2.0
Quality4.3
Difficulty24%
Would Retake112
Reviews24%
Would Retake
112
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
12
4
7
3
18
2
16
1
59
What Students Say
“I don't think he has much appreciation for organization”
CHEM2040 - 3.0 rating“He is rude to students, grades tough and tests you over things you havent learned”
CHEM1006 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
25%
Textbook Required
23%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.72 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM203
5.0
(1)ORGO2040
5.0
(1)CHEM202TRAILER
3.0
(1)OCHEM202
3.0
(1)CHEM202
2.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
CHEM353
5.0
OCHEMFORENG
5.0
ORGANICCHEM
5.0
CHEM106
5.0
CHEM102
5.0
Reviews (112)
TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS! This man is basically the devil! He loves to fail you and will do so with any excuse ... if you get stuck with him (like I did TWICE) good luck and find old tests!
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Professor Pinhead sucks! Don't take this guy unless you like torture. He is one bad mofo.
The material is hard enough, but he definitely makes it harder. Find old tests to improve your grade; he also takes some problems straight from those in the textbook. Bad attitude and unapproachable; should be in research.
Dr P is the devil. Had him twice so far, resulting in having to repeat the first 2 quarters of OChem. Relishes failing students and don't try to approach him, it won't help. Looks like Fozzy Bear and sounds like Kermit the Frog. Old tests help A LITTLE.
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Kermit the DEVIL here... and I quote "I have no friends so you can't either." This guy makes you want to DIE. Theres only one way to pass his class. Do all the homework, and do all the suggested problems and don't goto class unless it is the day before an exam because he CAN NOT TEACH!
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This professor made this course so hard, while it didn't have to be. I dropped his class and signed up again the next quater and got A's in chem 101-103. He made you feel stupid for asking a valid question.
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TAKE DR. LIEBERMAN'S NIGHT CLASS! SHE'S AWESOME AND HELPFUL... BARELY PASSED PINHAS' CLASS... AND GOT B'S AND A'S WITH DR. LIEBERMAN!
He's a good dude. He makes students think for themselves, which is a good thing, even though he sometimes comes off as kind of a dorky, pretentious little ****. Overall, I thought he was as good a teacher for the third quarter of organic as you'll find out there. Not as bad as the others have him rated. Honestly. He looks like George Lucas too
I had him for the trailer class (only about 15 students) and he wasn't that bad. I was suprised to hear others I talked to speak badly of him. He is a bit disdainful, and his tests are hard. He also teaches lectures by scribbling things on the projector. I like this a lot more than a powerpoint, but it can be a bit messy and unstructured.
Pinhaus was the most boring of all the OChem profs. He was also the most unapproachable. I felt completely helpless in his class, and I definitely had to retake it. I ended up with As and Bs with the other profs. Go for Godmunsdottir or Smith instead.
despite other comments, i thought he was great. i had three different ochem profs and he is the only one that made any sense to me. he seems like a jerk, but he's actually a pretty good guy if you need help understanding.
Two stories from his class. 1. A student asked him how an electron movement happened and he responded "I don't know, I don't care, ask the chalk." 2. A student asked how to do an O3 reaction. He said "don't worry about it. there won't be a question on it on the exam." There were TWO questions about it on the exam. Absolutley diabolical...
Dr. Pinhas is almost unbearable in lecture. Sounds like Kermit the frog. Puts problems up for class to solve and WILL NOT move on until class answers. We spent 1 hour on 3 problems once. Do the problems because some test problems come straight from book. Hard to understand in lecture b/c he moves fast and has messy notes. Can go on weird tangents.
He is hard and expects you to know something in a chemistry class. Most students who complain about him are lazy or have no business taking organic to begin with. He is a great teacher and is a really great guy if you get to know him. He will not tolerate lazy people who refuse to do work, but that makes him good, not the devil like some say.
O-chem. Didn't go well; the good news is he makes sure you understand the material; the BAD news is he & his TA's grade very draconian. I lost 3 out of 5 points on a quiz question for forgetting one "/" in a half page of mechanism equation....so don't go in expecting a lot of partial credit for "basically understanding" things.
WORST. TEACHER. EVER!!
