3.0
Quality3.8
Difficulty46%
Would Retake235
Reviews46%
Would Retake
235
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
35
4
64
3
49
2
45
1
42
What Students Say
“He continuously got things wrong in lecture and his students had to correct him”
CHEM0110 - 1.0 rating“Adrian is an incredibly intelligent professor, he is also extremely kind and (somewhat) funny”
CHEM0110 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
14%
Textbook Required
25%
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B
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CHEM
4.7
(3)CHEM0250
4.6
(5)CHEM0710
4.1
(16)CHEM1250
4.0
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4.0
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CHEM0720
5.0
CHEM0100
4.2
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4.2
CHEM710
4.0
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Reviews (235)
Dr. Michael is a good teacher. He doesn't assume everyone understands chemistry like most chem professors. But he spends some time on irrelevent ideas I think.
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really cool teacher, very helpful,his teaching style is really good,makes you understand the stuff really well....if you want to study. lots of experiments...lots of fun.
Dr. Michael is a cool teacher. His tests are mostly resonable except for the occasional question out of nowhere. Easy to get a B, but getting an A is more of a chore. Test outlines are helpful, and he is pretty helpful in his office hours.
he is boring as ever, but a genuinely nice guy.... teaches well, has fair tests and good hint sheets.... read the book and follow the hint sheet and you will do awewsome.... also, he really knows what he is teaching (which is more than most profs at pitt)....
Dr. Michael is great! He's one of the fairest teachers out there; there are no tricks. He tells you what to expect and delievers. Hard to get an A in his class though with how his point system works. He is highly recommended.
Good prof, makes it easy to understand , reading the book also helps greatly. His study guides help alot. Exams are usually problem solving based more so than memorization of facts. So know your formulas. Easy to do well as long as you do your work and study. I hope i get him for chem 2
Adrian Michael is probably one of the easiest chem professors at pitt, which doesnt really say much beacuse pitt chem department is crazy. just avoid his 8 AM class at all cost because no matter how easy he is, you cant pass his class if you cant even wake up early enough for it.
He's a very nice man who is always willing to help if you don't understand something. I had him for analytical and sometimes his notes were a bit unorganized as he just jotted things on the board at random. but if you pay attention and do the assigned problems, you'll do well in his class. He usually grades pretty generously.
Dr Michael is a really good chem professor. his study guides tell you exactly what you need to know for the exams. His lectures can be a little scattered but if you go to his office hours, he is so nice and extremely, extremely helpful. A genuinely nice guy who wants to see his students do well! Super fair!
his lectures are verrryyy boring but you can teach the material to yourself on your own. he gives a huge curve- i failed and got a D on the two major exams and ended up with a B+ for the course.
Talked about theories he most enjoyed that were not listed in the book. Went off topic multiple times and even when he stayed on topic you had no idea what he was talking about. Gave no homework (great) but you still needed to do practice problem on your own to pass. Very hard and not helpful, even one-on-one. Avoid if possible.
Honestly when I saw that I got a B+ in this class my heart nearly jumped out of my chest. Not to say that Dr. Michael's test were hard, but his method of teaching made it hard to refresh my memory from highschool on the material. His lectures are useless, so don't come to class his lectures won't prepare you for test. The book is your friend.
wants all his students to do well & is helpful when you need it. a lot of the important stuff are spoken, not written on board, so pay attention! if you don't understand, ask b/c you'll need to know it. the book is useless for his class.. practice for exams using sample tests.
great!
Goes on crazy tangents during lectures. . lecture is never REALLY "mandatory" but it got so bad this year he sent several emails ranting about attendance.As a result,on the final he purposely added 1 or 2 questions based on one of the tangents he went on during lecture. As a whole, he curves well..
Dr Michael is a good teacher..BUT he goes off topic most of the time..like when asked a question, he won t really answer the question directly, but will start talking about something that is not really related to the question... His lectures are sometimes boring and his tests are not easy so study!.. Make sure you go to class and take good notes.
Lecture was a little silly, because he goes off topic a lot-- but his tangents are generally interesting. It is important to attend class, because many exam questions are from his lectures. Also pay close attention to the study guides he gives out. Everything on the exam is from them. He is a very nice guy and going to office hours is very helpful
Good teacher. Neat handwriting (which is hard to come by!), clear lectures, interesting side-notes (I learned a lot of interesting side-things!). If you study a few hrs each week and read text / do homework problems, you should do well. No curve, but test's are doable. I worked hard and got an A.
Really nice guy, and entertaining during class. He goes over mostly the background and theory that is presented in the textbook, so yes, that is needed. The bad thing is that he doesn't always go in depth about the math problems, and leaves that for recitation. Also you get taught the the basics, and the tests is applying it critically to problem
Really average teacher. Lecautes got worse as the class went on. Vrey arrogent and didn't help much outside class. Had a generous curve on the class and posted practice exams.
Dr. Michael is very interesting and is a good professor. However, he teaches the class similar to the way an honors class is taught. I loved the class and found it interesting, but most things he taught were not what the class curriculum was supposed to be. Tests were made to be tricky and even if you knew the material, questions were tough.
he's a pretty good dude. class is rather easy and for the few tricky parts he makes sure to go over it when needed. no curve, but 2 bonus papers that can really boost the grade if you can get them done. optional homeworks prob not necessary - practice test is pretty useful though, use that to study
one of the best teachers I've ever had. amazingly good lecturer, very chill guy, and very knowledgeable about chemistry. He expects a lot from you and you will definitely learn in this class. Tests are fairly hard and you will need to study a lot, but chem lab and bonus papers will help boost your grade. Tests are short answer, few math problems
Great professor, very knowledgeable about chemistry. 710 is a tough gen-chem class, but he will get you through if you work hard. Tests are short answer so you have to know what you're talking about. No curve, but there are 2 bonus papers which can boost you a letter grade if you're lucky. Available to students in office hours. I got a B+.
Lecture is a must. Very clear and very easy to talk to in office hours
Good professor. Honors gen chem is definitely worth it. You'll learn the material very well from a more conceptual standpoint.
While it is possible to do well in this class,taking it is not a good experience. Professor Michael rarely adequately explains concepts instead offering only vague ramblings. He makes frequent, distracting mistakes that make one wonder how well he knows what he's teaching and how prepared he is for lecture.
Dr. Michael is an extremely intelligent man and a talented professor. The UHC General Chemistry series is mostly for students with much prior knowledge on the subject--those who have not had chemistry at the AP level will not do well in his class. Extremely interesting lectures, though exams are difficult. I intend to take him for Analytical chem.
Hadn't taught this class in a few years and I could tell. He was quite disorganized and the last few weeks are 45 minute student presentations. However, the exams came from the notes and he is very approachable in his office.
Chem 0760/0710 is a tough class to take. DON'T TAKE IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO WORK. Dr. Michael does a lot of derivation and can be pretty unclear during lecture. If you go to office hours and do a decent amount of studying, you'll pass the class. UHC Chem 2 is better and more interesting, hands down.
