Professor

Anton Bondarenko

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3.7
Overall Ratings
Based on 59 Users
Easiness 2.7 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 3.3 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 4.3 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 4.0 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (59)

3 of 5
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June 17, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B+

As mentioned before in the reviews for 1A, Bondarenko is a legend. Much has not changed about how you can muscle your way through with a grasp of calculus. But one thing that is problematic is circuits. The last part of the course is a bit rushed and makes a strong appearance on the final. So it is important to understand these well.

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June 20, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A-

The lectures were very clear, but a bit monotonous. He makes sure to write down every step in his derivations, and when I say every step, I mean every step. Thus, lecture is pretty slow paced and you can get bored pretty easily. That being said, you won’t have to worry about being lost in his proofs which is good. If you’re someone able to focus dry lectures, then you’ll learn a lot. Also, his review sessions are really useful for the midterms and final so I would definitely recommend attending those. If you understand the solutions to the problems done in these reviews, you’ll find the exams to be fair. Overall, I think this is a nice and solid introduction to classical mechanics.

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June 20, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B-

hard class but good professor, just make sure to go to class and stuff, I didn't and because of that I guess I didn't understand some of the basics, but overall yeah he's a pretty good professor for this class

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June 21, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B-

So he is by far the easiest prof for 1A in the department.
That being said he still bores the crap out of me. I think I never saw the man smile once. It's funny, for a dude with such a crazy online personality (rap videos) he's boring in person. Classes are organized, audio bruincasted, and all of the homework is on Kudu which is much better than Mastering Physics. The midterms and finals are incredibly fair and entirely based on the reviews he gives beforehand. The way we did it this quarter was set up a groupchat for students in both lectures so we knew when he did in-class participation activities (we were in the later lecture); that way, we didn't have to go to class since they were so boring. All of this material is pretty much self-study.

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June 21, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B-

To be fair, I dislike physics and I don’t think anyone can really teach physics but here is my review.

Sure, the guy is organized and does his best but he does very few examples in class. It’s mostly derivations that will not be tested. You’ve gotta develop problem solving skills on your own. Kinda monotone as a lecturer - not engaging.

One thing I really disliked about this class were his rubrics. The partial credit is awful. He gives two points (out of 10) just for having the correct answer and then you’ll get additional points off for the reason why you don’t have the correct answer. No chaining. Tests are really long too. Tend to be 8 questions for a 50 minute midterm - crazy.

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June 20, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A-

if you need to take this class, take it with anton if possible! this man is a robot, but like one of those super cool robots that you'd beg your parents to get you for christmas. let's do this in list form, in true robot-style:
1. his lectures are super clear. he explains concepts and goes through proofs in a way that is easily understandable, and on top of that, his speech is very articulate. (though this does mean that lectures can get a little dry -- he goes through the proofs almost too thoroughly.)
2. he is the most organized person i've ever had the pleasure of meeting -- he would make marie kondo proud. anton posts all of the lecture slides and complete handwritten notes from class on ccle, and everything on there is clearly labelled and easy to find. his lectures are also bruincasted as audio files (no video, unfortunately. we can't have everything in life). basically, you don't need to worry about skipping lecture as long as you have some way of finding out when he assigns an in-class kudu activity.
3. he hosts his own midterm and final review sessions before every exam. these are super helpful, as the actual exam questions were pretty similar to the review session problems. he posts these problems a week or so before the session and goes over them in detail (the notes from these are also posted onto ccle afterwards). if you understand the review session problems well, you should be fine on the exams. he also allows a 3x5 notecard (front & back) for both midterms and a 8.5x11 paper (front & back) for the final.
4. he uses kudu (which was ~$50 i think oof) for homework as well as in-class participation. for the homework, the questions can get a bit annoying (heads up: they change numbers between different people on short answer questions!), but if you have chegg (or have a friend who has it haha) the questions are all on there. you don't need to be in class to do the in-class questions as long as you know when to get on kudu, and these were graded on completion, not accuracy.
5. there were 2 lectures when i took this class spirng 2019, and he used the same exams between lectures for both midterms and the final. just ~throwing that out there~ but the exams were really not bad either way because of the notecard/cheatsheet he allows for all exams so you're chillin lol.
6. if you do end up taking this class: this man has some i n t e r e s t i n g social media content out there. look up homie soul on youtube (the scooty pop & elostelle videos), and his facebook also has some real gems on there. thank me later.

funny tidbit: i crashed the afternoon lecture with my friend one day after going to my lecture that morning, and i was hearing my morning lecture again, nearly verbatim. i'm telling you, my dudes: r o b o t.

anyway, just take the class. you won't regret it.

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June 24, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B

Great professor. Explanations are super clear and the exams are very similar to the review problems he provides. The topics themselves can be difficult if you haven't had much exposure to physics before, but Bondarenko makes it manageable. Definitely recommend.

