Reviews for PHYS360

Information Review
Chandra Turpen
PHYS360

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/26/2025
She's very nice and understanding. She really holds your hand during class, so it never becomes overwhelming. The homework and exams were relatively easy. Things ramped up near the end of the semester, but it was still very manageable. If you're interested, I would highly recommend the class. Also, this class is more aligned with topics in quantum information and computing compared to straight quantum mechanics.
Chandra Turpen
PHYS360

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/08/2025
The Class: PHYS360 as a whole is not hard. It always seems like a lot, and it sounds insane to others that you're taking "quantum mechanics", but the course is actually fairly easy. For the exam portion of the class, it's essentially just linear algebra, but the only random "why do I need this" thing that carries over is Hamiltonians, meaning the math is easy if you've taken MATH240. PHYS360 also has a paper project portion of the class, in which you need to make a 3000-word paper on some quantum topic (of your choosing), so make sure you're prepared for that. Furthermore, make sure your topic actually has research done on it, since you don't want to be the odd man out writing a paper on something that you thought was interesting from twitter or whatever. Other than that, while it's not a free A, you can expect to get good grades in the course. Lectures are nice since Turpen wants to engage you in them. As such, she implements Slido questions, which are simple clicker questions that gauge your understanding of the concept (in which the questions range from basic addition to seeing if you have any previous knowledge on a new topic). The class also holds "Group Problem-Solving Sessions", which are essentially GSS or group office hours two times a week. They're not crucial in any way, but will definitely help on exams, and if you don't understand a topic. There's assigned homework (called "Problem Sets") every week or so. These questions are typically the hardest questions you have to do, but are (usually) not hard in their own right. If you're planning on turning one in late, Turpen gives you one "no-questions-asked" extension (which varies depending on when the problem set is due). The Professor: Professor Turpen is fantastic, to say the least. She's exceptionally helpful and understanding, to the point where any problem you have can be communicated and rectified as soon as possible. She knows that PHYS360 is new and that there's not much you can really review, so she makes the exams easier and gives out study packets during lecture to help students. She's very lenient on extending due dates for the class (i.e., the due date for the paper draft was extended nearly a week due to midterms), and typically gives grace periods where you can submit somewhat late. Furthermore, she wants you to get as high a grade as possible, allowing for revisions for exams and problem sets. If you didn't do too well on an exam or homework, both she and the TAs will mark a question as eligible for regrade. To get this regrade, you can present your original solution, revised solution, and reflections. If the regrade is good, then they will give you at least half of the points you missed back, which allows you to raise an exam grade from a low C to a solid B, for example. Overall, Turpen goes out of her way to make the course as enjoyable as she can for students.