Sungar, Nilgun  

Physics

3.14/4.00

53 evaluations


PHYS 121


Freshman
N/A
Elective
Nov 2001
Do not take this teacher. She ripps into you if you make the slightest mistake and looks down apon you for the rest of the quarter, thats what happened to me. If you like getting belittled for the slightest reason, getting marked off more than others for the same mistakes, or yelled at in front of the class for no reason at all, then take a class of hers! Go to her all her lectures/labs, because they will be helpful in her weekly quizes.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Major)
Nov 2001
Professor Sungar is an excellent lecturer. She explains material very clearly. I still have a little trouble with her weekly quizzes. For some reason I get low scores in her class, yet I understand all of the material. Sometimes two hours of her can be a little much. The TA's are great too. I like asking the TAs questions more than I like asking her because she has a way of making you feel bad for not knowing what is going on sometimes. I would recommend her as a teacher to anyone.


Junior
B
Required (Support)
Nov 2002
Dr. Sungar would make an excellent kindergarten teacher, because she lectures in this high-pitched whiny voice that sounds like every sentence is a question. It's the driving force making her class unbearable. The other factors would be her condescending attitude toward those actually asking questions (or God forbid struggling), her inability to clearly answer those questions, and her tests which are not during class hours. Ours were usually on Thursday nights from 7-9 pm. This may be a Physics Department policy; I don't know I'm not a Physics major. Also, I took a combined lecture/lab...DON'T! It is an aweful format!


Senior
C
Required (Major)
Dec 2002
Professor Sungar is the worst. She barely speaks english and is not personable. I was always in her office asking for help and she was always rude and almost irritated with me. She also has a poor time relating beginning physics to people because she usually teaches higher level physics classes. Bad teacher, don't take her


Sophomore
N/A
Required (Support)
Feb 2003
I'm in the middle of 121 this quarter and I'm not impressed with Prof. Sungar. We don't go over the homework and the lecture problems are hard to follow. I learn everything from the book and the homework help she puts online. She just doesn't clairfy the concepts clearly or review them to make sure we have a clear understanding.


Junior
B
Elective
Mar 2005
She is very hard to follow during lectures. At first she gives you tons of sample problems which she says are like her quizzes... not at all. Honestly I learned more from the book then what she lectured. She also has favorites and if you are not one... dont expect extra help from her. Unless you like to kiss butt you are better off taking someone else. And she is so picky on her quizzes and tests... even if you make a small calculation error you miss so many points.


Junior
N/A
Required (Support)
May 2005
Professor Sungar is a great professor. Her lecture is very straightforward and all her quizzes and midterms come straight from the homework. I have no idea where these complaints about her come from. Americans like to base their own incapability to work on teachers simply because they are foreign. If you really think you didn't do well in the class because she has an accent maybe you should do the reading she assigns and get some culture. 121 is elementary physics-a freshman in high school could do this kind of stuff-it's pure logic. (and I'm an ag major so i'm not a math genius or anything) Sungar oversimplifies it in case you cannot grasp the concept- she wants everyone to do well and she will put as much effort into it as you do.


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Nov 2005
She makes easy problems way more complicated than they really are. Everytime you ask her a question she will accuse you of not doing the homework or reading the book. The grading is fair and the homework is very reasonable, but I found her extremely unlikable.


Senior
A
Elective
Nov 2007
I think that prof. Sungar is an excellent teacher and presents the materials superbly! This has been the best class that I have taken so far and if you can, TAKE THIS CLASS!!!


Sophomore
N/A
Required (Support)
Nov 2014
I've never taken Physics and I think I was lucky in getting this professor. The class was a bit difficult for me but Professor Sungar is a really sweet lady and she is willing to help you during office hours. The quizzes are really straightforward and they cover the lecture and the homework. DO THE HW! It will help you, trust me. She is very fair with her grading and gives you partial credit even if yours answer is wrong. She definitely wants us to succeed and she drops the lowest quiz, which is super helpful. I recommend taking Physics with this professor.


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Dec 2014
Professor Sungar is amazing. I loved going to her class because she made physics really interesting and not stressful at all. She is a very sweet lady that wants her students to succeed, so she's always asking people if they understand the material and telling them to ask her questions. I managed to get an A despite not really doing the homework generally, but I would definitely recommend doing it anyway. Her lectures were taught in a way that allowed me to retain the information very well. I would recommend this professor, absolutely.


Junior
C
Required (Support)
Dec 2014
I have never met a professor who wants his/her students to succeed to strongly as Professor Sungar does. She takes the time to assess personal issues and accommodate those as best as she can. In lecture, she's extremely straightforward with the material and her examples, even bringing in tools to help us visualize concepts. I would 100% recommend taking Professor Sungar, given the opportunity.


