<p>I am at CC currently but plan on transferring next year. I am going to take calc-based physics next semester and I get to choose between 2 professors. Professor A is notoriously hard; however, he is also known to prepare you well for the rigors of engineering. He isn't extremely approachable and teaches concepts not problems. Professor B isn't as hard but not easy either (just average). He is more so teaches problems and is approachable. Should I take A or B? I want to go to UIUC and want to be as best prepared as I can be. Thanks in advance</p>
<p>Realistically, I’d say go with B. You are going to need A’s to get into UIUC.</p>
<p>in all honesty I would have gone with A, simply because I tried a teacher in school that was the same type as professor B and I hated every second of class but your goal is the highest mark possible so decide which taching style suites you best and go with that professor</p>
<p>Go with A, at least for one semester.</p>
<p>I had a “notoriously difficult” physics professor for mechanics, and I can’t say it was the most pleasant experience I’ve ever had. There were definitely a few tricks of the trade here and there that improved my understanding of physics - but that’s all they were, little tricks. You learn a few better ways to think about problems, a few more “kosher” techniques for solving them, and do a lot more work. With notoriously difficult professors, there is a VERY serious case of diminishing marginal returns for the effort you put in. </p>
<p>I took an online physics class for physics E&M, and pretty much learned that through self-study. Admittedly, my understanding of physics E&M is weaker for it (doesn’t help that I’ve never really needed to use it because E&M hardly ever comes up for me). But honestly, if I spent 3-4 hours a day for a single week brushing up on the topic (with a bit of Google searching mixed in for those “tricks of the trade” that I missed out on), my understanding would be just as good. That mountain of effort equates to about one week of dedicated practice worth of additional knowledge. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, take professor A. Why? Simply because you need to get used to that kind of workload. Sooner or later you’ll have to take a not-so-pleasant class, and it’s easier to get used to that kind of work in community college instead of in a higher-level university course.</p>
<p>My opinion: A.</p>
<p>Going from a CC to “real” classes at UIUC will be like going from a light drizzle to having bathtubs full of ice water (with ninjas in 'em!) dumped on you continuously. IOW it will be a shock to the system, but the better prepared you are the less likely you are to freak out and take your neighbor’s cat hostage.</p>
<p>2 questions first: </p>
<p>Which engineering major are you planning to tackle?</p>
<p>Are you going to be taking Phys2 at the CC or are UIUC?</p>
<p>I want to do Materials Science & engineering. I plan on taking all 3 courses of the physics sequence at my CC.</p>
<p>Go with the easy professor and put the effort in going the extra mile. Do every problem in the book and it won’t matter what Professor B does. But easy grades are so hard to come by in engineering. Help your ego now.</p>
<p>Professor A</p>
<p>Honestly, go with less rigorous professor. Like Frugaldoctor said, you can make it more rigorous yourself. You could even talk to students in the harder class and find out what problem sets they are doing and you could do those too. Your main goal is sustaining a high GPA to gain access to UIUC. Finding yourself overloaded during a semester can affect more than just one class and tug down other grades as well.</p>