Drew Baden | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/28/2025	Baden was a great professor. His lectures were engaging and he really cared about us learning and understanding the physics and being able to apply it. He almost always threw in some physics history or a practical application into lectures which I felt made lectures much more interesting. His lectures often started with the first 10-15 minutes being a review of the previous class which personally I enjoyed because it felt like I was really cementing my knowledge, but many of my friends would say that was why the lectures were boring like many of these reviews say. The homework was pretty straightforward and all the questions from the homework became the midterm questions which became the final questions. One midterm is dropped and the class is fully curved so the only way to know what your grade looks like is to look at how well you did compared to the average. The class is set up for you to do well in and is pretty manageable.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/28/2025	I honestly have no idea why his score was so high. I feel like the way he structured the class was fairly disorganized at best and completely messy at worst. a) The homework felt "too easy" in a sense, to the point that I felt like I wasn't adequately prepared for the exams when going in. Not only that, but the exams were COMPLETELY multiple choice, which completely threw me off as someone who is used to having free-response physics exam for the bulk of my academic career. He gave no practice exams, nor did he indicate what the exams were going to be like. b) His lecture style can be very boring at times, and I sometimes felt like he was just giving us fun facts rather than actually teaching the course material. He shows that he is passionate about physics and what he teaches, but it doesn't translate well into what I actually needed to understand for his class. c) He has a very strange grading system where he normalizes the average grade, which basically means that he can curve you down! For me and a lot of my peers, he dropped us from two whole sign grades (those expecting a B got a C+, and those expecting a B- got a C), and it felt quite unexpected.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting a C+ Anonymous 05/28/2025	Pretty easy professor and class I just didn't really study. My final grade was an 81% and ended with a C+ because of the weird grading that he does which was annoying. But the tests were multiple choice and you get a cheat sheet - 5 for the final which was insane. Lecture kind of sucked I only stuck it out the first half of the semester, but the online textbook helped a lot to understand the harder concepts but really all you need is to understand the homeworks. The first test was very easy - 85% average. The second test was insane around 50% average you need to actually understand everything fully. The third test was fine with around a 75% average, the final was also easy pulling directly from the midtems almost completely with another high % average. Recommend him over Skuja for sure there are no quizzes with Baden unlike Skuja and the tests are much easier.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/25/2025	He is a good professor and wants you to do really well. Sometimes the lectures seem to go into a physics rabbit hole, so if you look at the textbook and go to TA office hours it really helps. Take note of the ExpertTA problems, since they are the main makeup of the exams, and the final was a mix of previous exam problems. His OH are also really helpful, and he can really help clear up a topic. Only thing that was a bit annoying is the grading, since you don't know what you grade is until the very end bc of curves etc, but that might be a department thing. Besides that, he did a fantastic job with the class.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/24/2025	Baden is a good professor - he’s funny, and his lectures are way more interesting than other physics classes I’ve been in. He goes into some of the practical applications of the topics we learn, as well as some of the history. The downside to that is that it’s less exam-focused, which makes studying harder. Although his exams are generally difficult, they’re multiple choice and taken straight from ExpertTA, so you know exactly what will be on them. Generally an enjoyable class!
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/23/2025	I started off the semester by going to Baden's lectures, but they progressively got more and more boring. I got through the class by doing the homework and learning from that. The exams were extremely difficult, as the averages were around 50-60%, but he curves the class so that the average ends up around an 85%. The structure of the course is also very strange, as we cover many topics that don't seem to relate to each other, which makes studying for the final very difficult. The one good thing I can say about Baden is that he applies the physics we learn to engineering, which makes the class somewhat interesting.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/21/2025	Baden is a very interesting professor. His lectures are not bad as he is more concerned about you understanding the material than grades, but because of that he doesn't really help when it comes to preparing for midterms. Likes others have mentioned, the midterms are multiple choice and come straight from ExpertTA, BUT the exams can be annoying at times due to not having adequate time. It is also annoying how it is common for the exams to have typos and sometimes we had to skip some questions that were added by accident (luckily this was not the case for the final). But besides that, he drops the score of the midterm you did the worst on in relation to others which is great. I also enjoyed some of the lectures where he did demonstrations and overall Baden is a nice and funny guy.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/16/2025	Lectures are moderately boring - more interesting than most physics professors, but there's only so much that can be done Class is pretty easy, ALL EXAMS ARE MULTIPLE CHOICE - FINAL INCLUDED. All exams are printouts of the ExpertTA hw, and half the time he doesn't even bother to change the numbers. The final was an exact compilation of the midterms, problems literally copy-pasted right over. All class notes are posted, but his handwriting is pretty messy Mostly taught myself how to solve the hw, copied all the equations I used and did fine on all the exams Nice guy in general
Drew Baden PHYS270 Anonymous 05/16/2025	Boring lecture don't know your actual grade in the class at all since its curved multiple choice exams that are the same as the HW drops lowest midterm grade final was the midterms and hw together in one fat packet exams are a time crunch and you dont get partial credit since its multiple choice and you also dont get credit for the correct answer if you didnt show any work what Baden lacks in lecturing skills he makes up for with off-handed comments and jokes in class and easy exams
Drew Baden PHYS270 Anonymous 05/16/2025	There are 2 factors I would consider when taking Baden 1) He is a very boring lecturer and his lectures are incoherent and he just talks to himself while writing on the board. He doesn't explain what the equations he writes are called or even what they are used for in general. I honestly stopped going to lecture and really just learned the material and equations from the HW. 2) His exams are LITERALLY MADE BY EXPERTTA (the hw software). The exams are multiple choice, copy paste HW problems which you technically can't put the your double sided equation sheet, but they don't check and also its all just equations so there are ways around that. The exams are curved, the final is curved, hw is curved (only downside to this is that going into finals you literally don't know what you grade in the class is other than how you did in relation to the average on exams). I never knew how to study for his exams other than by redoing the hw and it worked pretty well. The final was 80% copy paste from the 3 midterms we took this semester! TLDR: Baden is a really boring and just bad lecturer, but it's easy to do well (or at least average) in the class by just doing the HW since his multiple choice exams are literally just the HW. Class is very curved.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 05/16/2025	Absolutely amazing lecturer. Most of the classes felt like history lectures.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/16/2025	Best professor ever classes is curved. Final exam is really easy lectures are engaging 10 / 10 would recommend.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/15/2025	His lectures are okay and the few homework assignments he gives are really long. He drops a midterm and his final wasn’t incredibly easy so he gets 5 stars for that