Great organic chemistry professor! Whoever posted comments below just did not want to do any work. He is very reasonable on grading. Tricks to good grade are(mandatory): do end of chapter problems, go to class, know previous exam answers for each subsequent exam.
Unapproachable, condescending, worthless professor. Does not post grades on blackboard and does not believe in partial credit. "Notes" are a scribbled mess on the projector. No practice exams/problems. Midterm avg was a 45, final avg was a 30. Got A's in other sections, but a C+ in his. He belongs in a lab, not in a classroom. Take someone else!!!
If you have the option to take with anyone else do it! He is all over the place and his teaching style is confusing at best. He refuses to explain why his curve looks the way it does--in my section one person ended up with a straight A; definitely not the type of prof you want for an already tough class!
He sounds like kermit the frog and sometimes that distracts from his teaching. His notes are VERY disorganized. So, for a learner like me this was a difficult way to learn. I look at my notes to study and over half don't make sense so good luck studying for his test. If you can, take someone else. If not, I would highly advise you to get a tutor.
Perhaps not the most personable professor, but definitely is easy to follow during lecture. Doesn't use power points, so you can actually write the notes down as he is going over them-the way a lecture should be! Teaches reactions that aren't in the book, so be sure to go to class. Exams are of medium difficulty-somewhat easier than D.Lieberman's.
If you are interested in teaching yourself Organic Chemistry, then take Pinhas. His lectures are completely unorganized, he brings scraps of paper with him to write on in class and he is very condescending toward students. He told us we didn't need to know a lot of things and this has come back to bite us 2nd quarter and we are scrambling.
His tone makes lectures bearable. Never uses the book. Starts lecture out with his own personal problems. Expects you to know most stuff and hardly clarifies info. TA's are useless and always post wrong answers to practice test. Take someone else. I was far from lazy and barely got by.
Take someone else if you can. I would even suggest waiting a quarter and taking the trailer course. Pinhas is condensending towards his students, and is happy when the average on his exams reaches a 50/60%. He teaches things that aren't in the book, and then the next quarter you have no clue what's going on. I work very hard and barely got a B.
Dr. Pinhas is very unclear and disorganized. He brings papers to class to write on instead of preparing a powerpoint. It seems he was very unprepared for class. I felt very unready for exams, even though I spent a large amount of time studying. The final had problems that I had never seen before. He did not prepare his students very well.
Avoid at all cost. This guy grades like there is not tomorrow. He is always unwilling to help and all of his students hate him. It is a shame that UC allows professor like this to teach at the college, especially a higher level chemistry course.
Definitely the worst of the OChem professors, but not terrible. Textbook was used a lot as supplemental material to his lectures.
At first he was rude to student but after the first test he was nicer, his class isn't hard just study what he teaches in class and read before going to class
Avoid him if at all possible. No desire to teach students the material. Entire course was frantic and unorganized (7 wk summer). He basically expects students to teach themselves the course with a textbook. Photocopies exam Q's from the text so buy solutions manual. I honestly learned more OChem from Smithrud in 20 minutes than 7 wks with Pinhas.
Turned out to be one of my favorite professors! His lectures were easy to take notes on since he wrote along with you. Tests/quizzes are from the book, so if you do and study the suggested problems(and use a solution guide)you'll do fine. SI sessions are helpful as well. Personality wise, he's nice and helpful-and even funny in a nerdy kind of way.
This class was very very simple. I love forensics so i just ate it up. Dr Pinhas is okay with teaching, but just something didnt float my boat. He writes pretty much what you need to write on his projector. I havent had him for a "serious" course, but he is average.
Overall this class was kinda annoying. He didn't work well with the class size (i.e. bringing 10-15 test tubes for a class of 150 to do an activity). The material was pretty easy, but the 2 exams were difficult because a lot of questions were confusing or came from material we barely covered in class. Has an annoying voice
If you are a non-science major, do not take this course (Forensics). It is an unnecessary headache--take something else for an A. The class is not hard per se, but he fails to establish any type of grading rubic or guidelines for assignments. His notes are somewhat clear, but he likes putting trick questions on the exams. He is VERY UNHELPFUL.