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Mar 2015
Sungar is one of the best physics professors, she makes everything absolutely easy and clearly explains the material. She is so nice and approachable, and wants everyone to be successful in the class.


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Jun 2015
She is a good professor. Quizzes each week there are directly from the HW. Midterms are fair and she is a fair grader. Only unreasonable thing is that the final is 35% of your grade and the last two weeks consist of relatively difficult material compared to the first 8 weeks. So the pressure is on at the end. But do the homework and study for the tests and you'll do well.


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Mar 2016
best math/science professor i've ever had. she is so straightforward with what she expects from you as a student, what will be on quizzes/tests, etc. she wants you to do well and is always willing to answer questions / make time for you at office hours. easy A if you do all the homework and study often.


Sophomore
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2016
Let me start out by saying I was quite possibly the WORST student the quarter I took this class. I showed up the first two days of class, for both the midterms, and 3 out of the 7 quizzes Sungar gave. And yes, ditching class paid off: I got a D on both midterms. Come the weekend before our final, I sat down and did every single suggested problem and retook all the quizzes, exams and practice exams (she posts the solutions to problems, quizzes and exams online). I spoke with Sungar and she said she'd pass me if I passed the class. Not only did she pass me, but I guess I did so well on the final she gave me a B-. It was NOT easy teaching myself everything the weekend before the final and I do NOT recommend it. Had I attended lecture and done the suggested problems when they were assigned, I could have easily gotten an A. Put in the work, do the suggested problems, and just make sure you UNDERSTAND the material. She doesn't entertain the thought of trick questions for a second - she wants her students to pass. Sungar rewarded my knowledge and did not punish me for my attendance. My advice: go to class, do the suggested problems when they are assigned, do them AGAIN before the midterm, and ONCE MORE before the final. (There isn't a ridiculous number of problems, it's very doable.) Make sure you understand the material from the last two weeks of lecture as well. Also, do the Think-About-It problems in the textbook from the reading (answers are in the back of the chapter). Some of her conceptual questions on the exams are like those. I've already written a novel so here's some more stuff: unlike most physics teachers, she doesn't give you a flashcard to write notes on, but prepares an equation sheet FOR you. Normally it's really helpful to write down examples on those flashcards but that's not possible in her class - honestly, though, you learn a lot more like this and I'm sure it'll pay off in later classes in the series.


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Nov 2016
Absolutely amazing professor. She explained the material very clearly and was willing to help students when they reached out to her. She wants her students to succeed! You just have to put in the work to earn a good grade. Best physics professor in my opinion!

PHYS 122


Sophomore
N/A
Required (Support)
Dec 2004
Sungar tends to present the information unclearly, jumping around the chapters and sections, causing tons of confusion. And don't bother asking questions, she will just confuse you more and most often doesn't even relate her answer to what you were asking, going off on another fun filled tangent. She also speeds through each section, her main goal is to throw tons info onto the board in time for the lab. Her grading is equally rediculous. Her midterms are only out of 40 points (4 questions) so if you miss a couple points from each question, you've got yourself a C (And trust me, everyone misses more than a couple of points because her grading is harsh). Overall, her teaching skills are far below average one could say; she presents herself as if she hates her job and all the students she comes across. Also, she speaks very loud at this horrific pitch that you can hear clearly at the opposide side of the building, not pleasant to sit through 3 days out of the week. Basically, I learned more reading from the book than sitting through her misguiding lectures.


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Mar 2006
good teacher. hard lab grader kind of but not really. presents the material well and is real laid back. try to get her!


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Mar 2006
Took me a week to get used to the accent, pretty good teacher though. I underestimated the final and ended up getting a "B" in the class, but it's not too hard.


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Mar 2006
Good teacher. Easy class. Homework isn't collected which is nice, and the midterms were really really easy, basically just problems from the homework, or even example problems she did on the board. Watch out for the final though; it was tough. I spent the entire three hours on it and was afraid I was going to get a "B" in the class when I finally finished. Other than that though, I would recommend taking this teacher.


Junior
C
Required (Support)
May 2006
sungar is a very kind lady who is very helpful during office hours. she gives quizes once a week which are pretty easy. the tests are not too bad, you just have to make sure you understand the concepts. if you do bad on the midterms, you can get an A in the class still if you get an A on the final. she is a fair grader and makes this class as pleasant as possible.