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/10/2025	Very good lecturer and made the class very interesting. His exams are long but are basically the same questions as the homework so its not too hard. He seemed to actually care if we understood the actual physics and really seemed to want us to succeed.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/10/2025	Debated whether to give four or five stars; he's good but not stellar so I'll do four. The main thing I enjoyed about taking Baden was that he seemed more concerned with teaching us the actual physics than he was with teaching us to take the exams. The majority of lecture time is him explaining the physical phenomena behind what we're learning about, rather than just the equations we need to solve the homework, which I really enjoyed. I also didn't mind the multiple choice exams, it was a breath of fresh air compared to Hailu's three question exams where getting one thing wrong tanked your grade.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting a B Anonymous 05/05/2025	Drew Baden is one of the professors of all time. He completely changed the format of midterms from previous semesters by making them all multiple choice. You think that would be easier but no, he just added more questions and still expects you to show all work. Speaking of exams, they are incredibly long for no reason. Unless you know exactly what to do on every single problem, you will probably not sufficiently answer every question. His lectures don't cover what is on the homework. Your supposed to apply what you learned in lecture on the homework except with Baden. You will basically be learning what he covered in lecture on your own and will just have to figure it out on the homework. His lectures are fine but he goes off on tangents sometimes and spends too much time talking about the history of what you're learning instead of doing example problems. In fact, he doesn't even do example problems in lecture. If you want example problems you'll have to go to discussion so pray you get a good TA. That being said, he is significantly better than Skuja but slightly worse than Anson Hook. I would take him again but I'd probably choose Anson Hook over Baden if I had the choice. Baden's saving grace is that only 2/3 midterms will count towards your final grade.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A bermudarhombus 12/16/2023	Excellent lecturer, and a really nice guy. His exams are fair and surprisingly easy. I always had fun going to lecture since he made every concept super interesting.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 11/29/2023	Baden made phys270 a great and enjoyable class to be in, the concepts were never too hard and the exams were very easy but he made sure that we knew the underlying concepts with more depth than was required for the class so we could actually learn them. As a physicist, he emphasized learning these concepts not just to apply them but also to influence how we think (he himself admitted that relativity and quantum mechanics was not something most of us would use anyway, but that it was still important to learn them). His lectures are engaging and interesting, and he could always answer student questions immediately and with great clarity that brought insight to the topics. The only complaint I ever had from his class was that he would consistently go 2-3 minutes over time at the end of class to finish explaining his topic, which is certainly a lot less of a complaint than most professors at UMD. It goes to show how good Baden is that lectures always had very good attendance even though he never really made lecture attendance graded.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/16/2023	A breath of fresh air in the UMD physics department. His exams are well worded, direct and do a good job of fairly assessing whether or not you fully understand the material. He shows a great deal of passion towards engineering and physics concepts, which make the otherwise semi-dull content easier to pay attention to and understand. He makes good jokes, constantly asks students if they have any questions, and is overall a professor who has compassion and an understanding of his students. This course isn't necessarily easy, but with Baden it has been a much smoother ride than in my past Physics courses. My one slight on him is that he rarely, if ever, updates canvas, but he hands back exam grades in class so you will always have a rough estimate of your grade at all times. Overall great guy, great professor and great for his students sanity.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting an A- Anonymous 05/16/2023	The only truly great physics professor at UMD in my (limited) experience. His exams aren't necessarily easy, but they're direct and worded well so that if you understand the proper concepts you will succeed. Helpful guy overall with a keen sense of humor and the passion to make otherwise lackluster content seem interesting enough to learn. Only slight on him is that he doesn't update canvas nearly as much as he should, but otherwise is the best bet by far if you want a good experience in Physics 3.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting a B Anonymous 01/25/2022	Professor Baden is definitely one of my better experiences in the Physics department. He's notably passionate on showing how physics relates to modern applications, and he's a pretty nice guy. His lectures are not the most beneficial, most of them consisting of him deriving expression, but he at least works through stuff instead of reading off of a PowerPoint. My main plus about his course is that his exams were very straightforward (similar format to HW problems), and he and the TA's were fair about partial credit. He also implemented a curve (a bit confusing but I can't really complain) and dropped the lowest exam (3 exams total). Homework was about the same level of difficulty as the other physics pre-reqs, and I used the formulas from it for my exams, which proved to be very helpful. My TA was also very helpful, offering practice problems that covered topics on the homework and exams. Overall, I would recommend this professor, since you will probably have a better experience than many of the other options for this course.
Drew Baden PHYS270 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 12/23/2021	Dr. Baden kept the lectures informative and catered to engineers as opposed to physicists, which made the class, in general, a bit easier. It was his first time teaching the class, and while he did a wonderful job, there were a few confusing aspects. Firstly, he never posted student exams to grades, and just showed a grade distribution which made it harder to ascertain my final grade. This said, the exams were all straightforward with generous partial credit. They got more challenging as there became more concepts to cover in the exam, but a well-studied student could manage this without difficulty. I would highly recommend Dr. Baden if you have the option.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/28/2025

