Horst, William  

Terrible

http://pr2.sigkill.com/eval.phtml?profid=1108

Prof. Horst is a nice person who seems to have too much going on. He works both at Cal Poly and Cuesta so he was always rushing in and out of class. His lectures consisted mainly of examples from each lesson. Homework is due every Friday and he grades 10 random problems so you have to make sure they are all right to get full credit. The tests are straight forward. He hands out a study guide before each test and DO them! They really help. Quite a few people seemed to get annoyed with him because of how he talks and his personality, but he is very approachable and is willing to work out any issues.

well, horst is one of those professors we all talk about as being the most boring person on the planet. His teachng style and voice make the 4+ hours a week you spend with him seem to drag on forever. You do however learn something, which is contrary to other classes and teachers along the way. Try to take whatever from someone else, you will be saving your time and sanity.

I have no idea why Horst is so unliked by many students, both as a teacher and a professor. He is by far the best math teacher I've ever had because he knows his stuff. He can show you how to do a math problem step by step clearly. During class, he may go pretty fast but if you just pay attention you should be fine. If you still don't get it, he has office hours where he'll go over it again till you understand it. It is easy to ask him questions because he seems to really enjoy doing these math problems over and over again. He is really a nice guy who wants to help you. He gives 2 midterms worth 25% each with 20 questions each. It is very similar to the study guide he gives you before the test which was nice. The problems are not hard, but I'm warning you, you might want to pull your hairs out during the test because it gets so messy and you have to be really focused. But that shouldn't be a problem because he gives you messy problems on both the practice guide and his notes. One thing I really liked about his teaching is he gives you plenty of examples of different kinds for you to try then he'll go over them after giving you some time with it on your own. His final is 40% and also not bad at all because there are no suprises. You'll have more then plenty of time to take the tests. Homework is 10% and it's pretty easy, just takes bit of time. This was a pretty fun math class overall.

THIS GUY fucking failed me for not letting him molest me. gives WAY TOO MUCH homework, every homework is like 1-51 odd, 53 55 57 59 61 63 so it's really like 1-infiniti odd. FUCK THIS GUY he gives you so much homework and only grades some of it. i got like 0.5/10 on 5 assignments graded as one. I SPENT 4 HOURS DOING IT ALL. STAY AWAY. THIS GUY SHOULD BE FIRED.

The class isn't too hard as far as concepts go, but it does go fast. The first day of class he told us that he hates society and takes it out on his students, but it was just to scare us. He tended to be more intimidating in class, but I went to a lot of his office hours and he was really helpful. One thing that is important to know is that you aren't allowed to use calculators in his class, which can be hard at times, but for the most part you don't really need them. The homework load isn't overwhelming either. You turn in homework every thursday and it is 10% of your grade. If you have to take him, don't worry you'll be able to get through it, but if you can, take a different professor.

I'm appalled by the sheer amount of negative comments about this professor. He is a very good teacher, as he is brilliant and knows his material well. There are times where he goofs up on arithmetic or something, but we all are human and make mistakes. You can tell he's under immense amounts of stress, or just filled with anxiety, yet he manages to present the material with clarity. Currently, I'm probably failing his class, but it is because of my own fault. I would definitely have him as my 141 professor.

Horst is a good teacher who presents the course material clearly. His grading is clear and straightforward, and he does his best to help the students. He's not very confident but he does try to make sure everyone understands the material.

W. Horst !!! I have always had an A or high B in math my whole life, but not after taking math with horst. First off, i already took pre-cal and know my stuff i had an awesome teacher in high school. This guy knows mostly what he talks about but hesitates when presenting it like hes unsure about it. He gives you the basics about the concepts and then when tested on it he complicates the hell out of it. You get quized evey week, which are worth a total of two points and you get to turn in your homework the week after you get it assigned. There are two Exams both worth 100 points. The final is based off of everything in the course and extremely tough. This guy seems overstressed and hates the class. When you first go into the class he tells you all about how you should drop the class because it shouldnt even be taught. Then while going through the course he just isnt that great of a teacher and i highly recommend getting another teacher and if you get the class... IF decide to take him good luck and have fun!!!!

Horst is a nice guy, but teaches only by examples. So if u dont know the stuff or havent taken the class before you will be in trouble. I would recommend 116 and 117 if u havent had the material before, otherwise Horst is not a bad guy, just hard test!!!!!! He lectures by examples and there is homework due every week. His tests are a compilation of 20 of the hardest possible questions he can think of, which will take the entire 2 hours to complete. You will do OK if u have had this material otherwise I would recommend another teacher or class

mr horst, was a very average teacher. he goes really fast, especially if you havent learned the information yet. in office hours he is helpful only if you have him one on one. he comes off as an hardass in the beginning because he talks about not even supporting the class himself. he often is doing problems on the board and finds himself lost because of simple multiplication mistakes or is very unsure of himself with them. i wouldnt take him again if i could.

Very intelligent man, he is definitely extremely smart in what he teaches. The problem is conveying the message to his students. Very apathetic at times too. The first day of class, he didn't introduce his name...rather listed reasons of why we should drop his course. Not very encouraging, I must say. "For all those people in his math class's that ripped on him, don't listen, there a bunch of idiots, just look at the math there taking and realize there in college." You can rip on us when you learn the difference between "they're", "there", and "their". Until then, realize that you're in college and don't know the difference between those words.

I wouldn't recommend this teacher. He rushes through all the material and always seems annoyed with his students. Math 118 shouldn't be a hard class, but if you take it with Horst, you will struggle. He is helpful if you go to his office hours however, but he still seems distracted. Try to take someone else.

Everyone who has commented about Horst and his ability to teach physics should not say a word concerning his abilities as a math 118 professor. Math was always my best subject throughout grade school. I was always in the honors classes and made great grades! I step into Horst's class and make the lowest grades of my life. It was not because I didn't do the homework, it wasn't because I didn't study my ass off for hours at a time, or that I skipped class! But you know that something is wrong if you get a test back and are above the class average with a D and there are many students in class who are already taking 118 for the second time! The test questions are much more complicated than anything presented in class, on the hw, or any practice materials he may give you! Don't take this teacher! And I would like to conclude this by saying that I have taken many hellish classes here at Poly, even physics (I had Cook and she was great), where I worked my ass off for my grade! I know what it takes to be a successful college student. Failing 118 with Horst when you have really put in the effort has nothing to do with someone not being ready for college...it's the instructor!

I am not rating Horst as a Math teacher, but as a Physics teacher. I thought I would hate the guy at first, but in the end the class wasn't too horrible. He presented the material clearly and did a ton of examples, which he later used on the midterms. He did not throw any surpises on the tests, although you do have to memorize equations for the midterms, which isn't too bad. If you want to do well in his physics class, go to class, do your homework, and study for tests. Kind of logical right? You don't really have to do any reading, since he lectures on everything you would need to know for the tests. Sure, he's not an easy A, but hey it's Physics. He's pretty good compared to the guy I have for 122.

uhh horst don't post for yourself you homofag

Professor Horst is a very smart teacher. During class he goes super fast, but definately will answer all questions. If you really want to see how willing he is to help you, just go to his office hour. He is helpful and bright, but I think he needs to take a few breaths... he always seems to be full of anxiety. Overall, he is a straightforward instructor. It's a shame that a few idiots write such awful things about a professor who will help you if you seek help. Maybe they were born jackasses, who knows?

People seem to hate him in his math classes but for phys 121 he was a good teacher. Presents material, works problems, answers any homework questions in class. Seems scattered at times, but who cares. One homework assignment per chapter, 2 midterms and a final. If you can do the problems he does in lecture you will do fine in the class. He is really good in lab, does a couple more problems before starting the lab, he goes over these problems more slowly so if you don't get in lecture these help, one quiz a week in lab and a lab writeup each week-if you do everything on it then lab will not change your lecture grade. He likes things neat so type lab writeups and do neat homework. I withdrew from this class my sophomore year because my teacher was so bad, I got a A this time with horst. Im happy with it.

Mr. Horst is as straight forward and clear to understand as Professors come. For all those people in his math class's that ripped on him, don't listen, there a bunch of idiots, just look at the math there taking and realize there in college. Just study the lecture notes and do the homework and its no problem. If you have any questions he's more than happy to give you some insight into the test and the problems you have trouble with. Overall. Mr. Horst is a little odd at times but truly a good guy.

Mr. Horst is definitely a good teacher for Physics 121. His lecture always takes up the whole time period and he blazes through the questions, but ultimately this is good - because the more practice problems that he does on the board, the more prepared you will be for his tests. Just study the notes from lecture, and you'll be fine for the test. Even though he goes kinda fast, he'll always ask if there's any questions after each problem he does, or if there's any questions on the homework (there's a homework assignment for each chapter out of the book). But yeah, if a student says that he or she is stuck on a certain problem from the homework, he'll take the time to go through it on the board - even if it's from the assignment due THAT day. His tests are fair and there are no surprises as long as you go through the notes. Also, although he often seems stressed in office hours, he's very helpful and will make sure you understand how to do what you had a question on.

Professor Horst may not be the best professor in the world, but he is way better than most of the other evaluations you'll read. I had him for both 121 lecture and lab. He is more demanding than most of the other professors, and his tests are much harder, but he does an ok job of preparing you for them. He wasn't a terrible professor, but my life could have been a little easier with someone else. Make sure you do the homework, but the most important thing is to study what he went over in class. All of the problems on the test are what he did on the board in class. Also, be sure to start the lab a couple days before it is due because you might have questions. Overall, Professor Horst is an ok professor, I wouldn't recommend him, but if he is one of your only choices go ahead and take him. It's pretty much like an advanced algebra 2/trig class with some physics mixed in.

i understood the material yet i didnt do well.. i went into the final with a C and came out with an F. what a waste of 10 weeks.