PHYS 123


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Mar 2011
Her experience in teaching the class shows as she makes it easy to digest all the concepts you need to know for the quarter. She's also definitely one of the coolest and nicest teachers I've had at Poly so far. Very willing to help during office hours and makes class pretty fun. She's great at laying out what's important to know and she's not one of those teachers that seems to be out to get you. Take her if you have the chance! Also, if someone's cell phone goes off, she makes them brings cookies to class. Who doesn't like free cookies?!


Senior
N/A
Required (Major)
May 2011
Quizzes every Friday which are either from example questions in class or homework problems she assigns. 1 Midterm which is exactly on what she teaches you.. no tricks! Her accent is entertaining in class and she is an extremely nice lady! Take her for physics if you have the option


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Dec 2015
I would recommend taking Dr. Sungar for both lab and lecture! She was great. She was clear and organized in her objectives, graded fairly, and recognizes that the students taking this class are Bio majors, and therefore many have not been exposed to the material before. She gives a very precise overview of the topic making sure to integrate real life examples, fun simulations, and activites/jokes to keep students interested, and she made sure to stay true to the lecture and homework while constructing the exam. To get an A, it takes effort, but honestly, as long as you're understanding the lecture notes and the mechanisms of every homework question, then you're golden!


Senior
N/A
Required (Support)
Apr 2018
I only had her for lab but she was very, very particular about the way things are done and problems are solved. I once had the correct equation for something and thought we needed to two equations so I manipulated the equation (ie. x = y + z -> z = x - y ) and she was baffled where I had gotten the second equation and proceeded to explain the entire concept to me even though I clearly knew what it was I had just manipulated it....... She is a nice lady and will help but every time I was helped it was over the top and usually made me feel dumb because she treats you like you have no idea what you're referring to.

PHYS 131


Freshman
N/A
Required (Major)
Aug 2001
She's a very nice lady with a delightful accent who cares about her students. Sometimes her examples on the board begin to look like huge jumbles of physics variables. I got a 5 on the AP Physics exam (darn records office won't give me credit), and even I can't follow her examples on basic 2d projectile motion sometimes. I haven't been to office hours yet though, so I'm just rating her on her lectures.


Freshman
B
Required (Major)
Aug 2001
Sungar is an excellent teacher. Her homework is assigned at the beginning of the quarter and is collected weekly. Very important to do the problems like she demonstrated in class. On tests she is a stickler to show your work very thoroughly. Draw free body diagrams even if you feel you don


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Oct 2001
Dr. Sungar is one of the best profs that the Physics department has. Her tests are not that hard if you do the homework and go to her lectures. She has a little accent but it is really easy to get used to. She actually shows you how to do the problems in class, unlike many other Physics profs who send in on your way with absolutely no clue how to do the problems. With this you can use the book as more of a supplement to the course, since it is so horribly written. She is also very good in office hours if have any problems and is very understanding. Her grading is 5% Lab, 10% Homework, 15% Weekly Quizes, 17% Lowest Midterm Score, 23% Highest Midterm Score, and 30% Final. She also curves the grades at he end of the quarter too. So, with all of this, I would recommend Dr. Sungar very highly.


Freshman
A
General Ed
Dec 2002
Professor Sungar is great professor, although it takes a few days to get used to her accent but dont be worried about asking her to repeat something, she doesn't get offended. She always gave a lot information on what would be on the tests and was a fair grader. She also provides an equation sheet for each test. Dont miss lectures and you can get by with out the book.


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Jan 2003
Sungar is really great. Her lectures are very clear and indepth. She covers everything and there is no need to read your book. In fact, I would recomend not reading the book as it will confuse you, she presents the material much better. There is a quiz almost every week with problems straight from the homework (which by the way isn't collected), one midterm, and a final. The tests were fair. I would highly recomend her if you can get her.


Sophomore
A
Required (Support)
Jan 2003
She knows physics and is super nice. I was waiting to see my prof for this quarter and she offered to answer my questions because he wasn't there. If you're having trouble in class, go to office hours, cos she is the best there. The tests aren't bad, they are usually pretty similar to her examples in lectures (which she actually does) and the simpler of the homework problems, and she doesn't make you memorize formulas. She doesn't collect homework, but she gives weekly quizzes that are taken straight from the homework, so do it. I've heard people rip on her for not giving partial credit, but they're dumb and are probably just mad because they didn't do well; she is really fair. I'd take her now but she's not doing 132 this quarter.


Junior
C
Required (Support)
Jan 2003
Sungar is a fair professor. She is very understanding and patient if you are having trouble in the class. She's extremely helpful during office hours so if you are having trouble you shoudl definitely go. She has 1 midterm and quizzes every week the questions were very similar to the hw problems so doing your hw is key. Overall she did a good job of teaching the subject i'd take her for another physics course


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2010
Sungar is straightforward and doesnt pull out any trick questions when it comes to quizzes and midterms. She is able to help out whenever a student has a problem and she presents material clearly.


