Hallock, Brent  

Dr. Hallock was is the best teacher I have had at Cal Poly. His lectures are awesome and he makes you want to come to class. His tests and grading policy are fair so if you put the effort into in class you will get a lot out if it. Take him for this class !!!

He is a great guy. He makes a completely boring course pretty interesting. Always getting everyone involved, he is one of my favorite professors at Poly. If you don't do well at math, then take him for lab too. He still says hello when he sees me around campus, and tries to get to know his students. TAKE HIS CLASS!!!

This guy is the best. His lectures are so interesting. The tests were really hard. There was some homework and quizzes. Take this guy for lab, he is the easiet to understand and he doesn't test you on the math.

Hallock's the man! He makes the subject come alive with his enthusiasm and knowledge. Tests are hard but reasonable. I looked forward to his class. If you need to take SS 121, make sure you take Hallock.

For anyone who has to take introductory soil science for any reason, take both lecture and lab with Dr. Hallock. I would look forward to his class every day, even though it consisted of difficult information to understand. He is very helpful as a lecture and lab teacher and is a very friendly and fun (but unpredictable) teacher. His tests can be difficult, but generally his study sessions before the tests are very helpful. Go to his office hours and study sessions if you want to do well in the class. Good luck!

This is a hard class at Poly, but if you have to take it, Hallock will make the experience worthwhile. Anyone you get for this class will be difficult, but I really enjoyed Hallock's teaching style. He's kinda funny, pretty laid back, and provides ways for students to get through the class reletively painlessly. I wasnt to fired up about dirt going into the class, and i learned way more than I ever wanted to know, but he teaches in a way that kept me interested. I suggest getting him for lab too, the things he does in lab is directly related to material in class, other lab teachers waste time with other stuff, Hallock knows what he wants you to know. He cares about his students, and if you put the time in, he gives you the oportunity to tell him what you know. His midterms are challenging, but fair. I would take him befor any of the other ss professors.

Excellent professor. In addition to teaching you the course curriculum, he also gives you a lot of extra information that is much more practical as well as interesting. He has a lot of experience with soils and he's well prepared to share what he's seen and learned. He's also very friendly and cracks a lot of jokes.

And I quote Mr. T: "I pity the foo' who don't take Hallock." Crash to get in, or whatever. Sure I learned more about soil then I ever wanted to, but I'll take it as a good thing. I've heard this class is difficult, but I find that hard to believe. Class stays interesting. Tests are fair for the most part. Pretty easy A. After taking Bio 151 I'd say this class is much more relaxed, and carries a better environment for learning. The guy has a varied and amazing knowledge of "stuff," some of it relevant to the course and some of it relevant to err.. well something I'm sure. Ask him about tips on how to buy a good bottle of tequila- now there's something that came in handy this past Spring Break. Props to Hallock, take the class.

Hallock is the bomb. He makes everything very clear, great with questions, and is highly entertaining. he knows how to take boring stuff, and apply it to relevent information to make it interesting.

Dr. Hallock is an amazing, excited teacher. He does many soils related research projects and is very knowledgable in his lectures. His excitment helps him to be a great teacher. I never fell asleep in his class.

Dr. Hallock makes soils very intresting and fun. He's knows a lot about the subject, and is good at getting his point across. Take Hallock.

Good teacher. He's energetic, cares about students and puts in the effort to teach because I think he enjoys it. That's the most important thing a teacher can do. Qualify everything he says though. One thing I found frustrating is that he seems to say things without knowing all of the facts. Other times he makes statements that are absolutely wrong. It doesn't seem like much, but now I work and have made inaccurate statements because I repeated something I learned in his classes.

He's great. GO TO CLASS! Don't miss labs, and if you do MAKE THEM UP!!

Dr. Hallock was awesome, the only downfall i had in the class is that it was at 7:40 in the morning. It was hard trying to get to class, but it wasnt hard trying to stay awake in class. Hallock taught in manner which you can relate to, he's an excellent teacher, but there's just alot of material. advice: dont slack off at all in this class, not at any point. once you do, youre screwed 'cause everything builds upon one another. Lab was the hard part for me, also with trying to get there, but some of it was just hard to understand. GOOD LUCK with SS 121! The SI class really helped, but you need to at least go to it!

