Exams are very difficult and he does not prepare you for them.

Dr. Balster was an extremely passionate professor. He changed the way that I think about the environment and soil, and his lectures were always extremely engaging and flew by. Rasing your hand, asking questions after class or email, and putting an effort out to form a connection will help your learning + Balster is a cool guy to get to know.

This class is designed specifically for environmental science students so I'd recommend skipping out on it if you're not interested in the field or just taking it for a breadth requirement. There's a lot of readings and the exams always borrow questions from the practice quizzes. The class is very interesting and the teacher is very passionate!

Lectures feel like one long tangent, and is difficult to depict what is important. There is no way to practice the content besides one optional weekly quiz since this class had no discussions. However, he is very passionate about soil and willing to answer any questions. He also gives lots of extra credit on exams and projects.

Nick Balster is one of those teachers who is so in his own ass about being a good teacher, that he inadvertently becomes a bad one. While he's clearly passionate about teaching and has great lectures, he seems to care more about his 10 page custom made syllabus than his student's wellbeing. If you turn in any assignment late, be prepared to get a 0

Nick Balster is just about as unhelpful as I've had regarding a professor for a course that is not very difficult. If I were to rate the class itself, the difficulty would be lower, however, between never responding to emails, limited availability outside of lectures, and never providing answers to questions, he is just difficult to work with.

Professor Balster is an amazing professor but it was a very difficult class as a non-major. Attendance is not taken, but you get quizzes weekly/opportunities for extra credit so you almost have to show up. Beware that exams are a good portion of the grade and call for much more critical thinking than the quizzes. Good luck if you take this course.

if you're reading this stop now and choose a different class. i hope I can save at least one soul who is about to go down the path of this class. the class is unnecessarily tough with quizzes every week. many students dont finish the exams. i dont have enough characters to describe how much I hated this class.

Dr. Balster truly cares about each and every student and only wants them to succeed. You're encouraged to come to him if you're struggling and enjoys getting to know his students. Quizzes and exams are a little bit more on the difficult side but he is willing to talk over why he graded it the way he did and your answers and work with you.

If I had to give one tip to anyone taking this capstone, it would be to get started on the project ASAP and conduct as much research as you can pertaining to your project. Be prepared to receive a lot of harsh and discouraging comments on your writing portions. He cares about you, but he cares more about the project and will be sure to let you know

Dr. Balster is a very egotistical man. During lectures, he is very passionate about his work and material, however he very clearly only cares about the syllabus and not about his students. He is a very harsh grader and the class is heavily based on the exam grade. DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS if you care about your mental health.

Dr. Balster is the most passionate professor I have ever had. He is always open to questions and will take the time to teach any student willing to learn. His classes can be challenging but he is a great guy with a fun personality.

One-of-a-kind professor with an infectious passion for his field of study. His lectures are jam-packed and very engaging. The work in this class felt intentional and fair. Dr. Balster cares deeply for his students' well-being and learning, shown in his teaching style, assessments, extra credit, and opportunities to meet/work outside of class.

The class does take effort but Balster and his TA were there to always help. I recommend taking this course is you want to learn and have fun doing it. Balster is at the top of the list as one of the best professors i've had. So glad I had to take the course. Great class & professor - exams a bit tough but doiable if you put in the work.

Professor has an absolutely massive ego and refused to take feedback from students. Class was extremely difficult for no reason and despite many students averaging C's on weekly quizzes, grades were not curved at all. Readings were long and boring. Overall horrible class and horrible professor.

I've had a lot of bad teachers and professors but Balster takes the cake. This man refuses to have a soul. He puts on a show of charisma and smiles in class to make you feel like he cares. He doesn't. He is wildly inflexible and wants to see you fail. He does not care about the circumstances of you missing a class, he won't help you.

Having done 4 years at UW, Dr. Balster is one of the best professors I have taken. His teaching style is unique but it makes the information stick. He is energetic and passionate about what he teaches. If you can argue your answer with a reasonable explanation, he will give points back on exams. Going to class is important, slides only do so much

Horrible so far. I wish I had taken a different class for general science requirement. The material is interesting but Dr. Balster is not a good teacher.

AVOID BASLTER AT ALL COSTS!! He is so confusing, and acts like he cares, but then is a jerk over email, and canvas. He contradicts himself all the time, and makes lectures drag on forever. Most of the stuff that you learn that has anything to do with the class is done outside of class, and makes you watch hour long videos every week. DON'T DO IT!!

Balster is a good dude, and he cares a lot about his students and def loves what he teaches. If you get something in wrong on a quiz and can actually back up why you chose an answer, he will most likely give you points back. But, quizzes are hard, there is a lot of work and you learn things that don't seem relevant/important at all.

If you are looking for a class with a lot of work, yet no relevant information, take this class. I cannot express the amount of hate that I have towards this class and teacher. I am not majoring in environmental science, but if I was, Dr. Balster would seriously make me change my major. Avoid this class and any others that he teaches.

He acts like a progressive teacher, but his teaching is outdated, confusing, and does not take the student into account at all. If you love being a bootlicker and regurgitating info you'll do great. Weekly quizzes are basically weekly exams, 150 points, and only 50 mins to complete. And somehow I feel like I am learning nothing. Useless class.

Dr. Balster is horrible. He refuses to record his lectures, they is no organization to the class and the slides are confusing and mostly have pictures so if you miss class you will be totally lost. The quizzes are way too hard and often have trick questions. Avoid him at all costs.

