PHYS360 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Chandra Turpen PHYS360 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 02/08/2026	The content of the class was somewhat difficult to grasp but Professor Turpen did her best to teach despite this. Sometimes it feels like she goes through the slides a little fast so sometimes it felt as though I didn't have time to take notes and comprehend what she was saying actively so I gave up on the notes at some point. I ended up learning a lot from the textbook and homework so I would say really just do the recommended textbook readings and you will be fine. She is a very nice professor and she grades pretty leniently and offers a lot of avenues to get help. The class also had 4000 word paper that you would have checkpoints for throughout the semester and I would highly recommend not putting that off til the last minute. She is pretty lenient with the grading of the paper and offers detailed inputs during the checkpoints.
Chandra Turpen PHYS360 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 01/21/2026	As someone with a strong understanding of quantum optics and communication this class was the bane of my existence. The professor trys i will give her that but the material just didnt make sense to me. I am in an actual quantum lab and physically apply this knowledge day to day but I almost failed this class. The material is presented in a very specfiic way and your understanding of it has to be aligned exactly to that. This class dosent represent your knowledge of quantum mechanics but rather how well u can sit in class listen and memorize the content. Attendance is mandatory which is something else to consider. Homework every week and some of them take HOURS. the tas are helpful btu theres only so much they can do. Most of the class is cs majors so a lot of times the content was tailored that way. would not recommend this class so tedious and so much work for little gain.
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.

Chandra Turpen
PHYS360

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
02/08/2026

The content of the class was somewhat difficult to grasp but Professor Turpen did her best to teach despite this. Sometimes it feels like she goes through the slides a little fast so sometimes it felt as though I didn't have time to take notes and comprehend what she was saying actively so I gave up on the notes at some point. I ended up learning a lot from the textbook and homework so I would say really just do the recommended textbook readings and you will be fine. She is a very nice professor and she grades pretty leniently and offers a lot of avenues to get help. The class also had 4000 word paper that you would have checkpoints for throughout the semester and I would highly recommend not putting that off til the last minute. She is pretty lenient with the grading of the paper and offers detailed inputs during the checkpoints.

Chandra Turpen
PHYS360

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
01/21/2026

As someone with a strong understanding of quantum optics and communication this class was the bane of my existence. The professor trys i will give her that but the material just didnt make sense to me. I am in an actual quantum lab and physically apply this knowledge day to day but I almost failed this class. The material is presented in a very specfiic way and your understanding of it has to be aligned exactly to that. This class dosent represent your knowledge of quantum mechanics but rather how well u can sit in class listen and memorize the content. Attendance is mandatory which is something else to consider. Homework every week and some of them take HOURS. the tas are helpful btu theres only so much they can do. Most of the class is cs majors so a lot of times the content was tailored that way. would not recommend this class so tedious and so much work for little gain.

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.

Reviews for PHYS360