At first I wasn't to sure about Hallock because he missed a couple classes in a row and had student teachers filling in. After the first couple weeks he was there all the time and was amazing! He explains everything perfectly and helps out his students. I am so lucky that I was able to get Hallock as a teacher....take a priority or crash or whatever you have to do to get him. He is the only teacher that can teach SS 121 well...and I am not the only one that thinks this!

Hallock seems more interested in his consulting work and department chair job than in teaching. He missed a lot of classes but had some grad. studnets teach for him. He asks the class to submit test questions and then makes up his test from them. He tells a lot of good stories but they are not really about the subject. take him for an easy grade but take another prof. to really learn more about soils.

Hallock has to be the best teacher at Cal Poly! I loved his class... if you take soil science with him you will learn practical things that will make you view the world differently, where as other teachers make you do dimensional analysis in class etc. The midterms are easy as long as you study. It was fun and entertaining...don't take soil science with ANYONE ELSE!!!!!!!

Great lecturer! He makes lectures very interesting by incorporating interesting stories and real life examples. He makes things very clear and easy to understand and remember. He assigns a few homework assignments (make sure to use PEN or type!) He also gives pretty easy quizzes which improves grades. Some are group quizzes. He gave us a few Fridays off. If you have >90% in lab and lecture combined right before the final you do not have to take the final! I would recommend taking the supplemental course just because it is good practice and really cements the material so you can remember for the tests. Possibly my favorite professor!

Hallock is an awesome person but he seems to not really present the material so you understand well enough to get an A IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE SS THEN MAKE SURE YOU GET HALLOCK i had started to take it with Rice and let me tell you are going to have to teach yourself SS because he wont teach you a thing so TAKE HALLOCK

Hallock is a great professor. Unlike a lot of professors at Cal Poly he has had some real experiences in the field and really knows how to apply the material. Sometimes he gets carried away with stories and will just tell them the whole lecture but if you don't mind that you will enjoy his class. He gives 3 midterms, a couple quizzes (unannounced so you have to go to class every day) and the final. All of his old midterms are in the MAP center and help a lot for studying! Use them if you want to get an A. By far the best ss 121 teacher out there! Make sure you take him if you have to take 121

He is the best teacher for this class. The class does suck but he is such an amazing teacher and person. Try and get him for lab i didnt which really sucked. You learn alot about him and his family which is cool. Love the guy dont take annnyone else for this class!!!!

Dr. Hallock made both my plants and I happier. If quality is your concern this guy will teach you the concepts to get that shit extra sticky.

This class was a lot of work, but in the end it was totally worth it. It gives you a new perspective on everything around you. Hallocks tests are definately hard though, and his multiple choice questions on the mid-terms are killer. They are the kind of questions where all the answers could be correct you just have to pick the most correct one... lame. On the bright side though he gives you super easy homework like coloring maps and stuff. He also gives you these in class quizes which are worth a pretty big chunk of your grade, but he basically tells you the answers to the questions. Go to class and read the text and you will be fine.

This guy is the man. He will have a review session before every midterm and as for the random pop quizzes he pretty much spoon feeds you the answers the only downside about him is on word problems he is a hard grader ,but aside from that he's easily the best teacher i've had at poly.

Hallock is a wonderful soils teacher. I had Raio for lab and he made me hate soils, but Hallock really made me get interested and care about the subject. If you want to learn about soils (and actually be excited about it) and learn about his quirky coffee addiction and family then take Hallock! He is a hard grader but stick it out because you learn so much. I would recommend going to the study groups outside of class if you want any chance of getting an A/B. His in-class quizzes are pretty much giveaways aka he gives you the answers not-so-subtely and they're random so go to class everyday. Stay on top of the few hw assignments and quizzes because those definitely cushion your grade and the 30pt last hw assignment will lift your grade about 13% (I went from 71% to 84% before the final)so 5pt quizzes def. add up.

Dr. Hallock is such a great guy!!! This has been one of my favorite classes at Cal Poly and he's been my favorite teacher by far. Totally knows what he's talking about, extremely personable, humble, friendly and just an awesome person. This is a very tough class though! You have to study your butt off and If you can, I highly suggest taking Hallock for lab as well!!!!!!!!!!!

Hallock is a pretty awesome teacher. He makes class really fun and spends a lot of time talking about his life and family, but relates most of it to course work. He gives a couple of quizzes that you can't make up if you aren't in class, but they are the easiest 5 points you could ask for.