I can't vouch for his other classes, but for Physics 121 he somehow made physics understandable for me (which is a miracle in itself). his quirky and sometimes odd sense of humor keeps me awake against the most boring of material, and i like that he's sometimes scattered-brained, or gets perplexed by his own problems. kind of forces us to keep awake and do the problems with him. Also, i find his teaching style to be very helpful and informative. He does more sample problems than lecture notes, and is always willing to clarify on any portion of a problem. The tests may be hard, but working on homework and lecture problems makes everything so much easier. I recommend Dr. Horst to those who don't understand physics easily. Good professor!

Horst can be a little weird at times, but he makes it so you can understand the material. Can be a hard grader but otherwise a good teacher. Explains physics really well. Go to class, do the homework, and you will be ok.

good teacher. and thats saying something cuz I hate physics

The class isn't exactly riveting, but if you want to understand basic physics, and you are willing to apply yourself (a little... I never actually opened the book), then Horst is a good prof. Taking the lab section with him is also a plus... You will learn a lot with a little effort, which is generally my philosophy on how school should be!!

Dr. Horst did a lot of sample problems in class--and had very similar ones on the tests. He did collect homework, which was bad if you procrastinate, but it did force me to stay on top of the material which helped me in the end. I liked that there were not any in class quizzes, just the midterms, and the homework points boosted me up, too. I'd take Horst...Physics is challenging for me, and I was able to get through it with him. He is always open to questions and is very willing to help!

well, i took AP physics in high school, and thought that the material was pretty similar to AP physics B. and this is just mechanics. I am really surprised that i got a C. Horst definitely isnt the best professor, but i dont think he is the worst either. Taking the lab section from him helped a lot, he gave small quizzes which were similar to lecture midterms. The only problem with his lectures is that i could NEVER stay awake, but I was sitting in the back and i didn't really feel the need to study. Big mistake. Sit in the front, do all your homework, and study a few days before the midterms and you should come out with a low B.

Loved Horst. I only had him for lab, but he really explained the material and did great problems to prepare you. learned more in lab than lecture.

Horst is an interesting teacher but he really does want to help you succeed. His class is so straight forward and he doesn't try to trick you! He tells you that his tests are going to be exactly like the problems done in class and even tells you which problems in class are likely to be seen on the test. I didn't take this advice on the first test and failed and for the second test I made sure I knew the notes and got a 100 percent. He is also really approchable in office hours, if you were confused about how/why he did a problem a certain way in class you could ask him about it in office hours and he could explain it to you in a different way. Physics is a really difficult class but I felt like I learned a lot and am ready for Phys 122.

Easy work load. Only one homework assignment a week. No quizzes. Two midterms (the questions come straight from the lecture problems). The final was quite difficult. He made it out to be easier than it was. The biggest help for this class was working the lecture problems over and over and over again. Do that, and you're likely to get a good grade. Everyone loves Horst's ultra dry sense of humor.

One of the worst teachers I have ever encountered. Fortunately I only have him for lab, thank god, otherwise I'd probably have killed myself. Even though I have a high A in the class itself, getting almost 100% on all my tests, quizzes, and homework assignments, I am failing lab. For 2 hours AT LEAST before you can even begin the lab, Horst wastes everyone time maniacally talking to himself about material you MIGHT learn at the end of the physics lecture (like at the end of the quarter). You're also supposed to take notes on his incredibly fucking dry, epitome of boring crap, and then memorize all this new material so you can do well on his two point quizzes every week. It's the most retarded lab I've ever been in. Some people claim that his lab "lecture" helps in the class, but that's a load of shit. All the lab is doing is bringing my grade in the class down, which is stupid. I'm sorry I'm not a master of all the material that I haven't even learned yet. I'm sorry that I can't ace your final level quizzes. I'm sorry that I can't pay attention for 2+ hours while you ramble and ramble and ramble about shit that I have no idea about yet. Obviously I must be an idiot, even though I have almost 100% in the lecture section of the class. Honestly, what the fuck. I don't think I've ever hated a teacher so much in my entire life. I really hope he gets fired and I plan on putting in a formal complaint at the end of the quarter. This is just ridiculous.

Horst is a great professor. He really helps you grasp material you learn during lecture. Some complain about him because they don't pay attention and get anything out of the lab, however, his lab lectures have really helped me. He may have an awkward personality, but in office hours he does a great job showing clearly how to work out certain problems. Though he isnt the most exciting professor, he is very helpful.

Re-do the problems he does in class over and over again. If you do this, and you can nearly do the problems in your sleep, you will get an A. I got an F on the first midterm and an A on the second midterm. I know what I am talking about. Do the homework because he grades it, but after that throw it away and don't look at it again. Re-do the notes! Seriously, get out a white board (this is what I did) and re-do re-do re-do. Do this, and I promise you will be successful. Horst is great when you understand how he tests. Good Luck.

As I sit here in the library at 4am three hours away from taking Professor Horst's final I find myself staring in the face of an almost certainty of failure. This man is the only physics professor on campus who does not provide formulas for his students on his midterms and insists on creating midterms that will almost certainly end in the failures of his entire class. Im not going to say this man is the anti-christ but possibly just some sort of lower level demon. Prepare for crushing depression and boredom if you are somehow hoodwinked into his class. God speed and may the heavens have mercy on your soul.

This professor knows quite a bit about physics, and he does have an incredibly dry sene of humor. BUT, he's pathetic. He is nowhere near friendly, discouraging, doesn't help much, and fails to recognize student difficulty. He does NOT curve anything in the class at all. The final grade is what you get, and that's tough shit. No changing anything. He complains a ton about how he has to grade torturously long problems...so why assign them? The class might be easy if you're good with remembering math and formulas, since he doesn't allow you to have them on any exam. Otherwise, cross your fingers and hope you will pass. The class average was 60.1%. TERRIBLE professor. No offense to Mr. Horst personally, but he really shouldn't be here at Cal Poly anymore.

After reading PolyRatings on Professor Horst, I was very discouraged. However, after being in the class for a few days, I quickly realized he's not the terrible teacher a lot of people make him out to be. He's extremely good at explaining things, possibly the best math/physics teacher I've ever had in that aspect. He brings objects to class and demonstrates the physics theory behind each action in a way that makes it easy to conceptualize. Sure, his social skills/ability to understand class' complaints and concerns may not be too great, but it's a college class and whoever gets on his case about that needs to grow up and be an adult about that. However, I will admit, if I didn't have a previous knowledge and interest of physics from high school and wasn't a fast writer, I would have a more difficult time in his class. Horst writes very quickly, and explains the material in haste (we have to learn so much in such little time that it's understandable). That would have to be my only gripe about the class; I feel for the students who have no previous knowledge of physics from high school, and have trouble following the quick-pace of the class. Other than that, I've seriously learned a lot from his class and I recommend the class to other people who have an interest in the physical world.

As someone who did not pass PHYS 121 the first time, I was very intimidated by Horst the first week of lectures. Once you understand his style of teaching you should be able to do well in the class. Do not bother spending a lot of time on homework. There are about 10 assignments that make up 10% of the grade. He posts all the solutions online a week before the assignment is due so just copy the solutions and answers and never look at the homework again. He will tell you over and over again to study the class notes. His test questions come directly from the examples he gives in class. Make sure you go to class and take good notes. The best advice I can give for this class is to get a whiteboard and do the lecture problems over and over again until you can do them in your sleep. The whiteboard will be your best friend! The final was cumulative and fairly difficult, but again it is just the lecture examples verbatim.

In the first lecture he will tell you you will do well on the first mid term, and fail the second. I did just this. He obviously is passionate about physics, which is nice to see, but he is not the best at presenting material simply. Professor Horst is a frazzled little man. Lecture is a series of examples which makes the material seem more complicated than it is. In addition, I have never seen one of his demonstrations work. This is one of the more difficult physics classes ( he says so himself)

Okay, this is what you need to know about Horst. He does not care that you're in a 100-level physics class. He will still hold you to high (but reasonably high) standards. The homework helps, so do it, but do NOT rely on it too much. Re-do his example problems that he works through in class over and over and over again until you can do them with your eyes closed. His tests are hard, but he warns you very clearly, so you can't be surprised. He is a fantastic instructor. If you stay focused through his whole lecture and are able to follow along with him, the material will make complete sense. If you complain about Horst being too hard or being unfair, you're honestly just lazy and not willing to put in the work necessary to do well. This class to totally do-able if you just establish in your head from day one that the class WILL be hard and WILL take work, keep working, and you'll be fine.

the first day of class he will tell you that you should probably take the class with a different teacher. this might be intimidating but honestly I loved his class. Lecture is based solely on example problems. He'll write a problem on the bored, stare at the class for 2 minutes to give you time to work it out (which you probably won't be able to since you've never learned it before), and then he'll work it out step by step on the board. Write down and work out every single problem he gives in class and redo them multiple times outside of class to study. The homework I copied the night before it was due straight from his answer sheet that he posts on polylearn a week before it is due. I literally only redid the problems he did in class and got a C on the first midterm and an A on the second. The midterms are his example problems with different numbers or combining two problems together. The final is designed for a rocket scientist to complete and you probably will want to cry afterwards. I only answered half the questions but he does look at your overall performance when determining your final grade and if you improve from one midterm to the next he will take that into account. A lot of students hate his teaching style and failed the tests but if you figure out the way he works, it's not that bad of a class at all

Professor Horst is one of my favorite teachers at Cal Poly. To do well you should go to class and practice the problems he gives you. That's basically all you need to do. He is a funny man and keeps class pretty entertaining. Physics is not an easy class and you will need to study but that is given. I highly recommend this man.