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Mar 2010
I loved Dr. Sungar!! She is so nice and understands when you are having trouble. Her tests are straight forward and are not tricky. She has Friday quizes and doesn\'t collect hw, but if you don\'t do some of the practice hw problems you will do poorly on the quizes. She is very helpful in office hours and if you show that you care about doing well, she will consider your opinions on how things should be done. I went to office hours a lot and if I told her that I was really worried about understanding a concept in time for a quiz or test, she would either not include it on the test, or would make it easy. The only negative about her is her accent, but after a couple weeks you get used to it.

PHYS 132


Sophomore
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2000
I can't say that Dr. Sungar is one of the best teachers I've had, but she certainly isn't the worst. I took her for studio physics, which I don't recommend. You get easy credit by turning in homework and doing the workbook, but don't wait until the last minute to do so. Her tests reflect mainly what you've covered, but don't expect her lectures to really support anything. If you can put up with a Turkish accent and be willing to accpept that she is wrong the same amount of time as her students then go ahead and take her. She also is stubborn when it comes to grading tests. She doesn't clearly mark the value of a particular part of a problem, so even if you get 90% of the problem done right, that other 10% might count for the majority of the credit. If you're into doing busy work for 30% of your grade then here you go, if not choose another section and possibly another teacher.


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2000
She presents the material thoroughly, although her examples can be hard to understand. If you read the book and understand the homework you should do fine. Beware she gives challenging exams, but thank god she curves.


Freshman
C
Required (Support)
Jan 2003
This woman has an incredible mind. She is smart and knows her subject well. She presents all of the information with painstaking detail, which could be considered good or bad depending on your point of view. She does not grade on pure points. There is no curve, but she looks for improvement. If you flunked the midterm, like me (I am really bad at physics, always have been), but you got a B on the final, like me, she will give you a passing grade. There are quizzes every week but she doesn't collect the homework, so do not fall behind!! All in all, she is great. As a sidenote: if you don't understand English well, be wary of her accent. She speaks it well and you get used to it fast, but it could be hard to understand if you don't understand English well to begin with. However, she has no problems with any questions you may have, including all of the "dumb" ones. She cares about your learning, so if you do as well, then she will be a great prof for you.


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Jun 2003
Professor Sungar is a very fair teacher. She presents the material very well and is very knowledgable. If you like a physics class without alot of tests, but more quizes and homework, then you'll like Sungar. As long as you do the 4-6 homework problems for the week, you'll do fine on the quizes. And the curve on the test brings everyone's grade up quite a bit.


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Jun 2008
Nilgun Sungar is an excellent professor. She covers the material very well and is amazingly helpful during office hours. I'm surprised that she only received a rating of 2.67. It really should be higher. She doesn't pull any trick questions, and most of her test problems are straight and to the point. Take her if you get the chance!

PHYS 141


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Feb 2018
Professor Sungar is great. Literally show up to class and do her homework, and you're basically guaranteed to do well. Her lectures are super clear. She isn't trying to trick you, she wants you to do well. Her tests and quizzes are like the homework. Her curve also helps out everyone in the class.


Freshman
B
Required (Support)
Mar 2018
Overall an okay teacher. She has a fun accent like Gru from Despicable me which makes the class less boring! She will help you if you go into office hours. Her tests are so hard though. The final took almost all of the class the whole 3 hours. Each test I did worst. I don't know if that is because of her teaching but I studied the same way each time. If your required to take this class she is an okay teacher and I think she genuinely wants the students to succeed. I would say go in for help because I never went to office hours and might have gotten an A if I did. But I did really well on all the quizzes which made me think I was going to do well on the test but I didn't so don't be fooled if you are doing well on the quizzes.


Freshman
N/A
Required (Support)
Jun 2018
Professor Sungar is probably the most straightforward professor/teacher I've ever had in the last decade. I took high school physics but it was such a bullshit class that I learned practically nothing. Sungar presents the material very clearly and her exams are exactly like homework problems or examples in class. No curveballs. If you go to class, participate in the examples, solve them with her, and do the homework I would say its hard to get below a B. Surprisingly the class averages for midterms were low (67%)..? One thing that annoys me is how loud she speaks in class but I would still absolutely recommend taking Sungar. I haven't taken the final yet but my midterms averaged to an 85% and she does curve the class (she said 85% or above = A, at least for our last). Grading breakdown I had: 15% hw, 50% 2 midterms, 35% final. If you want a class where you are guaranteed to see problems on the exams that are exactly like examples done in class and in the hw (which really arent't that hard) then take Sungar.