Dont take unless you took APchem in HS. Hard class with a lot of nontextbook concepts, used TB for practice problems but those are minimal on tests. Lots of quantum mechanics which is heavily math based. Course is taught like an Intro to P-Chem course. Did well but studied my butt off. EC is available. Lectures=MUST attend but can b hard to follow.
He's very accessible and nice during office hour. Classes are hard and never use the book so you have to go or you will fail. Allows a note sheet for final which is very helpful cause lots of graph and formulas to remember. I kind of cramped everything before each exam but still get good grade. Just try to know the material and do his practice exam
First off, if you haven't taken AP Chemistry or some equivalent, don't take this class. It requires that you have a good chemistry background. Dr. Michael is a decent professor, and is very helpful during office hours. He does focus a lot on quantum mechanics, which can be somewhat difficult. Posts old exams - DO THEM!!! 2 EC papers - V. helpful.
It's clear that Dr. Michael knows and loves chemistry. Be prepared to go to all lectures, a good amount of exam material isn't in the book. The class is pretty derivation-heavy and emphasizes connecting a bunch of concepts of chemistry together. There are 2 extra credit papers to help your grade, do them. There is no curve. Good luck.
I took Chem 710 without taking AP chemistry in high school... let me be the first to tell you that this was a big mistake. His class proved to be difficult, but there's a rather generous curve applied, explained in his syllabus. He teaches the class like an upper level chem course, and he focused a lot on quantum mechanics. Go to class often.
Love chemistry but wasn't ready to take the class. Only take if you have a strong background in AP Chem. Go to office hours, they help a lot. The exams aren't straight forward so memorizing things wont help. Great teacher in general.
Great professor one of my favorite at Pitt. His lectures are fun and filled with information so be sure to attend them. His tests can prove to be pretty difficult if you haven't mastered the material by exam time. Overall is a fair grader and will work with you if you have a poor test grade.
Worst class I've taken. He's obsessed with quantum mechanics and goes unnecessarily deep into it. It gets really hard and if you don't understand it, you're basically screwed. More of a QM class than gen chem. The labs are so much harder than other gen chem labs. A few weeks into it and you're definitely regretting taking the class.
His focus on quantum gives better insight into chemistry. The class had no homework, and while his tests were free-response and theory-based, he had past tests online to give an idea of his expectations. Great guy, but his explanations can get fuzzy; definitely need to be in lecture and have taken AP chem beforehand. Has 2 optional bonus papers.
Great professor. Extremely helpful after class and in his office hours. Two bonus papers offered, really help out your grade. This class delves deep in quantum mechanics and some derivations like of the kinetic molecular theory of gases. If you're not interested in chemistry, don't take this class. AP Chemistry is also required for success
If you took AP Chemistry in high school but don't want to take organic your first year, take this class. Dr. Michael teaches the class by going through a general chemistry textbook and pointing out topics that are simplified or poorly explained and going in depth with them. The class is challenging, but you'll do fine if you put in the work.
If you like chemistry and took AP chem and did well, this class is perfect for you. Lectures are long and can get boring, but if you like the subject then you'll be interested enough to pay attention. He likes to focus on topics he finds interesting (derives Kinetic Molecular Theory, Schrodinger's equation). Easy grader and will give points back.
His exams were all free response, but he recycled a lot of questions from old exams. Most of the things you'll talk about aren't in the book, but there are good practice problems in the book. Take good notes and study the old exams to give yourself an edge. Great explainer and I think his lectures gave me an edge when I started Ochem1.
Adrian is a very nice, funny and approachable guy who is very knowledgeable in chemistry! However, he tends to ramble on and lectures get confusing and boring sometimes. Your grade depends on you reading the chapters and doing practice problems. Overall he isn't bad to take but unless chem comes to you easy, it might be a little more of a challenge
This professor really, really sucks for gen chem 1. His lectures are meandering, and he goes on a thousand tangents, only mentioning in passing what we actually need to know for the test. He is a funny guy, and very approachable, but passing this class is impossible without an incredible TA.
Tries a little too hard to be funny. His lectures literally made no sense at all and I took AP Chem in HS! He rambles about concepts that aren't relevant to his tests so don't bother w/ lecture. When people ask him what they need to know for exams, he just tells them that he doesn't know (usually bc he writes tests literally the morning of).
In high school I took honors and AP Chemistry , and I was terrible at it. I thought I would never be able to learn chemistry no matter who the teacher was. But, Prof. Michael is by far the best teacher I've ever had! He is very approachable and extremely helpful during office hours. READ THE BOOK BEFORE CLASS to make lectures a breeze.
Adrian is an incredibly intelligent professor, he is also extremely kind and (somewhat) funny. He does tend to go off on tangents in lecture and they are often boring, but I mean it is chemistry. He is very accessible outside of class and always willing to help. The exams are tough but if you read the textbook and study they are quite manageable.
Prof. Michael is a smart guy but is not good at teaching Chem. as an introductory course. He doesn't spend time on the basics and instead rambles about things that are not particularly important for a basic understanding of Chemistry. Doesn't use Power Points either, which makes studying more difficult. Needs to focus on the core concepts more.
Prof. Michael was very very difficult. I got 3 A's, one B +, and a C. The C was in Adrian Michael's gen Chem 100 class. Terrible professor and doesn't prepare you at all. His tests are hard and he doesn't curve or give points back. Would not recommend to anyone!!
I got 3 A's, one B +, and a C. The C was in Adrian Michael's gen Chem 100 class. Terrible professor and doesn't prepare you at all. His tests are hard and he doesn't curve or give points back. Would not recommend to anyone!!
Prof Michael is kind of funny & seems like a nice guy but, he was not a good teacher. On 1 exam, we were told it would have some mult. choice. The morning of he emailed and told us it would only be short answer/write it out. Another exam, students got points taken off when they were right & he did not fix the grades. Exams have a lot of concept ?s.
Teacher was quite smart, but arguably one of the most difficult classes I have ever taken. If you end up with him then get ready to read read and read because his exams are brutal. Put in a lot effort and got a C+... also he gives no extra credit or curves.
Exams are wayyyyy to difficult for an intro to Chem. His lectures and long and boring
Exams suck
Adrian is a funny guy, but I wouldn't recommend him, as his tests get increasingly difficult and concept focused. His lectures aren't very helpful for his tests. His final surprisingly wasn't too bad, and he doesn't require any homework (but you should do problems anyway if you want to do well).
Dr. Michael is a nice enough guy, but lectures were useless and often difficult to follow. Exams were VERY VERY difficult and long (over half of the class would still be working when time was called). Graded on a few exams and about 10 (easy) quizzes. I worked hard and only passed because of the huge curve he put on the final grades.
Dr. Michael is usually an honors chem 1 professor who got knocked down to regular chem 1. He rambles on about how the rules and tricks that are usually taught in chem 1 such as the octet rule are BS. He swears to try to make kids think he's funny. The only reason his class is doable is because of the old tests he posts online. Do them!