Horst is the most hilarious professor/teacher I have ever had. I enjoyed going to his lecture every day just to see what kind of silly things he would say/do. All he does in class is practice problems, which is awesome because he will do specific problems, give them specific titles (i.e. the beach ball problem) and then tell you exactly what probably will be/probably will not be on the test. He also provides multiple ways to solve a problem, because he says that even he can't memorize anything and that he prefers to analyze the problem then work out how to solve it on the spot. He uploads the answers to the homework on poly learn so you can check them, and if you don't understand, he is always very helpful in office hours and will go through each problem with you and give you notes. OBVIOUSLY, it's Physics. It's hard. You cannot expect to sit in class, never do the homework on your own or do the practice problems, and expect to do well. Everything Horst does is exactly what is needed for you to do well (millions of specific practice problems, giving you homework answers to check, being helpful in office hours, explaining multiple solutions to a problem, asking students if they have questions, and telling you likely will/will not be on the test) For all the people here complaining, I'm sorry, but this is college physics. Horst gives you what you need to succeed, but you actually make to MAKE AN EFFORT.

Professor is way chill guy, take him for sure. Study the lecture notes and it's all good

this guy sucks. period. don't do it. no equation sheet. quizzes are a third of your grade. (and other lab instructors don't even have quizzes.) if you're handwriting isn't perfect, he'll give your lab report a C instead of an A. total waste of time, puts the class to sleep during recitation. just DONT DO IT. DONT DO IT.

Horst is an odd man. My lab instructor unexpectedly couldn't teach my section so he got thrown in and was a bitter little old man for the first few weeks, telling us how much he hated us, physics, teaching, and life in general. It was comical at least. He gives a weekly quiz with no notes (not even an equation sheet) which was kind of difficult but it was almost exactly what we did in the previous period so just study that. His examples are done very scattered and the poor man can't see his calculator so theres a lot of mistakes. He's definitely a grump but he's also kind of funny in a "I'm so pissed off with my life" type of way. I wouldn't go out of my way to take him as a prof but it could be worse

Horst is like the literal definition of the crazy professor. You can kind of tell he knows a lot but he just spends the whole class going on tangents, saying he doesnt know what hes doing, and hem heming really loud. Sometimes he'll explain something in great detail for like 10 minutes and then say you dont need to know it. He does not allow equation sheets for the midterms, which SUCKS. He assigns homework problems from the book, but stopped collecting them 3/4 through the quarter. I only got a B because I had a competent lab professor, spent many nights just reading and teaching myself from the textbook, and I got a tutor. DO ANYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS

I refer to him as "HabaDaba" because he says that phrase instead of "umm." He also told us that he doesn't care what we do or if we fail because "we're all gonna die anyway" on the first day of class and before he handed us our finals. He can't teach for shit and goes off on weird tangents. He is a horrible, horrible teacher. Some reviews say that he's gotten better over the years, but I assure you that he has not. I honestly don't know how he hasn't been fired yet. Avoid him at all costs. His strangeness is only entertaining for about 5 minutes.

Run, don't walk, away from Horst. He clearly doesn't mind failing the majority of his class, as he does not curve tests where the average is a 58%, and says at the final "don't worry, I'd do you all a favor by failing you." His exam problems are sometimes out of left field, and grading is unclear. If you want to learn the material without worrying about failing, then take someone else.

Do not recommend taking; he was not the greatest at explaining things, and had a very short attention span. He even heard voices in class that would disctract him that none of the students could hear. His tests contained problems that were very difficult and had not appeared in either the homework, or in class. Straight grading scale even when the class average was 50% and my tests included point deductions that neither I nor he could understand. He does collect homework, and grades it very strictly, again deducting me for unknown reasons (Even once for somehow acting like a know-it-all through my homework; I thought knowing the material was the point in doing homework...) For a possibly crazy teacher that is not good at explaining and grades too strictly, I would definetly not recommend taking him.

Horst seems to get a bad rep on poly ratings but he is actually very fair. You will have to memorize some of the equations NOT ALL and NOT THE HARD ONES but some of the others. Memorizing equations sucks but his tests are on the exact problems he goes over in lecture except maybe solving for a different variable but essentially the same thing he does in class. Because his test are the questions he goes over in class there really is no surprises and if you study you should do well. That being said Physics is pretty hard in general but he is not a bad teacher at all and he is super predictable/fair on what he tests you on.

He's not even bad! He assigns homework and gives you the answer key..... so do with that what you will. Just show up to class, take his notes (especially all the examples he goes over), pay attention to things he says he "really likes" (95% of the time it shows up on the midterm), and study the examples until you can do them without looking at your notes. If you can do all of the above you should easily get an A or B on the midterms ( B if you miss the conceptual stuff/ if a random hmwk problems appear). AGAIN FOCUS ON CLASS NOTES and you should be fine. He's an interesting/weird/funny/ unsure professor, but you get used to it. I would 8/10 recommend especially if you normally struggle with physics cause once you learn his system you're good.

Ok people calm down. Horst is not terrible, I've had terrible professors before. Is he weird? Yes. Does he go on long tangents during class about stuff we don't need to know? Yes. Could he answer questions more clearly? Yes. But he's a good professor. On midterms he literally takes examples he's done in class and changes them up a bit. He clearly says which examples he loves aka will definitely be on the midterms. He collects homework which he posts the solutions for, they don't really prepare you for his midterms but they're literally problems given to every Physics 123 class and its a good way to get a basic understanding of the material. Horst is a funny guy. He doesn't mean to be but you just sit there and laugh about the funny/weird shit he says. It made my 8am with him amusing. So basically all you have to do for this class is go to class, laugh at the guy a bit, copy down everything he writes down on the board, copy the homework solutions, and study you notes before midterms. Not that bad guys. Chill out you other people who can't figure out how to make things work with a perfectly fine professor.

Professor Horst should be avoided if at all possible. He is a unprepared professor who works for both Cal Poly and Cuesta Community College. This did not help one bit since he was hardly available for office hours. His lectures are extremely boring and not helpful. You practically have to learn the material by going to the lab and doing the HW. He has two midterms and a final. Fairly straight forward yet difficult. He claims to give partial credit yet he does not. He will not go over the exams and will simply give you the answers but not help you understand the material. The only reason my grade was a B was simply because he gives 10 percent for HW grades and 3 percent bonus for s+ in lab. You have to do everything exactly how he does the problems and never forget a minus sign to recieve full credit. This instructor is definitly not one to have if you have never taken physics before. Steer clear of him and you should do just fine taking physics. A little story to demonstrate another reason to avoid him. I went to his office hours and asked him to work out a HW problem that I did not understand. He did so and even let me keep the paper he worked the problem out on. The funny thing was, he was asked the same question during lecture and worked the problem a completely different way. Neither were correct...all it did was confuse the hell out of me.

Horst has got to live with his mom, he is so unconfident during his lectures. The guy doesn't know if he is doing anything right up on the board and he was always nervous. I felt sorry for the guy. There is homework due every week, 2 midterms, and a final that will take all 3 hours!!!!!

Definitely not your average teacher. A really nice guy, but he is unorganized. Sometimes I wonder if he even prepared himself for the day's lecture as at many times, he will question himself about whether he showed us the correct equations or information. Anyways, he is a nice guy and a fair grader. I just wonder sometimes who the hell gave him his credentials.

Ill just say this...our first midterm the class average was a 46 out of 102...just a ridiculously hard test...and he refused to curve saying he would make it up by adding another problem on the next midterm. Yea, and partial credit is a joke. Go figure.

Horst is a very fair teacher. He likes to derive things a lot, even in physics, but his tests come straight out of his lectures - there are no surprises. He has a quirky sense of humor. I would recommend him as a physics teacher - he is one of the better ones I've had. Just be prepared to work hard.

He makes physics interesting. I thought he was very helpful outside of class too. Only down side was that the class was too early in the morning for me.

I thought Horst was a good teacher. He expects you to do the work and the work load is pretty tough but I think that is more the class than about him being a hard teacher. His examples were clear. I would recommend him

He covered a chapter with lots of examples and quizzed on those same examples the very next week. Generally one was identical to the example in class, and the second question would be slightly changed (solve for a different variable). If you pay attention and take notes you should do well.

Mr. Horst was a pretty good lab professor and I would probably take him again if I have the chance, he went over a lot of stuff which made the lecture section easier, I ended up with an S (S+, S, S- being passing grades). He gives a quiz at the beginning of each lab, usually with one fairly easy question and one fairly hard one. However I would never want to take him for lecture due to his stories of giving abstract and difficult questions on the tests. Note that whenever he says a problem is "interesting" or "fun" what he really means is that it is very hard.

horrible teacher. He will admit on the first day of class that everything you read on ployratings is true: that he doesn\'t curve..EVER! and that he will give too many problems on exam and not enough time to complete it. Also no notecards or formula sheets. tests are hard, our first class avg was a solid F. 50% of your grade are midterms, 10% homework and 40% final. lab has no effect on grade.

As others have said, first day of class he bluntly states his exams have too many problems to finish in one exam period and he DOES NOT CURVE exams. Our class averages were below 60% for both mid-terms that contained about 6-7 problems with multiple steps. The final was a catastrophe but at least he gave us an equation sheet unlike the mid-terms. Homework and lab grade count for next to nothing so bust ass on the mid-terms and hope to go into the final with at least a B because you will most likely fail it.

