This professor goes through practice problems on the chalkboard which is much better than other professors that just use slides. Tells many jokes during class and his exams are much easier than Krugh and Krauss

Dr. H is awesome! He cares so much about his students and holds office hours all the time. He's very approachable and although the material is hard he wants you to learn and does everything he can to help you! If you get an A on the final you get an A in the class even if you failed the 3 midterms.

Dr. H is great! He interacts with the class, will crack jokes to lighten the mood and goes out of his way to help you if you need extra help. He welcomes questions in class and will explain whatever you ask, not just rush ahead.He writes everything out by hand on the chalk board whereas some of the other professors will have notes on a powerpoint.

Dr H is the Best Professor the world wil ever have . He is gift from the god .. He is so cool and really understands you .. he is always willing to talk to you when you have any problem .. He is so good with the school stuff as well . Love him

I came into this class having taken no chemistry in high school. I failed my first exam horribly. I started going to Dr.H's office hours and he is the reason that i was able to do well in the course and pass with a average grade. Dr.H is very fair in grading and does everything he can to help you. He's probably the best professor in this school!

Such a great teacher!

He's funny and gives great lectures. His tests can be quite tricky, so make sure you do lots of extra practice. He's very helpful after class and at office hours. Good professor.

Hafensteiner is a great teacher and makes his lectures really fun so that you don't mind going to class as much. His tests are somewhat difficult so doing practice questions and the practice test he posts will help a lot. He made me like chemistry a lot more and was my favorite teacher this year and is supposedly the best chemistry teacher.

I have taken classes with this professor 3 times(131,132 and 207) and plan to take him for 208 as well. He is very clear in lecture and helpful in and outside of class/lab. He keeps classes entertaining and fun, while at the same time efficiently teaching the class. Tests are not the easiest, but that is to be expected of the material being taught.

Professor Hafenbro is the BEST! Definitely take his classes whenever you can. I learn more orgo in 10 minutes of lab lecture than I do in a whole semester of class.

Dr. H is the best! He is funny, smart, and he truly cares whether you do well or not. His exams are a little difficult, but definitely doable if you go to workshop and do the practice exams. His office hours are extremely helpful too! Also, he doesn't expect you to memorize information like the periodic table or equations. Def my fav professor! :)

Dr. H is a dedicated professor who clearly cares about his students. His lectures are slightly unorganized. The best way to study for this class is to read the book, do workshop problems, and do the practice tests. If you stick to this method, the class is pretty easy. I think Dr. H needs more experience, but in time he will be an excellent prof.

Dr. H is a decent professor. He's very eager and willing to help, but it's clear he's new to teaching (which he is). Sometimes h gets stuck trying to some trickier concepts and gives very confusing explanations, but he sure tries his darndest. He really cares about his students and is always looking for input on how to improve.

He's a very cool guy. Funny, humorous lectures and he really cares about his students. Held a long review session the weekend before the final. You can tell he's not a seasoned lecturer though, because he hasn't quite figured out the best ways to teach some topics. But very approachable and tries to be helpful. Reading the book helps a lot.

Dr. H is fantastic. He's very open to meeting and discussing with students and understands that we're not all professionals in Chemistry. He also really respects all the TAs

He is the best professor that i meet so far. You probably won't fall asleep in class.

Dr. H runs a really great organic chemistry lab. His lab lectures are (mostly) clear and helpful, and he is very helpful and friendly in person. Also a pretty entertaining guy. He's definitely better at explaining organic chemistry than gen chem.

Nice guy, helpful in office hours. You can tell he's not super experienced at teaching because some of his lectures are a somewhat convoluted and disorganized. Overall average + and after a few years should be very good.

Difficult class but awesome professor who is always willing to help!!

Dr. H is an extremely nice person and he cares a lot about his students. However, lectures are a disorganized regurgitation of the textbook. I would recommend primarily using the textbook and using lectures as a supplement.

Dr. H is the best professor at UR. He is hilarious and cares about his students like no other. He has many office hours to attend and I've never left feeling like my questions weren't answered. Chemistry is my weak point, but if you work hard, he will notice and you'll get the grade you deserve.

Dr. H is a great professor. You can tell he really cares about his students and loves teaching. He's very helpful in office hours.

Dr H. is the best professor I've ever had. Yeah the subject is hard, but he made me understand chem in a way I never thought I could. Absolutely recommend, and I formed my next semester schedule to make sure I could have him again.