Not super impressed. I never know what to study because the lectures aren't laid out well. I don't think he has much appreciation for organization. I never know what problems are under what topics if I don't read beforehand. I don't mind the lack of powerpoint, I just wish he made it more clear what to focus on. HARD TO STAY AWAKE IN AN 8 AM.
Okay so Pinhas is not a very good teacher. You will most likely have to teach yourself a lot of the material but once you understand it, his exams are fairly easy as long as you study a little bit. I average an 83 percent on the exams and got an A. Overall, eh teacher, not too hard exams, little homework so study for exams.
He is a fantastic teacher. He is clear and was able to convey organic chemistry easily. He is fun to listen to and cracks jokes. He is very generous with extra credit and you know what to expect on tests. It is a hard class, due to the subject. However he makes it easy because he is such a good professor.
To do well: 1) Do the optional homework packet problem he assigns - (similar to exam qs) 2) Read the book before class (He doesn't tell you exactly what to read so you have to figure this out on your own) 3) Do the extra Mastering problems as practice Responds to emails quicker than anyone I've ever met & is happy to meet with you in his office.
He doesn't teach. Goes through the material entirely too fast and asks, "any questions?" Well yeah, I don't understand a single thing you said for the past 90 minutes. I've heard he helps in his office, however, I have went a few times this semester and any questions I had it seemed like he deviated from answering. DO NOT RECOMMEND.
Worst Organic Chem professor ever. He randomly writes structures on a sheet of paper on the projector and thats it. Thats the whole class. Points are basically only from the exams which are extremely hard no multiple choice no partial credit.50 points come from homework and 50 from recitation but thats nothing when grade is out of600 .CURVES GRADE!
Best professor I've ever had. Amazing lecturer that writes along with you rather than droning off a PowerPoint. Willing to work with students outside of class in office hours or by appointment (responds to emails in minutes). While organic chemistry is inherently difficult, Pinhas provides all of the tools necessary to succeed in the class.
3% final curve for this semester
Hard to follow
I am currently in his Intro to Forensics class. I read all of the comments saying he was horrible and went into the class dreading him. He very much surprised me. He is not as bad as everyone says he is. He is goofy and awkward, but very entertaining. The class is really interesting, and I would definitely have him as a professor again.
Exams follow a similar format of past year's. He doesn't upload notes online so you HAVE to go to class to get the lecture notes and understand the material. No recitation quizzes, you'll do group work from homework problems that he gives you. Do the homework problems. He'll put them on his exam.
Worst professor I have had. He is highly unorganized. His notes are hard to follow and randomly scattered on a projected piece of paper that he removes before you can even write it down. Be prepared to teach yourself the material outside of class. I had to withdraw to save my GPA, and I haven't gotten below a B+ so it's not as if I'm a bad student.
If his Organic Chemistry class is the only one open then sign up for him but he is awful. He projects his handwritten notes and blows through them. This class is tanking my GPA but I am not going to retake the course. Do not suggest anyone to take him. No extra credit and very unhelpful as a professor. I learn some things in recitation.
Do NOT take this class. Professor is awful. He does not teach and he just stands up at the front of the class and rambles. He draws random reactions that do not make sense and does not explain the basics to you at all. He is not accessible outside of class and makes you feel stupid for asking questions. Get ready to teach yourself all material.
Easily the WORST professor I've ever had. Incredibly unhelpful and rude. Document camera's the entire lecture with illegible handwriting. Going to class was a waste of time because I had to teach myself everything. Does not care for his students in any way and is extremely condescending when you go to his office hours for help. DO NOT TAKE HIM.
Personality is alright, teaching ability is terrible. No teaching in class, just unclear problems on document camera, must teach yourself. HW+recitation100 pts. Four exams500 pts. Attended all lectures, but it was a waste of time & effort. Recitation TAs are way more helpful. No practice exams, so you dont know what to expect. Do not recommend.
Rather unorganized and has a habit of not explaining problems, instead saying that he will stand there and wait until a student offers an answer. Very frustrating if you genuinely need to see something worked out. Goes quickly - lectures could be hard to follow. Offers a lot of opportunities to seek help and generally has a good attitude though.