This was a hard class, probably one of the hardest I've ever taken. I got a C- and I have a feeling that I had a D and he bumped me up because I bombed the first midterm pretty bad. Anyway, Horst gets a bad rap because he uses scare tactics in class. If you have Horst, allot PLENTY of time for studying physics every week. Go to all the lectures and take thorough notes because his example problems he does in class will be on the midterms or the final. Do all the homework, especially the hard problems at the end of each section because Horst's tests don't have any short easy problems, just 5-7 long multi-step problems. No formula sheets (except on the final) but if you really do all the homework the formulas will be fresh in your mind for the midterms and you won't need a formula sheet. I agree that it's hard to pass Horst's class, I barely made it, but just watch this guy work he's really good at physics and he treated the students in my class with respect even though it's obvious he's taken a lot of abuse from angry students in the past. BTW don't flame me for defending him, he knows his shit and wants the students who pass his class to know their shit too.

Horst is a pretty decent teacher and forces you to learn way more than any other teacher just to pass. The tests are ridiculously hard, and always include at least one derivation of a formula that he went over for 5 minutes in class weeks before. The class average on the midterms and final were in the low D range. I do not reccommend taking him, as he is by far the hardest teacher I have taken. He isn't a bad teacher, and definitely knows what he is talking about but if you are expecting to pass be prepared to study... ALOT.

homework due once a week, 1 chapter at a time, lots of problems but worth it. no quizes, 2 midterms and a final, approx save value point wise. presents the material ok but likes to test on some really random concepts, particularly moments of inertia. not good if he gets behind, homework does not match class work so it throws you off a bit, also, not all material gets covered, i missed chapter 18 and 19 but still had a question from ch 18 on my final. he felt one lecture was enough to cover the chapter.

Regardless of what everyone else says, Horst is a good professor. He explains material very clearly and stays on track. His tests are very hard -- like he says -- but they're almost identical to his in-class examples. Take good notes, and study those before the test (not the book or homework) and you'll do fine.

Absolutely amazing teacher. However his class average was 66.6.... of course it would be. the man doesn't curve and his tests are absolutely insane. Every question comes from problems in class. I did every homework problem and studied my ass off for my D+. make sure you get an easy lab professor because he bumps your grade for a good lab grade. You will know physics better than anyone else after this class though.

AVOID THIS GUY AT ALL COST. He is such a terrible teacher it is quite ridiculous. He talks and writes faster than you can keep up, and he does both at the same time so if you're the type of person that can't work things out while writing notes, you're screwed. Not only that but he seems like an asshole to me. One time he told us a story about how a girl came up to him after class asking if he could slow down during lectures, to which he replied "maybe you need to keep up instead of me slowing down." I had PHYS 132 with him around 5 quarters ago and let me tell you, he is BY FAR the absolute worst teacher at Cal Poly. Honestly I don't know why he still has a job, no one I knew in the class or people from other sections who had him liked him. EVERYONE I knew who took the class got a D or an F at the end of the quarter.

Horst is a good guy and a good teacher. If for some reason you end up taking his class, you are going to learn, or you are going to fail. Horst really leaves it up to the students. I was dumb and bombed the first midterm then got my shit together and pulled off a C in the class. Go to class, take good notes, and study examples. Office hours is free tutoring and it is usually empty, go there and get some help if you need it. I suggest gettin on top of this class from the beginning before it rails you from behind.

There will be many people who won't pass this guy's classes. However, it's really easy to get an A in them. Horst is so predictable. He even said so on the first day. He's ridiculously predictable. Here's how you pass his classes with an A: 1. Go to the lectures 2. Copy down everything. Every derivation, examples, any tips he says. Copy them down on your notes. Every single derivation, step by step. 3. Usually after a derivation or an example, he says whether or not he will expect you to know this for the upcoming midterm. If he says he really likes a certain derivation or problem, put a star next to it. 4. Start studying a week before the midterm. Study all of the examples. Write them on a separate sheet of paper and do them 2-3 times each to feel comfortable with them. As for the derivations and starred problems, MEMORIZE HOW TO DO THEM STEP BY STEP. Do each up to 10 times. They're likely to show on the midterm almost exactly they way he gave them out. 5. Kick your midterm's ass I walked out of the final confident that I got at least a 95%, and ^ is all I did. I couldn't help but smile when everything I expected to be on the final was on there. The same exact problems. If you want to get at least a B, you have to go to class every day and copy down absolutely everything he writes on the board. Definitions, examples, derivations. About 2-3 lecture days before a midterm, he lets you know what you should know. Write that all down as well and go through it when you study. The only people who fail this class are ones who don't go to the lectures or don't put in over an hour a week studying. And that's easy

I LOVED Horst. He is rediculously hilarous, although he doesn't try to be. The problems on his midterms and finals are easy because they are just the problems he did in class or lab, no need to even study the homework.Those who complain either do not come to class because Horst really dumbs down everything for his students and gives them so much opportunities, such as office hours.

Don't take this guy!! And I'm not just saying this because I got a bad grade or because I hate physics. I got an A in his class and I enjoy physics but Horst is terrible. He's impossible to follow in lecture and he goes so fast you barely have time write everything down let alone understand what he's talking about. Seriously stay clear of this guy if you have the chance. If you do get stuck with him make sure you take great notes! Write every detail of every example problem he does in class especially the ones that he says he likes. His tests have problems straight out his notes so study them before the test. You basically have to memorize the problems to do well on the test which sucks because you don't really end up learning anything by the end of the quarter. Don't feel bad if you just copy the homework solutions he posts and turn it in for credit because none of the homework problems are on the test. Don't even bother studying them. Oh and whoever said he looks like Chevy Chase if a dumbass because he looks nothing like him.

Worst lab professor ever. he is only my lab instructor and not my lecture professor so he doesn't know what we are doing in lecture. his lab days consists of him giving a quiz on the previous lab's lecture, then lectures for two hours, then lets us work on the lab. basically, we stay for the full 3 hours even though the lab only takes 40 minutes to an hour

Horst really isn't as bad as his rating suggests. He's not exactly the most helpful or approachable teacher, but he definitely explains topics well and his lectures are extremely useful and interesting. Like everyone says, STUDY HIS IN CLASS NOTES. Most of his problems on tests and the final come from them. The homework isn't too helpful, but usually it has one or two problems that will show up on exams. He doesn't let you use equation sheets though, which is a real hassle and kind of odd in the physics department. He doesn't make you do that many derivations on exams, but more so than other teachers in the department. Overall, Horst isn't a bad teacher by any means, but if you can find another professor for lecture, try and do so. You'll have to work your ass off to get a good grade in his class.

Horst practically requires and expects his students to master the material he presents, and this is something that is extremely difficult to achieve in a quarter's worth of time, even with hours spent on homework and studying. The homework he assigns does no justice in preparing you for the exams. Grading-wise, he is terribly harsh on partial credit and does not curve even though the class average should reflect his effectiveness as a professor. I do not recommend this professor for those who have never taken physics.

Very hard teacher. I failed his first midterm and got a B on the second. I studied pretty well for the final, but the test was alot harder than the midterms. He doesn't curve, but all his test questions comes from his notes, which is really long. In the beginning of the quarter, he said he will fail 1/3 of the class, which is probably true...

What up with these rude ratings? You have to try really hard to not do well in this class and even harder to fail it. He does the same exact problems over and over and over again and puts those exact problems on his midterm and final. This class was the easiest B of my life. It would've been a really easy A had I actually went back and studied. You can get a B just by going to class and paying SOME attention because he does the same problems over again. He's also such an understanding guy. He tells you everything straight up and doesn't beat around the bush. He wants you to do well which is why he gives you the exact problems in lecture that he puts on his tests. Actually ridiculous people don't do well in this class. How did you people get into Cal Poly?

He is an interesting teacher. THis wasn't a prerequisite for anything in my major so I saved it for later. I already had taken 133 and other forms of higher physics based classes. His tests he didn't give note cards I am not the best at memorizing equations especially when some were based of equations he didn't give but you should know from 141 which I had take 2 years prior. He didn't curve. I failed the first midterm, the average was a 56%. I liked the subject. But he wasn't my favorite teacher.

This class was definitely a pleasant surprise from my previous professor. Mr. Horst does quite a good job of explaining material in class, and if a concept is difficult he will go over it over and over and over again so that everyone understands it. He's very pessimistic about a lot of things, like the class average, but this helps because it made everyone paranoid about a test that everyone then did fine on because they worked hard. His tests cover basically exactly what he does in class. 80% of them are really simple, straight off the notes. Basically if you read the notes you will pass the class.

I was scared to take Horst because of Poly ratings, but honestly I love this guy!! His sense of humor does take a while to get used to, but he is so funny. Go into office hours to get on his good side. He honestly cares and in office hours is very personable. The tests are so fair. When you are studying, write down the problems on flashcards from your notes and just redo them until you have it memorized and you can pass no problem! He is a great guy and I hate how rude people are about him.

Horst gets bad reviews for his class being difficult but he's very upfront about the difficulty of the class. However, if you take good notes and study, you will do fine in this class. He does things differently from the text, but everything that shows up on the test is mentioned in lecture. He takes care of his students, especially if you have him for your lab instructor. He's a good guy, a bit bizarre, but I really enjoyed being in his class.

He is completely disorganized and it doesn't help that he strays away from the book and assigns book problems for hw. I would not recommend taking him, especially if you do not have a foundation in physics already.

All I have to say is do not skip class, take excellent notes on the problems he does in class, and just study those problems. The book homework and extra problems are useless. He says it in class and it's true, just study his class problems for both midterms and the final and you will easily be able to get an A and pass the class. Just be able to do his class problems.

Great guy. Had him for 141 and 132 and he likes putting a lot of example problems on the board during lecture which pretty much replicate the tests so as long as you copy everything down when it comes to studying for his tests it’s usually pretty straightforward. He is very experienced and good at explaning concepts in class, and comes off as a guy who genuinely wants his students to do well.

