Basil is knowledgeable, and explains things well. He is a very good scientist. However, his assignments are very disconnected and hard to follow, and feedback often contradicts the prompt he gives. He is almost never consistent. Readings are fine, but he is a very subjective, unhelpful, and unclear grader.Rate My Professors ↗
Current instructor
Basil Tikoff
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Basil truly wishes the best for all of his students and makes his free time your time. I really enjoyed his course however it is definitely challenging in ways that were unexpected. Definitely not a course you can skip at all, I don't think you could pass unless you had lots of previous knowledge on the subject while skipping.Rate My Professors ↗
Basil might be one of the best professors I have ever had. Each course I take now, I hope that he is teaching it. Not only is he able to excellently and clearly articulate difficult spatial problems, he very genuinely cares about his students and their understanding of the topic. He also makes himself extremely available for student support.Rate My Professors ↗
Basil was my favorite professor I have had in college. He explains complex concepts in a very digestible way. Always open to feedback or explaining things in a different way.Rate My Professors ↗
I loved Basil, he is so sweet and impressively knowledgeable in so many different areas. I liked the material in this class, but I sometimes found the expectations for assignments to be unclear and there was often an extreme amount of work, which could be frustrating. However, I would still recommend taking a class with him if you can.Rate My Professors ↗
I loved Basil. He's a great prof and a great person. He really cares about his students and cares about their learning and understanding of the topic. He has some issues with technology and with being clear about assignments, but overall gives good lectures. This course was a lot of work, but I feel it was worth it because I learned a lot.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with Basil Tikoff
Directed Study
1–3 creditsGEOSCI 198 is a directed study course allowing independent research arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Introduction to recognition and mapping of geologic structures in the field
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Basil Tikoff is engaging and helpful, using humorous pre-recorded videos to teach concepts concisely. However, his teaching can sometimes be confusing, and tests are consistently described as tough and hard to finish. Homework expectations are occasionally unclear.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleSenior Honors Thesis
3 creditsGEOSCI 681 is a senior mentored study course for students completing theses for Honors in the Major.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Senior Honors Thesis
3 creditsGEOSCI 682 is an individual mentored study course for seniors completing theses for Honors in the Major.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=1 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleSenior Thesis
3–4 creditsGEOSCI 691 is a mentored individual research course for students completing a senior thesis.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Directed Study
1–6 creditsGEOSCI 699 is a directed study course allowing students to conduct independent research or study arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleAdvanced structural geology covering structures in layered, intrusive, and metamorphic rocks and structural analysis.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2010: 3.30 GPA, 40.0% A/AB (n=5 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
No recorded grade history
Research
1–12 creditsGEOSCI 990 is a research course where students conduct supervised independent study projects.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Independent Study
1–3 creditsOffering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleMaster's Research or Thesis
1–9 creditsA graduate research or thesis course conducted under faculty supervision for Geological Engineering MS students.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Pre-dissertator's Research
1–9 creditsSupervised research for PhD candidates in Geological Engineering preparing for dissertation work.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Research and Thesis
1–9 creditsGLE 990 is a research and thesis course for PhD students in Geological Engineering conducted under faculty supervision.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Recorded teaching history
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 198 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 202 | Introduction to Geologic Structures |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 682 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 691 | Senior Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 699 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 755 | Advanced Structural Geology |
| Fall 2026 | GEOSCI 990 | Research |
| Fall 2026 | GLE 699 | Independent Study |
| Fall 2026 | GLE 790 | Master's Research or Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | GLE 890 | Pre-dissertator's Research |
| Fall 2026 | GLE 990 | Research and Thesis |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
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