Dr. H is a great professor. I have always loved Chemistry and he makes it more enjoyable. He's a good guy, and I think, a good lecturer. Will take a whole class to go over one problem even if only one person does not understand. Based next semester off of his CHM132 class. Tests are difficult, but he's very approachable for extra help & office hour

Dr H is the best professor I've had. His office hours are a life saver. He makes sure everybody understands. His tests are super hard but it's your fault if you do bad because he gives you every resource. 100% do all the practice exams! homework and book problems. Use your TA too. I love Dr H he's awesome

Really great lectures and makes you interested chemistry even if it's your worst subject. The tests are very hard but if you understand the material you'll get good grades, which takes work but it is possible.

Literally I LOVE Dr.H but his grading is literally ridiculous. He makes his exams WAY harder than any of the other chem professors and promised a curve against the other professors and then didn't. NOT worth it honestly, if I could go back and take McCamant, I 100% would. It's not worth the extra effort if your grades don't reflect it

Great guy. New to teaching. His tests are fair. He wants everybody to succeed. He offers many office hours to help out kids that are struggling.

Exams are wayyyy too hard. Love Dr. H but his exams killed me both semesters that I had him for.

He made me love Chemistry. He's always there to help; after class, office hours etc

Dr.H is a good professor. The class is not that easy however. You really have to attend lectures and workshops. The exam questions are hard compared to the other sections, but he takes that into consideration while curving. The classes are fun, as he has a great sense of humor.

The course is tough and the tests are hard. However, Dr. H is a great lecturer and provides a large amount of resources for students to succeed.

I love Dr. H! A lot of people says his class is hard but it's because they don't put in the time. I've never been good at Chem, but he is one of those professors that really want to see you do well. If you do the practice exams, homework, and listen in class you'll be fine. Yes, his class is challenging, but it's chemistry...

Guy is super helpful but his tests are impossible. If you're struggling, he'll send you in the right direction. Made my schedule around him this semester so I could take his class again.

Its a really difficult class, there's no way around that. He genuinely wants you to do well.

Great teacher but a tough class.

Dr. H is a really cool person who knows his stuff, but he's not very organized. Doesn't always stick to a schedule and doesn't say where material for a test stops. The workshops really help and if you ask a lot of questions Dr. H makes sense. His test though are nothing like his lectures or workshops. The averages were 40-60%

Loved his CHM 131-132 classes. Really stresses on conceptual understanding. His exams are considered to be tough, but there are lots of ways for you to bring up your grade (e.g. getting above a 90 on the final guarantees an A in the class). Very accessible outside class. His teaching method is nice - encourages questions in class.

Dr. H is a solid professor who tries very hard to get students to actually understand the material instead of just memorizing material to pass the class. However, he expects a LOT from his students. His tests are very hard, and can seem like they're on material that was never covered. I took 131 and 132 with him also--would give the same review.

He is very open to questions and teaches his classes forward giving the essential things you should know.

One major thing about this prof: you get the grade you deserve. I've TA'ed this course, and everything that is on exams is mentioned in class or workshops. If you don't understand something, Dr. H is great about providing help, as are the TAs. I can't tell you how many students I saw who got a poor grade due to lack of effort or participation.

He is great man. But his exam is difficult.

He is good professor but make very hard exams. Don't take this class for grades but for learning. He teaches well and usually go beyond book too.

Chemistry is already a tough subject, especially for those who did not take AP Chem, but Prof. Hafensteiner WILL HELP! Amazing guy and great professor but you have to seek his help in office hours since everyone wants to talk to him. Tough Exams (REALLY TOUGH EXAMS), but practice problems and past exams help immensely. Motto: Just Keep Swimming!

Dr. H is a great professor. He does a great job explaining the material through detailed chalk talks and is very accessible outside of class. He also really cares about his students and is willing to go out of his way to help students do well. I hope I get to have him as a professor again.

Dr. H really wants to see all his students do well. He is very approachable and kind and makes sure that students know he really want to help them. He sometimes tries to find ways to incorporate real world experiments into lectures. I find organic chemistry experiments pretty boring but I'm sure many people enjoyed it. Would recommend this class.

Incredible. I came in from high school thinking I was awful at chem and he made me believe I could be good at it. He cared about me, which is incredible for a lecture of 300 people. Tests are hard. Accessible. Kind. Awesome professor!!!!