Very good professor, he teaches at a moderate pace but you need to attend class or you wont understand it. Overall a really easy class if you practice not nearly as difficult as most make it out to be. He also sounds like Kermit the Frog.
Grades super hard on the projects. Be prepared to see things you haven't learned on the exams. Be prepared to take a hit.
Tough grader and hard exams with items you haven't learned on them. Says negative remarks to students.
Does not care about students. Lacks complete common sense. Insults students. Gives tests with questions you have not been taught and can not be found in the reading. Grades projects hard be prepared to lose points because of his limited mindset. Do not take any of his classes he will degrade and insult you and your grades will suffer.
He is rude to students, grades tough and tests you over things you havent learned.
Info on tests that was never introduced prior to the test -- good luck if you are not a chemistry major. No rubrics so unclear guidelines. Attendance is not a part of the grade but must go to class to have a chance to hopefully pass. Class grade average is embarrassing!
Do yourself a favor and don't take this class. He is inconsiderate. Hard grader and much more.
Hardest class I've ever taken.
This guy was overall horrible. He was disrespectful to students. He gives poor lectures. His tests include material never covered. He grades the projects super hard.
He knows his stuff and is highly intelligent. His class was really a challenging course for a non-chemistry or science major -- some information on tests was not covered in class sessions or in readings so a strong chem background or a lot of luck at guessing is helpful. Is very important to follow exact directions given and ask questions.
Not that bad. Ochem is tough no matter who you have, and the class is on a curve. Go to a couple SI sessions and you should be fine.
Pinhas is quite bad. His lectures are pointless - use the time instead to study on your own. He writes illegibly on a camera and basically just asks students to name the product. His NMR and IR problems can be hard and cover molecules never seen in lecture. His practice problems don't have a key. Just try to study an old exam - he doesn't change.
Get ready to teach yourself OChem. Pinhas is borderline useless as a professor, even if you go to office hours with questions. He's a jerk and ridicules you if you don't give the answer he is looking for in class (and if you're a woman, you could give the right answer but he'll cut you off before you say it). Barely changes his exams year to year.
Attendance is useless because you will be teaching yourself ochem if you want to pass this class. He really doesnt care about students learning even when you see him in your office hours. Worst class Ive ever taken at UC.
Pinhas is terrible. Going to class is useless because he does not teach correctly. His writing is illegible, he is rude to students and does not care if you pass or fail. Exams are not curved and our class average was a 34%.
The material on the test is not covered in class. Questions from students about the material are met with sarcastic and/or insulting remarks. He does not explain the material and when he asks a question he will stand at the front of the room until an answer is given. Assumes you know the material beforehand and will not offer any explanation at all
Doesnt communicate with his TAs, tests us on Spectometry knowing that his TAs dont even know how to do it and he isnt willing to explain how to during office hours. Lecture is pointless, and the notes he writes are illegible. TAs arent very knowledgeable. Exams are often misgraded so be sure to write in pen in order to get a regrade!
Class was tough from the get go, but as soon as the withdrawal date passed, the exams got noticeably harder. No curve on account of "some people are doing well". I didn't believe the bad reviews before taking the class but I sure do now. Everything everyone else posted is true. I passed Gen Chem 2 with a high A but couldn't even pass this class.
A lot of people say he is a bad professor but I could not disagree more. Other recitations are graded off quizzes, his is participation points, his homework are an easy 5/5 and other professors are WAY harder graders. He is funny but sarcastic. But his tests are fair. He doesn't deserve the hate most people die him.
Pinhas does his best to make things clear, always answers questions in class, and is very accessible through his office hours. Hilarious and truly cares. Barely any homework (5 Q's a week w/multiple attempts), just show up to class/recitation. And STUDY HARD. Ochem is awful and you probably won't do well, but it has nothing to do with Pinhas.
Does not explain concepts well. Doesnt seem to care that much either.
Going to class is not enough, he helps a lot in his office hours. Also going to the SI sessions really helps. He is rude to everyone so do not take it personal.
Pinhas is hard but he gives plenty of practice problems, which are almost identical to test questions, & he makes sure to give extra credit. If you do the additional work, pay attention in class & attend the SI sessions, you should get an A. He is also very accessible & will help whenever it is needed.