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June 24, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A

Anton was a mixed professor. His lectures were extremely proof based, and much of the material he covered in class was valuable in enriching your personal understanding, but not so valuable in actually helping to solve the problems. In order to be truly successful, you had to grind out the midterm review questions he posted. They were essentially identical to the actual midterms/final. Seriously, if you want to succeed in this class, mastering the review questions is the key.
I had 2 big problems with the structure of the class, however. First, he did not give enough time on the exams. There were 10 parts worth 10 points each on each midterm, and we only had 50 minutes to complete it. I disliked this because if I made a small mistake (which everyone does) I did not have time to go back and fix it. Other than that, the exams were straightforward. Time management was the greatest challenge.
For grading, he was a savage, using a Gaussian bell curve with the mean set to a B. This means only 14% of the class ended with either an A/A+. This class has high potential to hurt GPA if you are aiming for that 4.0.
Lastly, be aware that many people entering this course will have strong physics backgrounds from high school. He did a poll the first day, and around 20% of the class had already taken calculus based physics in HS. If you are new to physics you will be at a disadvantage compared to your peers and will likely need to invest a hefty amount of time into mastering this class. Good luck!

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1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
June 25, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B+

Bondarenko is an amazing professor. His lectures are easy to follow with hand written notes that he does on the screen along side some slides. Physics is a subject I would say is hard to make a lectures that are easy to follow. Bondarenko does this excellently. No textbook was needed for us everything is done online through Kudu, and questions are assigned each week to help you practice. His lectures along side those problems help you really understand the material. He also has in lecture participation questions that he goes over to help you understand examples and that are free points for just doing. His tests are hard only because of the fact that they’re entirely algebraic and conceptual. Any “math” you do is all in terms of variables. Many didn’t like that but I think it really forces you to grasp the material better. His study guides he gives you for those though by themselves prepare you for the tests. If you study just the 4-5 study questions he gives and really understand what steps to use for those questions, the tests will be easyish.

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June 26, 2019
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A

Bondarenko was a fantastic professor for physics. In past physics classes, I have often found it difficult to understand specific topics and the relationships between topics, however Bondarenko does a tremendous job of explaining this by doing many derivations of important formula so you understand where they came from and how they relate. In this class participation does count, however he didn't actually check participation more than a few times throughout the quarter. His midterms and final were very fair if you understood the homework well. The second midterm in particular was a time crunch despite the fair material so many people lost points because of this. To prepare for tests in this class just be sure to solve the extra homework problems using only variables and not numbers (this is how the tests are). Definitely would take a class with Bondarenko again if I got the chance

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PHYSICS 1B
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B+
June 17, 2019

As mentioned before in the reviews for 1A, Bondarenko is a legend. Much has not changed about how you can muscle your way through with a grasp of calculus. But one thing that is problematic is circuits. The last part of the course is a bit rushed and makes a strong appearance on the final. So it is important to understand these well.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A-
June 20, 2019

The lectures were very clear, but a bit monotonous. He makes sure to write down every step in his derivations, and when I say every step, I mean every step. Thus, lecture is pretty slow paced and you can get bored pretty easily. That being said, you won’t have to worry about being lost in his proofs which is good. If you’re someone able to focus dry lectures, then you’ll learn a lot. Also, his review sessions are really useful for the midterms and final so I would definitely recommend attending those. If you understand the solutions to the problems done in these reviews, you’ll find the exams to be fair. Overall, I think this is a nice and solid introduction to classical mechanics.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B-
June 20, 2019

hard class but good professor, just make sure to go to class and stuff, I didn't and because of that I guess I didn't understand some of the basics, but overall yeah he's a pretty good professor for this class

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PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B-
June 21, 2019

So he is by far the easiest prof for 1A in the department.
That being said he still bores the crap out of me. I think I never saw the man smile once. It's funny, for a dude with such a crazy online personality (rap videos) he's boring in person. Classes are organized, audio bruincasted, and all of the homework is on Kudu which is much better than Mastering Physics. The midterms and finals are incredibly fair and entirely based on the reviews he gives beforehand. The way we did it this quarter was set up a groupchat for students in both lectures so we knew when he did in-class participation activities (we were in the later lecture); that way, we didn't have to go to class since they were so boring. All of this material is pretty much self-study.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B-
June 21, 2019

To be fair, I dislike physics and I don’t think anyone can really teach physics but here is my review.

Sure, the guy is organized and does his best but he does very few examples in class. It’s mostly derivations that will not be tested. You’ve gotta develop problem solving skills on your own. Kinda monotone as a lecturer - not engaging.