Baden was a great professor. His lectures were engaging and he really cared about us learning and understanding the physics and being able to apply it. He almost always threw in some physics history or a practical application into lectures which I felt made lectures much more interesting. His lectures often started with the first 10-15 minutes being a review of the previous class which personally I enjoyed because it felt like I was really cementing my knowledge, but many of my friends would say that was why the lectures were boring like many of these reviews say. The homework was pretty straightforward and all the questions from the homework became the midterm questions which became the final questions. One midterm is dropped and the class is fully curved so the only way to know what your grade looks like is to look at how well you did compared to the average. The class is set up for you to do well in and is pretty manageable.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/28/2025

I honestly have no idea why his score was so high. I feel like the way he structured the class was fairly disorganized at best and completely messy at worst. a) The homework felt "too easy" in a sense, to the point that I felt like I wasn't adequately prepared for the exams when going in. Not only that, but the exams were COMPLETELY multiple choice, which completely threw me off as someone who is used to having free-response physics exam for the bulk of my academic career. He gave no practice exams, nor did he indicate what the exams were going to be like. b) His lecture style can be very boring at times, and I sometimes felt like he was just giving us fun facts rather than actually teaching the course material. He shows that he is passionate about physics and what he teaches, but it doesn't translate well into what I actually needed to understand for his class. c) He has a very strange grading system where he normalizes the average grade, which basically means that he can curve you down! For me and a lot of my peers, he dropped us from two whole sign grades (those expecting a B got a C+, and those expecting a B- got a C), and it felt quite unexpected.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting a C+
Anonymous
05/28/2025

Pretty easy professor and class I just didn't really study. My final grade was an 81% and ended with a C+ because of the weird grading that he does which was annoying. But the tests were multiple choice and you get a cheat sheet - 5 for the final which was insane. Lecture kind of sucked I only stuck it out the first half of the semester, but the online textbook helped a lot to understand the harder concepts but really all you need is to understand the homeworks. The first test was very easy - 85% average. The second test was insane around 50% average you need to actually understand everything fully. The third test was fine with around a 75% average, the final was also easy pulling directly from the midtems almost completely with another high % average. Recommend him over Skuja for sure there are no quizzes with Baden unlike Skuja and the tests are much easier.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/25/2025

