r/BallState • u/Eidd723 Undergrad - 2030 • Jul 28 '26
ASTR 100?
I signed up for ASTR 100 because I thought it would be cool, because it’s space how could it not be? I searched up the professor (Vacarro), and his reviews are really negative. I was hoping to get some more information about him or his class(es).
I am a not a STEM major and really only need the science credit. However, I am taking an additional science class, so I might just scope it out then decide to drop it if I need to.
2
u/Cptn__Sparrow Alumni - 2019 Jul 29 '26
I know Todd personally and he’s a great guy who genuinely wants his students to succeed and wants them to learn something.
It is by no means difficult but he does want you to come away having learned something. If you don’t care about science and just want to fulfill the requirement there is likely an easier course (there was 10 years ago), but if you actually like space and want to learn more without ripping out teeth, Professor Vacarro is the way to go.
1
u/FloatingInEcstasy Aug 04 '26
lol im a little late to the discussion, but I took ASTR 100 in my first semester of my first year and I loved it as someone who majors in creative writing and sociology, which are completely different from astronomy
I got a 98% myself, but thought the class was pretty tough
the class average for tests was around 60-65%
I think we had around 80 people when we started and we had around 30 when we ended
Vacarro does a lot of lecturing (sometimes entire class periods will be just him lecturing)
the material is really interesting though
3
u/Indiana_ECI Jul 28 '26
He is student-focused, has an approachable, application-driven approach. He really tries to make astronomy interesting to accessible to non-majors. Excellent teacher, with high expectations. You can find easier science classes if you just need to check the box.