He's a good professor. His teaching style might not be for everyone, so I'd recommend shopping around before settling on him, but he's a very, very solid choice. He's also very understanding of the fact that chemistry difficult, so he's not relentless about small details in it. His tests are difficult, but doable. Show up to class and office hours.

A great guy. Really cares about his students and attempts to have all his students pass. Easy to understand lectures, flexible office hours. Tests slightly difficult but can be passed if you put in the work. Makes understanding chemistry easier! Loves his work, and has adorable stories of his children.

The workshops are really good at preparing you for the tests, so as long as you can do them and understand what you're doing you should be fine.

Hafensteiner is a great guy. Hes really chill and funny, but hes an iffy teacher. Going to lecture and taking notes gives you the basics, but it does NOT represent what youre going to be tested on. If you want to pass, you have to learn how he wants you to be able to do problems. Only study with practice exams.

So, is Hafensteiner the best professor - no, but he is far from being a bad professor. The class is difficult, and it is difficult to teach all the topics in depth throughout the course. You have to supplement your learning in class with other material - I suggest Clutch Prep. The only major complaint I have is that the final was unnecessarily hard

Hafensteiner is honestly a good professor. He gets the necessary details and reactions to you, explaining the mechanism along the way. Due to the nature of the amount and difficulty of the material, he can be perceived as a bad professor but thats not the case. The course is hard, but if you study the material and the practice exams you'll do well.

Professor Hafensteiner is pretty chill. He kept class pretty light. I liked the way he explained things, and he did EVERYTHING on the chalkboards. No power point. Lots of examples of problems and stuff. In order to do well on the tests, USE THE PRACTICE TESTS that he gives you. The questions will be very similar to those on past tests!

Great class, lots of work as expected but a great prof

Definitely tough but manageable. Lectures are really entertaining and hes an all around great guy. Was very available and understanding after classes went online.

I love Dr. H. He's personable and cares about his students. His lectures aren't enough to really understand the material if you're learning it for the first time, but if you took AP chem, then you're set. Study his past exams!! Only needed the textbook for HW, personally. Go to workshop, Dr. H usually emphasizes important concepts you need to know

Dr. H is excellent at breaking down and explaining difficult concepts and is always accessible outside of class for office hours, however, he is hard to reach by email. The workshops he plans really help solidify understanding of this course and possible exam questions. He's a straight shooter; you always know what to expect going into exams.

Honestly, I don't know why he's getting bad reviews. I absolutely think he's amazing, understanding and kind. He cares about his students and is willing to answer every question. The tests are not too hard, if you can't do it that means you didn't study. Not too much work, and I think it's best to watch both lectures and read from the book.

Good lectures and TAs. Doesn't assign as much homework as would be good but the assessments aren't very hard and he explains most things decently well in office hours. Class itself is really easy. Don't skip workshops or yellowdig at all, keep up with Chem101 and do decent on exams and it's hard not to get an A

Dr. H is a great guy and do not get me wrong one of the funniest teachers I've had, but teaching just isn't his strong suit. If Chem is your thing his class won't be hard and do the work you'll get an A. It's just that it felt like I was self-teaching chem rather than being taught it. End of the day a funny guy, but not a teacher of the year haha

Dr H is a great professor and a really nice guy but I really can't say I learned anything in Chem 131. It's fine for me because i'm never going to take chem again though. I did pretty bad on all the tests but I still got an A because of the grading criteria. Also the lab is usually a couple weeks behind the lecture which is annoying

Sometimes, the lectures were a little confusing, but he is always open for questions in lecture and in office hours. He is a super approachable guy and loves to talk about his kids. There are so many extra credit opportunities in the class too. Also, he does everything on chalk boards, so it's helpful to take notes.

Dr. H is a great guy. His lectures could be confusing occasionally but he was great in office hours at explaining in more details. He was super accessible and was such a nice guy. He genuinely cares about students well-being and doing well. He's so smart and I genuinely think he's the best in upper level chem classes as opposed to intro classes.

Dr. H isn't the best chemistry teacher, but he's a great person. Lectures were a bit hard to follow, but he kept them entertaining. Office hours are a big help, and he encourages you to come even if you don't have questions. Lots of extra credit opportunities - as long as you do the homework, you should get at least a B+ even if you fail the exams

Dr. H is a wonderful person and a great teacher. He is very lecture based. Succeeding in this class is very clear and certainly not impossible. My advice is to use all the resources he gives you and dont get behind.

