Amy Kolan - St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Professor: Amy Kolan

Department: Physics

College: St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHYS131
• Grade Received: C-
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Overall a decent prof, Course is obnoxiously difficult. Also she sets students up to fail quizzes and sometimes struggles with test/quiz/homework problems herself but expects perfection out of us. However She is always available to meet with you and is overall a caring person.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHYS374
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Kolan is arguably the best prof I've had at Olaf, certainly the best in the physics major. Class is always interesting; she's hilarious and engaging in and outside of the classroom. She is readily available outside of class and deeply cares for her students. HW and exams were grueling, but you learn a ton. Overall wise, inspiring, and brilliant

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHYS379
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Probably my favorite physics professor. Her classes are NOT easy, but she makes them very interesting and is quite helpful. Highly recommended.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHYS131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Kolan is by far my favorite Prof! She is quite difficult though... She will go way out of her way to help you though!

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHYS131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Great professor, but a fairly difficult class.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHYS374
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Kolan is possibly the hardest prof I've ever had a St. Olaf, but she is also by far the best! She is so helpful and she makes class fun! If you're looking for an easy class, stay away. But if you're looking to learn something great, take a class from her!

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHYS130
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

very good prof but can be very annoying. She will be almost whispering at the beginning of a sentence then shrieking at the end. She makes sure you understand the material though, and has you do problems in class on whiteboards. I want to take her class to learn the material, but when I'm there I know I'm going to dislike it.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CALC120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Examples used are hard to understand, and since she is a physics prof, they sometimes do not apply to calc very well. overall a nice woman,but not a good prof

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHYS126
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Kolan is an amazing prof, who runs a very intense, high-energy class that is wonderful if you have a love of physics, and a living hell otherwise. You get out of her class what you put into it, and she expects a lot out of you, but gives a lot in return.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHYS131
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Great professor. Had her for Phys 130 and 131. The homework and subject matter are hard,but she is very helpful after class. Her office is always open to students. Gives study sessions & unofficial mini homework sessions. Her tests can be close to impossible. Emphasis on real world applications.Class is always fun and interactive.Worth the agony.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHYS130
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

This class is a lot. It is everyday and almost impossible to get back on top of things if you get behind. Although Dr. Kolan brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm to class, she can get very confusing and not clearly explain what she is doing. There is also a bunch of vpython which I found annoying because it isnt a programming class.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CALC120
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She's really nice but confusing in her teaching sometimes.. i was completely lost in the class and her crazy energy in the morning was a little much

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHYS126
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She has a great personality. She works very hard to make students meet her incredibly high expectations. Expect a lower grade than you expected.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: ASTRONOMY
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She is a great teacher -- and is pretty kooky. She told stories and did some demonstrations to make things interesting and to explain some difficult concepts. Take every opportunity to take a class from her.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHYS126
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Dr. Kolan's class definitely beat me up (it was very intensely difficult), but I came into a Calc based physics class with no calc background, and she spent every morning for an hour teaching me one-on-one what was going on. She made sure every single person in class understood each concept. GREAT!

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHYS126
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Hard class but great prof. Go in and ask if you need help and she'll give you all the time you need. Good at explaining things.

Rating # 17

Overview:

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

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

She was definitely a prof that could keep you awake in class. She found interesting ways of teaching material, but her tests were very hard.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: ASTRONOMY
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The class is much harder that you would think, but she's crazy and she makes it fun!!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHYS112
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Kooky...can be funny. Her tests are hard..even in astronomy...she demands a good amount from her students.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHYS126
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

crazy... yup, that's about right