<p>Hey, </p>
<p>I'm about to take Physics 7A and Math 1B next semester, but was unsure about which professors to take them with. For Physics 7A, the options were Kolomensky and Zettl; for Math 1B, they were Rathner and Borcherds. I was wondering if any of you could comment on the teaching style and difficulty of these professors. Thanks!</p>
<p>I can't say anything about Kolomensky but I've heard good things about Zettl.</p>
<p>I've hear Ratner's a harder grader.</p>
<p>Ratner is famously hard, and from what I've heard, her Math 1B exams are really unreasonable in that they oftentimes require that you see some obscure trick. Though a decent proportion of the class (~20%) still pulls off the A, so if you want a good lecturer you might consider her.</p>
<p>As for physics, Zettl is generally regarded as the better professor. Fair warning though, not everything you learn in lecture will actually help you do well on exams. Supposedly he spends more time than other 7A professors on proofs and derivations. Difficulty shouldn't influence your choice of professor here since almost all 7A professors aim for essentially the same grade distribution.</p>
<p>...and bumping</p>
<p>I chose Zettl, but based only upon things I read on pickaprof and ratemyprofessor, so I would be interested in some input about them too...</p>
<p>Incidentally, the impression I got from those sites is that Zettl is harder, but is a better teacher, and is more into teaching...which is why I chose him.</p>
<p>I went with Bordcherds and Zettl, mostly because they allowed me to get Fridays off. Going by Ratemyprof/Pickaprof, those two are supposedly slightly easier, but other factors for me were smaller lectures and better fitting discussions/lab for my schedule. There's always the chance to change stuff around within the first week or two if you're desperate to change, but I wouldn't worry too much. Both classes are pretty regimented about grading and content, so there shouldn't be that much of a difference.</p>