.
However, occasionally he will give short, incomplete answers to your questions, but I suspect this is done to make you think more about the question yourself.

On to the teaching, Corbin is a very good lecturer. He excels at teaching students physical concepts and principles, and he presents the material in a very straightforward and accessible manner. I was able to understand everything very clearly and gain an fundamental understanding of most of the topics.

The tests. The tests were very challenging, and the means were generally pretty low (39/90 first midterm 52/90 second midterm). However, most of the questions were doable if you understood the concepts well and studied your notes thoroughly.
(Good notes are essential in this class!) Also, the graders were very generous in awarding partial credit, often awarding a few points for merely writing down relevant equations for a problem. His grading system is a little vague though, and he doesn't really assign any letter grades to the midterms. However, he insists that you will get an A if you can show him that you really understand the material and have "mastered" it.

Overall, Corbin is the best physics professor I've had so far at UCLA and I would definitely recommend him to anyone who genuinely wants to learn the material well.

Review posted on Wed 09 Jun 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 1B

Professor Corbin is amazing. Although some posts below mine deemed him as an incompetent professor, but he is one of the only professors at UCLA who cares. Don't get me wrong; I'm not one of the student who got perfect scores on his midterms. Both of my midterm scores were below average yet I would recommend him to ANYONE who is willing to get something out of a class at ucla. Yes, his tests are ridiculous, and yes, you will spend a couple nights worrying your life away about the upcoming midterms, but once you get to know him, you'll see why I got such mad respects for him. He is truly passionate about what he does and how it will affect his students.

If you do decide to take this class, be sure not to procrastinate because like other physics classes, the lectures will go by prettyyy quickly. Memorize his notes and do what he does and you'll be good to go.

Get to know him; you won't regret it.

Review posted on Fri 12 Mar 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 1C

Professor Corbin is the best professor I have EVER had. He is absolutely passionate about physics and will get you interested in the topic. AMAZING lecturer, explains the concepts in a very good way and somehow makes things sink into your brain. I not once looked at my physics book while having him, compared to other professors where I not only had to go to lecture, but read the book in order to understand the material. I know he is tough, but it's because he cares about his students and wants you to learn from your mistakes. As he told us, if he gives you an easy exam where everyone gets near perfect, what's the point? You can't learn from your mistakes. This is why many pre-meds might not like him, since they are accustomed to getting nothing below an A on mediocre exams, and Corbin's exams are nothing like that. Honestly, I was scared to death to take a class with him, but now, I wish I could have had him for all my physics classes. He is truly an amazing Professor, best at UCLA.

Review posted on Fri 19 Feb 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 1A

Prof. Corbin is THE professor to learn mechanics from. of all the professors i have had at UCLA, he is one of the few who understands the subject, is passionate about teaching, and actually cares about the students. I agree that he would probably be one of the harder professors you will have, but he is considered hard only because he tests your concepts, not your memory. He hates when kids try to memorize problems from the books and belch it in the tests. He wants you to learn the underlying principles of physics, and see the beauty of it by developing an analytical mind. If you don't understand something, talk to him, go to his office hours,and go to peer tutoring. He will go to great lengths to try make you understand. his tests and homework will be challenging, but they are extremely rewarding if you do them by yourself, applying all the concepts you learn. If you are a slouch, and just want to get by, he is not for you. But if you really want to learn physics, physics you can use in real world, i suggest you take his class.
ps:
(for the post below me) Please do not talk trash about him. Have some decency and show some professionalism.

Review posted on Sat 06 Feb 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 6C

Corbin is the WORST professor I have ever had, hands down. He is a totally jerk and really condescending towards his students. He constantly made jokes about how pre-meds don't know how to learn and are useless as students and blah blah blah. Nevermind the fact that some life science majors aren't actually pre-med. He spent so much time talking about how much we needed to study, work harder, learn better, focus better in his class, and that time could have been spent actually TEACHING us physics if he wanted the tests to go better.

The averages on his tests are in like the 30s (out of 100), and they are terrible. He has an extremely tough curve, and he is honestly just an asshole. He plays favorites with the suck ups who come to his office hours, and he's rude in every way possible. I absolutely loved physics before his class, but now the thought of physics makes me pissed off. I ended up getting a B in his class even though I have gotten really high As in math and physics all of my life. Basically, don't take his class: it will ruin your transcript, ruin your day every time you see him, and ruin your appreciation for a formly-loved topic. If you do take his class, please write him a terrible course evaluation, because he deserves to know how miserable he makes students. I sincerely hope he gets fired, or at least has to stop teaching.

AVOID HIM AS MUCH AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

Review posted on Sun 03 Jan 2010
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 6C

Professor Corbin gets you ready for upper division classes. You will come out of the class understanding the concept and actually enjoying it.

Review posted on Sun 22 Nov 2009
Course(s) Taken: Physics: 6C

Sure, Corbin is a tough professor. But honestly, if you're looking for an easy ride, you clearly aren't meant to be at UCLA. I hate physics, and yet this class made it very do-able for me. It takes work and a fair amount of studying, but the curve is very generous. He likes to try weird problems on the midterms so if you get a low grade, don't fret. The final was much more straightforward, as he himself said it would be. As long as you stay above the curve (usually really low anyways), then you will be fine. And hey, you might use your brain for the first time in your life and learn something!