Balija is the best chemistry professor at loyola. She is clear and concise, no busy work. Her lectures are clear and have the best slides that make learning the material very easy. She also groups all of her exams with content that flows and builds off of one another making it very easy to follow along to. Also provides many review questions.

This professor explains everything you need to know for each lab! They are amazing, and its and easy A! They help you throughout each lab if you are lost. Best professor out there!

She is so helpful! During her lectures, she walks you through about every style of problem that is going to be on her exams and has a plethora of practice exams, voice overs, and practice questions. Willing to meet to help with questions and homework. Generally a pleasant person.

She is the best and that's all that needs to be said. Chemistry is gonna be hard no matter what professor you take. But she is going to go that extra mile to make sure you pass. Love her and take her again. pay attention and do the work. And homework and attended are basically "extra credit" points.

Dr.Balija is an amazing option for CHEM 111. She is so kind and wants her students to succeed and actually understand what is going on in lab. She makes lab way more enjoyable. I have nothing bad to say about her. Definitely recommend!

Very sweet!! It's clear she wants her students to succeed Exams are basically the easiest questions from the material covered in those chapters. Sometimes teaches concepts in an odd order, but in the end she prepares you SUPER well for the final. For exams just use the review questions and discussion wksts to study and you should be good!

Dr. Balija is a sweet professor, knew everyones name and is VERY helpful. The class itself was difficult. You must attend every lecture as she only posts lecture slides without the work so it is difficult to teach yourself. Homework was hard because there were concepts that were not taught to us. The exams were decent and correlated to the lectures

Dr. Balija is great for lab! Super helpful with the lab calculations and loves talking to her students. Although the quizzes may be a bit difficult, the labs themselves were fun and she was very clear with directions. I also took her for lecture, but I prefer her in lab as it is easier to ask her questions in lab. Take her!

Lecture was good, she moves quickly but always posts slides afterwards and is available for office hours. Homework doesn't always relate, she isn't flexible on deadlines. For discussion, you complete a worksheet with a random group and are graded on it, and she just walks around group to group, so study beforehand, because it's a lot to complete.

Pretty tough course but Dr. Balija is probably one of the best instructors for it. She explains the concepts really well and doesn't go to fast like other professors. The slides are good and the class is structured really well.

The class itself is very difficult but she offers helpful slides as well as voice over videos and clear expectations for the exams. Take her if you can but be ready to study because the course is designed to fail students. Also! Make sure you get your hw in ON TIME

Balija is one of the best stem professors I've had. She's really good at explaining concepts and her exams are not bad at all. As long you pay attention in class you'll do fine.

Dr. Balija is a great choice for CHEM 101! She explains concepts very well and makes her lectures and discussions very engaging. I had no background in chemistry before this class and she inspired me to become a chem minor! The class is graded on exams, hw, plicker, and discussions. Highly, HIGHLY recommend her! 11/10!

Chemistry is a hard course in and of itself, but Professor Balija is definitely the best chem prof at Loyola and she makes it easier. The tests are graded pretty harshly, but it's easy to find the lecture material and practice problems on Sakai. Attendance is worth 2% of your grade so it's kinda mandatory but not really.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED AMY. I took her over the summer and she was the best chemistry professor I have had during my time at Loyola. She actually cared about her students learning and understood that organic chemistry is hard. Tests were graded as all or nothing at first but offered corrections which gave a generous amount of points back.

I loved Dr. Balija. She was by far one of the best chemistry professors I have ever had. I was really bad at orgo coming into the summer class but by the end of it I really understood the concepts and felt really confident on tests. Definitely recommend taking her for any chemistry class she teaches.

Dr. Balija was great. I had her for 101 and I'd give the same review. This class was super chill since it's only 1 credit. Listened to student feedback and made the class more manageable since it was paired with Helquist's 180. Helps a lot in class. Most people in 180 went to Balija's tutoring for 180 help even though she wasn't the 180 professor.

