York T. Mandra

Why take this class:

1. Warm personality. Has heart. 2. Uses corny educational videos (not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing). 3. No written homework.

Why NOT to take this class:

1. Poor hearing (uses hearing aids). Speaks quietly (uses a mic). Mumbles a lot (no help there). 2. Bad handwriting. 3. Tells a lot of long stories. Sometimes goes off topic. Says, "to make a long story short" about 10 times each class. 4. The tests are ridiculously pages long. Many questions are repeated. You lose points for guessing. 5. Won't let you in if you're a minute late. This seems to offend him DEEPLY.

My personal experience:

I stayed for one test. Didn't study. Got around 15-20 questions right out of 150. On a curve, I received a C. I barely showed up for the rest of the semester. Our final grade was decided by that one test. Yay! A free C!

~PJ [crazy_pny@hotmail.com]

Overall this class was very interesting and informative but if you're looking for a broad overview on many different forms of energy and how they impact the environment, don't take this class. If you're looking for a shamelessly pro nuclear perspective, and an enormous amount of information on nuclear power and its impact on humans and the environment, then take this class. York Mandra is a very sweet man who's very passionate about the topic of nuclear energy. However, he's way past his teaching prime at 80-something years old. He frequently mumbles, is very hard to hear, and hard of hearing. His hand writing in atrocious and I honestly don't think that he'd be able to manage the class without the help of his TAs. The work is fairly easy overall, the majority of your grade will consist of one multiple choice mid-term exam, and your participation in class and on field trips. There is virtually no homework besides the reading and one group paper.

Hard to hear/understand/read writing, but now has a microphone, 2 TA's to help and there were a few guest speakers. assignments are inherently flawed and confusing, and grading procedures are unusual and confusing. very knowledgan]ble and nice man. easy to get a good grade regardless of flaws. i found out at the end of the semester that the midterm is 80% of your grade IF you skip the final. so do well on that and show up for field trips (I missed both-- one's on a Sat. fr 5:45am-9:00pm) and you'll do well. I did one test, the term project and skipped the final and still did OK.

Looked like an interesting class and it was for a while, but Dr. Mandra, who's a really sweet person that really knows what they're talking about, is just so old. He has to use a mic to be heard, literally. If you try talking to him with out it you spend half the time asking him to repeat what he said. He also has lost most of his ability to write so there's no point in taking notes because it's too hard to tell if he's wrting words or draring pictures. Oh yeah, and alomst the entire grade for the class (no shit, 85%) is based on the midterm, which was 30 pages long and honestly asked questions about specific numbers you had to memorize to the .00001 degree. And, you only had a little over an hour to do the midterm and got penalized for wrong answers. Also, the field trip takes about 3 -3 1/2 hours of driving each way, so hope you don't work. On the flip side he's a great guy who really loves teaching and really knows his stuff, so if you're up to the challenge it's an interesting subject.

I have taken 3 classes with this funny little man. I took his Intro to Geology, Intro to Geology lab (same semester) and the next semester I took his Energy class. I really really love this teacher. He is there because he wants to be, and as he points out: he could be making more money if he retired but he doesn't want to. Yes he does mumble, yes his handwriting isn't the best. Still, he makes it very easy to pass the class, because he is on the students' side. In the Geol 100 class, most of the students are straight out of high school and pretty annoying if you're past that whole 'doing makeup in class, passing notes, being rude to the teacher, cheating on tests' scene. Dr. Mandra is a teacher i'll always remember beacuse he is honest, funny, and a truly nice man. His stories are hilarious, he is one of the funniest storytellers i can think of. I recommend him as a teacher. Whoever reviewed him and said he's a "grumpy old man" could not be more off track.

nice teacher...but he's really old...can't hear students have to actually yell at him...he has two hearing aids...bad handwriting and some crazy test...came off to be a really nice teacher but later on in the semester he started to lock out students that were 5 mins. late to class...long test but managable...if you do well enough on the first 2 test the final is optional that's a big PLUS

