AI Rate Professor

Cabrillo College · Geology

Dave Schwartz

GEOL10 · GEOL12 · ES10 · GEO10 · GEOLOGY20 · GEOLOGY10 · OCEAN7529 · GEO20 · OCEAN7933 · OCEAN10 · 94 lifetime ratings

AI rating
70/100
RMP rating
3.6/5
Take again
68.42%
Difficulty
3.7

The decision

if you want an enthusiastic science professor and , and study hard.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerPassionate lecturerTest heavyLecture dependentExtra credit availableScattered organization
  • Students consistently praise Dave Schwartz's passion, field knowledge, and personal care.
  • The course is usually not an easy A because tests, lectures, labs, and note-taking drive success.
  • Negative reviews , and exams that feel hard to predict.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

48/100

Getting an A is possible, but students repeatedly say it requires attendance, strong notes, studying, and using rather than minimal effort.

Online and , with in-person evidence much stronger because it dominates the review set.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

35/100

The material is often described as dense, fast-paced, lecture-heavy, and difficult for non-science students.

Both formats call the content tough, while concepts, and .

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

20/100

because lectures contain the test material and several students warn that skipping class hurts performance.

Online evidence mentions participation, while in-person reviews .

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

70/100

Most positive students recommend him for his passion and knowledge, but many warn that his organization and .

Online reviews are mildly positive but limited, while learners and frustrated test-takers.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

42/100

as harsh overall, but and students often call tests tough or unpredictable.

Format shift

Online reviews do not clearly describe grading leniency, while credit relief.

Workload

Heavy

38/100

Students mention lots of lecture material, labs, studying, notes, and .

Format shift

Online workload centers on reading, discussion, and a , while , and exam preparation.

Teaching experience

Good

72/100

His passion, knowledge, humor, and care are strong positives, but scattered lectures and .

Format shift

Online reviews praise his passion with little detail, while teaching and confusing organization.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

82/100

Many reviews say , and lecture-based exam preparation rather than many smaller assignments.

Format shift

Online reviews mention discussion and a , while as the main grade driver.

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

48 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person reviews strongly show a passionate, lecture-heavy teacher whose classes can be inspiring but hard to organize and .

Main concern

The main risk is difficult exams based on dense or scattered lectures.

What students said

“You'll have to study hard for tests and be sure to attend every lecture and lab, but .”
OCEAN10
“The only thing that counts towards your grade are the exams.”
ES10
“Lectures are very fast paced, and he tends to spiral somewhat off topic from the core learning objective.”
GEO10

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews describe a tough but rewarding class that still depends on effort, participation, and self-direction.

Main concern

Online students should not expect an easy physical science credit.

What students said

“If and put in the work you will have fun and !”
GEO10
“This class was TOUGH.”
OCEAN10

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Reviews show hard, high-stakes exams, but they do not clearly prove closed-book rules, proctoring, webcam use, or Lockdown Browser.

Test HeavyFew Grade ItemsHard TestsFinal Weighted MoreStudy Guides Sometimes Unclear

Assessment risk

Standard

42/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person , but do not clearly prove closed-book rules or proctoring details.

Test HeavyHard TestsOnly Exams CountFinal Weighted More
“The only thing that counts towards your grade are the exams.”
ES10
“just had 3 midterms and a finale.”
ES10
“ and cool trips but the ”
GEO20

Online

Online reviews do not clearly prove the exam format.

Discussion ParticipationFinal Project
“we had to read lectures and then answer a question from him on the ”
OCEAN10
“ and making a map”
OCEAN10

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice

“If you're looking to an easy A .”

Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and format differences; credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

72/100

“Dave's truly passionate about what he does and that shines through in his teaching.”

⚖️ Effort To Earn A

48/100

“Great instructor who loves his job. You'll learn a lot but you will also work for it”

📝

42/100

“The only thing that counts towards your grade are the exams.”

👍 Recommendation Fit

70/100

“If you are a science major, love geology, or are simply interested in learning a lot and challenging yourself then Dave is the .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

  • Dave is smart, humble, passionate, and caring.
  • Passion, knowledge and humor fills his lectures with entertainment.
  • His lectures can be difficult to follow at times because he does not plan them out.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty And Grades

  • You really need to study and understand the subjects to do well in his class.
  • , but if you pay attention during his lectures you'll have everything you need to succeed in his class.
  • I took this class thinking it would be an easy A, but the lecture and the .

Theme 3

🧭 And Notes

  • !
  • Don't miss ANY classes. .
  • The class is entirely note based, so pay attention!

Theme 4

❤️ About Student Fit

  • This course is not easy but is FUN
  • If lectures aren't your thing, then his style might not suit you.
  • Do your GPA a favor and stay away.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

50

Recent reviews read by the AI

94

Lifetime ratings

90/100

Evidence confidence

Credibility is high because 50 reviews span many years, include detailed course experiences, and consistently repeat the same strengths and risks.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 542
4 out of 523
3 out of 59
2 out of 59
1 out of 511

Course coverage

OCEAN1014 reviews
ES1013 reviews
GEO1010 reviews
GEO204 reviews
GEOL102 reviews
Show 7 more courses
815201 review
851791 review
GEOL121 review
GEOLOGY101 review
GEOLOGY201 review
OCEAN75291 review
OCEAN79331 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

18 reported outcomes

A range

13

A+ 4 · A 9

B range

3

B+ 2 · B 1

C range

2

C 2

D range

0

No reported values

F

0

No reported values

No letter grade reported

0

No reported values