He is a good professor and wants you to do really well. Sometimes the lectures seem to go into a physics rabbit hole, so if you look at the textbook and go to TA office hours it really helps. Take note of the ExpertTA problems, since they are the main makeup of the exams, and the final was a mix of previous exam problems. His OH are also really helpful, and he can really help clear up a topic. Only thing that was a bit annoying is the grading, since you don't know what you grade is until the very end bc of curves etc, but that might be a department thing. Besides that, he did a fantastic job with the class.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/24/2025

Baden is a good professor - he’s funny, and his lectures are way more interesting than other physics classes I’ve been in. He goes into some of the practical applications of the topics we learn, as well as some of the history. The downside to that is that it’s less exam-focused, which makes studying harder. Although his exams are generally difficult, they’re multiple choice and taken straight from ExpertTA, so you know exactly what will be on them. Generally an enjoyable class!

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/23/2025

I started off the semester by going to Baden's lectures, but they progressively got more and more boring. I got through the class by doing the homework and learning from that. The exams were extremely difficult, as the averages were around 50-60%, but he curves the class so that the average ends up around an 85%. The structure of the course is also very strange, as we cover many topics that don't seem to relate to each other, which makes studying for the final very difficult. The one good thing I can say about Baden is that he applies the physics we learn to engineering, which makes the class somewhat interesting.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/21/2025

Baden is a very interesting professor. His lectures are not bad as he is more concerned about you understanding the material than grades, but because of that he doesn't really help when it comes to preparing for midterms. Likes others have mentioned, the midterms are multiple choice and come straight from ExpertTA, BUT the exams can be annoying at times due to not having adequate time. It is also annoying how it is common for the exams to have typos and sometimes we had to skip some questions that were added by accident (luckily this was not the case for the final). But besides that, he drops the score of the midterm you did the worst on in relation to others which is great. I also enjoyed some of the lectures where he did demonstrations and overall Baden is a nice and funny guy.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/16/2025

Lectures are moderately boring - more interesting than most physics professors, but there's only so much that can be done Class is pretty easy, ALL EXAMS ARE MULTIPLE CHOICE - FINAL INCLUDED. All exams are printouts of the ExpertTA hw, and half the time he doesn't even bother to change the numbers. The final was an exact compilation of the midterms, problems literally copy-pasted right over. All class notes are posted, but his handwriting is pretty messy Mostly taught myself how to solve the hw, copied all the equations I used and did fine on all the exams Nice guy in general

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Anonymous
05/16/2025

Boring lecture don't know your actual grade in the class at all since its curved multiple choice exams that are the same as the HW drops lowest midterm grade final was the midterms and hw together in one fat packet exams are a time crunch and you dont get partial credit since its multiple choice and you also dont get credit for the correct answer if you didnt show any work what Baden lacks in lecturing skills he makes up for with off-handed comments and jokes in class and easy exams

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Anonymous
05/16/2025

There are 2 factors I would consider when taking Baden 1) He is a very boring lecturer and his lectures are incoherent and he just talks to himself while writing on the board. He doesn't explain what the equations he writes are called or even what they are used for in general. I honestly stopped going to lecture and really just learned the material and equations from the HW. 2) His exams are LITERALLY MADE BY EXPERTTA (the hw software). The exams are multiple choice, copy paste HW problems which you technically can't put the your double sided equation sheet, but they don't check and also its all just equations so there are ways around that. The exams are curved, the final is curved, hw is curved (only downside to this is that going into finals you literally don't know what you grade in the class is other than how you did in relation to the average on exams). I never knew how to study for his exams other than by redoing the hw and it worked pretty well. The final was 80% copy paste from the 3 midterms we took this semester! TLDR: Baden is a really boring and just bad lecturer, but it's easy to do well (or at least average) in the class by just doing the HW since his multiple choice exams are literally just the HW. Class is very curved.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
05/16/2025

Absolutely amazing lecturer. Most of the classes felt like history lectures.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
05/16/2025

Best professor ever classes is curved. Final exam is really easy lectures are engaging 10 / 10 would recommend.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/15/2025

His lectures are okay and the few homework assignments he gives are really long. He drops a midterm and his final wasn’t incredibly easy so he gets 5 stars for that

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/10/2025

Very good lecturer and made the class very interesting. His exams are long but are basically the same questions as the homework so its not too hard. He seemed to actually care if we understood the actual physics and really seemed to want us to succeed.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/10/2025