Dr.Balija is a very good professor outside of class, however the chem department is a very big mess, and the grading system is practically impossible to do well, unless you give your life to this class. I do not blame her for the grading system as that is Helquist's fault, and has ruined the chemistry department.

I took it over the summer after dropping in the spring and ended with a high A. She explained all concepts in office hours and was very accessible and understanding. Exams were based off discussions and in class problems and she was clearly very knowledgeable on the course. Would take again.

I think there are a lot of issues surrounding the entire chem department, but Dr. Balija handles it as well as she can. You can tell most stuff that upsets students upsets her too because of unfairness and because she really cares. I loved Dr. Balija with my whole heart. She really simplifies the concepts in ways anyone can understand them!

Lectures are easy to follow & I found them easy to understand. She posts all notes and examples. She is very sweet, advocates for her students & easy to reach through email. However, due to the new curriculum, her class is very difficult. Their grading on unrealistic standards through all or nothing exams & refuse to give any leeway to mistakes.

I have nothing bad to say about Dr. Balija. She is an angel sent from heaven to deal with the mess that the chemistry department gave to her. She tries her hardest to abide by the strict rules that the department gives her and tries to find the light at the end of a long dark tunnel for the students. the FO/CO system is messed up but not her fault,

By far the best chem professor for 160 and 180 at Loyola. She cares a ton about her students and even though she can't do much about the department being a mess, she tries her absolute hardest to help her students succeed. She dedicates so much time outside class to answering questions + providing feedback. Definitely take her class if you can!

CHEM 180 is a terrible course, but Dr. Balija is an amazing professor.

OH COME ON!

Balija is awesome for lab. Very chill and laidback, the pre and post-labs are very easy and short. Super approachable and always willing to help! Genuinely super sweet.

Dr. Balija is an angel. The new chemistry system is extremely rough, but it's evident that she makes a big effort to help students struggling with the material. Very accessible and helpful during office hours. I genuinely love her so much and give her the highest praise for what she does in the system, TAKE HER!!

I don't even know where to start. She actually may be the only professor that actually wants to teach chemistry instead of failing students. She is beyond caring and so easy to speak to. She truly does care about where you stand in grades and help you understand chemistry. You will love her don't take her for granted.

I am no longer at Loyola but she crossed my mind and how nice of a person she was to me. very caring and respectful Human. my low grade is not her fault I could have done better if I had been in a better state of mind. love her and if you had the chance to take care you are lucky. lost of respect to you Dr. Balija

Dr. Balija is an amazing person who teaches a terribly organized class (no fault of her own). She genuinely cares for her students and knows everybody's names. It is evident that she dislikes this chemistry systems as much as we do, but she tries her best to make sure that her students succeed.

I've never worked as hard as I have in a class before, but I felt like I learned a ton. Dr. Balija is an amazing professor and very kind. The chem department's grading system doesn't do partial credit (except for the final) so it's gonna be tough. Be very careful w exams. Update: got a B in her 180 btw! its like a million times harder but we ride!

I really like Dr. Balija. She's super sweet and understanding. She helps and explains concepts to you if you are confused about a topic. She's also very easy to reach outside class, though it might take longer during proficiencies. She moves slowly during lectures, so you can really understand the concept.

Great and kind professor who cares about you. However, the Loyola FO and CO grading system for CHEM 160 is horrible, and it makes it difficult on exams for students to excel. I wish we covered more material in class, however, in chemistry, it's expected that you take a few hours every day to study and learn the material yourself in order to do well

Dr. Balija is like a chemistry angel sent down by the chem gods to help us stem majors suffering under this hell of a chem department. Her lectures were well thought out and her office hours helped out tremendously. She is also very extremely patient.

dr. balija is super supportive and caring. her lectures can sometimes drag but she's always wiling to answer questions during office hours and discussions. it's just that the chemistry department grading system is so terribly designed but it's not her fault. would recommend taking her for chem 160!!!

Chem160 is NOT EASY, but Dr. Balija cares about her students and gives the best lectures. She's clear about the class expectations and is very available for her students. If you put in the effort, you'll do well, but a lot of effort is necessary and that can be hard. I have so much gratitude for her and really if I could I would only take her.

