A List of Things I Wish I Had Known Before Taking This Class:

-No amount of knowledge gained is worth the hell you will be put through
-Corbin's teaching methods are overrated
-He repeats horrible jokes
-Unless you intend to spend at least 5 extra hours per week (3 in his workshops, >2 in OHs) do not expect to beat the curve
-If you do not beat the curve, you are likely to fail the class (he will fail you in fear that you may "embarrass him" in physics 1B)
-Other physics teacher's have MUCH easier tests (his tests are intended to have means around 35% so that the good students can truly stand out and show off how much time they wasted studying/attending OHs)
-Unless you leave lecture 5-10 minutes early, do not expect to get a seat in workshop (50+ people in a room inteded for 30)
-Midterms horribly scheduled with respect to other classes that he knows his students are taking
-Grade breakdown is intimidating: MD1 = 25%, MD2 = 30%, Final = 45% (HW = "optional" (but necessary) = 0%)
-You cannot skip his lectures and expect to pass his class

In essence, only take this class if you want to work about five times as hard as other students who are enrolled in 1A classes (for a worse grade, no less). Granted, he definitelly cares about his students and makes himself quite available, but if studying isn't your thing, avoid this class like a DUI. Heed thy warning.

Really funny guy. Laid back, very approachable. I actually found myself going to his office hours for entertainment more than going to ask questions...dont get me wrong. i had questions cause his class really is hard. I dont really have anything to base that on though because ive never taken physics before, not even in high school. I dont know my grade yet cause the final is in a few days but i wanted to write my opinion before i saw my grade. You can really tell his goal is to teach you the material and get you interested and not just come to class because its his job. try and get to know him. that helps him set the curve. (which is on the generous side) he has a realy hard time failing people and trys his best to find a way to pass you. overall i am really glad i took his class. oh yeah, BEWARE FLYING CHALK!

He made Physics incredible for me. I had a quarter of horrible classes and horrible professors, and the only class I look forward to attending was Physics 1A with Corbin. Yes, his class is hard, and you have to put a lot of time into getting a good grade. I basically attend all of his workshop, most of OH and Covel Tutoring on top of lectures and hours of homework. But it's worth it, he makes physics so enjoyable I dont regret spending so much time learning it. Take him if you want a good prep in physics, dont if GPA is your greatest concern.

Don't let the difficulty rating make you think you shouldn't take this course. Brent is an amazing teacher. His lectures are always entertaining, and you really understand the material. If I could, I would take him for the rest of the physics 1 series. The homework does take a while, and his exams are impossible to completely finish, but it's worth it, you will come away from the class with a great understanding of the material.

The key to doing well on his exams is go for the partial credit!! Just write whatever comes to mind and you're bound to get points for it.

He's incredbily hard and the homework takes forever... But he's soooo good. I got a 2 on the AP Physics test and my teacher in high school was awful. I've hated physics ever since. However, Brent really made you actually understand physics in more depth. I suck at Physics, but if I had the chace, I'd take 1B with him. His jokes are corny but all the boys seemed to like them (c'mon, it's an engineering class).

Beware of the fact that he's extremely intimidating when you first go to lectures, etc. However, he's really personable when you approach him.

Prof Corbin is by far the best physics teacher I've ever had... take him and u'll learn alot. However, like everyone said, it's hard... but it's not impossible. I worked my ass off and goes to his office hours all the time... and I ended up with an A. Thus, an A isn't impossible. Most ppl want to have an easy professor so they can bs their way through college... but I feel like I actually want to come to UCLA to learn. Thus, although Brent is hard, he'll definately help you alot in understanding the laws of physics. His first midterm was pretty easy... but it really varies cuz he changes his tests completely every quarter. To get an A... my best advice for u is... go to his physics workshops... he gives u his past exams... and just doing problems would help u. Reading the books will help u understand the concepts a lil better... but it wont really help u THAT much. If u run outta time to study... just do as many problems as u can and read over the notes.... oh yeah, workshop only works if u go everytime... it doesn't work magic if u only go once. Office hours help... but once again, u have to be consistent... Bottom line: Corbin is hard... but he is good

Yes, Brent was tough and his midterms often impossible to finish in the alotted time, but that just means PARTIAL CREDIT. I got away with so much partial credit on problems I didn't have a freaking clue how to do. Just write down shit on the tests and you're bound to get some credit. NEVER leave a question blank, always write what you know, equations or what you think you might do if you had the given time/prerequisite answers. In general, as hard as people say his tests are, they are do-able. The final especially is on the caliber of the midterms, but you have an extra hour for two midterms worth of material. So it is totally do-able. Also, if you are willing to do the homework, many homework problems do share similarities to his test problems, even though he states they are nothing like them. If you fully understand the homework you should do fine. All I have to say is ride the curve. Also, his workshops are a real plus, since he gives you really good problems that are taken from his own midterms and you get an exact feel for it.

Overall he was a great guy and he was enthusiastic and I loved his sometimes morbid humor. Either way he was out there enough to get a good laugh out of the class. Great professor and incredibly knowledgable. If you're here to learn (which you should be) you should take him. It's not all as bad as some people make it out to be.

Brent is the best teacher I have had at UCLA, no question. Now I know that doesn't mean a lot, but I would highly reccomend his classes to anyone who really wants to learn the material being taught. His lectures are both thought provoking and stimulating which make it easy to understand even tough concepts. Brent gives between 15-20 office hours a week (!) which is more than some teachers give per quarter. I had never been to a teacher's office hours before, but I visited his often because they were really benefical and actually pretty fun. He has a great sense of humor and loves to teach. His classes can be difficult, but his grading is very fair, and your grade will reflect the amount of work you are willing to put into the class.