DR. MANDRA IS HILARIOUS...HE'S A FUNNY GUY. HE HAS A GREAT PERSONALITY... HOWEVER, HIS TESTS ARE HARD! WHY? BCUZ HIS LECTURES ARE INCOMPREHENSIBLE: HIS WRITING ON THE BOARD IS REALLY SLOPPY AND HE SPEAKS REAL LOW AND OFTEN MUMBLES. IT GETS REALLY IRRITATING. PLUS HIS HEARING IS BAD! SO THIS IS WHY THE TESTS ARE HARD: BCUZ 80% OF THE TEST IS BASED ON THE LECTURES!!!!

I'M SURE I WOULD LEARN MORE IF I UNDERSTOOD HIM.

Dr. Mandra is an incredibly nice man. The kind you want for a grandfather, but not for a professor. He's a bit elderly and has trouble hearing, and tends to talk quietly. One time, he had his face to he board drawing something and talking about it. We couldn't hear him and were trying to tell him, but he couldn't hear us. Anyway, it can be annoying. Oh, and his handwriting is awful! His tests are interesting. He does it right minus wrong. So if you get 50 right and 50 wrong you don't end up with 50%, you end up with nothing. But, this also means that you don't have to answer all the questions. As long as you don't guess you'll be fine. There are two midterms and a final. But he will average the two midterm scores and make that your grade. If it's a bad grade you can take the inal to try to raise it. Otherwise, you don't have to take the final. I actually found the class kind of easy and a little interesting, I just think Dr. Mandra might consider retirement! Sorry Doc, nothing personal!

Not a bad teacher, fairly easy. If you are looking for an easy C, then take it. Be warned that his handwriting and speaking skills are horrible, but nonetheless, an easy class with no homework, only one midterm and final.

Absolutely the BEST Professor I've had in my entire academic career. You learn more than Geology...he tells wonderful stories that makes you think and even Geology seems interesting through his teaching methods. Definately recommended...in fact, my best friend recommended him to me. He's one of those teachers that you remember 20 years down the road.

I thought geology lab would be cake,but it ended up being quite a difficult class... only 2 people got A's. the first two tests were basically picking out the rock or mineral and telling why you thought it was that. There's no homework and he usually let you out a bit early.

Dr. Mandra is a credit to SFSU. He clearly loves teaching and desperately wants to pass on information to his students. He requires respect for the class and for the subject matter, but he will go out of his way to ensure that each student has a firm grasp on the material. He is open and informative. This is exactly what you imagine a college instructor to be. I highly recommend the 305 class to avoid the Geo 100 + lab.

Probably an OK class for freshmen or sophmores -- a lot like high school (he keeps track of attendance, freaks if you come in 2 min. late or have to leave early, & so on). His lectures are usually aimed at the "lower mark" as well; but, then again, this is only a 100-level class. A nice man, very likeable if you get to know him. But, if it's a challenge you're seeking, look elsewhere.

Oh how I love my Geology class. Oh how I love Dr. Mandra. He is one of the few profs on campus that loves what he teaches, loves teaching and enjoys his students. One can tell that while he's on some tangent that all he really wants are people to talk to. People to pass his ideas on for him. It is impossible not to pass his class unless you are inconsiderate of Dr. Mandras limited demands- being on time and paying attention to his lectures. He is a cute little old man- the kind you would like to meet at a dinner party and have him tell you the history of everything... a very interesting professor. Even when wandering off topic, Im still learning something new. Which is more than I can say for some other classes.

What can I say, I love the guy, I think he's the most enthusiastic teacher I've had at state, he doesn't cater to a small group of students or anything like that. He's got a truckload of stories (actually they're the same stories told over and over again) but at least they are always related to the topic. He's realistic, he knows that Geology is not always number 1 on our list of things to do in the day, but on the same token he'll fill your head with more geology than you previously thought possible. I recommend that you take him.