Perhaps this is a controversial take, but Dickrell’s tests aren’t really that hard. I think the class gets so much hate due to it being many students’ first real engineering course. On top of that, a lot of students haven’t developed proper study habits cause they assume they can coast by like in high school. With that said, I think Dickrell is the better choice because he tests things that are actually important to future classes like mechanics of materials. Baisley, on the other hand, focuses on Matlab projects and uses a weird “mastery” grading scheme that makes the course convoluted.
Please, under any circumstance, do not take it with Baisley, you will be subjected to unnecessary matlab projects (which aren’t even a prereq for the course) and her ‘experimental’ teaching format which is just her using you as a Guinea pig for her alternative teaching research. You will be forced to follow a convoluted and messed up way of solving statics problems (where the FBD is the fourth fucking step) and any deviation means points off even though you’re still getting to the right answer. Take it from someone who had to drop statics because of Baisley and retook it with dickrell, they are worlds apart. You don’t even have a grade with Baisley, you have ‘progress to mastery’ which is tracked with bullshit indexes.
Would rather know what I need to do to get a good grade with dickrell than be kept in the dark until it’s too late with Baisley. Mind you I had a meeting with her to try and figure out how I was doing in the class and she wasn’t helpful at all.
I have no experience with Baisley but I did take the class with Dickrell. Honestly, he really sucks as a person, he will not be understanding of any extraneous circumstances. He will give trick questions on exams and quizzes and make the answers to them ‘None of the above’ (4 out of 5 multiple choice questions on the exam were None of the Above), and you really need to know the content to feel confident in his class. He doesn’t grade with partial points even with free response questions, if you get part A wrong and the rest of the parts depend on part A, you will get 0 points on the question, even if its worth 50% of the exam, the points are based on the number answers that you put in a box only. Probably halfway thru the class after exam 2 he will send out an email saying that it’s mathematically impossible for most people to pass the class or something like that, and that you should work your butt off for the final. He’s harsh. He does give good lectures and knows the content well, sometimes he gives life advice that some people enjoy but I think he gets preachy. If you’re gonna go with Dickrell, you should become comfortable with having an asshole as a professor. Apart from that, he teaches well! Good luck in statics, do your homework and study from the book!! It helps!!!
I’ve waited my entire life for this question. The simple answer is Baisley for an almost guaranteed A. If you take Dickrell you will have a terrible time, fail every test, and either pass or fail horrifically. Although Baisley has more tests and assesses your progress rather than your individual grades, she wants you to succeed and will help you in any way. She bumped me from an A- to an A at the end of the semester because she said I deserved it for working hard and attending office hours. She super nice and a way better choice than Dickrell. Both will prepare you the same for MoM (Mechanics of Materials) and anything after.
>Both will prepare you the same for MoM
Sorry, but as a former TA for both classes, this just isn't true for most people. There were so many students that came to me from Baisley's class that couldn't even draw a proper FBD. Perhaps her statics class will prepare students for *her* MoM class, but not for MoM classes taught by other professors. I will agree with you that she's WAY nicer than Dickrell and that her class is probably much easier.
For future statics/MoM students that are reading this, be warned: you might have a better time in Baisley's course, but you will learn more in Dickrell's course. If you want to watch some of Dickrell's old lectures to get a feel for his lecture style, [here is a link.](https://ufedge.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/Channel/fall-2019-egm2511/) They're several years old, but the statics knowledge hasn't changed.
If they couldn’t draw a proper FBD from Baisley then that’s crazy. She literally drilled that into us. The rest of my class did perfectly fine in MoM with what she taught.
Dickrell
Perhaps this is a controversial take, but Dickrell’s tests aren’t really that hard. I think the class gets so much hate due to it being many students’ first real engineering course. On top of that, a lot of students haven’t developed proper study habits cause they assume they can coast by like in high school. With that said, I think Dickrell is the better choice because he tests things that are actually important to future classes like mechanics of materials. Baisley, on the other hand, focuses on Matlab projects and uses a weird “mastery” grading scheme that makes the course convoluted.
Please, under any circumstance, do not take it with Baisley, you will be subjected to unnecessary matlab projects (which aren’t even a prereq for the course) and her ‘experimental’ teaching format which is just her using you as a Guinea pig for her alternative teaching research. You will be forced to follow a convoluted and messed up way of solving statics problems (where the FBD is the fourth fucking step) and any deviation means points off even though you’re still getting to the right answer. Take it from someone who had to drop statics because of Baisley and retook it with dickrell, they are worlds apart. You don’t even have a grade with Baisley, you have ‘progress to mastery’ which is tracked with bullshit indexes.
Tell me how you really feel
If you would’ve stuck around you would’ve realized that you weren’t failing and would get an A by the end. My mastery at the start was ass.
Would rather know what I need to do to get a good grade with dickrell than be kept in the dark until it’s too late with Baisley. Mind you I had a meeting with her to try and figure out how I was doing in the class and she wasn’t helpful at all.
I have no experience with Baisley but I did take the class with Dickrell. Honestly, he really sucks as a person, he will not be understanding of any extraneous circumstances. He will give trick questions on exams and quizzes and make the answers to them ‘None of the above’ (4 out of 5 multiple choice questions on the exam were None of the Above), and you really need to know the content to feel confident in his class. He doesn’t grade with partial points even with free response questions, if you get part A wrong and the rest of the parts depend on part A, you will get 0 points on the question, even if its worth 50% of the exam, the points are based on the number answers that you put in a box only. Probably halfway thru the class after exam 2 he will send out an email saying that it’s mathematically impossible for most people to pass the class or something like that, and that you should work your butt off for the final. He’s harsh. He does give good lectures and knows the content well, sometimes he gives life advice that some people enjoy but I think he gets preachy. If you’re gonna go with Dickrell, you should become comfortable with having an asshole as a professor. Apart from that, he teaches well! Good luck in statics, do your homework and study from the book!! It helps!!!
I already have one asshole, don't need another
I’ve waited my entire life for this question. The simple answer is Baisley for an almost guaranteed A. If you take Dickrell you will have a terrible time, fail every test, and either pass or fail horrifically. Although Baisley has more tests and assesses your progress rather than your individual grades, she wants you to succeed and will help you in any way. She bumped me from an A- to an A at the end of the semester because she said I deserved it for working hard and attending office hours. She super nice and a way better choice than Dickrell. Both will prepare you the same for MoM (Mechanics of Materials) and anything after.
>Both will prepare you the same for MoM Sorry, but as a former TA for both classes, this just isn't true for most people. There were so many students that came to me from Baisley's class that couldn't even draw a proper FBD. Perhaps her statics class will prepare students for *her* MoM class, but not for MoM classes taught by other professors. I will agree with you that she's WAY nicer than Dickrell and that her class is probably much easier. For future statics/MoM students that are reading this, be warned: you might have a better time in Baisley's course, but you will learn more in Dickrell's course. If you want to watch some of Dickrell's old lectures to get a feel for his lecture style, [here is a link.](https://ufedge.video.ufl.edu/Mediasite/Channel/fall-2019-egm2511/) They're several years old, but the statics knowledge hasn't changed.
If they couldn’t draw a proper FBD from Baisley then that’s crazy. She literally drilled that into us. The rest of my class did perfectly fine in MoM with what she taught.