Best professor I've had so far at UW-Madison. His lectures are the only ones I don't watch at 1.5 speed because he is so interesting and fun to listen to. I love this guy and his class.

At the beginning, I liked Professor Balster but by the end I was so ready to be done with the class. He talks about how accessible he is out of class, but I only had issues with him. Group quizzes EVERY class, plus you do the same hour long quiz on your own before each class. Plus, most of the class was spent on learning about the scientific method

Professor Balster is NOT it. Im a science major and I took this my freshman year and it was harder than most of the 400 level classes I take now. Math heavy for no reason and theres a group exam after you take the exam by yourself which was a waste of time. I dont recommend getting sick as he has no empathy for his students when they miss class.

I wouldn't recommend taking this as your capstone. Nick basically gave us a topic and told us to do something with almost no direction. The whole course was extremely frustrating. Take a different environmental studies capstone if you can.

If you don't care about soils when you start the class, you will for sure care about them by the end. Dr. Balster really cares about your learning more than anything. If you don't understand something he is very helpful in office hours to make sure you know what is going on in the class.

Professor Balster is one of, if not, the BEST PROFESSOR EVER. He really wants you to learn the material, he does not care about your grade as long as you put the effort into class. He is super passionate about the subject and he really cares about your learning, I am serious he is awesome. By instructor in my 20 as a learner.

Very passionate about soils and what he does. Thought the class was very interesting. Tougher class, especially if a non-science major, but I thought doable

I'm a non-science major with no science background and found this as my hardest class(is supposed to be a gen-ed). Tests are tough, you have to study a lot. I did well on all the class work/quizzes yet struggled with exams and still failed the course. Would definitely not recommend to anyone as a non-science major.

If you are not a science major of any sort do not take his class, you need a science background. The class was mandatory and his power points were very confusing. There is a graded quiz every week, and his test are unbelievable tough.

Professor is either not knowledgeable or stumbles over topics he tries to exaggerate on, but thankfully are not necessary for the exams. For example, he showed an example of phosphorus deficiency in corn and it was actually nitrogen. Needs to focus less on his learning theory and more on soil sciences. Heavy in math. Graded Quizzes every class.

Prof. Balster wants his students to do well and fall a bit in love with soil while at it. He learns every student's name - this degree of personal connection is a core characteristic of Balster. He wants his class to be a community and successful. Lectures could be organized better with more of a clear direction. no exam study guides. Overall AB.

The class is not cake in that you will definitely have to study. it is taught by more than one proff (didn't get much from the chemistry guy). Dr. Balster was best along with Mattie. he cares about learning & likes soil a bit too much. sometimes difficult to meet with. exams are challenging. he does favor those that attend lecture

Fantastic teacher. Awful class, mostly because he teaches with 3 other instructors who are not that great. But if you can take a class with Dr. Balster, definitely do it! He cares about his students and their learning. He sometimes gets off on tangents, but they are usually worth it.

Hard class, harsh grading. Probably mandatory if you are taking it. However, you can tell that he genuinely wants his students to learn and suceed. He is also EXTREMELY enthusiastic which helps.

I did an independent study project with Professor Balster. He was extremely helpful throughout the process of my project and he spent a ton of his time explaining each step of the process. He truly loves soils and is willing to help you out if you put in some effort. He turned a tough project into one of the best experiences I've had at UW-Madison.

I really did not like the professor. He was not very clear and just wants you to repeat what he says. Also his powerpoints are absurd and make no sense.

Nick was one of the professors for my Env.Studies capstone course. He was helpful and you can tell he really cares about his students and enjoys teaching. I would definitely recommend him!

Professor Balster knows what he's talking about, but the class is still hard. You have to work at it. Mallika is the best TA she was able to clarify things when Prof. Balster got confusing, wish we had discussion sections. It might seem easy at the beginning but it gets harder.

Best professor I have ever had. It requires a little work, but if you put any effort forward you will do well in the class. I entered the class with no interest in soils and because of this class I am now a Soil Science major.

Dr. Balster REALLY cares about the fact that his students are learning and will go above and beyond to help you. He doesn't just want you to regurgitate on a test, but to LEARN. However, the exams are deceptively hard.

Not as easy as he makes it sound. Studying for the Exams is not easy...He says you will do fine if you try hard...not true. A lot of math concepts.

Best class ever! He is truly passionate about soils, and he even makes you care about it as well! At times he can drag on, but he wants you to learn, HE CARES. If you go to class, pay attention, do the work, you'll be fine. I really enjoyed this class, even though I had NO interest in it at the beginning. Now I'm all concerned about the soil now!

Best class i have ever taken - first professor i have had that actually cares about teaching and cares about students and the material - truely loves soils - i did not going in - should be a bit higher than a 200 level course

I often felt like I was learning what he wanted us to spit out rather than gaining any true insight into the subject matter.

Excellent proff, excellent class

BEST LECTURER EVER. Not just because he keeps it interesting, but also because he is SOO passionate about what he teaches. He loves teaching and cares about his students and it shows! He just won a teaching award from CALS and deserves so much more! If you have any interest in soils (or even if you don't) take this man's class!!!!

Great prof.... good helper.. you just have to make the effort.. may just be about dirt but its fun.. interesting to me.. if you make an effort he will notice ...not just the numbers. Long at sometimes.

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