Professor Michael was a great professor. He knows his stuff, and he is passionate about chemistry. He won't ever try to bs you about material. By far the best gen chem 1 professor you can have. His exams are fair, and he offers past year exams to practice with which help. He is very accessible in office hours as well.
Adrian was a okay professor. He definitely knows his stuff, but he sometimes is unprepared for lecture so he makes a lot of mistakes. He often rambles, so it's very hard to pay attention. You don't have to show up to learn the material but his tests do get progressively harder. However, he was very help during office hours.
Dr Michael definitely knew his chemistry. He writes out his notes, but does ramble a lot which is helpful to write down (there has been a test questions on it) he posts old exams which the new exams align with. He uses direct questions out of notes but still makes you read. There are recitation quizzes but theyre made to be easy 10/10 points
He continuously got things wrong in lecture and his students had to correct him. Although his tests weren't impossible, he made the same mistake twice on the same type of question on an exam and messed up a question on the final. There usually isn't enough time to complete test and his response was "frankly I don't care".
Dr. Michael is a great guy. But, his lectures are difficult to follow. I took AP Chem in high school and still found myself lost sometimes. He jumps around a lot. HIGHLY suggest reading the chapters before you come to lecture, it will make it easier to follow. Also, lecture can get boring. But, he's not a bad teacher. Definitely could've been worse
Dr. Michaels was very nice and funny, but his lectures would sometimes get off topic and he was not always good at explaining information. However, the tests were predictable as to what was going to be on it, and was very helpful, offering extra review sessions and answering any questions.
Some of the lectures could be dry but there is no denying that he knows his chemistry. He's actually very caring, he would hold weekly review sessions until late in the evening to answer questions. Tests were hard but reflected much on past exams that are given for practice. Doesn't curve tests but has an overall built in curve!! Not a bad choice!
Talked about stuff that most Gen Chem professors didnt even cover. Very dry lectures. If you dont come to class you might miss important material not in the book that will be on the test.
He is kind of scattered during lectures and will test you on things that are not in the textbook that he said briefly in lecture. The exams are not too difficult but you have to work fast or else you will run out of time. He does not curve, there's a point system with a built in curve.
Exams focus on what was taught in lectures. His office hours are very helpful. Do the homework and pay attention in class/recitation.
Dr. Michael as a person is extremely caring and devoted to his work but a nightmare as a professor. Lectures were scattered, mistakes were always made and rarely corrected and if you missed the lecture you were almost entirely screwed for the test. Practice tests were posted but were rarely like the actual exam so studying them was worthless.
Read the textbook and do practice problems. Do practice quizzes before exams and make sure you study for pop quizzes in lab
Dr. Michael would often lecture about very fine specific things, which would either be on the test in long convoluted questions or not at all despite his discussion of the topic for almost half or all of a lecture (e.g. Blackbody Radiation). Tests are way too focused in and unspecified and you must study the previous year's tests to do well.
He is an ok professor. He understands the material very well, but he goes off on a lot of tangents about his research. This is annoying because you get lost easily. I would want a different professor. One bonus: you can make a cheat sheet for your final.
Took him my first semester at Pitt and regretted it greatly. Exams are usually left unfinished by large percentages of the 300 person lecture, and the average grades are technically failing. TA's were helpful in recitation, but recitation quizzes and worksheets were nothing like the exams. Very difficult even if you study days beforehand.
His class is the worst. Make sure you do the practice problems in the back of each chapter, thats what he models his test off of. DO GOOD ON THE FINAL he essentially uses whatever u get on the final as ur overall grade. I had a B and ended with an A- because i got a 92 on the final, so dont worry if you fail the tests, everyone does.
Awful. Absolutely awful. He rambles on about stuff not in the textbook for entire lectures and then makes very difficult test questions based off of them. I wouldn't recommend him to my worst enemy.
He's a nice guy, but his lectures make chemistry a lot more difficult than it needs to be. Covered topics outside of the range of a typical Gen Chem 1 class that were not useful and not in the textbook. His exams were manageable but more detailed than what you need for Gen Chem 1.
Hes a funny guy and really cares about the material. He is not a great teacher and explains concepts in a way one would expect him to talk to another PHD. It is obvious that he is extremely intelligent and knows the material, but has a hard time conveying it simply. If you get 92%+ on the final you are guaranteed an A in the class (same for a B)
Honestly he is a great teacher. Just go to lectures and listen to what he says and study the martial well. He gives you everything you need for the tests and the recitation quizzes and labs are super easy too. Make sure to do well on the final because whatever you get on it is the lowest your overall grade can be. Also go to the study sessions!
Make sure you go to lectures, read the textbook, and do the practice problems. He's a fair grader as long as you work for it -- only 3 midterms and none of them get dropped. He's quite available outside of class and will make your final grade in the class at least your final exam grade, so do well on that!
A fair professor. Note: I am sayin this havin to retake this class my next semester. I didnt have a good foundation of chemistry in high school, so Chem is very challenging for me, but towards the end of the semester I got it. I suggest goin to class so u can get an accurate feel of whats goin to be on the exams. If I can almost pass u can pass. :)
Cool guy but In lectures it can be hard to figure out if hes just talking about something he thinks is cool or is relevant info for exams. He tries to give reviews before tests but tests are hard like 63-69% class averages w no curve but one of the better gen chem professors. your final grade cant be lower than your final exam which was fair.
I had Dr. Michael last year and he's a solid teacher. In lecture, it is difficult to tell when he's going on a tangent or when he's teaching relevant information, but his exams are fair and very similar to the practice exams he posts. Work through those problems until you know how to do all of them and you will succeed. Funny guy, cares a lot.
Professor Michael is definitely a great choice for Chem 0110. His lectures can get a little boring but if you pay attention and practice his in class examples, you should have no problem on the exams. Hes a fair grader and accessible outside of class to help. If you take him you will definitely be prepared for Chem120.
Dr. Michael really cares about his students. Hes one of the few professors who make online lectures work. His quizzes/tests are doable if you are prepared (specially the timed ones, you HAVE to come prepared). Also, NO HOMEWORK!
I LOVE professor Michael, he provides great lectures, live and then records them for future reference. No homework and the weekly quizzes are manageable. The weekly quizzes replaced the what would be 3 midterms so once covid is over itll probably just be 3 midterms again. Super manageable class, take him if you can!
I loved prof Adrian, He was my favorite teacher from my first semester. Really smart and caring. He is easy to talk to and find outside of class while learning online he often would hold review lessons the night before the exam that where super helpful. Overall he gave good lectures and he was a great prof.
Great prof! Lectures can be boring but attend them. Quizzes are based more on what he teaches. He holds review sessions before the quiz which is a great help. He is a funny and caring guy and made chemistry much more fun. Even though his class is easier or slower than other teachers, I can guarantee you that will learn.
Prof Michael continuously goes on irrelevant rants, while it is possible to get an okay grade, I feel like I have not learned anything different form honors chem in high school. There are long boring lectures and the TA I had was terrible too.
