Ki-Yong Kim

13 reviews

Average rating: 3.38

This professor has taught: PHYS121, PHYS122, PHYS171, PHYS174, PHYS274, PHYS275, PHYS276, PHYS373, PHYS485, PHYS685

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Ki-Yong Kim PHYS121 Expecting a B- admin 05/05/2025	The sweetest guy. He is so excited about this class, and does his best to make it interesting. He is also very accommodating, as other reviews have mentioned. I joined the class a week late, and he gave me more than enough time to catch up, all you have to do is be transparent and ask for help. I have never taken physics once in my life before this, so it was certainly a struggle. You need to put in plenty of time. He does NOT use a textbook which is frustrating, so buy the suggested book (it is NOT a waste of money). He goes super quick in his lectures, so you definitely need to review by yourself. Also, he provides the formula sheets, you do NOT get to make your own. So make sure you understand the formulas because the formula sheets give very little. You also have to infer on a lot of things, but if you get the hang of the problems you'll see, you'll do fine. DO THE HOMEWORK, there will be some crazy questions from there that will be on the exam. Overall, I would recommend him for someone who just needs PHYS121 for their major.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS274 Expecting a B+ admin 05/18/2024	Dr. Kim is one of the best professors I’ve had in the physics department. He is very nice, accommodating, and genuinely cares about students. After pretty much every homework, he would tell us we could have extra time if needed. I asked for so many extensions in his class, and he always said yes immediately. He respond to emails, and reassured students throughout the semester. He makes very thorough study guides which are ve eh helpful for exams. With that being said, I did the entire practice exam several times for the final along with practice problems from the entire semester, and was still lost on the final to say the least. Most people stayed at least 30 minutes after the final.. He curved the class about 5%, although I suspect he graded the final extremely leniently. He clearly doesn’t want students to fail. Even students who probably would have failed with a different professor, he passed them..
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS274 admin 05/10/2024	To put it simply, Kim is the GOAT. His lectures are very well taught (if a bit fast at times), however, he is always happy to help you understand something you don't get either after class or during office hours (which, unlike other physics teachers, are extremely helpful and insightful). He is very forgiving with homework, and always listens to his students' feedback (we had two tests a day apart and he moved his). Speaking of tests, he posts reviews which are very, very helpful in completing them. On top of all of this, he's just a very funny and nice guy. Of course, if you haven't taken a physics course you may not like him, but that's just how you feel about taking the first course of well, anything. I would 100% recommend taking Kim.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS274 Expecting a B+ admin 03/26/2024	One of the best professors I've had in the physics department. I agree with some of the other comments, where he will be more appreciated by physics majors than non physics majors. He is one of the better lecturers I've had, and could learn most of the content without too much effort outside class until the third exam. On top of this, you can tell he cares about your learning and is a really nice person overall.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS174 Expecting a B+ admin 12/05/2023	Dr. Kim is great. He is helpful and kind. H is concise and easy to understand. I would be cautious if you are not a physics major though. But if you get to have him as a professor and you are a physics major, he is a good choice.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS274 admin 05/12/2023	He is really passionate about teaching and really understanding with deadlines and grading and office hours. He is always around to help and will add more office hours if people ask. The class itself is hard and you have to put in work, but he is always there to help!
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS121 Anonymous 01/07/2021 This review was submitted while most classes were online during the COVID-19 pandemic. It may not be indicative of a regular semester.	I had never taken a Physics class before, and the amount of knowledge he expected you to know ahead of time didnt seem fair. He has a very thick accent, which I feel like isnt that big of a problem, but his way of explaining does not come off as very helpful. In my eyes, he's almost TOO smart to be teaching a basic physics class.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS121 Expecting a C Anonymous 10/29/2020 This review was submitted while most classes were online during the COVID-19 pandemic. It may not be indicative of a regular semester.	I have never taken physics and I am disappointed with this. He is a sweet guy but the problems on the exams and homework make you infer so much... If you come into his class with no background knowledge in physics you will do poorly.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS122 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/23/2013 This review was automatically imported from OurUMD. It was not manually verified and may not follow our review standards.	Dr. Kim is a great professor! I don't know what these other reviews are talking about. Yes, he has an accent. So what? He does explain well, and he genuinely cares about how well his students do. He makes himself very accessible with multiple office hours and quick responses via email. He does the coolest demos ever! Sometimes I felt more like I was watching a magic show than sitting in physics lecture. I was actually excited to go to class, and I don't even like physics! Just go to class! He even made the class before every exam a review session and told us exactly what to study. If you go to class, pay attention, and do what he says you will do well.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS122 Expecting a B Anonymous 08/23/2013 This review was automatically imported from OurUMD. It was not manually verified and may not follow our review standards.	He was not very good at conveying information for the course. Boring lectures. Thick accent. I learned from the book. Big curve though.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS171 Anonymous 05/16/2012 This review was automatically imported from OurUMD. It was not manually verified and may not follow our review standards.	He is one of the worst teachers I have ever had. When he is teaching he makes too many mistakes in his equations and does not give good explanations. The book is twice the teacher he is. You must have the book required because that is where you actually will learn. Do not get this professor.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS174 Anonymous 05/18/2011 This review was automatically imported from OurUMD. It was not manually verified and may not follow our review standards.	You won't learn anything from this guy, seems to hate teaching/answering questions.
Ki-Yong Kim PHYS142 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/18/2010 This review was automatically imported from OurUMD. It was not manually verified and may not follow our review standards.	He's not the best lecturer. He likes to prove theories and doesn't test on them. Doesn't really encourage questions. It's amusing to watch him try to figure out how to make the demos work. He's also a really nice person. Basically, if you study really hard and write good cards (you're allowed one for the first test and additional one for subsequent tests), you'll be fine. He curves a lot.