No matter how hard I prepare, the exams are impossible. There are only a handful of problems per exam, so missing one problem can drop you a letter grade already. He's put things on exams that he admits we have never seen before. There is hardly an opportunity for extra points, it's either do well on the exams or fail. 100% would never take again.
The worst professor I have ever had. I would recommend not even going to his disorganized and unclear lectures and instead just watch Khan Academy or read from the book, which is much more clear. He is not kind nor is he a good teacher.
Dr. Pinhas' class was by far the most difficult college course I have ever taken. All of his exams were nearly impossible to get an A because there were only 6-8 questions and he barely gives partial credit, so if you miss one part of the question your grade basically drops by a letter grade. He is not understanding and will not help you in any way
I think that Dr. Pinhas was by far one of the worst professors that I have ever had. His exams are super hard and he doesnt really give partial credit or any of the questions so if you miss one part you miss the entire question. He teaches with a white piece of paper and his class just causes so much stress for no reason. DO NOT TAKE HIM
Has the class structured very well, but is a terrible professor. He doesn't teach but rather explains it like you already know it. The only grades in this class really are exams. Be prepared to make flashcards and learn everything pretty much yourself.
I have nothing against Dr. Pinhas. I think he's a really good professor, especially for ochem at UC, and he has the class structured well. My only problem is the length of the exams. Be prepared to take the entire time to finish your exam and hope you finish in time. Interacting during class and coming to lectures is how you will succeed!
This was the hardest class I've ever taken. On the plus side, there was a very heavy curve at the end of the semester. Avoid this professor if you can.
Organic Chemistry was going to be hard no matter what. However, Dr. Pinhas doesn't seem to try and make it any easier. He was barely accessible outside of class, and when I did reach out for help, he was quite literally "too busy" to help me out. His lectures didn't make much sense or help you understand anything about O-chem. Would NOT recommend.
Fun guy if you talk to him as he walks out of class. He hates incompetence which makes him hated by students who don't apply themselves. Pretty fair overall, but probably better suited for higher level chem classes.
Do not trust the good reviews unless you have a natural knack for chemistry. Pinhas is rude and doesnt care about students. I reached out for help and he didnt care and shut me down until I threatened to contact the head of the department about him. Nearly all points come from exams. Its even worse if youre a woman. 0/10 take someone else.
I had only heard bad things about Prof Pinhas, but I was pleasantly surprised. He has messy lectures, but the material itself isn't too difficult just takes a while to grasp. Exams are long, but a lot of partial credit is given. The class is also pretty curved (I think a 68-70 ish was an A-). If you try your best a good grade is achievable.
Literally the worst professor I've ever had. He is unapproachable and doesn't really teach. I had to teach myself everything and the only reason I passed was because of my SI instructor. He's there to do research for UC, and teaching is something he is forced to do. He's had multiple petitions and complaints against him and UC does not nothing.
The good reviews on here seem to be written by SI's or the teacher himself. Everyone I have talked to has hated this professor with a passion. Do not take this man at any cost. Ur GPA will suffer big time. unaccesible outside of class and the tests are very unfair. Trust the bad reviews, a majority of my class got C's on all exams. Bad teach/person
First of all, Pinhas is the image of Albert Einstein come to life. With CHEM1041 being tough enough to most people, he just made it worse. Chemistry was always one of my favorite things, until i had this guy. Very few HW assignments, and he purposely puts stuff on exams you havent seen before. -1000/10, DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS. i ended up dropping.
Demoralizes you when you ask questions, but he wants you to ask questions. Goes through new topics lecture before an exam. Definitely not a people person. I spoke to him multiple times and he was nice but in lecture he asserts An alpha role. If you want anything close to an A, you have to slave for this class, go to SI, and work 2x out of class.
I had him for chem 2 and now ochem 1. Has no lecture videos or notes. I had covid was told by him to "get notes from someone to keep up". Needless to say, failed the first exam. Only resource he has is the textbook but he often says that the "textbook is incorrect". Do not take this class with him if possible.
Despite his caustic personality, Dr. Pinhas isn't a bad teacher. His notes during lectures are a little chaotic, but if you read the chapter ahead of time and go to the SI sessions you'll be fine.