Mr. Horst is a really good professor who definitely enjoys physics and wants his students to do well. His lectures are pretty funny, and he explains the topics thoroughly. While he might have a lowkey obsession with Simple Harmonic Motion (he really likes to give problems on it), I really liked how thorough he was with the subject. Make sure to take good notes in class - the example problems will help a lot when studying for the exams. He often asks questions really close to the ones he gives in lecture. Know how to do all of them, and you should do pretty well in the class. If given the chance, I would definitely take Mr. Horst again.

I don't know why everyone hates this man. The class is hard and a decent amount of work, but if you keep on top of it you will do fine. I didn't do any of the extra assigned problems and went into the final with an A. He explained the material very well all quarter long and I thought he did so in an entertaining way. I actually wanted to go to class. The only frustrating comment I have is I thought the final was ridiculously hard even though I studied for it a lot. Dropped my grade a full letter. Anyway I disagree with all the Horst haters and would take him again so long as I am willing to actually learn the stuff. Helpful in office hours too. Just know he wont give you an easy pass.

This professor is definitely not bad at all. His tests are challenging but as long as you do the hw and study your notes you should be fine. His tests are mostly based on his notes so make sure to study those first and then the hw. He really knows his stuff and is really good at explaining things. So if you end up taking his class don't start freakin out.

i don't know about his lecture but i wont sign up for his lab section ever again... such a waste of time to take his lab. this doosh lectures about 45 min about the stuff u will be learning in actual lecture and gives a quiz before class every week!! for average it took the whole 3 hrs to finish the lab each week.. some bullshit

Horst is a really great guy. He did an EXCELLENT job at going through examples and lectureing. BUT I was in his LAB class... It was really annoying that he made his lab class a second lecture. I found it to actually be a hard lab. We had to do full lab writeups that were out of 4 pts. purpose, method, data, calculations, graphs/diagrams and conclusion! I spent a lot of time working on my labs and he always graded them really hard. I never go a 4. for example he takes points off if you put the percent errors in the conclusion instead of the calculations. He also gives 2 pt quizzes each week that I actually had to study alot for. you have to memorize all the equations and the quizzes usually have either 2 medium questions or an easy and a hard one. if you do one thing in the problem wrong, he will give you a zero most of the time. He only gave me partial credit twice. For ex. if you do everything in the problem totally correct, but your calculator is in deg instead of rad... 0 pts. I put C for my grade... but i think i will probably get an S in his lab... bairily. The lab helped me (maybe) for lecture, but it was SO BORING having to listen to lecture twice! and having to be in lab for the majority of 3 hours basically every time. All in all i did like horst, but compared to basically all other lab instructors he is very very very unnessisarily hard.

He's ok for lab. I wouldnt take him for lecture. He hates lecture, so thats prolly why. For lab though he's ok. Takes time to lecture on topics which helps out for lecture. He is really dry and boring though. But if you close your eyes while hes talking, you can imagine owen wilson teaching physics. He sounds just like him.

Although he tends to be rather negative during lecture, Horst really isn't that bad of a teacher. He tends to concentrate on ideas that he finds to be key instead of going over the whole spectrum related to the course, so lectures tend consist of going over many example problems dealing with these key points. The tests contain these problems and homework problems. Honestly, if you can remember how to do the practice problems in lecture and study the homework a bit, you should be fine on the tests. Also, if you're pretty bad at calc, you may want to avoid Horst, as some of the derivation-related problems involve some integration, and I've heard that some PHYS 133 profs don't really deal with much math. There can be some really ugly math in this class to deal with, but again, most of the procedures (for the physics AND math parts of each problem) will be gone over in class.

Horst is a goddam boss

Horst really is a good teacher. All the people here complaining about him being to hard because they didnt put enough of an effort. I kinda expected this class to be easy for me because i was really good at high school physics and who isnt? but after the first midterm, that idea was quickly shot down. horst challenges you with some really fun problems and by the end of the quarter you might either love him or hate him for that. the only thing that can tip the scale in your favor is if you put in an honest effort to study for physics, maybe even for the 1st time as i had to. in all he is a really good teacher for those who are looking for a fun challenge.

Horst is not the worst teacher. He does expect a lot out of you. To get a A in this course, you need to make sure to just study his lecture notes. Everything on the midterms and final was in the notes with minor changes. 5% of the grade comes from HW, 15% from lab, 20% each midterm, and 40% final. He is a really funny guy in a dorky way. If you take him, you\'ll like him cause you will learn the material very well. Just remember to take good notes!

Horst is a decent teacher. His tests are fairly hard, just study all of the derivations he gives you in class and the rest of the problems are really basic.

Horst looks like Chevy Chase. That alone should make you love him. His class is difficult--I don't think you will meet anyone who loved electricity and magnetism--but he did a good job of explaining concepts. His class was primarily memorizing derivations directly from your notes for all of the tests--don't even bother with the textbook. With homework worth 5%, lab worth 15% two midterms around 20% and a final worth 40%, this is a tough class, relying upon you performing under pressure. But Horst loves to hand out partial credit!

I have been getting every problem right on nearly every assignment. That being said, I'll be fighting for a C or B in the class. Horst is a horrible teacher, my knowledge is coming from my EE classes and reading outside of class (and not even reading the textbook he assigned by Knight which is almost as bad as Horst himself). My main issue is his grading, because I no longer expect to learn from professors themselves, especially from Cal Poly's Physics professors. My best example are his lab quizzes. I have gotten every lab quiz problem right. I am averaging Fs to Cs on them. Each one is worth 2 points and if you mix anything up, or have a - when you needed a +, you lose .5-1 point(s). So if your answer is 3 and it was supposed to be -3, you just got an F or a C. He also says he's predictable and that what you do in class will be what's on the tests and quizzes. This is not true. I spent my time studying my notes for the midterm and got a D, and that D was beating the class average by several points. Normally that would be good because of the curve, but Horst does not curve. He also does not allow equation sheets on his tests or quizzes unlike every other physics professor I have taken or heard about. He expects you to know every single formula by heart even though he tells us everyday that he can't remember them for the life of him. DO NOT TAKE HORST!

Horst is a hilarious man. He is extremely dry and will let you know exactly how hard his class is and how hard each subject he goes over is. His teaching style is basically just doing examples for the entire class. And most of the examples are derivations. The rumors are true about the tests, they are entirely based on the notes. One problem on each midterm is exactly a homework problem but don't study the homework because it will be a similar problem to what he's gone over in notes anyways. Some of the problems will be exactly from the notes, most will have a slight twist, and one or two will be very well hidden, but if you study the notes you will get an A. That being said, don't take this class because there are WAY too many problems to study. I got an A but I have never studied so hard for a class in my life. He makes sure to teach both of his lab sections so he can spend an extra hour and a half giving more examples. Both midterms had low D averages. If you don't study you will fail for sure. If you're willing to spend countless hours studying you can get an A, but I would recommend avoiding this class.

Not even done with the class yet (2 weeks in) but I believe his inability to teach warrants a review. Just beyond terrible. Assigns graded department recommended homework that is totally unrelated to the stuff he teaches, yet it counts for (a rather measly, I admit) 5% of our grade. Pretty much requires reading the book to do the homework. In class, he never seems to know if he's doing something right until he looks at the answer, and while doing so, he constantly belittles himself and repeatedly says "yes" and "no" when he thinks something is right or wrong. I can't even trust his teaching despite him being a professor because he never knows if he has the correct answer. He also writes like he's in grade school. Just writes everywhere. Talks to the board a lot. On the bright side, his quizzes so far have been pretty much exactly what he does in class, but we're pretty much just replicating the steps he did while solving problems rather than actually learning how to solve those problems. He also assumes that we know pretty much everything, so he just rushes through everything.

I just want to let you know one thing about this professor. It's the trick to getting an A in any of his classes that I figured out too late. JUST STUDY YOUR LECTURE NOTES. The homework means nothing, everything else means nothing. What he does in lecture WILL be on the test. Guaranteed. Just study your lecture notes and understand how to do every problem he did in lecture and you will get out with AT LEAST a B.. guaranteed.

His tests are exactly what you go over in class. I mean exactly. Study the examples he gives. Nothing else. People who study other things did terribly on the midterms. I got an A from just studying his examples. (Class average was a 67% for the first midterm) He is actually a pretty good professor once you get over his lack of self esteem. Poor guy. He really is quite good. He does not give equations on his exam, but each exam requires like 2 equations and you should know them anyway. He is the best physics prof I have had (Read: I had Duffin for two quarters in a row). It's an easy class

he is a child molester...that is all... horst=molester retarted when it comes to grading hw.... no partial credit lost 8 out of ten points for not distributing a negative...tell me... how GAY is that...fucker...

don't take this guy, my friend in the same class is stressed with so much pointless homework they cut their wrists, i myself and tired of this guy, who let him teach here in the first place...

