Michael Bozack - Auburn University

Professor: Michael Bozack

Department: TBD

College: Auburn University

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: ASTR101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

I was also in the 2001 class he covered for the normal professor. I remember the tests were very hard. My brother and I both had the class and we studied our rears off for one test. I made a 91 and screwed up the scale for everyone, except my brother who made a 78. I believe the 3rd highest grade was like a 59 or something. Rest of class was mad.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1003
• Grade Received: C
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

His tests were very dissimilar to homework problems/questions and would many times not even obey the laws of physics. For example, one question was "On what planet would your mass be the greatest? A, Earth B, Jupiter C, The Moon" I won't even go into how ridiculous it is to call the moon a planet. But suffice it to say, take someone else!

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHY1610
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Good Luck if you're taking his class. To pass the class you must buy the notes and become close with your TA. You don't learn whats on the test from him but from the examples you get in lab. Make use of the physics resource center in the Chemistry Building. Ask your TA what will be on the test on review day. Find old tests.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

He's a really good guy, but I didn't like the way he ran the class. Everyone's grade is relatively scaled, so the grades you get on your tests are not very descriptive of your course grade. He simplifies the course concepts in lectures, but I don't think that helps because the tests are quite difficult. He's okay but I wouldn't take him again.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Buy his lecture notes and you won't need to go to class (he just reads from them anyways). 4 tests, 12 multiple choice questions (no partial credit). No homework. I went to class everyday and watched the attendance go from 95% at the beginning to around 15% of the class by the end. People figured out his lectures are pointless. Old tests help!

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

I stopped going to his class after the first 3 classes. Has not affected my test grades t all. His lectures are utterly useless; he talks about the most random things. Buy his notes at the beginning of the semester, read them, do the examples, fail the test miserably, get a 40 point curve, somehow manage to get a B.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: ASTR101
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

He filled in for the normal professor in my astronomy class in 2001. It helps when the person teaching you has a passion for the subject, and he has that. Grades are generally low but are scaled.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHY1610
• Grade Received: B-
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Bozack is a good person I assume, however the way he conducts his class is utterly horrendous. He would rather talk about the life of dog pubes than educate a lecture class on physics material. His notes and lectures have nothing to do with what you will be graded on. Beware, if you are not a self learner, you will not succeed in this class.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1150
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Quirky guy. He made learning Astronomy interesting. I had already taken both levels of physics so this class was a breeze, hardest part was a memorizing some stars for a quiz. The class felt a little boring at times. Least favorite thing about him is that he didn't use canvas but assigned homework on another platform.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Bozack is an incredible person. After getting his doctorate in physics, he went to seminary. He also has written a best selling book. Get to know him, because that can be very beneficial. This is the hardest class I have ever taken, but I learned a lot and would do it again.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Bozack is a really nice guy who is willing to help and tries to make things simple, but his testing methods are just terrible. 10 multiple choice for a physics class and those ten are nothing like whats in class. His lectures are very conceptual with very little application while the test questions are all tricky application problems

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHY1610
• Grade Received: D
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Run away. Avoid at all cost. Test looks nothing like the class notes

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHY1610
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Bozack means well, but the way his class works betrays the very idea that he tries to convey. He grades his tests and his entire class on a relative scale, which results in students not knowing their class average until final grade roll. This also results in students who are on the border of an A/B to end up with a B b/c too many have an A

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1150
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

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

Comment:

Dr. Bozack is a really nice guy, but his class is super tough. Had him for astronomy, & it was really difficult. Not about constellations! its math! He drops the lowest test grade & gives a really big scale. I've made in the 40's on most of his tests which is a C. If you aren't gifted in science, I would not recommend this course.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: D+
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Terrible teacher, avoid at all costs. Claims he scales but really doesn't in the scheme of things; only adds a few points to your final grade with the scale. Labs are horrendous and a waste of time. Lecture notes are not on the test despite it being all he teaches from. Teach yourself everything from the book if you want to "pass".

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHY1610
• Grade Received: C+
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

As far as Engineering physics professors go, you can't beat this one. His test averages are usually pretty low, but he scales them fairly. Buy his notes, well worth the 40 bucks. Personable guy, would get him as a teacher given the opportunity.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

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

Comment:

Fairly middle of the road professor. Buying the lecture notes is very helpful as his exams come largely from the notes. The class is curved, and test averages are usually fairly low. Fall 2014 was his first time teaching Physics II in a while, so he will probably make the tests a bit better. Overall, not the worst physics professor you could get.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Bozack is a great guy, seriously! But his lectures and tests don't align at all. I would equate it to lectures are like 1+1 super easy examples that make sense to his tests that are like long division with exponents and such without a calculator. If he could give us more difficult examples in class I think we would be much more prepared for exams.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1610
• Grade Received: B
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

Bozack sometimes teaches things clearly but for the most part just blunders through some general examples for two minutes before saying "And then it all falls out from there so I won't show you." His tests are ridiculously specific and based on obscure and difficult concepts; you had to be able to re-derive formulas in different ways on most. AVOID

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHYS1617
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

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

Comment:

If you take this class, expect to do a LOT of studying on your own. Bozack won't teach you a thing in class, but if you get a good TA, they can help. His tests are ridiculously hard, but he does curve them.