The class is based on a midterm (split up into weekly quizzes done by chapter) and one cumulative final. The weekly tests seem overwhelming but they are easier to score A's on than one big midterm so I am glad he replaced that. You can either attend lectures or read the book. I do both but if you do just one or the other you will do just fine.
Youll probably leave most of dr Michaels lectures a little confused as to what he was talking about for the past hour, but overall hes a really nice and understanding guy and his quizzes are fair. He makes himself very available to students and loves answering chem questions. Definitely one of the better chem 1 professors at Pitt.
Did well with online class. Would take him again, solid work but nothing unusual.
Prof Michael is a great choice! His lectures can be quite boring and seem to go on forever but he throws in some jokes that break it up. We weren't graded on very much. I wish there were some more chances to get good grades in this course as I had a rough start but it ended up working out in the end!
Dr. Michael is an incredibly smart and kind man. Because of his passion in certain parts of chem, he goes into detail about irrelevant topics. These rants usually take a decent amount of time during lecture, are not tested on, and only serve to confuse. I'd say my grade was derived more from the work I did independently than because of his lectures
One of the better chem0110 profs- try to take him! Zoom lectures were not mandatory as he recorded & posted them all after. Definitely read the textbook tho, sometimes his lectures went down one path and did not get to cover everything he wanted to. still a geat prof!
I hated this professor. He was rude and never responded to email. His handwriting is also difficult to read making the lectures more difficult- especially with the online setting. Not to mention his condescending tone to those asking questions.
Just graded on the very few exams. His lectures often don't relate to the tests. kinda a weird dude but be prepare to teach yourself.
One of the worst professors to exist. His exams are wack and he has an attitude.
His lectures hardly relate to what we should be learning in the book, and his exams relate to almost nothing he taught in class, nor what is in the book. I tried really hard to ignore his quirks in the beginning, but his teaching style has proven useless and he has a major attitude. His lectures are just one giant mansplain about nothing.
Had to withdraw bc there was NO way I was passing. No homework but you end up teaching yourself from the book for hours a week. Exams have little relation to book or his horrible lectures. Blamed the class for a crazy low average for "not knowing how to take an exam." No curve, no EC. Expects all of us gen chem students to have a PhD in Chem too.
Dr. Michael seems pretty intimidating at first, but once you get to know him it's clear that he's a really caring professor who just wants his students to do well. Utilize office hours!! I learned a lot by asking for help. Teaching style is a bit obscure and sometimes unrelated but as long as you're doing practice outside of class you'll do fine!
he makes everything more confusing than it needs to be and you basically teach yourself the entire class. he has an attitude and the lectures don't relate to anything on the test and his handwriting makes things way more difficult. definitely don't recommend..
Only good thing is you're able to drop your lowest quiz score. The quizzes are 2-4 questions, 10 points. They don't match the hardness of the exams. Half the time the lectures don't match what are on the exams. You take his class and you'll end up trying to teach yourself everything instead. He also doesn't curve anything and most people fail.
Be ready to teach yourself everything, he does not teach at all and just makes everything more complicated.
Dr. Michael commonly gets really off topic easily. He will commonly leave out important topics in favor of kind of rambling which can be frustrating. If you have already taken chem and read the textbook you should be fine though.
If I'm being honest, I do not think that Professor Michael taught me a single thing. If I was left to my own devices with AP chem notes, the textbooks, the syllabus, and Youtube, I would have gotten exactly the same grade as I have now. His lectures are essentially a list of what will be on the exam. Be prepared to seek lots of outside help.
Dr. Michael doesn't teach. He simply stands at the front of the class and talks AT US about chemistry. He jumps chapters and his thoughts are very sporadic. He was mad at us for our low average. He doesn't answer questions as he should and tends to make people feel like they're stupid. He does seem like an okay guy but take another professor.
The tests are significantly harder than the resources provided in both the textbook and Achieve. He goes off on unnecessary tangents and does not cover mathematical concepts sufficiently. Would be better off doing POGIL since you know what you're getting yourself into. Very confusing class overall. I'm sure he's a nice person though.
Doesn't even cover the majority of material in class so you have to completely learn it from the textbook. His lectures are extremely boring and mostly useless. Weekly quizzes were made by the TAs so the difficulty greatly depends on which TA you get. His tests are hard (especially open ended sections) too. Only good thing is no homework.
Prof Michael is not the worst professor to ever exist, but I don't recommend him. The way he lectures and the way he grades are almost set up for you to fail. My TA told me that our class (Fall 2021) is the LOWEST SCORING CLASS that Micheal has ever taught. He does not show any regret for the average, and doesn't plan on changing anything. 50% fail
His lectures make sense only 50% of the time and his tests cover the topics he maybe mentioned for 15 minutes at the end of class. His recitation quizzes are made by the TAs so it really matters who you get as your TA. He has no HW so no buffer room and his exams are impossible. You basically have to teach yourself
Michael will spend the majority of a lecture discussing the spatulae on gecko feet and never touch actual topics that you will be tested on. Not only is there no homework buffer, he simply blames the class for not having test taking skills instead of reflecting that he may not be teaching well. He also has an attitude under the premise of humor.
Yes, some of the negative reviews are correct and justified. Dr. Michael does go off-topic and talk about random things. But, he is super nice and is helpful outside of class. I have asked him clarifying questions after class, and he was very helpful. His tests are hard, but if you study, you should be okay. Read the textbook and do practice!
Grade consists entirely of quizzes and exams, homework is ungraded but definitely not optional. He uses his own scale instead of a curve, but he did let us retake an exam when our avg was too low. Definitely didn't learn anything in class: always had to rewatch lectures cause they're hard to follow at first. Either you teach yourself or get help.
His lectures are absolutely awful and he goes on very random rants throughout the entire class. His lectures don't cover actual problems on the test or how to do them, but constants or equations you don't use. He is very rude and doesn't seem to care about the majority of his students failing exams. You will have to completely teach yourself.
Just be ready to teach yourself everything
Your grade is made up of three exams and weekly quizzes you take during recitation. Very passive aggressive when responding to emails. His exams are so hard that when we took the second one the average was so low we had to retake the exam. You do have a final it was rough but you do get a cheat sheet which helped a lot. DONT TAKE HIS CLASS
Professor Michael is not the worst choice for chem 1. However, you better be ready to work and put in the effort to be able to succeed in his class. Lectures are sometimes hard to understand. Exams were difficult, but not impossible like some people make it seem. Final was the easiest of all, especially with a cheat sheet.
Exams are tough and you have little room for error due to the grading of the exams and the overall course. Lectures don't cover everything, so you really need to read the textbook and practice with past exams. Dr. Michael is a great guy though who will gladly answer any question. Definitely go to his review sessions and ask him questions.
Dr. Michael is a nice person, but he tends to get on tangents during his lectures that make the content more confusing. Your grade consists of weekly quizzes, lab, three exams, and the final. The exams werent particularly too difficult, but you have to use his past exams to study because he bases his exams off of those rather than the textbook.