I think Cal Poly students come out of highschool thinking college is going to be just as easy. College is supposed to be challenging and difficult. If it was easy what would be the point of paying so much money for a crappy education. Yes, Horst is a difficult teacher, but he is one of the few teachers that does what he is supposed to do.....teach the students. I learned a lot and even a bit about dedication and time management for that class. Cal Poly probably doesn't even pay Horst what he deserves and he still shows up every day, so quit your complaining students and appreciate that with hard work and dedication you can learn a lot from Professor Horst. Those that fail are those that complain! Those that fail are those that don't try!

damnit horst....don't comment on yourself... thinkin ure slick.... "oh yeah horst is a really good teacher you don't try..etc etc..." fuck you....u need to learn ure ass how to teach

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ok, so I have always disliked math, but i plug away at it day after day...work my ass off......and always get a decent grade. I have NEVER recieved less than a B in a college level math course. So then I enroll in Dr. Horst's 141 class. Jesus. What the hell is happening. The quarter isn't over yet, so I don't have a final grade...however, at the moment, I am failing. Yes, FAILING. Me, who has never had a bad grade....FAILING. Granted, it is supposed to be a hard course........but, impossible? No, not so much. Horst does just that...makes it impossible. The average on our last midterm was a 44%. 44%!!!!!!!!! I mean, c'mon now...........you cannot blame the students for not trying hard enough when the average is 44%! And the homework.........oh dear lord....the homework. WAY TOO MUCH! And don't get me wrong, I am not complaining because I would rather be out getting trashed than do math problems......I understand that homework is the #1 way to do well in a mth course......but he assigns an incredible amount. The problem with it is that you spend so much time plugging away at it, that you have NO time to study for his tests which......as I said......are hard as hell. As a human being, I am sure Horst is a nice guy......but in class, all you see is a guy at the board speaking some other language as you sit there worrying how in the hell you are going to finish your 1,000,000,000 math problems by Friday. In conclusion, I obviously don't recoomend this guy. Not only did his class DESTROY my GPA, but it made so freakin stressed out that I HATED my freshman year of college........gee, I love calculus...

do'nt...jes do'nt....that is all (yes i know how to spell don't...but he doesn't even deserve that...)

this guy takes big black cock up the ass....and he loves it. i think i have a C in the class right now, but that's only because i work DAY AND NIGHT for most ofthe week...

HAHAHAHAHA........what a bastard.........good luck with this guy...

Wow. If this guy fails me, I am going to sue him. If any other students are interested to testify, please respond via polyratings. This guy's final took me over 2 hours to finish. This is Calculus I not Calculus III...

I'm with you, just post up ur sn. Anyways, this professor is a joke. He really should not be teaching. I don't think he cares about his students at all. The first day of class he didn't even state his name or anything he just begam with "um...let's start on section 1.1." Everyone was like WTF. He gave a practice test for our first midterm to look over for and the class did fairly well (74 average). For the second midterm he didnt give us any type of review excercise and the average was 44. Then he told us "you guys should have done better." WTFWTFWTF, it's obviously somethimg that YOU'RE doing wrong, not us. Again he gave us no type of review excercise for the final. I am really pissed about my grade rite now because I know there were other teachers I could have taken over this guy.

Hey look! Horst's GPA is about as low as what he made mine!!!! THANKS FOR BEING A JACKASS HORST! AVOID THIS MAN!!!!!!!!

Wow. I failed this class again. And I know the stuff. Wow. Just wow. Goodbye Cal Poly because of this guy.

Hey, I am definitely down to petition against this guy. What college professor has a class that gets a 44% midterm average and DOESNT CURVE???????? Thanks for ruining my GPA and college life......I think you better look at how YOU are teaching rather than tell your students that we should have done better.... what a fucking joke.

He is a fair grader and gives enough time for you to complete the homework, but has it all due at one time. This can be VERY BAD for those of us who have the bad tendancy to procrastinate. Also, don't take a 7am physics class. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but it is just a dumb idea unless you aced your high school physics class. But the class is do-able if you spend the time to do the homework in advance, read the book, and go to class. The same old jazz as for any class. I just stopped going because he was such a boring lecturer and it was 7AM IN THE MORNING! YOU CANT BE BORING AND TALK IN MONOTONE AT 7AM AND EXPECT PEOPLE TO LEARN..

Oh wow. The only reason I got an A was from AP Physics last year. Horst threw some hard problems on his tests. I can't complain about this guy, I think it was just a hard class. I'd probably take him again, but there's probably an easier prof out there.

I really have nothing positive to say about this guy. No formula sheets, no curves, no fun. He actually told students in the seventh week to "Leave and not come back because you have no chance of passing this course." So I wont be showing up for his final based on his recommendations and seeing the past comments on here of people who went into the final with Cs and came out with Fs.

fucking jackass, pure fucking jackass.

I had this final already with the guy below me apparently and all I have to say is I think Horst gets off on failing people. It's like he takes some sadistic pleasure in causing others pain. I guess I shouldn't be suprised though since horst told us the whole quarter he was going to put problems on the final that were near impossible ("fun" and "interesting") for us to solve.

Horst was awesome. Try studying once in a while you losers.

To the guy below me: I have had enough of people spouting of that stupid reason that someone does badly in a class. In my experience at Cal Poly each professor thinks their class is the only class the students are taking. Well news flash some of us have other classes and lives. Apparently, your 141 class was required by your major whereas with me it was general ed and I loathed every minute of Horst's class. About Horst: He collects homework once a week and the assignments are worthless. The tests are worth most of your grade. The final was easier than his midterms, but the midterms are designed to ruin you. Horst is a weird man and his exams are hard.

OK, I took the class last year and failed. The first 3-4 weeks are all the stuff you should have learned in math or high school physics (I didn't take Physics in high school but i assume) So after that I basically blew off the class because I thought it was easy and bombed the next midterm and the final because I didn't do the work. When I retook it I signed up for STAFF as the professor (only one left) and guess what? Horst. So I went to class, payed attention, did the homework and studied, and got a B. He's not that bad, he just rushes through everything and writes hard tests and then screws you on partial credit, ya theres no notecard, but its PHYS 141, there are only like 4 formulas. Just ask him questions in class and he actually explains things pretty well, once you get him to slow down. I tried to come to his office hours twice and he wasn't there, so i don't know what thats all about. I also suspect he curves a little after the final cause I don't think I did well enough for a B. But I'm not sure. First midterm was ok, second kicked my ass, and the final was hard but you have a decent amount of extra time, so it can save you. Just ask questions and do the work. Or take someone else, that'd work too.

Horst is a bit quirky, but seems like a nice fellow. That is until he tells you he writes his problems so they are tricky and hard to get right. Well, at least he gives you a head up he is going to try to screw you. I can confirm Horst told his classes that a lot of the students should leave and focus on other classes because they were going to fail his class anyway. I can also confirm that Horst told us from the beginning a third of the class would receive an F. I guess I should have listened and dropped him from the beginning. This class contributed to my academic dismissal from Cal Poly. Had I taken another professor I would have gotten at least a C- based on my comparison of other students' experience with their professors and I would have been off AP. My major GPA is a 3.6 its too bad I have to leave Cal Poly now.

First off, professor Horst has a weird sense of humor that your not sure if he is joking or he is telling the truth but don't get set off by it because he teaches well. Second, is a genius. One time he told us he feel asleep during a quantum physics test and pass with flying colors. Dr. Horst knows his stuff and he wants you to know it too. His tests are hard but if you go to class and take good notes, the test questions are right from what he lectures. He assigns weekly homework which was not bad at all. Be prepared to study of course because you won't pass with just winging it. Also, know your calculus and trig because you will need to know it for his class. My recommendation is to have some experience with physics prior to taking his class like a class in high school. Overall I enjoyed his class and recommend him to anyone who is willing to study and try hard.

Horst is an excellent teacher. His failure as a teacher is the way he gives his tests and grades. The fact that he puts no curve on any part of his class helps explain the fact that he truly is a dick. However in class, the lectures are very easy to understand and he presents the information really clear. The tests are much easier if you go to class and listen to what problems he says will show up on the tests. He is predictable and if you take his class you will learn alot and most likely suffer.

Worst teacher. Avoid him at all costs. First he starts off the class by saying he is the worst teacher, you should switch to another section, and if you don't you will probably fail. Second, half or more fails.

At the beginning of the class he tells you that he is the worst teacher to have for this class and he is not lying. Take his advise and find a new teacher. The tests are way more advanced then the homework and examples he does in class so you think you know it all but then he will combine things that you have never seen before.

I haven't taken the entire class yet, but I figured I might as well fill this out anyway. He's not too hard to explain. A lot of what is said on this page is true. Good at explaining, tests are hard. First midterm isn't too bad, but do the hw. You have to really know the material to get even a passing grade. His weekly homework is worth almost nothing in points, but it's really important if you want to actually understand what you're doing on the tests. All and anything on the homework can appear on the test and he doesn't get to everything in lecture. He will tell you, however, when he will NOT be including something on the tests. His lectures comprise of example problems. If you are a concepts person, don't take this guy. He's into math.

I actually thought Horst was a very good teacher. I hate when teachers are extremely easy on you and tell you what is going to be on tests and quizzes. He really challenges your abilities, which is not a bad thing. I gaurantee you that after this class you will know physics better than most people. He covers almost every single type of possible problem there is. This guy's lectures are basically a bunch of examples. You definietly do not need to do alot of studying on your own.

First of all im not another Horst hater, but if you want an teacher who doesn't expect alot from you don't take Horst. He expects you to catch the tricks he throws in on tests and doesnt curve even when the class average for a midterm was 62%. He is brilliant at physics and expects his students to be too. Homework is very reasonable, only 10-15 problems assigned weekly for each chapter. Also there will be an easy ass quiz about week two that can give you up to six extra credit points added to the first midterm so be sure to take andvantage of it. Even though the test problems are difficult, if you take notes all year (very difficult though because of the annoying monotone he speaks in) there won't be anything on them thats not similar to examples done in class. Over all plan on working hard all quarter if you want to get an A or B from this goddamn genius.

super hard class. i had to work my ass off to earn a C in this class. the homework is worth almost nothing because his 2 midterms are half of your grade and the final is worth 40%. i went into the final with a 68% and came out with a flat C. so i either did super well on his "fun" final, or he actually may have curved my grade. however, that is rare if he curved my grade because he never curves anything even if the class average is a 60% on a midterm. he's an awesome teacher and his exams are only from his examples in class, that's another reason why the homework is worthless. the guy obviously knows physics better then anyone... however you have to as well in order to get a good grade in his class.

