Brent Corbin
Department of Physics
AD
3.8
Overall Rating
Based on 112 Users
Easiness 1.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.0 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.9 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Tough Tests
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
32.5%
27.1%
21.7%
16.3%
10.8%
5.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

45.3%
37.8%
30.2%
22.7%
15.1%
7.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

35.3%
29.4%
23.5%
17.6%
11.8%
5.9%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

41.0%
34.2%
27.3%
20.5%
13.7%
6.8%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

45.7%
38.0%
30.4%
22.8%
15.2%
7.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

48.8%
40.7%
32.5%
24.4%
16.3%
8.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

24.1%
20.1%
16.1%
12.1%
8.0%
4.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

28.0%
23.3%
18.7%
14.0%
9.3%
4.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

26.6%
22.2%
17.7%
13.3%
8.9%
4.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

34.9%
29.1%
23.3%
17.4%
11.6%
5.8%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

25.7%
21.4%
17.1%
12.8%
8.6%
4.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

23.1%
19.3%
15.4%
11.6%
7.7%
3.9%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

23.9%
19.9%
15.9%
12.0%
8.0%
4.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

22.3%
18.6%
14.9%
11.2%
7.4%
3.7%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

32.1%
26.8%
21.4%
16.1%
10.7%
5.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

26.5%
22.1%
17.7%
13.3%
8.8%
4.4%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

26.1%
21.7%
17.4%
13.0%
8.7%
4.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

27.4%
22.9%
18.3%
13.7%
9.1%
4.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

30.6%
25.5%
20.4%
15.3%
10.2%
5.1%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (90)

9 of 9
9 of 9
Add your review...
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 27, 2010

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

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 16, 2010

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 =)

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 11, 2010


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.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 9, 2010

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.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 13, 2008

Best professor at UCLA. His exams are pretty difficult, but with the curve taken into account, you'll probably still do well. The main point is that he teaches you the concepts and how to approach any given problem very well. Don't listen to people that tell you not to take him because he is hard. It's completely worth it. And there's a curve as in any other class. We all know he's hard. But you'll learn a lot more than you expect.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Nov. 15, 2008

Brent is a great professor. His teaching style is unique and very effective. He gives weekly homework assignments which are optional, because nothing can prepare you for his exams. He gives two midterms and a final with extremely low curves, with the averages being around 30/90. However, you must study his notes and make sure to never skip class. Don't take this class if you can't afford to take a hit to your GPA, but you will learn a LOT.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
July 19, 2008

Brent really knows what he teaches. His teaching style is particularly effective, because he moves through problems in a very logical method. He doesn't just finish a problem and move on, but he tries to understand the problem from the point of view of a student who is still in the process of trying to master the material.

Besides that, Brent is also very entertaining. He's pretty much a college student in the body of an old man. He's very approachable, and always willing to help.

While Brent is a professor who gives the appearance of being more difficult than other professors, if you put in the time and effort into his class, you can definitely get an A. Remember that the midterms, at minimum, are only a way of detecting your deficiencies. The final is the last test of how much you mastered the material. If you can do extremely well on the final, Brent will be more than happy to give you an A. You have to remember that his grading policy is that your grade will dictate how much you learned at the end of the year. That is, an A says you mastered the material. A B says you understand it well enough. A C says that you know enough to do all right in the next class.

People will recommend that you don't take Professor Corbin if you are concerned about your GPA. I think if you are open-minded enough about Physics and take a genuine interest in the Physics 1B topics, it will be a lot easier for you to get an A. This is definitely a class where you actually learn and not just sit, plug, and chug.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 12, 2004

He's Absolutely incredible. Without such extensive preparation from 1B, I would have died in a horribly taught EE1 class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 27, 2004

If you don't love physics, do not take a class with Brent. He is a superb teacher and a very reasonable guy, but he expects his students to be fully committed to his class. His weekly homework assignments usually consisted of about 15 of the hardest problems. His exams are notoriously difficult, and the material isn't so easy to begin with. Put simply, his class is tough, and you will definitely have trouble if you aren't serious about it from the beginning.