I ended with an A in AP Chem, so I thought I was prepared for this class. Turns out it was 2x as much work. Dr. Michael is a nice guy, but every time I left lecture, I felt like I learned absolutely nothing. Be prepared to ace all 3 exams (+ final) if you want an A. Take detailed notes, utilize online resources, and study MULTIPLE DAYS in advance.
I dont know how he compares to other chem profs, but this class was terrible and I was constantly hanging on for dear life. I wouldnt recommend him but some seemed to like him. His lectures arent helpful and u teach urself a lot. He also refuses to curve even when class average is low. Thought I failed but this C- is a miracle.
Not the best lecturer. However, his tests were very doable because they were very similar to the practice exams that he provides. In addition, the grade you obtain on your final exam is the lowest score you can get and it was the easiest exam of the semester. If you have taken AP Chemistry, you will be fine in his class.
Nice guy and definitely knows his stuff very well but expects you to know the material just as much. Be prepared to learn all the material on the tests through the textbook practice problems if not you will fail the exams. Do well on the final exam as that will be your final grade. Hard class.
very test heavy, but he gives practice exams that are extremely similar to his actual exams. his lectures can get on the rambling side, but honestly aren't as bad as some people say, as he does teach some useful skills for the exam problems. as long as you give yourself a couple days to study for exams, you'll do well.
If you took AP chemistry, you will be fine. My advice is to work on doing problems QUICKLY and study a week in advance. Personally, his lectures are not useful, but the textbook, your TAs, and previous practice exams are. Final was the easiest. He is a caring guy. He sent us a very long motivational email after the semester. Bad teacher, good guy.
Dr. Michael is a great person, but isn't a good teacher. He is very knowledgeable on chemistry, but explain things poorly. His grading/class structure is not helpful to student success. He gives no homework, his lecture notes are not detailed, and the chapter readings are extensive. The final was easy, but the prior 3 exams were very difficult.
Dr. Michael knew the subject of chemistry very extensively but almost to his demise. He could never explain things in a way that most students could understand, he assumed you understood and moved on. Only 4 grades in the class: 3 exams and the final. Exams are extremely hard and he expects you to teach yourself material you don't understand.
Dr. Michael is a great person, however, the class is not easy. Your grade is mostly exams which means you need to study. If you are up for the challenge of learning a lot by yourself, you will be fine. He gives us the previous exams which are very helpful and make studying a lot easier. But you need to study A LOT for this class.
Dr. Michael is nice but he doesn't explain concepts well and you have to teach yourself most things if you want to do well. Also the qs on his tests are worded very unfairly and he only gives 3 tests and a final. He's adamant about not curving and the test avgs were usually low Cs. But considering the chem dept isnt great he's prob your best bet.
This is a learn on your own class. The lectures are barely helpful as he usually goes on tangents, does not fully explain himself, and does not have any form of a lecture plan. He does not give homework. While this may seem like an advantage BEWARE. Chem is a class where you need to do practice problems and he provides NONE. Also READ the textbook
I'm p sure everyone made 60s on his tests (everyone is smart here). 3 tests, each with abt 20 questions (MC/FR) so missing one question would hurt you. Prob wouldn't have gotten an A if I didnt...(yk..) but the most recent past exams that he posted were the most helpful as well as lab and recitation grades if u want a good grade. Never take him
Dr. Micheal is a great guy but his lectures can be so so so confusing. He posts previous years tests and if I did not have those I would have no idea where to start studying. The lectures do not really help with the tests tbh, you need to learn a lot on your own
As long as you are willing to read a lot and teach yourself for parts of the semester, take Adrian Michael. Class includes 3 exams and the final. All of the exams were extremely difficult, and you need to know your stuff to get good grades. Goes off topic a lot, but does review sessions before the exam, which are helpful.
The content for Chem 1 is not super difficult but I struggled because I had to teach myself everything from the textbook because both lectures and recitation sessions were not informative. Dr. Michael rambles a lot during lectures and majority of what he said was irrelevant to the exams. The final was fair but the midterms were very difficult.
Lectures are all over the place. The first test isn't too difficult but the next 2 were considerably hard. There are 3 tests, and a cumulative final (a week after the 3rd exam). I felt as if I studied a lot, but my grades were not reflective. Lab and recitation quizzes saved my grade. You're honestly better taking another professor.
I never went to class because he was such a bad professor. I started to do well when I started skipping class. I took AP chem and got an A in that, but this professor is just straight up bad. I got a rate my profs account JUST to warn everyone about him. He is way too test heavy and each point is worth so much. I wouldn't recommend him to anyone
I did not like the way he went about teaching. It seemed scattered at best, so really just read the book. I'd still go to his classes, so you know how he's covering the material, but again, not exactly helpful. My class apparently had some of the lowest scores possible on one of his exams and he relented at giving a retake, as displeased as he was.
You can tell this man is smart, but that does not necessarily mean he was a good professor. I promise you I understood all of the material that he would teach but the tests were not the same as what was taught. They were an application of knowledge that I get is good, but these were applications beyond what is learned in the class.
You have hopes and dreams until you take this mans class. This class will demoralize you in every way, you are better off changing majors and transferring before taking his class. Cool dude, absolutely the worst teacher I've ever encountered.
Only grades in the class are exams, can't emphasize how much you need to read the textbook to understand the work. He's funny and I think a good guy, but he's confusing and its hard to say if you'll pass or not. Need a 70% on the final to pass the class, its 200 questions though. Its a hard class fs.
He really is a great guy. He cares about his students and is willing to meet with them after class, and also answers emails relatively fast. He really knows what he's saying, but it is sometimes very difficult to understand. All his classes are recorded, so it makes it really nice to be able to watch them. Such a nice and funny guy though.
AVOID HIM AT ALL COSTS. I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES take a class w/ him. I stopped going to his rambling lectures, they make you dumber, & I did better teaching myself. Exams are extremely hard and are most of your grade. You'll teach yourself mostly. Smart guy, horrible professor. Easily the worst teacher of my life
I dont have him to know he's a horrible prof. Exam averages in the 50s. He told my friend and the class the 3rd exam was real and had it on the syllabus but then sent out an announcement saying that the exam was fake and the real exam would be next week. Take Carol Fortney instead if she's an option. I have her and she's amazing.
Funny guy, wanted us to do well, and applauded himself for avoiding cursing for the first 4 weeks. You should take him.
He wants his students to succeed and expects them to put in the effort; is very nice outside of classroom. However, he tends to go on tangents in lecture and you have to try to learn the material on your own. Grade is based on exams only, which are somewhat difficult. All lectures are recorded and holds review sessions before exams.
will spend lectures talking about things that are completely irrelevant to the test. His only grades are the 4 exams and the recitation quizzes. He does post practice tests that are extremely helpful. If you are okay with learning everything yourself and are a great test taker you'll like him. Also on exam 3 everyone failed so he made us retake.
Professor Michael is a funny guy and you can tell he's a nice guy, but his teaching is very scattered and I often didn't understand what he was talking about. He would just draw graphs and images without explaining what was really going on. I struggled in his class and tests count for literally so much of your grade.
