Michael Lawlor

ASTRO300 · PHYS431 · PHY350 · PHYS307308 · PHY421 · ASTR300 · PHYS370 · PHYS411PHYS421 · PHYSICS410 · PHYS411 · PHYS350 · PHY411 · AST400 · PHY360 · PHYS421 · 103 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 86/100
RMP rating: 4.7/5
Take again: 83.33%
Difficulty: 2.7

The decision

if you want to actually understand physics and are willing to work hard for exams.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerAmazing lecturesHard examsFunny and caringExtra creditHeavy practice needed

Students overwhelmingly praise his clarity, humor, availability, and ability to make physics understandable.
The main drawback is exam difficulty, especially in .
Grades can be strong with , and steady effort, but this is not a low-effort A.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

64/100

An A is very possible with homework, labs, practice exams, and , but .

All grade evidence comes from in-person reviews, with .

Is the course easy?

Standard

44/100

Astronomy is described as easier, but physics courses often involve , and .

In-person evidence varies by course, with astronomy easier and physics more challenging.

Is attendance flexible?

MustTake

88/100

Students strongly recommend him because , and makes hard material engaging.

Recommendation .

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

58/100

and exists, but exams can be tough and sometimes nitpicky.

Format shift

Workload

Moderate

46/100

Workload ranges from light in astronomy to heavy in physics, with repeated mentions of , and practice problems.

Format shift

course.

Teaching experience

Excellent

92/100

Most students describe him as , and unusually effective at explaining physics.

Format shift

Teaching .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

78/100

Grades rely heavily on exams, with , and supporting preparation.

Format shift

as the main grade pressure.

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 Hardcore Learner

In-person reviews strongly praise his lectures, humor, fairness, and support, while repeatedly warning that and .

Main concern

The main concern is difficult, high-weight exams in tougher physics courses.

What students said

“I have never felt I understood the material more than with Lawlor.”
PHYS411

“ .”
PHYS411

“Do the and you'll be fine.”
PHYS411

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 are often difficult but , and sometimes a formula notecard.

Hard ExamsPractice ExamsFormula NotecardNon-Cumulative Final Mentioned

Assessment risk

Standard

55/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and occasional formula notecards, but do not clearly prove open-book or proctoring rules.

Hard ExamsPractice ExamsFormula NotecardNon-Cumulative Final Mentioned

“ and he posts past exams for you to study from to feel more prepared.”
PHYS411

“He allows a .”
PHY350

“The .”
PHYS350

“ .”
PHYS411

Online

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“I have never felt I understood the material more than with Lawlor.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in teaching and grading. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

92/100

“I have never felt I understood the material more than with Lawlor.”

👍 Recommendation Rate

88/100

“ !”

📈 Grade Effort

64/100

“Do the and you'll be fine.”

🧪

55/100

“ .”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

The lectures are amazing.
.
He is excellent at helping you visualize physics, but he doesn't hold your hand through calculations.
.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

, and .
for error.
He offers a good amount of .
A is not too hard to get

Theme 3

🧪 About Exams

.
Gives out study exams which you should do before the exam.
He allows a .
The .

Theme 4

❤️ About Character

.
He actually cares about his students and gives lots of .
He's a funny guy who really loves physics.
one of the

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

103

Lifetime ratings

94/100

Evidence confidence

and courses show a consistent pattern of excellent teaching with demanding exams.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 583

4 out of 514

3 out of 53

2 out of 52

1 out of 51

Course coverage

PHYS41121 reviews

ASTR3004 reviews

ASTRO3003 reviews

PHY3503 reviews

PHY4213 reviews

Show 11 more courses

PHYS3503 reviews

PHYS411PHYS4212 reviews

PHYS4212 reviews

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4111 review

AST4001 review

PHY3601 review

PHY4111 review

PHYS3073081 review

PHYS3701 review

PHYSICS4101 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

24 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 2 · A 8

B range

B+ 2 · B 3 · B- 1

C range

C 3 · C- 1

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Incomplete 1 · Not sure yet 2 · Not_Sure_Yet 1

Michael Lawlor

x x if you want to actually understand physics and are willing to work hard for exams.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

FairEffort

Standard

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

📈 Grade Effort

🧪 x x

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

🧪 About Exams

❤️ 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 to actually understand physics and are willing to work hard for exams.

🧪