With that said, there are a few things that you should know if you do decide to sign up for a class with Brent. First of all, do not let his first week scare tactics get to you. He doesn't exaggerate about the difficulty of his class, but he does intentionally gloat about it at the beginning of the quarter to weed out students who aren't sure they want to be there. Secondly, partial credit is the KEY to surviving his exams. On all three of our exams, no one came even close to 100%. This is mostly because his tests (especially the midterms) are too long to complete in one hour. Finish one or two problems that you're confident you understand, and then use the remaining time to get down whatever you can for the other problems. The graders award credit for just about anything, even memorized forumlas. Finally, take advantage of Brent's daily office hours. He is happy to go over homework or even discuss potential exam questions. He is a really nice guy and he enjoys helping his students.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Aug. 12, 2003

he's the best professor I've had so far at UCLA. His final and quizzes are hard, but shouldn't be too bad if you spend enough time studying. Don't take his class during the summer though... it's crazy fast. Go to his office hours. It's really helpful because he usually go over problems that are (somewhat) similar to the ones that are going to be in the test

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 27, 2010

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

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 16, 2010

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 =)

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 11, 2010


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.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 9, 2010

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.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 13, 2008

Best professor at UCLA. His exams are pretty difficult, but with the curve taken into account, you'll probably still do well. The main point is that he teaches you the concepts and how to approach any given problem very well. Don't listen to people that tell you not to take him because he is hard. It's completely worth it. And there's a curve as in any other class. We all know he's hard. But you'll learn a lot more than you expect.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Nov. 15, 2008

Brent is a great professor. His teaching style is unique and very effective. He gives weekly homework assignments which are optional, because nothing can prepare you for his exams. He gives two midterms and a final with extremely low curves, with the averages being around 30/90. However, you must study his notes and make sure to never skip class. Don't take this class if you can't afford to take a hit to your GPA, but you will learn a LOT.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
July 19, 2008

Brent really knows what he teaches. His teaching style is particularly effective, because he moves through problems in a very logical method. He doesn't just finish a problem and move on, but he tries to understand the problem from the point of view of a student who is still in the process of trying to master the material.

Besides that, Brent is also very entertaining. He's pretty much a college student in the body of an old man. He's very approachable, and always willing to help.

While Brent is a professor who gives the appearance of being more difficult than other professors, if you put in the time and effort into his class, you can definitely get an A. Remember that the midterms, at minimum, are only a way of detecting your deficiencies. The final is the last test of how much you mastered the material. If you can do extremely well on the final, Brent will be more than happy to give you an A. You have to remember that his grading policy is that your grade will dictate how much you learned at the end of the year. That is, an A says you mastered the material. A B says you understand it well enough. A C says that you know enough to do all right in the next class.

People will recommend that you don't take Professor Corbin if you are concerned about your GPA. I think if you are open-minded enough about Physics and take a genuine interest in the Physics 1B topics, it will be a lot easier for you to get an A. This is definitely a class where you actually learn and not just sit, plug, and chug.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Dec. 12, 2004

He's Absolutely incredible. Without such extensive preparation from 1B, I would have died in a horribly taught EE1 class.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
June 27, 2004

If you don't love physics, do not take a class with Brent. He is a superb teacher and a very reasonable guy, but he expects his students to be fully committed to his class. His weekly homework assignments usually consisted of about 15 of the hardest problems. His exams are notoriously difficult, and the material isn't so easy to begin with. Put simply, his class is tough, and you will definitely have trouble if you aren't serious about it from the beginning.

With that said, there are a few things that you should know if you do decide to sign up for a class with Brent. First of all, do not let his first week scare tactics get to you. He doesn't exaggerate about the difficulty of his class, but he does intentionally gloat about it at the beginning of the quarter to weed out students who aren't sure they want to be there. Secondly, partial credit is the KEY to surviving his exams. On all three of our exams, no one came even close to 100%. This is mostly because his tests (especially the midterms) are too long to complete in one hour. Finish one or two problems that you're confident you understand, and then use the remaining time to get down whatever you can for the other problems. The graders award credit for just about anything, even memorized forumlas. Finally, take advantage of Brent's daily office hours. He is happy to go over homework or even discuss potential exam questions. He is a really nice guy and he enjoys helping his students.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: N/A
Grade: N/A
Aug. 12, 2003

he's the best professor I've had so far at UCLA. His final and quizzes are hard, but shouldn't be too bad if you spend enough time studying. Don't take his class during the summer though... it's crazy fast. Go to his office hours. It's really helpful because he usually go over problems that are (somewhat) similar to the ones that are going to be in the test

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
9 of 9
3.8
Overall Rating
Based on 112 Users
Easiness 1.9 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 4.0 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 3.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.9 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Tough Tests
    (46)
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