One thing I really disliked about this class were his rubrics. The partial credit is awful. He gives two points (out of 10) just for having the correct answer and then you’ll get additional points off for the reason why you don’t have the correct answer. No chaining. Tests are really long too. Tend to be 8 questions for a 50 minute midterm - crazy.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A-
June 20, 2019

if you need to take this class, take it with anton if possible! this man is a robot, but like one of those super cool robots that you'd beg your parents to get you for christmas. let's do this in list form, in true robot-style:
1. his lectures are super clear. he explains concepts and goes through proofs in a way that is easily understandable, and on top of that, his speech is very articulate. (though this does mean that lectures can get a little dry -- he goes through the proofs almost too thoroughly.)
2. he is the most organized person i've ever had the pleasure of meeting -- he would make marie kondo proud. anton posts all of the lecture slides and complete handwritten notes from class on ccle, and everything on there is clearly labelled and easy to find. his lectures are also bruincasted as audio files (no video, unfortunately. we can't have everything in life). basically, you don't need to worry about skipping lecture as long as you have some way of finding out when he assigns an in-class kudu activity.
3. he hosts his own midterm and final review sessions before every exam. these are super helpful, as the actual exam questions were pretty similar to the review session problems. he posts these problems a week or so before the session and goes over them in detail (the notes from these are also posted onto ccle afterwards). if you understand the review session problems well, you should be fine on the exams. he also allows a 3x5 notecard (front & back) for both midterms and a 8.5x11 paper (front & back) for the final.
4. he uses kudu (which was ~$50 i think oof) for homework as well as in-class participation. for the homework, the questions can get a bit annoying (heads up: they change numbers between different people on short answer questions!), but if you have chegg (or have a friend who has it haha) the questions are all on there. you don't need to be in class to do the in-class questions as long as you know when to get on kudu, and these were graded on completion, not accuracy.
5. there were 2 lectures when i took this class spirng 2019, and he used the same exams between lectures for both midterms and the final. just ~throwing that out there~ but the exams were really not bad either way because of the notecard/cheatsheet he allows for all exams so you're chillin lol.
6. if you do end up taking this class: this man has some i n t e r e s t i n g social media content out there. look up homie soul on youtube (the scooty pop & elostelle videos), and his facebook also has some real gems on there. thank me later.

funny tidbit: i crashed the afternoon lecture with my friend one day after going to my lecture that morning, and i was hearing my morning lecture again, nearly verbatim. i'm telling you, my dudes: r o b o t.

anyway, just take the class. you won't regret it.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B
June 24, 2019

Great professor. Explanations are super clear and the exams are very similar to the review problems he provides. The topics themselves can be difficult if you haven't had much exposure to physics before, but Bondarenko makes it manageable. Definitely recommend.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A
June 24, 2019

Anton was a mixed professor. His lectures were extremely proof based, and much of the material he covered in class was valuable in enriching your personal understanding, but not so valuable in actually helping to solve the problems. In order to be truly successful, you had to grind out the midterm review questions he posted. They were essentially identical to the actual midterms/final. Seriously, if you want to succeed in this class, mastering the review questions is the key.
I had 2 big problems with the structure of the class, however. First, he did not give enough time on the exams. There were 10 parts worth 10 points each on each midterm, and we only had 50 minutes to complete it. I disliked this because if I made a small mistake (which everyone does) I did not have time to go back and fix it. Other than that, the exams were straightforward. Time management was the greatest challenge.
For grading, he was a savage, using a Gaussian bell curve with the mean set to a B. This means only 14% of the class ended with either an A/A+. This class has high potential to hurt GPA if you are aiming for that 4.0.
Lastly, be aware that many people entering this course will have strong physics backgrounds from high school. He did a poll the first day, and around 20% of the class had already taken calculus based physics in HS. If you are new to physics you will be at a disadvantage compared to your peers and will likely need to invest a hefty amount of time into mastering this class. Good luck!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: B+
June 25, 2019

Bondarenko is an amazing professor. His lectures are easy to follow with hand written notes that he does on the screen along side some slides. Physics is a subject I would say is hard to make a lectures that are easy to follow. Bondarenko does this excellently. No textbook was needed for us everything is done online through Kudu, and questions are assigned each week to help you practice. His lectures along side those problems help you really understand the material. He also has in lecture participation questions that he goes over to help you understand examples and that are free points for just doing. His tests are hard only because of the fact that they’re entirely algebraic and conceptual. Any “math” you do is all in terms of variables. Many didn’t like that but I think it really forces you to grasp the material better. His study guides he gives you for those though by themselves prepare you for the tests. If you study just the 4-5 study questions he gives and really understand what steps to use for those questions, the tests will be easyish.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
Quarter: Spring 2019
Grade: A
June 26, 2019

Bondarenko was a fantastic professor for physics. In past physics classes, I have often found it difficult to understand specific topics and the relationships between topics, however Bondarenko does a tremendous job of explaining this by doing many derivations of important formula so you understand where they came from and how they relate. In this class participation does count, however he didn't actually check participation more than a few times throughout the quarter. His midterms and final were very fair if you understood the homework well. The second midterm in particular was a time crunch despite the fair material so many people lost points because of this. To prepare for tests in this class just be sure to solve the extra homework problems using only variables and not numbers (this is how the tests are). Definitely would take a class with Bondarenko again if I got the chance

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
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