Really nice guy, and he's hilarious. Tests are the majority of the grades, but he gives old exams as practice. Also go to office hours, everyone saying it's impossible are people who didn't go to office hours ha
Very test heavy and does nothing in lectures to prepare you. If you want to succeed you absolutely need to teach the content to yourself and do all the problems that the textbook offers.
So awesome. Loved him. Absolutely hilarious. Strange Australian accent that makes me laugh. Says formuler like mr krabs. Posts all the past exams and new exams are just like them. Cheat sheet on final. LFG. He is sent from God. All hail Adrian Michael. He stays after class for office hours and I ate that up.
Dr. Michael was an extremely nice and understanding guy! He was also hilarious, but his lectures were hard to follow and all over the place. He really did care about your success though, and was extremely accessible outside of class. He posted old exams which were great to study! Overall, nice guy average lecturer.
Lectures and textbook weren't that helpful. He posts lectures to rewatch. Going to office hours helped me significantly. The practice exams he posts are the most helpful and useful thing to study for exams; questions are very similar. Overall he cares about students and wants the whole class to do well.
Adrian Micheal is a good gen chem prof, especially in comparison to the other options. There were 3 exams and a final. He posted old exams which were VERY helpful for studying and also holds review seshs before each exam. The material is challenging, but that's just chem. Adrian tries his best to be funny and make the material understandable.
Dr.Michael is a great professor. Put the work in, you will have at least a B. You cannot be lazy. He is fair and accessible, kind, and willing to help outside of class, go to office hours!Cares about students and wants them to succeed. Gives practice exams that are absolutely necessary and helpful to your success in this class. Do them and Achieve
AVOID...trust me, for the sake of you and your mental health... don't do it to yourself. If you do, expect to teach yourself everything in that class. His lectures are pointless and you learn nothing that you need for the test so I'd say skip the lectures and just work on the old practice exams he posts if you want a good grade.
He has exams worth most of the grade points and refuses to curve anything! Would not take him again
Overall, I liked Dr. Michael. He gives out practice tests that are helpful when preparing for the exams! He also cares about his students' grades- he wants you to succeed but he also wants you to work for it! Chemistry is not easy, and Dr. Michael understands that. If you have good study habits and are willing to read the textbook- he's great!
played nice guy and said he would help but did nothing- was under 5 points (700 pt class) away from an A and after saying 100 times that there was 0 to worry abt he refused to do anything dont believe what he says for relief. lec is USELESS. do every prac test, read book cover to cover tests are easy math but concept ?'s are on god even knows what.
Dr. Michael understands that chemistry is difficult and gives you the tools to be successful. Do the practice exams and go to the review sessions- they are super helpful in exam preparation. He definitely wants the best for his students, but can sometimes get lost in his own brain. A little scattered at times, but overall is a good class.
Most important things to know are the calculations. Not super difficult (at least not for me), and the final is super important-- said that if you pass the final you pass the class even if you did horrible on previous exams. Attend test review sessions and do previous tests posted on canvas, he gives no homework so practice problems yourself
-grades are 3 exams & final -you pass the class if you score 70%+ on the final -posts lectures online -DO THE PRACTICE EXAMS the real exams are exactly the same -lecture can be boring -i didn't read the textbook and did fine - adrian is nice-ish & kinda funny but gives off very rich, tenured professor vibes - hes better than the other chem 1 profs
Adrian Michael is a good professor and his lectures were okay. My recommendation is PRACTICE! PRACTICE!! PRACTICE!!! Practice the old exams and worked he posted on canvas and you WILL pass this class!!! If you could ace every practice exam he posted, then you will get a good grade on his final. A good grade on the Final = passed the class.
Is a good professor, lectures can get a bit boring, but gives his students a lot of tools to succeed in his class.
Dr Michael is doable. As long as you study well for his tests. He tends to go off topic in lecture and on unnecessary tangents and I would have no idea where to study. However, he posts practice exams for every single exam and the final which were incredibly helpful, so definitely do those.
Decent class. Lectures are a bit boring and confusing but everything makes sense the second time looking at the content w the textbook or rewatching the lectures. He provides multiple past exams, which are useful (esp. practicing the types of questions he will ask). While the exams were difficult, grades can be improved with hard work and practice.
Super nice and funny but kinda a bad lecturer. His lectures were sometimes boring and he had a habit of going on tangents. In order to do well in his class, you must read the textbook. His exams are tricky and have trick questions, but they are similar to the resources that he posts. A little condescending but I like him better than Pete Bell.
Dr. Michaels is a very nice guy. His lectures can be extremely entertaining or extremely dull. His tests might press you for time, but most of the questions are fair and reasonable. To be honest, your best chances of success don't lie with him, but with lots of practice and reviewing material. He still gives valuable information during lecture.
The real exams were exactly like the practice exams. Lectures weren't great but read the textbook and understand how to do all the practice exams and you'll be good do go. Weekly quizzes in recitation but they were basic. No homework.
Professor Michael seemed like a nice guy but his lectures were pretty boring and unnecessary. I stopped attending lectures and just took the practice tests, which prepared me pretty well for the 3 exams and the final. Recitation quizzes were easy, but if you don't know chemistry beforehand, it would be a lot more difficult.
Dr. Michael is a very nice guy, but gives quite confusing lectures. I did not have him this semester, this review is for a previous semester. His exams are very difficult and time consuming, so if you struggle for time, maybe stay away. If you don't have a passion for chemistry, then you probably will not like his classes.
Dr. Michael is tough but he genuinely cares a lot about his students. His notes weren't the best, but he records the lectures so I found it helpful to rewatch them and pause to write things down that he said and he was better at explaining things. No homework and very test heavy. Highly recommend making office hours appointments for one on one time
While Mr. Michael is a funny and nice guy outside of the classroom, his lectures may be one of the most unhelpful things ever. There is no order to what he is teaching and he never provides any type of context that would actually clue you in to what he is talking about. If you haven't taken chem in a while be prepared to teach yourself everything.
- Lectures are good but gets carried away at times - Exams are very similar to his practice ones which is nice - Very funny - Average difficulty
Funny guy, could not keep up in lectures ever, though (so I stopped going). But his tests are exactly like the practice tests he gave out, so there was honestly never even a reason to go to lecture or take notes when you can just do all of the practice tests right before the exam and you will be fine.
I really liked him. He was funny and a nice old guy. Likes to go off topic at times. Exams are much like his lectures. They weren't too difficult. Although, our class got to retake an exam since it was so bad and everyone got an A. Gave out practice exams which are helpful.
- Spirals off topic sometimes - Exams are very similar to practice ones - Very funny
I love Adrian. His class is definitely hard, but he is consistent with exam content and as long as you study hard a good grade is achievable. I feel like he can definitely get confusing in lecture just because he is a genius, but I have learned so much. He's also super funny and nice. Love him.
Dr. Michael is awesome! He is super funny and available to meet with, and really cares about his students. He is very knowledgeable and gives amazing lectures. Only complaint is that his expectations are pretty high, so to succeed you definitely need to put in the work.
