Jeff is a nice guy. He's trying. He's just not a very good lecturer. His lectures are all over the place and impossible to follow. He posts somewhat helpful lecture notes after the fact but it's clear he comes into class not knowing what he's going to talk about. Easy exams though.Rate My Professors ↗
Historical instructor
JEFFREY SCHMIDT
What students say
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Didnt really learn anything, exams were not related to lectures or homework he gives a practice exam and you have to copy all the formulas from the practice exam and use them on the actual exam to do well so you dont actually learn anything.Rate My Professors ↗
Schmidt is passionate professor, but for a tough E&M unit he teaches it poorly. His slides are super complex and he doesn't make it easy to follow since he just reads off the slides without engaging the class at all. The labs and homework for this class are time consuming so you will need to lock in a lot more than you think for this class.Rate My Professors ↗
Schmidt is one of the two professors for Phys 207, and is a caring person if you go to his office hours, but his lectures are impossible to follow and understand. He does not try to engage the class in any way and just reads off complex slides which are impossible to follow. The homework is time consuming but the labs are not as difficult.Rate My Professors ↗
Taking 208 with Jeff was an absolute nightmare. Class was super unorganized, didn't go over actual content in lectures, exams were super difficult, TA's were awful, they often ignored questions on piazza they didn't want to answer. This class honestly tested your ability to memorize questions/answers from course material rather than learning it.Rate My Professors ↗
Jeff is boring. Really boring. I'd rather have this class be taught by a potted plant. Getting up at 8 am every Monday and Wednesday was impossible. Jeff doesn't teach the material well, and seemed surprised when nobody knew the answers to his questions. If I had an hour to live, I'd spend it in this class, because it felt like an eternity.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Classes with JEFFREY SCHMIDT
A modern physics course covering quantum mechanics, nuclear, particle, condensed matter, and atomic physics.
No offering record · Spring 2026
with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2021–Spring 2026Directed Study
1–3 creditsPHYSICS 499 is an advanced-level mentored research project in physics.
No offering record · Spring 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited sampleIntroduction to quantum mechanics covering historical background, experimental basis, and key principles like the Schrödinger equation and Pauli principle.
No offering record · Spring 2026
with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2021–Spring 2026Recorded teaching history
Distinct courses recorded per term
Explore courses taught by this instructor →Browse recorded courses
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | PHYSICS 249 | A Modern Introduction to Physics |
| Spring 2026 | PHYSICS 499 | Directed Study |
| Spring 2026 | PHYSICS 531 | Introduction to Quantum Mechanics |
| Fall 2025 | PHYSICS 307 | Intermediate Laboratory-mechanics and Modern Physics |
| Fall 2025 | PHYSICS 721 | Theoretical Physics-electrodynamics |
| Fall 2025 | PHYSICS 801 | Special Topics in Theoretical Physics |
| Spring 2025 | PHYSICS 208 | General Physics |
| Spring 2025 | PHYSICS 449 | Atomic and Quantum Physics |
| Fall 2024 | PHYSICS 207 | General Physics |
| Fall 2024 | PHYSICS 448 | Atomic and Quantum Physics |
| Spring 2024 | PHYSICS 208 | General Physics |
| Spring 2024 | PHYSICS 449 | Atomic and Quantum Physics |
| Fall 2023 | PHYSICS 249 | A Modern Introduction to Physics |
| Fall 2023 | PHYSICS 448 | Atomic and Quantum Physics |
| Spring 2023 | PHYSICS 201 | General Physics |
| Spring 2023 | PHYSICS 449 | Atomic and Quantum Physics |
| Fall 2022 | PHYSICS 311 | Mechanics |
| Fall 2022 | PHYSICS 448 | Atomic and Quantum Physics |
| Fall 2022 | PHYSICS 799 | Independent Study |
| Spring 2022 | PHYSICS 323 | Electromagnetic Fields |
| Spring 2022 | PHYSICS 449 | Atomic and Quantum Physics |
| Spring 2022 | PHYSICS 990 | Research |
| Fall 2021 | PHYSICS 711 | Theoretical Physics-dynamics |