DOES NOT CURVE EVEN WITH LOW TEST AVERAGES!! He does a lot of examples for his lecture. There's an easy quiz about the 2nd week of the quarter of which the score will be added to your first midterm's score, so ACE THE QUIZ! Homework is pretty lame and worthless. Tests are just slight variations of the examples he does in class. He'll even say/hint which examples will be on the next test, so put like a star next to the example when he does so. Tests are fairly difficult so either digest and understand or memorize how to solve his examples. The final is just as hard, if not harder, as his midterms but longer. So unless you're a genius, you will not have an easy time with his class and be prepared to study your ass off for a lower grade than you deserve.

Everything on here is true, he doesn't curve even when the class average is in the 50's. I thought all the tests were equally difficult, but the final seemed easier just because the problems were very similar to the midterms,but a lot longer. Since, I already studied so much for the midterms it wasn't that bad. When he says something will be on the test it for sure will, so make a note and rework the problem over and over again. Not an impossible class, you just really have to work hard and his office hours are pretty helpful. Oh and he told us that we were going to die in less than 100 years and that if we fail this class it's not the end of the world and hopefully we could have someone the second time around who could explain it better what a pep talk.

Horst is really Predictable. I did take Physics AP in high school, but he really isn't that hard. Just study the problems he does in class and pay extra attention to the ones he says he really like. Last quarter every single problem on the midterms was straight out of the notes with the numbers changed. The final had stuff from the midterms and the notes. He event tells you the ones he likes and puts on tests. Also, Horst sucks at giving partial credit, he will say he gives good partial, but unless it is painfully obvious what you did wrong, you'll get off way more than you should. Overall, if you write down the problems he does in class and study just those and understand how to do them, it won't be that hard.

Cons: somewhat boring, exams are kind of hard, has little confidence in himself, despite knowing his subject very well. Doesn't curve Pros: the problems on the test are very similar to those on the homework and those he goes over in class, which tend to be very straightforward. doesn't spend half the class deriving one formula (you won't be asked to on tests) He tries to scare you in the first lecture by saying how many people fail and how hard he is, but emphasizes that to overcome this you need to go to the lecture, and he is right. GO TO THE LECTURES CONSISTENTLY AND YOU WILL BE FINE. I got a 60 on my first midterm, and pulled out a B in the class, so the fact that he doesn't curve wasn't really a huge issue.

First, let me just say that I would highly recommend another teacher for PHYS 141, at least if you have not taken high school physics (which I had not). I studied really hard, and found it so difficult that I almost dropped the class after the first midterm, on which I got a 62, which is actually the lowest grade I have ever gotten on a test in my life (the class average was 64). I found that I did make a lot of stupid mistakes on that first test, and that a lot of it was based very closely on the notes, but the final was very hard. In-class stuff was pretty much just him presenting examples, and not really explaining what was actually going on. I was excited to take physics, but it turned out being one of the most boring classes i've ever had. The main problem with that class is that he has no sense of humor! I don't expect a comedian, but I have trouble learning if the teacher doesn't keep the class interesting. He says he doesn't curve, but I feel he must have, because I went into the final with a C, and I definitely did not get an A! IF YOU MUST TAKE HIM FOR PHYS 141, STAY AFTER CLASS, SEE HIM DURING OFFICE HOURS, AND DO WHATEVER YOU CAN to make and effort and show that to him. I think it might have an influence on the final grade, so perhaps he isn't totally soulless.

Horst is the worst teacher on earth. I had never taken physics before and he really was no help at all in teaching me. Everything i learned was based on the book and some friends and that wasn't enough. He grades midterms and final way too hard, barely any partial credit. Im taking physics 141 again right now and have a B+ heading into the final and can honestly say that Horst is the worst teacher i've ever had.

We all know that college physics is difficult, but the last thing you want is a professor who makes it much harder than it already is. However, Horst is just that, with hard examples in class, hard homework, and ridiculously difficult midterms. He takes eccentricities to new heights; beware: his definition of \"fun\" is NOT what you may expect in the normal sense, and he likes to put the most \"fun\" problems on tests. Another bad thing about his classes is that there is absolutely NO grading curve. For example, on one midterm in my class, the average was 66% and he did not curve the scores, while most other teachers curve for a similar average. What the heck? Last but not least, he repeatedly mentions on how he puts hard problems on tests and how students have failed his classes, but he does not address these problems and in fact just keeps making stuff harder. In fact, I felt lucky to get a C in such a miserable class. So the bottom line is, when you need to take physics at Cal Poly, AVOID HORST AT ALL COSTS!

All of his midterm questions are directly from the notes. DIRECTLY. The questions are seriously EXACTLY the same. So go to class and take notes, and then MEMORIZE how to do the problems. Unfortunately, the final was on things we never got to learn. And I failed it. But I still got a C. Because I did all of the homework and did fine on the midterms. If you dominate the midterms, you won\'t have to worry about the final.

Horst is a really nice guy who is willing to help his students out, but he lacks enthusiasm for what he\'s teaching. I sucked at physics to begin with but i got a tutor and tried to understand what we were learning and i never really caught on. he basically just does practice problems all during the class period and never really goes into enough depth with the actual concept. however, i got 100\'s on the homework assignments, 50\'s on both midterms and walked out of the final with a third of the questions even attempted and still managed to pass the class with a d (and no curve) so homework can help out a lot. if u enjoy working through stuff on ur own then horst would be good for you but if you\'re like me and need it to be a little more developed i\'d recommend someone else.

I got forced into his class and was kinda worried when I saw his rating but honestly his class was pretty easy. I only got a B because I never really did the homework. For physics 141 with him, it\'s honestly really simple for the first half. All of the stuff should look familiar since you learned most of it in calculus. I had it at 8 in the morning and I didn\'t find him that broing. He\'s pretty entertaining, just in an odd way. Also, he lets you know what stuff you need to know, and what stuff really doesn\'t matter. His tests are all problems you have seen before, only he changes up the numbers every now and then. All in all, I\'d say he\'s a pretty good professor.

Horst isn\'t that bad of a professor, but he\'s not that great either. The homework is easy and the midterms aren\'t too bad. The final is pretty straightforward. If you\'re taking this class, DO NOT SKIP CLASS! The problems on the midterms and the final are almost exactly the same as the notes.

I kind of wish I had Horst for a class where I didn\'t already know the majority of the material. From what I could tell he presents material clearly with a lot of examples in fact all of his test questions he will either do in class or will come from the homework. You will do example problems in class till you are blue in the face and if you do keep doing them you should do fine in the class. Be warned Horst does have a weird sense of humor that takes a while to get used too but does lighten the mood on occasion. If you learn best by doing a lot of examples Horst is definitely the teacher for you.

He was an okay professor, but he made the content harder than it had to be. He wasted too much time on the easy algebraic math at the end of problems, instead of explaining what we were actually doing. I had taken AP Physics in high school and found it easy but Mr. Horst made this basic class waaayyy harder than it had to be. And its not that the content was much harder, he just didn\'t explain anything he did, he just jumped straight into doing it and getting it done as fast as possible. Def wouldn\'t recommend this guy if it\'s your first time taking physics. Homework due once a week, 2 midterms, and a final (no quizzes).

I was not happy with WHorst. He taught only certain types of problems, and his tests were super difficult. Also, he didn't curve, and didn't mund that so many people failed his tests. If he had curved, I would have passed his class with ease.

He is a very good professor and goes over the basics of every problem each time he does it. He will always do things like explain out the units of a formula and explain where it comes from. The only thing is that his tests are usually really difficult. He tells you this on the first day as well as all the other reasons why you shouldn't take him. I would recommend taking him to a friend and to you.

horst is a CREEPY guy! every day before class he would talk to himself o.O i felt really weird,anyway he is the worst professor! his notes were so hard to understand due to the fact he doesnt know how to write nice and clear, he is also always asking for help when he has to spell something on the board. he writes all over the board and you can barely keep up, he talks to the board rather than the class =/ hes a goofy teacher so i guess if you understand physics already you can have a great time in his class otherwise you will end up ditching his class for the last 2 weeks of instruction, just like i did . . .i knew only hope would help me pass the class, but "hope" doesnt grade my test, horst does. . . i had an EPIC FAIL! first f in my life!

His grading structure is completely messed up. He misspells words all the time. His notes are clumsy, disorganized, and unclear. He could not convey information any worse. You WILL rely solely on the book, which is terrible because his tests are so esoteric. You can tell Horst is just burnt out. I don't know what his problems are, but teaching a college-level physics course is just not the career for him. He gets some sick pleasure from giving hard tests: he uses them to punish students which I find unfair. And I am not saying this just because the tests are hard, I'm inferring this from his behavior. It's intimidating to ask questions in that class because he makes fun of students. One person asked a conceptual question in the class and Horst gave him a dry sarcastic remark, basically saying the kid was an idiot. Jesus Christ. I thought High School was in the past. I thought Cal Poly professors liked to teach and to help students out. I would give him more credit and possibly forgive him if he was a good teacher, but he is lazy and sloppy. In the short few minutes before class starts, he will either be talking to himself or to another professor, complaining about teaching. In short, do not take this professor. He is burnt out, sloppy, and poor at teaching. As a result, he is sadistic. I would be angrier if I didn't feel so sorry for him.

