| Information | Review |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR121 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2023 |
Very nice and understanding-- most definitely wants you to understand the information. There is a LOT of information to cover, and knowing the learning goals on the slides is crucial. However, on some of the exams the questions weren't entirely focused on the learning goals, so it's important to know a little bit of everything. Each lecture is around 30-60 slides, which really builds up by the time the first exam comes along. Definitely take advantage of tutoring hours. Homework isn't as bad as 120, and you should always 100% do the retest. Overall, Dr. Vogel is very nice and caring, but I think the class would benefit more from learning more about the learning goals, rather than going over extra information that is in the slides. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR121 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/16/2023 |
Dr. Vogel is great as a person. He's very nice and helpful during office hours. There are several opportunities to get extra credit, whether that be the bonus question on the homework or the bonus question on exams. He also does open-note retests for the midterms, which are helpful and a great grade boost. However, the course material is VERY heavy. He does a set of slides every class and either rushes through very important topics or skims the surface of topics that should probably have been discussed more. So it becomes extremely difficult to get through the material when people turn it into a Q & A session because to make up time, he'll often rush through the rest of the slides. He encourages people to ask questions during the lecture and highly rewards these people, but those who want to get through all the material end up missing content as a consequence. The lab part of this class is probably the worst. Again, there is so much material to get through with an unreasonable amount of time. It's a necessity to work on the lab for several hours outside of class, and the TAs grade the lab harshly. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR121 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/15/2023 |
Overall a very caring professor. Lots of information to study from the slides, but if you focus on the learning goals you should be okay. Tutoring was really helpful. Lab was a lot of work, so make sure to do most of it during the lab period. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR121 Expecting a B+ Anonymous 05/02/2023 |
Overall, he is a very understanding and caring professor. I will admit that his lectures are not very engaging, in my opinion, and that there is A LOT of material covered in this class (around 800-1000 slides to study per exam). However, he does give opportunities to raise your grade and passing the class/doing decent isn't hard if you put in the work. The lab that goes with this class is a pain, and has been the worst part of the class. It's a lot of work and TAs are really nit picky on grading. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR120 Expecting an A- Ovrthegrdnwll 01/18/2023 |
Although lecture was often boring, Vogel is clearly passionate about the subject and included small bits of fun to keep the class engaging. Whiteboard assignments were completed each class, which was a bit tedious, but they were always group assignments so they weren't too bad. Homework and tests were challenging, so expect to ask questions of your friends, the tutors, or your TA. Definitely take advantage of being able to re-submit test questions! We would have a dedicated discussion after each class to work together on making up the tests. Overall, Vogel is a super sweet professor and I would recommend taking ASTR120 (Assuming you aren't already in the major) if you're interested in Astronomy and the science behind it. I'm excited for ASTR121 in the spring! |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR120 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/20/2022 |
He's a sweet and approachable guy who is genuinely interested in the subject. While lectures can be a little dry at times since he just goes through PowerPoints, the work and exams were easy as cake. There are many ways to boost your grade with the amount of "free" attendance/participation points. For every midterm, he gives the option of doing a retest, which is basically a take-home test of the exact same questions, where you can discuss with classmates and use other resources to complete. Your final score on the midterm will be the average of what you got on the original exam and the retest that you turn in a week later. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR120 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2022 |
He’s wonderful as a person. He’s very understanding, and the class is very easy if you keep up with the workload. There was a lot of material that he tried to cover, so I feel like I wasn’t able to absorb it all. You have to make sure you don’t zone out during lectures or you’ll end up missing like 50% of the slides. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR120 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 04/21/2022 |
So far the best professor I’ve had at UMD! I had him for 120 and currently have him for 121 and thoroughly enjoyed both classes, even the parts about planets which I don’t really care about. His lectures are really thorough so they’re a must-attend, you don’t get the same preparation from reading the textbook and slides like with some professors. I felt adequately prepared for all the tests from the lectures, homeworks, and practice exams he posts. He also does a retest after every midterm that is open-note and averages the grade between your test and retest if you did better on a retest question, so that it can only bring your grade up. That really helps you learn the material! He also does a bonus question on each homework and exam, so for awhile I had over 100% in both 120 and 121. Also he’s really nice and really accommodating. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR120 Expecting an A Anonymous 09/18/2020 |
Great professor, super easy to talk to and ask questions with. Knows what he's talking about, although lectures may get a bit boring sometimes. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR120 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/13/2020 |
Can be a bit boring (though that may be in part due to the course), but overall a great guy. Really nice and easy to talk to. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR120 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/15/2019 |
Great professor, attend all the lectures and do the reading, it will make the class very easy. Expect a decent amount of HW for ASTR120 and the midterms aren't too tough if you put in the work. Overall Professor Vogel is a great professor and very easy to talk to, office hours help a ton. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR120 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 12/13/2019 |
He tries to make his lectures engaging. Understanding and approachable prof. overall. |
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Stuart Vogel
ASTR288M Expecting an A+ Anonymous 06/23/2010 |
Take him! Best professor I've had at UMD |