William Golightly - University of California Berkeley

Professor: William Golightly

Department: TBD

College: University of California Berkeley

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHYS8A
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Golightly is a great professor and gives good lectures, but it's really hard if you don't have a good GSI. Nevertheless, he's helpful during his office hours or after class. Took his class over summer.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHYSICS8A
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Best physics8a prof; really clear lectures and very smart/helpful. Past midterms are really helpful; better to do those first and hone your studying methods according to the topics he wants in those midterms; Lecture examples are great too, include them on cheatsheet. HW is hard but really helpful. LABS are so easy. text/workbook sucks don't use it

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHYSICS8A
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Gives wonderful lectures with a lot of demonstration. Great way to start college physics. It was very easy to form a good relationship with Prof. Golightly. Remember to go to his office hours a bit early, his is always packed full of people.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHYSICS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Especially if you had never taken Physics before. This is actually my 2nd time taking the 8A course so I know what it is like to feel lost with a confusing professor. Golightly is crystal clear, extremely organized, knows what he is doing, and always willing to help. Exams are very fair, make sure to do the practice exams.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHYS8A
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I walked into this class knowing nothing about physics and it still worked out. Lectures a bit boring and tedious sometimes but he does a lot of helpful example problems to help you learn and apply the concepts. Tests were extremely fair-mostly from Mastering Physics, unassigned practice problems, and his practice midterms.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHYS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Golightly was great. He does several demonstrations during class to try to keep it interesting, because some topics can get boring. His exams are incredibly straightforward and fair. The problems come from examples during lecture and the book. He is very approachable during office hours.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHYS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Golightly himelf is a great professor. I'm pretty sure he only teaches in the summer now, and if so, don't take his class. Really. During the summer semester, most students were international physics majors. The averages on tests were about 43 out of 50 with an sd of 6.5. It was really discouraging. I don't recommend taking the class in the summer.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHYSC129
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

funny old man =)

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHY8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

worksheets done during section are busywork. I had a good GSI and he didn't make us do the worksheets, and we all did fine in the class. Mastering physics is a waist of time. You can totally not understand the MP problems and still do fine in the class. MP just confuses you.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHYSI8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Golightly is a nice guy and his tests are relatively easy, compared to the other physics profs. But he's not that helpful when it comes to understanding the material. Be warned, he spends ALOT of time on proofs and derivations of equations, but you don't actually need to know that stuff for the test. The text book is crap. Get a good GSI or tutor.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHYS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

I really recommend Golightly. His exams are fair and pretty easy compared to the others, and he's patient with silly questions. Discussions aren't necessary to go to (I had an inexperienced GSI). I got an A in the class, and I hated physics in high school. But it might be a little hard for people who've never been exposed to physics previously.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHYS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

Couldn't ask for a better physics professor. Crystal clear lectures, board work, and fair exams that truly tested your understanding of the material. Make sure you understand all of his examples from lectures, do all of the recommended book problems, and pay less attention to Mastering Physics, which was just a pain.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHYS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Homework is a pain and I didn't find it very helpful with my learning. He's a really cute little man

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHYSI8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

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

Comment:

To do well, do all rec practice problems, go to class to watch helpful (and sometimes funny) demos/ examples, read the assigned reading to solidify material, don't procrastinate (esp. on Mastering physics). Curve is kind and as a prof he goes at a relatively good pace, although a little on the fast side.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHYS8B
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

No Comments

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHYSICS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

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

Comment:

Best physics professor period.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHYSICS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Golightly is a real good guy, its shame that UC Bezerkly is letting him go. He's quality.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHYSICS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

One of the best profs I've ever had. I dreaded taking physics before, but Golightly's such a great profs that I don't hate physics as much now. Very clear and helpful. His demos are interesting too, especially when they fail.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHYSICS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

This class was unbelievably boring, it seems to me he would take forever copying a sample problem from the book to the board and then go through the solution in half a second. His meek presentation style does not help raise interest.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHYSICS8A
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Usually boring lectures, but interesting demos. He's a nice guy, very patient, and not at all condescending. Funny guy, his demos almost always screw up. He also has a somewhat nasal voice.