Dr. Pinhas is very smart and that leads him to assume that his students know as much as he does. His class consists entirely of lectures(which are not helpful) and grades 500/600 points from exams. No grading scale was ever provided and he grades extremely tough. Studying in groups outside of class is the best way to do well in this class.
Reads off his slides/doesn't teach or provide further explanation. Lowest exam 1 grade was 9/105 and he didn't curve. Doesn't explain how to do the math and simply expects everyone to know how to do it
This guy gets way too much hate. He moves very quickly, but if you ask a question, he will do his best to answer it. If you just put in a little bit of extra work, you will do completely fine. Pinhas is also quite hilarious and he curves the class at the end of the year.
He's terrible. He can't explain anything and doesn't even make sure if the students understand. If a question is asked he looks at the person disgusted before giving a horrible answer. Go to the SI sessions. They help a lot.
There's a reason Pinhas has so many bad ratings. If you have to take this course, just be prepared. He makes the class so much more difficult than it has to be. My advice- Go to every lecture & SI session. The SIs will save your life and actually teach you the content. Look over SI worksheets before exams and take the mock exam.
Most of us had no choice but to take him but if you have genuniely do not take him. No record of his past lectures, so good luck if you miss class. I only pulled through thanks to SI and the mock exams being partially similar to the test material. You may want to reconsider withdrawing if possible due to the curve.
My first exam grade was a 31% and I am good at chemistry- this was based off of his teaching. Once I stopped listening to him, I got 80s. He is rude and unhelpful. He will yell at the class and refuse to answer questions. He should not be allowed to teach. Do NOT take him if you have a choice, which I did not.
Alan is a funny guy. just go to SI and learn it yourself.
He didnt have any power points all he did was write chicken scratch on paper. The class is graded out of 600 points 500 come from exams (100 per exam x3 and 1 final worth 200). He does not change his A or B bracket but instead lowers the passing cutoff to pass as many people. Their is a extra credit assignment in the beginning make sure to do it.
I wish I knew I could take the course at Blue Ash or Clermont before taking it on main campus. Dr Pinhas was horrible at explaining the material and made things more complicated than they had to be. While he did make videos to help us review, they weren't helpful, there are no power points to look back on. Very old fashioned (uses an elmo lol!)
Very lecture heavy, can't read handwriting on paper when he's teaching. Goes through topics way too quickly, and office hours aren't helpful. Make sure to go to si, and choose someone else if it all possible. Tests are difficult compared to what he does in class. All in all horrible professor, definitely my worst at UC so far.
Way over hated. His class is not as difficult as people say and he really isn't that bad of a guy, in fact, hes actually funny if you understand his humor. Goes to show how much preconceived notions influence peoples perspectives. Honestly, hes one of my favorite professors I've had. The course feels like a proper college course with apt proffessor
Pinhas' teaching style can be challenging, but with dedication and using resources like unstuckstudy, you can succeed. Attend lectures, use SI sessions, and don't rely solely on the textbook. It's a tough class, but doable if you put in the work.
His tests were a lot more in-depth than what he taught in class. I got one of the highest grades in the class but that was purely because I got a science major to help me. He also speaks very fast and writes a lot which made note taking hard.
He doesn't post assignments on canvas he only lists them on the syllabus then expects you to email them to him. He does random in class assignments which are a decent part of your grade. Criteria for group assignments are extremely unhelpful and he randomly assigns your groups at the beginning of the semester.
Honeslty, he isnt as bad a person as people make him seem. he was nice for the most part and was kind of funny. but there were barely any assignments and he wasn't lenient if you missed one due to sickness. very nteresting class though
Be prepared to put in the work for this class if you want a decent grade. He will not hold your hand. His canvas is barebones, and the only resources for practice you really get will be from si sessions, outside of recitation. I believe he is a very smart man, but not a very good teacher.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
25%
Textbook Required
23%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.72 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM203
5.0
(1)ORGO2040
5.0
(1)CHEM202TRAILER
3.0
(1)OCHEM202
3.0
(1)CHEM202
2.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
CHEM353
5.0
OCHEMFORENG
5.0
ORGANICCHEM
5.0
CHEM106
5.0
CHEM102
5.0