Professor
Jianwei Miao
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Most Helpful Review
Miao's "easiness" is conditional - I have friends who got 95-100 on the first midterm, and others who got below 50. If you've taken physics AP or are pretty familiar with mechanics then Miao's tests should be cake. However, if you're like me and haven't taken any physics in high school, then try to avoid Miao. He sometimes teaches in a way that reviews concepts assuming you know what's going on. The midterm grade distribution was very abnormal - it wasn't a bell curve, it was a straight line. Some people think that Miao is the easiest professor ever while a relatively high percentage of people dropped out after the first midterm. However, Miao is one of those professors who want everyone to "get an A and become doctors"; if enough people in the class email him, he'll extend deadlines. I completely bombed a the midterm but since he let us drop one midterm scores, I ended up with a B.
Miao's "easiness" is conditional - I have friends who got 95-100 on the first midterm, and others who got below 50. If you've taken physics AP or are pretty familiar with mechanics then Miao's tests should be cake. However, if you're like me and haven't taken any physics in high school, then try to avoid Miao. He sometimes teaches in a way that reviews concepts assuming you know what's going on. The midterm grade distribution was very abnormal - it wasn't a bell curve, it was a straight line. Some people think that Miao is the easiest professor ever while a relatively high percentage of people dropped out after the first midterm. However, Miao is one of those professors who want everyone to "get an A and become doctors"; if enough people in the class email him, he'll extend deadlines. I completely bombed a the midterm but since he let us drop one midterm scores, I ended up with a B.
Most Helpful Review
Very nice professor, not super interesting lectures (but probably because Physics is not my favorite), but not boring. Homework is very doable (I'm surprised the honors coursework in this class is not harder than regular) and midterms are similar to homework for real. Don't be discouraged from taking Physics honors. Personally I'm not good at Physics. Many people in my class haven't taken AP physics and they're doing fine.
Very nice professor, not super interesting lectures (but probably because Physics is not my favorite), but not boring. Homework is very doable (I'm surprised the honors coursework in this class is not harder than regular) and midterms are similar to homework for real. Don't be discouraged from taking Physics honors. Personally I'm not good at Physics. Many people in my class haven't taken AP physics and they're doing fine.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - This class was bad for everyone involved. It was his first time teaching phys17, and it went terribly. Super nice guy, very smart and friendly, just couldn’t quite find out a way to properly explain the concepts to the class in such a way that we could understand. We took 2 midterms, and a final, and the average score was a failing grade every time. First midterm average was 37/60, second was 34/60, and the final average was a 60%. Overall, physics 17 might be an easier class with another professor, and I think the main reason it went so bad for everyone is because he was so used to teaching upper division complicated QM, that when it came to teaching us, he sort of implied we understood it. The midterms were very hard, as was the final.
Fall 2019 - This class was bad for everyone involved. It was his first time teaching phys17, and it went terribly. Super nice guy, very smart and friendly, just couldn’t quite find out a way to properly explain the concepts to the class in such a way that we could understand. We took 2 midterms, and a final, and the average score was a failing grade every time. First midterm average was 37/60, second was 34/60, and the final average was a 60%. Overall, physics 17 might be an easier class with another professor, and I think the main reason it went so bad for everyone is because he was so used to teaching upper division complicated QM, that when it came to teaching us, he sort of implied we understood it. The midterms were very hard, as was the final.
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Most Helpful Review
Spring 2019 - He was a very good lecturer and cared about his students. I felt his two midterms were very straightforward (drops the lowest one) but his final was a little tricky. The last few weeks were a little rushed. That said, he was a very good teacher and was helpful during office hours and I would recommend him.
Spring 2019 - He was a very good lecturer and cared about his students. I felt his two midterms were very straightforward (drops the lowest one) but his final was a little tricky. The last few weeks were a little rushed. That said, he was a very good teacher and was helpful during office hours and I would recommend him.
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