Freshman
A
Required (Support)
Sep 2018
i loved this class with Sungar. She's a really great professor. She's got a pretty strong accent but it was never really a problem for me. She does a good job of covering the topics in the class and has really fair quizzes and tests. I would really recommend her for this class.

PHYS 200


Junior
A
Elective
Apr 2017
Easiest lab ever. Take this lab if you can. All of our quiz questions we already knew and just copied from our lab book. The final was just a repeat of an experiment we've already done. Could not have been an easier 2 units.

PHYS 211


Junior
A
Required (Support)
Jul 2002
Dr. Sungar definitely knows what she is talking about. She is a decent lecturer. Her tests are all written out problems and she gives you a nice equation sheet for everything. There aren't any surprises on the tests, and they are medium in difficulty. Homework is easy most of the time; she throws in a couple hard ones. This class is all about equations, since a real understanding of everything in the class would take longer than just one quarter. The only reason that I didn't like her was that shrill, high pitched voice of her's. When she talks normal in office hours, she is okay, but listening during lecture gave me a headache. Other than that, she is a pretty good professor.


Junior
B
Required (Support)
Dec 2005
Sungar really knows her stuff and does a good job of presenting the material. Her tests were difficult, but not impossible. She collected 3-5 hw problems just about every week with a quiz just about every friday. I would take her again for sure, but thankfully I'm finally done with physics!


Junior
A
Required (Support)
Jan 2006
Prof Sungar seems to have taught this course quite a few times, and it shows. The class is terrible boring since she herself is bored with the material. She goes through the motions without really adding new insight to the material. Sadly, some of her comments about quantum mechanics were wrong; watch out! Trust the textbook not what she says on class.The class is easy since the tests are homework problems or problems solved during class.


Sophomore
N/A
Required (Support)
Mar 2012
Dr Sungar is a good teacher for this course. There are quizzes every week which is based on the homework and what she has gone over in class. There is also 1 midterm and the final. The midterm is on what she teaches you and what's on the homework. and it is pretty straightforward. Overall, she is a little too strict on grading especially for the midterm, but what teacher isn't.


Sophomore
C
Required (Support)
Mar 2012
I imagine she was one of the best teachers possible for 211, but she spends about half the class time deriving...and deriving...and deriving. If that helps you great. if it doesn't, sucks to be you. Hard midterm. If you can do the HW, you can do the quizes. For some reason she curved the final down so that a B- was a C+ and so on. This was especially frustrating when she told us we would receive the grade on the final, as a final grade IF it would helped us. She was helpful in office hours.


Junior
C
Required (Support)
Mar 2015
Sungar is a great professor. She has homework due weekly and a quiz weekly with 1 midterm and 1 final. The homework is generally okay, but it get quite difficult towards the end of the quarter, but the information gets much more difficult as well. She shows a lot of PHET tutorials which was very helpful. He quizzes were so-so for me. Some were much easier than others. The midterm was also very fair, but KNOW THE EXPERIMENTS! It's easy points if you get them, but lots of points lost if you don't. The final was also fair, but there were a few tough ones in there for me, but overall Professor Nilgun did a great job teaching a rather abstract concepts (potential wells and the dreaded Schrodinger equation come to mind). I didn't give her a perfect rating because I felt we really rushed through the last few topics. Those topics are rather dry and frankly quite abstract so it made it harder to learn. I'm not sure if that's because I was done with school come dead week, but it got tough. Good, fair professor. I can't ask for more from our Physics Department.

PHYS 322


Senior
C
Required (Support)
Mar 2016
Professor Sungar does a great job of presenting this course's material. She makes good use of worked examples, live demos, simulations, and videos of professors research. She also does a good job of answering students' questions. The grading was fair and both the homework and exams being manageable. My low grade was a result of me not investing the time in this course. Overall, I definitely recommend Professor Sungar.

PHYS 405


Senior
A
Required (Major)
Jul 2002
Dr. Sungar is by far one of the most cherished professors I have been able to learn from during my time at Poly. Her lecture style is clear, organized, and well-structured. It never ceases to amaze me just how much she cares for her students and how much she truly wants them to succeed, whether it is a lower division physics course or a course that only majors will take with a name like Quantum Mechanics. If one thing can be said about Dr. Sungar's courses it's that they are fair. There are no surprises in what she expects, learn the material and you will do well. If you are having trouble, she is excellent in office hours. Besides being a wonderful teacher, she has an adorable accent, which may make it hard for some students, but its pretty easy to get around. Take a course from her!