| Fall 2021 | PHYSICS 801 | Special Topics in Theoretical Physics |
| Fall 2021 | PHYSICS 990 | Research |
| Fall 2020 | PHYSICS 711 | Theoretical Physics-dynamics |
| Fall 2020 | PHYSICS 801 | Special Topics in Theoretical Physics |
| Fall 2020 | PHYSICS 990 | Research |
| Spring 2020 | PHYSICS 715 | Statistical Mechanics |
| Spring 2020 | PHYSICS 721 | Theoretical Physics-electrodynamics |
| Spring 2020 | PHYSICS 990 | Research |
| Fall 2019 | PHYSICS 208 | General Physics |
| Fall 2019 | PHYSICS 711 | Theoretical Physics-dynamics |
| Fall 2019 | PHYSICS 801 | Special Topics in Theoretical Physics |
| Spring 2019 | PHYSICS 208 | General Physics |
| Spring 2019 | PHYSICS 715 | Statistical Mechanics |
| Fall 2018 | PHYSICS 207 | General Physics |
| Fall 2018 | PHYSICS 711 | Theoretical Physics-dynamics |
| Fall 2018 | PHYSICS 801 | Special Topics in Theoretical Physics |
| Spring 2018 | PHYSICS 208 | General Physics |
| Spring 2018 | PHYSICS 715 | Statistical Mechanics |
| Fall 2017 | PHYSICS 208 | General Physics |
| Fall 2017 | PHYSICS 711 | Theoretical Physics-dynamics |
| Spring 2017 | PHYSICS 104 | General Physics |
| Spring 2017 | PHYSICS 115 | Energy and Climate |
| Spring 2017 | PHYSICS 207 | General Physics |
| Spring 2017 | PHYSICS 499 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2016 | PHYSICS 207 | General Physics |
| Fall 2016 | PHYSICS 247 | A Modern Introduction to Physics |
| Fall 2016 | PHYSICS 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2016 | PHYSICS 711 | Theoretical Physics-dynamics |
| Spring 2016 | PHYSICS 202 | General Physics |
| Spring 2016 | PHYSICS 322 | Electromagnetic Fields |
| Fall 2015 | PHYSICS 103 | General Physics |
| Fall 2015 | PHYSICS 715 | Statistical Mechanics |
| Spring 2015 | PHYSICS 207 | General Physics |
| Spring 2015 | PHYSICS 715 | Statistical Mechanics |
| Spring 2015 | PHYSICS 721 | Theoretical Physics-electrodynamics |
| Fall 2014 | PHYSICS 207 | General Physics |
| Fall 2014 | PHYSICS 299 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2014 | PHYSICS 715 | Statistical Mechanics |
| Spring 2014 | PHYSICS 104 | General Physics |
| Spring 2014 | PHYSICS 202 | General Physics |
| Spring 2014 | PHYSICS 299 | Directed Study |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
Instructor identity & provenance
{
"instructor_uid": "instructor_d550770f5adf1b066ad0dbab",
"source": "madgrades",
"source_instructor_id": "1064165",
"identity_basis": "source_id",
"identity_status": "source_identified",
"name": "JEFFREY SCHMIDT",
"email": null,
"first_observed_at": "2026-09-06 23:14:58.172943+00:00",
"last_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"ratings": {
"review_count": 75,
"quality": 2.91,
"difficulty": 4.12,
"quality_count": 75,
"difficulty_count": 75,
"profile_id": "rmp:1901508",
"source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1901508",
"match_basis": "exact_name",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:33:37.200579+00:00",
"courses": {
"course_e8cfa648b149ecdf80de2aa5": {
"review_count": 4,
"quality": 4.25,
"difficulty": 4.25,
"quality_count": 4,
"difficulty_count": 4
},
"course_97eb7bb938ff9affa3643b19": {
"review_count": 8,
"quality": 2.38,
"difficulty": 4.62,
"quality_count": 8,
"difficulty_count": 8
},
"course_3fc32039f3bcc0883a75783d": {
"review_count": 3,
"quality": 3.33,
"difficulty": 4,
"quality_count": 3,
"difficulty_count": 3
},
"course_9809c83cf98a169703c3732a": {
"review_count": 8,
"quality": 2.38,
"difficulty": 3.75,
"quality_count": 8,
"difficulty_count": 8
},
"course_3d31f8f280d8571385be79ba": {
"review_count": 2,
"quality": 1,
"difficulty": 4,
"quality_count": 2,
"difficulty_count": 2
},
"course_8117ebeaf2f3accae0bb5cb6": {
"review_count": 3,
"quality": 2.67,
"difficulty": 4.67,
"quality_count": 3,
"difficulty_count": 3
},
"course_3cd96617fa9bcb858e3cd214": {
"review_count": 1,
"quality": 5,
"difficulty": 3,
"quality_count": 1,
"difficulty_count": 1
}
},
"bayesian_quality": 3.0678285860098096,
"prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
"prior_weight": 20
},
"grade_statistics": {
"gpa": 3.042,
"graded": 7274,
"counts": [
1681,
1240,
2091,
1102,
931,
176,
53
],
"sections": 83
},
"current": false,
"courses": [],
"revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
"instructor_url": "/instructors/JEFFREY_SCHMIDT--instructor_d550770f5adf1b066ad0dbab"
}