Horst mainly makes up his own examples that we worked through during class, but also assigns homework worth 10% of our grade (easy to do well as he posts the solutions before it's due so you can check your work). 25% are 2 midterms, and the last 40% is the final. However, he goes VERY quickly in lecture so you have to be awake and attentive the whole time. His exams are EXACTLY the problems he does in class, but he mainly uses variables rather than numbers. To do well on the exams DO and REDO the examples from class, he only occasionally puts homework problems on there. He doesn't curve, but he does expand the range for grades the lower they get (i.e. range for Cs and Ds are larger). I did well in the class, but he is horrible at understanding student difficulties, so make sure you stay on top of the midterms; you only get 2 chances. In office hours he basically just does problems, but it is helpful if you need extra time to process how he solves the problems.

I thought Horst was a pretty decent teacher. There were 2 midterms and a final, and the questions were basically variations of problems he did during class and were written in my notes. There is homework every week but he puts the solutions online, which was nice to check your work/ copy down the right answer to get 100%. I probably could have done better if I had gone to office hours or studied the notes better, but in general physics is a hard class and I think Horst does a pretty good job explaining the problems.

Horst is not any easy teacher, but you will learn the a lot. I worked my ass off and barely pulled a C. Lots of examples in class. He tells you from day one to study the examples because they will pop up on the midterms and final, and that is no lie. I failed both midterms and finally realized I had to get it together, I barely slept for the weeks leading up to the final. I went over every in class example and did fine on the final. Overall Horst is a very fair teacher. As a student you will have to take some initiative in this class. Learn the material with the class, learn from my mistake and don't play the catch up game.

Great Professor. Explained the material very well and made difficult concepts vert clear. He used great in-class demonstrations. He was also very funny and entertaining.

Horst was, a fairly decent teacher. He clearly shows that he knows his physics, but also somewhat expresses his apathy towards teaching overall. He is a very dry humorist, and tends to complain at every problem gone through. The homeworks are fairly lengthy, and due weekly, but are quite good for understanding basic problem solving. He posts the solution guides for the homework, so office hours may not necessarily be a necessity. In office hours, he is not readily willing to negotiate grades, at all, and seems quite satisfied with a large percentage of students failing. Be sure to study the problems he goes over in class, as he writes the tests almost verbatim. And do not expect curves whatsoever.

Horst was a great physics teacher. I had never taken a physics class before, and I'll be honest that this is not a good class for a first timer. It was intense, and I didn't get as good of a grade as I could with an easier physics teacher. Still, I ended up with an understanding of rudimentary physics far better than a lot of people in my later physics classes. He does not waste much time on conceptual stuff - It's mostly examples. This turns out to be good because the best way to learn physics is to do it - not talk about it. He also put a lot of problems on the board for us to attempt before showing us how he would solve it, which forced us to find our own way (often times giving a better understanding of it). His tests are hard though, no doubt about it. You will also probably not end up with a (relatively) good grade in the class. But - It will prepare you very well for later physics classes. If you care more about learning and the big picture than grades then Horst is for you. If you just want to float through physics, then it's not such a good idea to take his class.

This guy... Horst does a good job explaining everything in lecture to the point where you think "Oh I've got this" and then gives you the most insane questions on the tests including things he said he would never test you on. And then has the nerve to not curve a test with 60% or lower average. There were a few things he went over in class that required MATH 241, which is not a prereq, to solve. Went on to say don't worry I will not test on that. And then of course it was on the test and worth a decent amount of points. If you want an A you will have to study everything in the notes and be prepared for the hardest possible questions. If you are not willing to do this I would take someone else. He is a cool guy though and makes some pretty funny jokes so I'll give him that.

GOOD PROFESSOR. Here's what to expect, each class consists of examples, and examples, and MORE examples of the same type of problem, WRITE DOWN EVERY SINGLE ONE. He pulls the questions for the midterm directly from the problems discussed in class. He will not try and trick you, he will not give you that insane out of nowhere problem that professors want you to "apply" what you have learned, he will give you the same exact questions he used in class as examples, just with different numbers. As far as homework goes, he doesn't give much of it (about one assignment per week) and don't concern yourself too much with it, just do it for the points because his tests are NOTHING LIKE THE HOMEWORK. Overall, he's a GOOD TEACHER, its an EASY CLASS and i can't stress enough to WRITE DOWN ALL THE EXAMPLES! Even if you just memorize how he solved them, you'll be fine, because they're exactly what you will see on his tests.

Don't listen to the other bad polyratings. Horst is the homie. I straight up love this guy. Even though he may be depressing at times this guy is an awesome teacher. All his test questions come straight from the problems he does in class so you got to go to class. But as long as you do and take decent notes you will get a great grade in his class. But for real tho...take him.

PHYS 141 is a pretty hard class, regardless of the professor. I would say that Horst is relatively easy compared to other instructors. All I can say is: 1) go to class and 2) WRITE DOWN EVERY PROBLEM HE DOES IN CLASS. The questions on his midterms are either exactly or pretty similar to any problem he does in class. He has a monotone voice, so it's easy to get drowsy, but he will occasionally say some funny shit. Not a terribly horrible professor.

The good thing about this professor is that all his tests are variations of the problems he does in class, the bad thing is that his notes are messy and he can kinda sorta change variable names around, which makes a bit of a pain to copy down during class. If you don't have much of a physics background (I came into this class having a really crappy physics teacher in high school)- it's still doable- I passed both the midterms and hardcore failed the final because I was taking like 3 other math classes and had no time to study. Make sure you pass both the midterms, it gives him incentive to at least pass you in the class. He has a really dry sense of humor and seems to act indifferent towards your grade (his final exam inspiration speech was along the lines of "If you fail this class, just take it again, it's not that big of a deal"). He's probably not the worst professor to have, just be a bit careful since he doesn't seem like he cares much for his students either.

BILL IS THE BEST. His class is very math-based which works well for me. His exams are very reasonable because all of the test questions are from the lecture or the homework. He provides solutions to the homework on PolyLearn which is always helpful since I did the homework for practice - not points. I'm going to take him again for 132 and I highly recommend him if you like math too. Side note: He's super funny although he doesn't try to be.

If you are familiar with physics (took and passed AP Physics in high school), you'll probably do just fine in his class. Unfortunately this was not the case for myself. I would definitely not suggest him if you aren't well versed in physics already. He's not the best at explaining content and tends to rush over things assuming that people already know what he's talking about. Everything you get tested on is from the examples he presents in class. While the question is presented almost the same way it's usually the variables/what you're solving for that changes. Practice these a lot and you'll probably do better than I did. My major classes didn't leave me much time to study so that kind of fucked me over as well. He does not grade on a curve, so when half the class fails, that's that. He's a funny guy, seems like a nice person, but not the best teacher if you're not into/already good at physics. That being said, I probably still won't be recommending him to anyone.

I loved this class. I took a different professor first quarter and failed (got a D-) which led me to believe I was terrible at physics and it would take a godsend of a professor to get me to understand it. This was completely untrue, I just needed an average one. Bill is an above average professor and he knows the material and presents it incredibly clearly. Some people did not believe this because sometimes he makes mathematic mistakes and sounds unsure of what he's discussing but I don't believe that invalidates his physics knowledge. The midterms come directly from what he does in class so as long as you show up and take good notes you'll know what to do. He takes the most involved examples from each section and puts them together to form his exams. I recommend preparing for his tests by going over every example in your notes. I did that and aced both midterms. Unfortunately I didn't emphasize the homework and got a B on the final so I didn't make the cut for an A- but I really recommend him as a teacher as he does a good job of moving the class along at a comfortable pace and building on his previous examples. It sucks that he doesn't have a curve but I think you can put forth minimal effort you can easily pass

This guy is hilarious and the most pessimistic guy you'll ever meet but he is hilarious about it, my classmates and I joked about it. This material was really easy for me because it was a review of high school physics for me, but I thought he presented the material really well, but some of the people in my supplemental workshop had a difficult time, so I think it depends on your level of understanding physics. Overall, probably a better professor than a lot of others.

This professor is the most negative person I have every met. I went to 2 office hours per week and had a tutor. I wasn't the best at physics, but this teacher was really un-willing to help me. The class averaged 61% on the midterms, and he didn't curve the class. He literally gave me 69.86, after getting a 75 on the 40% of our grade final. This dude was definetly on one...

Awful, terrible, bad.

I had never taken physics before and got an A in this class without going to office hours or study sessions. He is very honest about his teaching style and what he says is true. Go to class, take good notes, and redo all of the problems before the tests. The tests are just like the notes, but with different numbers. I am only concerned for myself because I feel that I may be behind next quarter in 132 with a different professor because we didn't get to learning everything.

The only reason you should take a class with this guy is if there’s no other option. He belongs in a mental asylum. No formula sheets, no curves, consistently skips office hours, unnecessarily difficult and confusing exam questions, and disjointed lectures that leave you more confused at the end than when you came to class. Many students fail his course, and he doesn’t seem to care at all. I remember when he gave us a speech before his final saying quite literally: “If you fail this test and/or the course, it doesn’t really matter in the end. We’re all going to be dead in 100 years and I’ll be gone long before you guys. You can laugh at my funeral.” Just reiterating, do not take this guy for any course. You will thank me.

All of the people on here talking about how bad Horst is are low-key pussies. His midterms are literally derived EXACTLY from the problems he does in lecture. The final was a little bit harder than the midterms, but very fair and put the info from the year together really well. I copied the homework straight from the answer key every single time without even thinking about it and got 100% on every homework assignment. This is a class that I thought I could excel in without putting in too much work, and I enjoyed going. To everyone complaining: if physics 1 is so hard for you that you fail out of Horst's class, consider not being a STEM major.

Horst is the shit. Take him. Love him. Every problem on every midterm and the final is directly from the notes. Take him for lab too. The extra work he does at the beginning is money. Take Horst. Live the dream. Eazy duz it.

Prof cried today.... What a weirdo hahahah get a grip of your life.