Dr. Michael was a great guy, his class was hard tho. Lectures included lots of unnecessary info for exams. He had no HW or attendance grade, so your grade was 3 exams, lab, recitation, and final. His practice exams were very similar to his actual exams, and he makes those available far in advance. Utilize his office hours if confused!
Dr. Michael is a hilarious guy, but his class and exams are extremely difficult. No HW or attendance grade, he does not include ALEKS into his final grades. He has 4 exams(including final), NO DROP, along with recitation and lab grade. His practice exams that he gives are similar to his actual exams, so utilize those. Good luck in this class.......
His lectures were hard to follow bc he would assume we knew concepts already and would often do things in his head. Funny and caring, but not the best at explaining what he was writing. Grading didn't leave much room for error w 100 pts for each exam (3), lab, recitation, and 200 point final (700 total), and only thing dropped was lowest rec quiz.
Dr. Michael is a great professor at Pitt. His class is challenging but as long as you put in the effort and utilize his office hours you will succeed!!! Very funny guy, makes me lol in class. Practice tests are almost exactly like the exam. Loves to talk about the history of chemistry.
I liked his class a lot. The beginning of the semester was a rough start for everyone, but as time went by the tests became a lot better. My advice is to stick with the class and don't let one bad test grade cause you to withdraw. Lectures are recorded so if you miss a class you can easily rewatch. Do the practice tests!!
Love Dr. Michael. His class is hard but he gives you everything you need to pass. Go to office hours and use his practice exams!! They're almost the same as his actual exams. Only graded by 3 exams and the final. He's funny in lectures but sometimes confusing. You can tell he cares about his students. Would take him in Chem 2 if I could.
Dr. Michael is the best option for gen chem 1 at pitt in my opinion. really funny and caring guy. you will be fine if you DO ALL OF THE PRACTICE EXAMS and go to his review sessions
The best Gen Chem 1 professor at Pitt hands down. Dr. Michael is hilarious and absolutely brilliant. Office hours are really helpful and he's very accessible outside of class. He's very passionate about the material and can connect what we learn to research in the scientific community. He gives you the tools to do well you just have to work for it.
Genuinely such a kind professor who cares about his students. Yes, his lectures are difficult, but chemistry is difficult. He wants to see you succeed and will help you get there. Also gives good practice tests. I know I would not have done as well as I did with another gen chem professor. So thankful I had him.
Dr. Michael really cares about his students. His lectures were really hard to sit through, especially without doing the textbook reading, but as long as you put in the effort, you can do good in this class. There are so many resources to be successful, I just found them too late. I recommend for Gen Chem 1.
Dr. Michael is a nice man, but I don't think his teaching style is great. His class required a lot of prior knowledge in chem and he didn't explain topics well. He records his lectures and posts old exams which is very helpful! He's a nice man and wants his students to do well, but I wouldn't recommend him unless you have a strong chem history.
No curve on the exams! Also, your grade is based on all of the exams + lab. The lectures are recorded and posted, which made it difficult to go to class. The exams are similar to the practice exams but there were a couple of questions on the final he had never taught us about. My friends have had worse professors, he was def not the worst.
Dr. Michael is an amazing professor. He does go off to tangents sometimes but provides all the resources you would need to not only pass but do amazing in the class. Going to his office hours with any questions doing the practice tests is the way to go imo. His practice tests are very similar to the real exams.
I enjoyed his lectures a lot but found them impossible to follow at times. Is extremely knowledgeable and if you go to his office hours or send him emails he does a good job at explaining things. Tests were difficult but very similar to the practice exams. He really likes the history of chemistry/random details and the questions on those are hard.
I thought that the class was fairly easy. I did have to put in a good amount of effort to do well but I thought that Professor Michael provided us with many resources and materials to do well in the class. He gave lots of practice tests that were basically super similar to the actual tests we would have. Overall it was a good intro to chem.
Dr Michael is a hilarious guy & clearly loves chem a lot. His lectures were interesting & he's great at explaining concepts but he doesn't aways do that lol. No homework & grades are determined by 3 exams + a final + rec quizzes and lab which is kind of annoying, but his exams are identical to practice exams so do those & it'll be fine.
Chem I is supposed to be a difficult course,which Dr. Michael's definitely was.He's honestly a really cool guy,but his lectures did not prepare me at all for the exams.He would go off on tangents with theoretical stuff that we didn't really need to know,so it was sometimes difficult to follow along.Just do all the practice exams and you'll be fine.
Dr. Michael is a great Chem 1 professor. Attendance is not mandatory, but if you want to pass you need to attend lecture. Your grade is based on 3 exams, 1 final, rec quizzes, and lab. There's no homework, but past exams and practice problems are provided. Exams are very similar to practice exams, so if you do them you will be fine.
Dr. Michael was really easy. Most of your grade will be determined by your exams, which are nearly the exact same as the practice exams. There is no graded homework so this class will not take much time out of your week unless you have an exam. The only downside is that his lectures aren't the most helpful.
Grade is based on exams and a few other small things, but no assignments. The exams were just like the practice exams, but a lot of material was self-taught. Though he was fun to listen to and made a few jokes, his lectures were either off-topic or were very unhelpful as he often went off topic or included unnecessary topics.
Dr. Michael was a good and funny professor for Chem 1. I would recommend him.
Chem 110 with Prof. Michael can be a bit of a rollercoaster. Lectures were hit-or-miss, but past exams are key to success. Unstuck AI was a lifesaver for practice problems - highly recommend! Overall, put in the work and you'll do well.
If you lack self discipline and time managment skills do not take this class. There is no graded HW but the lectures are not very relavant to the exams so you will need to do some practice. The exams are difficult if you havent done any practice. Hes a nice guy who clearly cares about his students, but his cllass is challenging.
I loved Dr Michael! Yes, this class can be difficult (it's meant to be) and he can go on tangents during lectures which obscure the material, but he's a great person and BY FAR the best chem 1 professor. Lecture grade is 4 exams, very manageable (offered a retake when the average was low). Read, study, practice problems, and you'll do great.
Adrian is a nice dude, but his lectures can be a bit dry and you need to write down everything he says or else you will be lost. There is no HW, so most practice problems are from quizzes (free points) or practice exams.
His lectures are clear and interesting, and he's a great professor that wants you to succeed. The problem? He may want you to succeed but he doesn't make it easy. He lectures, but other than that doesn't provide much guidance over the material. So what you do after lecture is the key in his class. No homework given; you're on your own buster...
Need to pay attention to lecture, but he rambles and messes up a lot. Does upload recap videos ~every week. No outside work, which can be either good or bad, but basically needed to reteach myself everything. Only grades are 3 exams, final, rec. grades, and labs. Does hold help sessions before exams - definitely go.
He would often tell us that we should already understand something if someone asked a question. Tests are also very hard. He said that he's never had a class average higher than somewhere in the 70s. There was very little direction during lectures.