Dr. H is a great chem 131 teacher, and teaches in a way where you will be fine even if this is your first ever chem class. Textbook (free!) becomes helpful towards the end, but if you put in the work early, you won't need to do well on the third test or do more than write your name on the final to get an A. Hope you get a good workshop leader.

9/10 Dr. H really cares about his students but his exams are extremely difficult. However, even if you don't do well on his exams, there are other ways to get an A in that class- do better in homework, lab, etc. Would recommend!

Dr. H is a good professor and really cares about chem and his students. If you bomb one of the exams, you can still do well/get an A because of the grading point system. Do the homework, extra credit, and study well and you'll be fine.

Dr. H is very understanding and accessible outside of class. Took CHEM131 Fall 2020 and it was completely asynchronous + remote, which makes learning harder for me. It is definitely possible to get good grades if you work hard.

I like Dr. H. He is a funny and caring guy and his overall teaching abilities are better than average, especially for UR standards. Tests are hard but his practice exams prepare you for them adequately. The chem department here is very tough, so the grading system is skewed to help the students pass. Getting an A is not too hard at all.

Haf is one of the only professors I've had this far that can keep me engaged during lecture. I like that he explains topics and does examples on the chalkboard (no slides!). I still suck at chem after his class, but I was able to learn enough to pass decently and that works for me.

Dr. H was an overall decent professor! He always explained the course content in a clear, well put-together manner. However, he spent way too much time answering simple questions in lectures from students not paying attention. This took away from his lectures, but nonetheless, everything else about him was fine. And for tests, the textbook is key!

Great guy. Extremely knowledgeable and yet very able to explain high-level concepts. Most receptive professor to feedback and student voices I've ever seen. 10/10 would recommend. Exams are a pain but built-in curve exists (they're also really similar to the practice exams, so look at those and try to see patterns).

Professor H is the best lecturer Ive had so far (first year) since he gives you time to digest info and ask questions on the spot. Hes also pretty funny and engages with the class often. That being said, the class is going to be very difficult if you dont have a strong chemistry background so be ready for that, otherwise its an easy course.

he's fine, but he teaches slowly and always talks about his daughter.

Dr. H wastes so much time answering questions during class and hardly teaches anything about actual chemistry. The amount of content gone over in one lecture can be learned from 10 minutes of reading the text book. And then, on the final, nothing he has gone over is actually on it and he makes it so difficult for no reason.

He definitely knows what he's doing and wants everyone to do well. Lectures are decent and he's very into it, but he doesn't use any visuals which kinda sucks. Tests are really hit or miss because you have zero clue what kinds of questions there will be. As long as you do the work you need to do, you can fail a test and still get an A.

I love coming to chemistry class because of Dr. H! Every lecture was a treat for my eyes and was the highlight of my day. I remember a question on one of the workshops that included a recipe for his mother's famous pumpkin cake, but that wasn't the only cake on my mind during workshop.

p2: During lecture, I always ponder about the molar mass of the cake. When we got to equilibrium and he said the word "Keq", I couldn't stop thinking about that glorious cake. Speaking of cake, I found out that he is the owner of a large bakery, something you will find out too when u see him.

p3: And you can tell he uses his chemistry knowledge to have the best cake in town. Too bad he doesn't have his own show called "baking bad." I'm sure the viewers would appreciate his dazzling cake. I would give him a 10/10. Oh yea, the class is pretty good too.

Energetic, personable, engaging lectures. He lost many students after a certain point in the semester for lack of structure & clarity. It got to a point where many were wondering "what are we doing again?" "why's this important?" "what's the purpose of this?" Dr. H should be more clear in his overall objective and expectation of the class.

Dr. H seems like a great guy and enjoys teaching this class, but his lectures for the most part are drawn out and rushed for time towards the end of class. He spends lots of time answering unnecessary questions during lectures. I would say his grading criteria is very clear and he gives lots of opportunities for a good grade.

Dr. H is overall a great guy who cares a lot about his students- however, his lectures often were behind and he seemed to treat the lecture time like an office hours period.

Great professor. His lectures are good; they are recorded, so you can re-watch them, which I highly recommend. His HW on Aktiv Chem cannot be compared to his exams. His exams will brutalize you :( Please do the practice exams, and study a little everyday. I ended with a B. Coming from a person who got a C in Orgo I, you can do it too :)

Dr. H is a good professor and his exams are fair if you understand the material covered in lecture and workshop. I wish he included slides or had more organized lectures, because sometimes material was inconsistently covered between sections.

