Costas Efthimiou - University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL

Professor: Costas Efthimiou

Department: Physics

College: University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Do not take Costas, all tests are conceptual with no numbers so the tests are crazy hard compared to the online homework and quizzes. Take physics 2 with someone else.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Don't take him if there's another option. I'm sure he's a nice guy out of class but in class not so much. He stresses to read the book but even through reading I struggled greatly. He has two in class test and a final ALL SYMBOLIC WITH NO NUMBERS. HW and Quizzes were a decent amount of the grade and he offered EC in those catagories as well.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Dr. Efthimiou's class is definitely not easy. If you are looking for an easy class, he is not for you. He focuses most on ensuring you understand the topics. That's why his tests don't have numbers, he wants you to understand concepts over anything else. He is a nice guy that doesn't WANT to fail you, but he won't make it easy to get an A. Study!

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Very hard professor, if you can, avoid him. Tests were 4 questions, all conceptual, no numbers on these tests. Everyone I know who took physics 2 with different professors or did scale up are passing, without much effort, this is not the case for me

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PSC1121
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Honestly an easy class at first, but changed attendance policy halfway through from non mandatory to mandatory. Because of this I ended up with a B in my easiest class. There was no tests/quizzes but who knows. He probably will change his mind on that halfway through. Never gave any instruction on when HW was due in class or when he posted it.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PSC1121
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This class was a complete joke. Show up and sign in and you'll be fine. No tests or quizzes. Your grades included showing up and signing in, essays that he gave a SUPER clear grading rubric on (literally just write about science in a movie for 2 pages), and homework that gave you the answers. 10/10 would recommend. He's funny, too.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048C
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

If youre an EE major, I HIGHLY recommend taking Costas for Physics 2. He is tough, but he explains in depth concepts and formulas that carry over into the future EMF and Semiconductors courses. Knowing how to set up an integral is vital for his tests. Hint: He can only give you 1 variable to integrate since Calc 3 is above Physics 2.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PSC1211
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

No tests/quizzes. 5 papers on movies assigned that are watched at home, that are graded a "1" if you have broken any rules and a "5" if all rules are followed. So if you write a great paper and format it wrong, you fail that paper. Write a bad paper but format it right, you pass. Gives online homework that is hard. Counts attendance. bad teacher

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHY1121
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Just show up and do the homework assignments online. You get 3 attempts to take it, from which he keeps the highest grade and drops the others. The rest of the class grade is determined by 5 papers wherein you may write anything you wish. Easy A. Don't blow it by not showing up. Takes attendance.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048C
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He was incredibly hard and the saying of "there are no stupid questions" does not apply to him, he will laugh if there are questions he feel should be "obvious". DO your HW and Quizes, get at least a 50 on every test and you should pass with at least a C. KNOW how to derive/integrate every formula. One test question is from the HW and 1 from class.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048C
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

He's not the worst, he's definitely not the best. The lectures seem like he's going on about nothing. Considering the tests are 4 conceptual questions max over stuff you don't cover in class, the book will be your best friend. The lab isn't hard, just make sure to do your work, along with the homework and quizzes. Easy B/C if you put in the effort.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048C
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He's very smart and kind of funny but he's at UCF to do research and it's obvious he does not care about teaching. He teaching almost exclusively theory and doesn't do full examples. Exams are very hard but you only need a 50 or 55 average to pass. If you put any work into studying you will pass, but your gpa will hurt.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048C
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

One of the hardest classes I've ever taken. All the material in the lectures is exactly the same as the homework and the lab, problems, problems and more problems. The test are HARD, Almost no problems, they are all about proving formulas and equations. You definitely want to take notes in class even though he says not to do so, and read the book

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048C
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Do not take this professor whatever you do, SAVE YOUR SANITY AND MONEY. PLEASE, just stay waitlisted in a different class if you have to, kids will drop within the first few days and you will get in. He advises you to not take notes in his class and I literally never knew what to do for a single homework problem despite using the book religiously.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048PHY2049
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Took him for Physics 1 and got an A, but I had a fairly good background in those concepts already. Physics 2 is more electricity and magnetism and harder (for me) to conceptualize so that was more difficult. Tests can be tough, mostly proofs. Take notes even though he says not to, ESPECIALLY for proofs. Textbook can be quite helpful when needed.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048C2049C
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Costas' lectures make me feel like I'm actually getting what I paid for in tuition. The tests are hard, but you can get an A in the class with a 55 average on all the tests, assuming you do the rest of the effort material (Homeworks, Quizzes and Labs). You either like him or not.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

I found the lectures to be interesting and I would highly recommend taking notes. For homework, it is very important not to forget the due dates. Quizzes are simple enough and are announced in class. The tests should be taken very seriously and I had to study for many hours doing extra problems. Extra credit at the end for missed assignments!

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Costas explains concepts clearly. The most difficult part of the class is his exams. There are 2 exams and a final. All were very difficult. He does not provide you with any guidance on what to study, likes to include lots of calculus, and proofs of formulas. TAKE NOTES in the class even though he says not too. Must read textbook as well.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHY2048C
• Grade Received: D+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

AMAZING PROFESSOR!!!!! HANDS DOWN THE BEST PROFESSOR AT UCF

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHY2049
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

This professor is a good filter. His lectures are good and understandable. But the tests are hell. (about 30 average) . If you don't want to mess your gpa avoid it!!