Personality-wise, he was great, but as a teacher, I did not enjoy him. His lectures mostly consisted of diagrams and barely any notes of substance. His exams were difficult, and the final was worse. He does provide past exams as a review but often does not show how to achieve the answers. Personally, I would not recommend him for chem 1.
Nice guy, but lectures can feel off topic. No graded homework, so if you're someone that needs it to stay on track... do with that what you will. Do the previous year's exams and get help if you need it, not an easy class.
He was a very nice guy, however his class was awful.The only thing that was semi-helpful was his old exams he would give out. Lectures are diagram heavy and final was extremely hard. He's very conceptional heavy as well and you WILL have to teach yourself everything. I do not recommend unless you're a genius.
I would not recommend taking this class. Dr. Michael would be off topic during lectures, and you would have to learn how to do everything by yourself. He was accessible during office hours, though. The grades of the course were only based on tests (no homework), so there is little to no opportunity to practice. SAVE YOURSELF AND DONT TAKE HIM!!!
His lectures were very dragged out and unorganized making the student rely on the textbook. This class was significantly harder then other Chem professors (other classes did not have to take tests). The course relied on 4 tests and one final (worth two full tests) along with quizzes where your lowest grade was dropped. I would not take this again.
I took AP chem before taking this class and felt very happy about that decision. Dr. Michael is a good professor but sometimes he can go off course with his lectures, regardless this shouldn't be a reason you don't take him!! He gives loads of practice tests, doesn't have assigned homework, and I felt happy that this is the professor I took :)
I enjoyed Dr. Michaels's class! Coming out of AP Chemistry I had the foundation, which helped to make this class easier. Dr. Michael is very approachable and he holds a lot of office hours. Since there are only three tests go for any questions you have. A big plus is that he posts his old practice tests, so you know what questions to expect.
Around the halfway point of the semester, I got a 58/100 on the second midterm, and thought I was toast. Dr. Michael's grading policies made it more than possible to recover my grade, given that I improved my chemistry skills. Reading the textbook and sitting up close during lectures made a huge difference. If you read and focus, you'll succeed.
Adrian Micheal is someone who loves chemistry, as much as I love Pedro Pascal. He is very funny. HOWEVER, the lectures are not structured and he only talks about it. There are no slides to follow along, only him projecting his writing so you have to be fully focused every time. Exams are pretty tough, but he gives previous exams as practice.
best chem 1 prof at pitt, definitely take him if you can. class was hard but if you do all the practice exams and study well it will pay off. he's super accommodating and always willing to help
Dr. Michael is a great guy but an okay prof. I took AP chem before but even still I struggled w/ some questions. You should be fine if you study ALL the practice tests and understand the concepts but his lectures are unhelpful for this. You cannot miss many questions on the test and he often throws out trivia questions that you are likely to miss.
You're going to have to teach yourself most of the content, if not all. If you want to success in this class you need to teach yourself the content and use his practice tests. My biggest issue with AM is that his class offers razor thin margin for error. AM doesn't curve, have EC or anything. Which is the biggest challenge of this class. Only tests
Lectures can be torturous to sit through and info is sometimes given in a strange order. Will eventually make sense but was rough at first. Tests were basically copies of the practice exams he releases. Always throws in a weird/obscure question. Push through boring lectures, look over notes thoroughly, and do practice exams and you will be fine.
his lectures are actually the most useless and boring thing I have ever endured in my life. he will talk about random things that have absolutely nothing to do with chemistry. he will do one example with us and then get annoyed at office hours or during help sessions when we are confused. you basically have to teach yourself the entire course.
He was okay. if you take him definitely study using the old exams because they are very similar to the exam he gives. in lecture he is a horrible teacher he tends to go on tangents. you mainly have to learn on your own. you definitely need to have prior knowledge of chem w him.
Took him for chem 1 and he was ok truly. Tests are essentially end all be all in this class but if you do bad on one its not the end. Lectures were pointless to attend. Using the textbook was confusing and not useful because some topics weren't cohesive between it and lecture. He's funny and pretty accommodating tho! Gives worksheets to practice
Lectures were a bit of a ramble and usually more information than necessary was provided. I went in for office hours once and he was super helpful. He gives you multiple practice exams on Canvas so make sure to do ALL of them so that you can do well on exams.
Michael is a great professor, but his exams were questionable. He gives lots of old exams to practice from and this will absolutely carry your grade if you study them. I say his exams were questionable because each multiple choice question accounts for 5% of each exam. I don't think this is fair and likely brought my grade from an A to an A-.
Lectures were NEVER on topic, and class was strictly graded by tests. No homework, but very little opportunity to practice. Gave old exams to study with, but then would put things on the test we have never seen. You will teach yourself everything you need to know; you will want to cry. DO. NOT. TAKE. HIM!!!!!
Dr. Michael is a cool guy but not a great Chem 1 instructor. Made many assumptions about our previous chem knowledge and often went on tangents unrelated to the lecture content. Class graded solely by exams, labs, and quizzes. The best study method is his old exams. They are nearly identical to the exams he gives. Hesitant recommendation.
Dr. Michael was okay. His lectures are a little all over the place, but he does offer other resources like his old practice exams. He genuinely does want you to succeed, he just gets a little passionate sometimes (he likes history way too much for a chem professor lol). As long as you utilize his extra worksheets + office hours, you should be fine.
I started Chem 110 HATING Dr. Michael. I failed the first exam and thought I was done for because his lectures were so hard to follow. But I promise if you learn the material before lecture, it will make so much more sense, and he is very helpful in his office hours. The practice exams are so helpful and if you do them you will do well on the exam.
Dr. Michael was not the most organized lecturer, but his personality made up for it. He is kind, funny, witty, and willing to help when needed. The only grades are literally exams and quizzes, but if you do the practice exams, the tests will be fine. He 100% preps you for chem 2.
Pretty funny guy, but his lectures are pretty much useless considering he gives you basically an exact replica of every exam well before you take it. I was able to skip a whole unit of lectures and get an A on an exam. His lectures are also never organized, and you have to teach yourself mostly everything. Don't take if you can, he doesn't teach
He's alright as a teacher, and his lectures usually went off into tangents for minutes at a time. He did provide old exams for studying which made exams very doable.
Stopped going to lectures because they felt pointless and just read the textbook. Goes on tangents about random things and not very straightforward. BUT the exams weren't bad and I'm sure if you took AP chem in high school it would be super easy. I did not. Also no mandatory ALEKS homework.
Very nice and friendly, but his lectures were a little hard to follow. Once we started getting to the harder stuff ~2 months in, he kinda lost me. I definitely had to reteach myself stuff before the exams. But using the old exams he provides REALLY helped me study the material.
Gen. Chem is a hard class in general, and at times thee were questions on Prof. Michael's exams that i just did not recall learning. Although, he is a pretty good professor and I though the grading was fair and clear. I would recommend him, just keep in mind that the class is not easy.
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(16)CHEM1250
4.0
(1)MATH0120
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CHEM0720
5.0
CHEM0100
4.2
CHEM0010
4.2
CHEM710
4.0
CEHM0250
4.0