• "Nolan is great! He is definitely smart, patient and most importantly understanding. He always goes the extra mile in helping everyone. For example, we have finals coming up and he is holding two extra sessions to help us get through the finals, which is great."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Vietnam, fall 2018

  • "Great. Super knowledgeable, appeared more than willing to answer all questions. Actually came off like he cared a lot about students understanding the topics."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Tibet, spring 2021

  • "Overall it was a valuable use of my time because Nolan was able to better formulate key ideas that were often too hard to gather from lecture."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Tibet, spring 2021

  • "Mr. Bensen was excellent in engaging us on the material each section. Very good, engaging discussions."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Vietnam, fall 2018

  • "Nolan was honestly a heaven (not mandate, ha) send. Truly, he made this course one of the greatest experiences of college. He is strong in all fields."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian: Civilizations: Vietnam, fall 2018

  • "Nolan is exceptional. Very bright and professional. He had a clear understanding on all the material and more background information. Great addition to the team. Thank you, Nolan!

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Vietnam, fall 2018

  • "I learned about Vietnamese culture, religion, and society. Truly, Nolan and Dr Phan were amazing, and so was the course. I better understand the world around me now, and am very grateful."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Vietnam, fall 2018

  • Nolan had very good organization and was able to effectively manage the classroom. He was engaging and did well to encourage discussion in the group."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Tibet, spring 2021

  • "Nolan was an excellent TA! Recitations were extremely informative and he motivated discussion by our discussion posts."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: China, fall 2016

  • "Nolan is very responsible and has great initiative. He's always happy to answer questions and has good understanding and knowledge of the course and course material. If unsure, he gives clear instructions to follow up either with the professor or comes back with an answer as soon as he can."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Japan, fall 2021

  • "My teaching assistant, Nolan Bensen, was an exceptional instructor. During the few weeks we had together, Nolan not only demonstrated how knowledgeable he was on the subject, but was also extremely kind, understanding and flexible to his students. I was added to the course after the add-drop period, believing that I would be very much behind. To my surprise, Nolan kindly responded to my email and addressed all my concerns in such a timely and professional manner. Nolan was also excellent at leading group discussions and was always prepared to engage his students with intriguing yet highly relevant course concepts and questions."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Japan, fall 2021

  • "Nolan definitely knows what he is talking about, and knows how to manage the kind of stilted environment of a online discussion section when no one really wants to be there. Despite a reluctance in students to discuss things, Nolan is able to pick out interesting things from the discussion posts that every writes and have a conversation with the students over those topics. His method allows him to discuss, clarify, and underscore important topics from the lecture in a much more engaging way than the lecture professor actually does."

    — A student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Tibet, spring 2021

“I wanted to take a second to thank you. As a non-traditional student returning to college following my time in the Army, I would say my perception of school is a bit different compared to my peers. Although I’ve taken a few classes at Columbia that arguably had no effect on shaping me as an individual, I cannot say the same for this class and your discussion section. Your discussion section consistently challenged the way in which I viewed the advancement of civilizations, the world, and myself. In the grand scheme of things, I recognize that grades, quizzes, and tests are temporary. However, shaping and reshaping an individual’s belief system lasts a lifetime. Thank you for your time this semester and thank you for allowing me to participate in your section. Hope you enjoy your summer and hopefully I can join your class next Spring.”

— A note of thanks while submitting a final examination over email, from a student in Introduction to East Asian Civilizations: Tibet, spring 2021