Dr. Balija is very attentive and explains topics clearly, going into depth on why things work the way they do instead of just stating that something happens and moving on. However, I think she is weighed down by the chemistry department's grading system, which is horrible no matter who you have, but she does her best to help. GO TO OFFICE HOURS

Balija is not a horrible professor. She is very nice and accessible outside of class! She will give you on the spot practice questions. Her discussion papers are very similar to her exams we take throughout the semester. She is very willing to help you out and can meet with you outside of office hours to help with your studying.

While I understand that she doesn't like the new Chem curriculum, she is a very knowledgeable and fun teacher who is an amazing person. She will help you whenever you give her the time, and as long as you go to her office hours, you should get a solid grade. You should take her!

As you might know, the LUC chem grading system is terrible. It's based on standards that you must master in order to get a good grade. I know a lot of people who struggled with this. However, I thought Dr. Balija did as well as she could with the bad system. She answered lots of my questions and was very available during office hours.

If you're taking chem and want to get an A, take Dr. Balija.

You have to work hard to get the grade you want in chem here, no matter who you take, its really up to YOU. Balija was great, she sometimes would mess up her words and make things confusing, but she really is so sweet, willing to help, tons of OH, and would take again. Your grade is your doing, not the professors, but in the hours and get to work.

This is my second time retaking the course. Chem 160 is super hard, but she takes the time to explain the materials because she understands that. Her assistant Leslie is also so sweet and will take the time to help you understand if you attend office hours. They really want you to succeed just go to them. I recommend taking her to pass.

As the chem system here is infamously atrocious I would say Dr. Balija did a great job getting students through it. Your grade is ultimately up to whether or not you care enough to pass. It is not the professor's fault whatsoever coming from someone who will now have two C- grades in 160/180. She is always willing to help if you seek it.

I can tell that Balija tried her best to make the FO & CO system work. She would spend time showing us the material and made sure that we understood everything. The only thing I have wrong is that sometimes her answer keys would have incorrect or contradictory information. I had to fight for my life to get this grade. GO TO SI SESSION! THEY HELP!

Out of all Chem 180 professors, she is the best. She is stressed at times but will help you. Go to her office hours and to the SI sessions. There is not much she can do surrounding the Chem department but she tries her best. Overall, I thought she explained things well.

Dr. B is amazing. Loyola chem is terrible as it is but she is a great professor. U can tell she wants you to succeed. Her lectures are easy to follow and engaging, & she's always willing to help. My fave thing about her is she offers a zoom review sesh for exams where she takes nearly 2 hours outside of class to answer questions & go over material.

She is, overall, a great professor! She cares about her students and wants them to succeed. She was easily accessible after class for office hours and is extremely helpful! I would recommend her!

For how difficult 180 is, Balija makes it a lot easier. She actually holds lectures with slideshows and goes through all the course work and explains how to do it. Much better than helquist and osner if you need someone to walk you through work.Uses plicker questions as a way to take attendance but it doesn't really affect your grade.

you can tell that she's trying. she is one of the better ones in the chem department and actually cares about students. her office hours are extremely helpful and she will answer your questions directly if you go to her.

I really recommended Dr Balija if you have to take CHEM 180. The class was definitely very challenging and the lectures weren't always the best and more helpful. BUT her office hours were always great, and I learned the most during those. She was always willing to meet to look at exams or just help with questions. Such a kind lady and def recommend

Any orgo class is tough. Balija really tries to teach others and explains topics really well. Don't be afraid to ask questions, she really wants kids to succeed. However, she does grade tough on certain topics and expects you to get them right on the exam given that the chemistry department is divided between the CO/FO system and partial credit.

chem180 is going to be a difficult class, regardless of professor, but balija is the class coordinator and knows the content well. she doesn't do fo/cos anymore and was pretty generous with partial credit. my one complaint is she would often get behind on lecture and not adjust the hw - so we were doing hw for something we hadn't learned 🫠