Debated whether to give four or five stars; he's good but not stellar so I'll do four. The main thing I enjoyed about taking Baden was that he seemed more concerned with teaching us the actual physics than he was with teaching us to take the exams. The majority of lecture time is him explaining the physical phenomena behind what we're learning about, rather than just the equations we need to solve the homework, which I really enjoyed. I also didn't mind the multiple choice exams, it was a breath of fresh air compared to Hailu's three question exams where getting one thing wrong tanked your grade.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting a B
Anonymous
05/05/2025

Drew Baden is one of the professors of all time. He completely changed the format of midterms from previous semesters by making them all multiple choice. You think that would be easier but no, he just added more questions and still expects you to show all work. Speaking of exams, they are incredibly long for no reason. Unless you know exactly what to do on every single problem, you will probably not sufficiently answer every question. His lectures don't cover what is on the homework. Your supposed to apply what you learned in lecture on the homework except with Baden. You will basically be learning what he covered in lecture on your own and will just have to figure it out on the homework. His lectures are fine but he goes off on tangents sometimes and spends too much time talking about the history of what you're learning instead of doing example problems. In fact, he doesn't even do example problems in lecture. If you want example problems you'll have to go to discussion so pray you get a good TA. That being said, he is significantly better than Skuja but slightly worse than Anson Hook. I would take him again but I'd probably choose Anson Hook over Baden if I had the choice. Baden's saving grace is that only 2/3 midterms will count towards your final grade.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A
bermudarhombus
12/16/2023

Excellent lecturer, and a really nice guy. His exams are fair and surprisingly easy. I always had fun going to lecture since he made every concept super interesting.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
11/29/2023

Baden made phys270 a great and enjoyable class to be in, the concepts were never too hard and the exams were very easy but he made sure that we knew the underlying concepts with more depth than was required for the class so we could actually learn them. As a physicist, he emphasized learning these concepts not just to apply them but also to influence how we think (he himself admitted that relativity and quantum mechanics was not something most of us would use anyway, but that it was still important to learn them). His lectures are engaging and interesting, and he could always answer student questions immediately and with great clarity that brought insight to the topics. The only complaint I ever had from his class was that he would consistently go 2-3 minutes over time at the end of class to finish explaining his topic, which is certainly a lot less of a complaint than most professors at UMD. It goes to show how good Baden is that lectures always had very good attendance even though he never really made lecture attendance graded.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/16/2023

A breath of fresh air in the UMD physics department. His exams are well worded, direct and do a good job of fairly assessing whether or not you fully understand the material. He shows a great deal of passion towards engineering and physics concepts, which make the otherwise semi-dull content easier to pay attention to and understand. He makes good jokes, constantly asks students if they have any questions, and is overall a professor who has compassion and an understanding of his students. This course isn't necessarily easy, but with Baden it has been a much smoother ride than in my past Physics courses. My one slight on him is that he rarely, if ever, updates canvas, but he hands back exam grades in class so you will always have a rough estimate of your grade at all times. Overall great guy, great professor and great for his students sanity.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
05/16/2023

The only truly great physics professor at UMD in my (limited) experience. His exams aren't necessarily easy, but they're direct and worded well so that if you understand the proper concepts you will succeed. Helpful guy overall with a keen sense of humor and the passion to make otherwise lackluster content seem interesting enough to learn. Only slight on him is that he doesn't update canvas nearly as much as he should, but otherwise is the best bet by far if you want a good experience in Physics 3.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting a B
Anonymous
01/25/2022

Professor Baden is definitely one of my better experiences in the Physics department. He's notably passionate on showing how physics relates to modern applications, and he's a pretty nice guy. His lectures are not the most beneficial, most of them consisting of him deriving expression, but he at least works through stuff instead of reading off of a PowerPoint. My main plus about his course is that his exams were very straightforward (similar format to HW problems), and he and the TA's were fair about partial credit. He also implemented a curve (a bit confusing but I can't really complain) and dropped the lowest exam (3 exams total). Homework was about the same level of difficulty as the other physics pre-reqs, and I used the formulas from it for my exams, which proved to be very helpful. My TA was also very helpful, offering practice problems that covered topics on the homework and exams. Overall, I would recommend this professor, since you will probably have a better experience than many of the other options for this course.

Drew Baden
PHYS270

Expecting a B+
Anonymous
12/23/2021

Dr. Baden kept the lectures informative and catered to engineers as opposed to physicists, which made the class, in general, a bit easier. It was his first time teaching the class, and while he did a wonderful job, there were a few confusing aspects. Firstly, he never posted student exams to grades, and just showed a grade distribution which made it harder to ascertain my final grade. This said, the exams were all straightforward with generous partial credit. They got more challenging as there became more concepts to cover in the exam, but a well-studied student could manage this without difficulty. I would highly recommend Dr. Baden if you have the option.