David Vakil

ASTRO25 · ASTRO20 · ASTRO10 · ASTR25 · AST20 · AST25 · ASTRO1055 · ASTR20 · ASTRO6551 · PHYS2A · MATH150 · PHY2A · SCIENAS · A202 · 93 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 100/100
RMP rating: 4.4/5
Take again: —
Difficulty: 2.8

The decision

if you want a lively science class where steady work is rewarded and support is strong.

Best fit · Effort For RewardEngaging lecturerGenerous extra creditTest rewritesHard but fair examsVery helpful

Students overwhelmingly describe him as engaging, funny, helpful, and passionate.
Grades are boosted by , curves, dropped scores, notecards, and .
, but students say preparation and resources make success realistic.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

84/100

An A is very reachable because of , and study resources, but students still need to study.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

76/100

He makes astronomy and physics easier to understand, though some students still call the content and tests challenging.

Is attendance flexible?

MustTake

92/100

Students repeatedly recommend him because , and gives .

All .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Generous

90/100

, test corrections, curves, dropped scores, notecards, and .

Format shift

Workload

Light

78/100

Workload is usually light to moderate, with emphasis on studying notes, handouts, homework, and .

Format shift

All .

Teaching experience

Excellent

95/100

Most students describe him as , and able to make science interesting.

Format shift

All .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

72/100

Grades appear driven mainly by tests, quizzes, and , and corrections.

Format shift

All .

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

50 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

In-person reviews are strongly positive, with repeated praise for , and .

Main concern

if you do not study.

What students said

“He is an AMAZING professor!”
ASTR20

“ and tricky, but is an option.”
ASTRO20

Remote format

Online

0 reviews

Low confidence

No stored summary is available for this format.

Main concern

No main concern is stored for this format.

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams can be tricky, but correction policies, curves, , dropped scores, and allowed notecards make the exam experience student-friendly.

Test CorrectionsGenerous CurveExtra CreditDropped Test ScoreNotecard AllowedScantron Tests

Assessment risk

StudentFriendly

82/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person reviews mention scantron tests, hard or , and notecards, but do not clearly prove open-book rules or proctoring details.

Test CorrectionsGenerous CurveExtra CreditDropped Test ScoreNotecard AllowedScantron Tests

“ and he offers a lot of even though you probably wont need any.”
ASTR20

“ .”
ASTRO20

“he lets you make up questions .”
ASTRO20

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“He is an AMAZING professor! You can definately tell that he loves the subject matter; more importantly, he cares about student success!”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in teaching and grading. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

95/100

“He is an AMAZING professor! You can definately tell that he loves the subject matter; more importantly, he cares about student success!”

👍 Recommendation Rate

92/100

“ .”

⚖️

90/100

“ pays off at the end.”

🧪

82/100

“ and tricky, but is an option.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

He makes this class fun for people who don't even really have an interest in astronomy.
and is understandable.
.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

easy A as long as you do all your work and .
but they make you learn your astronomy.
and provides study guide for exams.

Theme 3

❤️ About Character

he cares about student success!
Very nice teacher, but .
and he always returns emails.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

92/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty detailed in-person reviews across several years show strong consistency with a .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 576

4 out of 54

3 out of 55

2 out of 53

1 out of 55

Course coverage

ASTRO2025 reviews

ASTR206 reviews

PHYS2A4 reviews

ASTRO253 reviews

AST252 reviews

Show 9 more courses

ASTR252 reviews

A2021 review

AST201 review

ASTRO101 review

ASTRO10551 review

ASTRO65511 review

MATH1501 review

PHY2A1 review

SCIENAS1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

0 reported outcomes

A range

No reported values

B range

No reported values

C range

No reported values

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

No reported values

David Vakil

x x if you want a lively science class where steady work is rewarded and support is strong.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Beginner

Recommended

MustTake

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

👍 Recommendation Rate

⚖️ x x

🧪 x x

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

❤️ About Character

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you want a lively science class where steady work is rewarded and support is strong.

⚖️

🧪