Dr. Hallock was an awesome guy. He presents the material as simple as he can and allows for lots of questions to be asked. He's makes lectures as interesting as they can be for studying soil and always throws in some stories or random tangents to keep the class entertaining. If you have a 90% or higher going in to the final (lab and lecture grade combined), you don't have to take it and gives you an A. Over good guy and definitely would take him again.

Hallock was an awesome professor and I'm really glad I took soil science with him. I had heard all these horror stories about soil science and how bad of a class it was, but I didn't really mind it at all. To be honest I kind of liked it and found a lot of the stuff we learned about to be really interesting. He is a super nice guy and likes to keep class interesting by telling stories about his travels and family. I always felt comfortable asking questions and he always provided a helpful answer. Try to take him for both lecture and lab if you can. You'll get to know him better and it makes labs easier. Also, if you have a 90% or better by the time of the final you get an automatic A in the class.

Hallock is a great teacher. He made Soil Science interesting. I strongly recommend you take his class.

Dr. Hallocks class is enjoyable and informative. The material is difficult and generally hard to comprehend but Dr. Hallock makes an honest effort to clarify the information and make it absorbable. The study sessions are extremely helpful and I know had I regularly attended I could have easily received a grade or two higher. He is most certainly a great teacher and genuinely interested in the success of his students. He also regularly includes personal stories in his lectures which greatly enhance understanding of practical applications which is his primary goal for his students.

Dr. Hallock is one of the best teachers at Cal Poly which is all that needs to be said.

202 is required and the info was good. Dr. Hallock talked toooooo much about stuff unrelated to the course and sometimes wasted my time. He rubs up and hugs some fav girls but they seem to enjoy the attention. Overall especially easy if your show some legs and T. Fun and easy course...no less than B!

Very nice guy. Easiest A in my 9 years of college. But, dont take this class if you want to learn about range management...because you dont learn diddley squat. The course needs to be completely revamped and made applicable. But if you want an A, no homework, maybe 1 test, and a piece of cake project...take this watered down "class". Now you know, and knowin is half the battle.

This is my second class with Dr. Hallock and I'm amazed how much he has turned me on to soils. If I had to sum him up with one word it would be "enthusiastic." Dr. Hallock loves soil science, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Tests are challenging; he wants you to put together everything you've learned and really think. He's fair, though; it's not too hard to get a decent grade with a decent effort. Hallock's one of the best profs at Poly.

Guy knows everything about soil morphology. Can not think of one time I went to him with a question that took him longer than two seconds to answer. I have to say at first I was intimidated by his outline of the class, I really did not think I could pass. I ended up getting an A but I cant really say I studied a lot. The class labs are all outdoors going to sites and studying the soil properties, when you go to these you have to be involved in the interpretations and know why things are the way they are. That being said, no one knows anything when you first go out and Hallock guides you all the way. Over the weeks he slowly starts letting you figure stuff out on your own, and by the 5th or 6th week people have a good understanding of the soil properties, the rest of the class is fine tuning your methods. Class is two lecture midterms, one lab midterm, one lab final, and a final paper. Hallock guides you the whole way and I ended up learning a lot, he really turned me on to soil science. I definitely recommend this teacher.

Hallock spends too much time rambling on about non-relevant personal information and often wasted our time in lecture. also, he should tell disruptive students to be quiet. Change the course to add more field time where we actually learn how to describe soils. He's a nice person, but should upgrade this course.

Hallock is a nice guy who cares about students learning. Lecture could go faster and dragged at times. He needs to shut up mouthy students in class. I liked the field lab better than lecture; they need to be better coordinated. Soem of the lecture material was presented late in the quarter after the lab was over. I think it's best to have the same person for both lec. and lab classes.

Dr. Hallock focuses SS 321 more towards land management than soil morphology. This is great for non soil science majors. However, he skips many topics in pedology that should be covered in greater detail to be prepared for higher soil science classes. He is very approachable and willing to deal with individual student needs.

Hallock is awesome! The project at the end of the class was a waste of time but otherwise, this was a great class. Easy tests and easy grading. Show up to class everyday and you're set.

Hallock spends more time talking about his family and the car his wife bought than teaching us graduate level soil science information. Take his class for an easy "A", but don't expect to learn anything new about soils or professional level consulting work.

What else is there to say? Fine person, nothing interesting. Class was meh... Blah, blah, blah... Fine person.