This course is easy, just do the practice exams. He gives extra credit and you can easily get full score on the lecture part. The experiment is tiresome, but it doesn't count a lot. The testing is easy and TA gives as much score as he/she can. Overall, not hard to get an A even without participation.

Go to lecture, do your homework, go to workshop, and you will do well on the exams. This has been the easiest STEM class I have taken in college. He literally gives you a checklist for what you need to do to do well. The lectures are 100% recorded so you don't even have to get up for class. Ridiculously easy, but still fun nonetheless.

Prof. H is good at teaching and makes class interesting. However, this course is all math-related and I did not expect that at first. Attending lecture and doing the practice exams are extremely helpful for passing the class. If you're not good at math, it may take some extra work but you should be fine if you put in the work.

this class was fairly manageable/easy for someone with no prior chemistry experience. if you have a decent understanding of algebra and math, this class should be easy. Reviewing past papers is recommended when studying for exams. the homework helps with understanding the basis.

Dr. H, at heart, is a good person. Lectures are funny and he is accessible outside of class. However, I struggled in his class. His lectures can be hard to follow, so put in the time outside of class to understand the material. I walked out with an A which was mainly a result of doing really well on the final and teaching myself material.

Honestly if you took AP Chem within the past 2 years you will be fine. Class is on the point system, which if you play your cards right, you might only need a 20% on the final to end with an A. If you're confused in lecture, I would recommend reading the textbook, doing past exams and definitely going to workshop.

Dr. H is super friendly and willing to answer questions, which often makes lectures feel like office hours. If you have a background in AP chem, you're set. He explains concepts decently well but they could be better. However, Dr. H is very willing to help you out during office hours.

Professor H is a friendly guy, but his teaching style can be hit or miss. While lectures may lack organization, workshops and past exams are key for succeeding. Leveraging resources like Unstuck ai alongside the textbook can make this course manageable.

Dr. H is funny and engaging but his lectures are a bit scattered, so going to workshops really mattered. Either way TAs grade very nicely (lots of partial credit) and Dr. H and TAs are available through office hours often. Did not regularly attend lectures and still didn't even need to take the final to get an A (but you have to take the final)

The best professor I ever had.

he is a nice professor. the content is easy just focus on workshops. class is a bit disorganized and confusing. wayyyy better than other chem professors

Dr. H's lectures can sometimes be confusing and tedious, but there are resources outside of lecture that help a lot. His office hours were great and really helped my understanding. Test difficulty is somewhere between the Aktiv homework (easy) and workshop problems (hard) so I would recommend keeping up on those if you're struggling.

slow lectures. however great for someone who has never seen chem before. tests were fair. easy A if you do the work.

As someone who took ap chem I still struggled a little with this course. Do the practice tests because what he teaches in lecture is only the basis.

Although this is the intro to chemistry, it was still an entertaining class. All lectures were recorded, and you didn't have to pay for the textbook since it was online, but you did need to pay for the software for homework. Grading was a points system that I really enjoyed and it was a surprisingly good course to learn the basics of chemistry.

Recommended for everyone who want to take chem131, his office hour is also very helpful.

He had really good lectures and was always available if you needed help outside of class. I've always struggled with chem but this class was very good and prepared me for the exams.

GOAT for 131, good at answering questions in lecture, blackboard+chalk notes so you can take written notes, gives 5 chances for aktiv questions, hard exams with extra credit question that requires spamming past exams to get high score, optional attendance but no ppt only recording, though textbook becomes unnecessary if you focus during lecture.

Dr. H is a friendly, chill dude. His lectures are good, though they can feel fast paced at times and are necessary to rewatch. His exams are mostly fair but always have a few problems that catch you off guard with their difficulty. Make sure you don't fall behind with the content, make connections between concepts, and do the HW for easy points.

I was shocked to see some of these bad ratings. Dr. H is a caring professor who genuinely wants to see his students succeed. He made a lecture recording request form to encourage attendance, which was a little annoying. Yes this class was challenging but that is because it is Orgo 2, its a challenging course anywhere you go.

Lectures are very organized and he highlights the main concepts well. Lecture is definitely the most important aspect of the course. Workshop questions are difficult and only some are helpful. Tests are very challenging and contain much harder examples of the concepts learned in class. Overall, harder than CHEM 203 but lectures are more helpful.

I didn't find his class to be amazing, but I learned a solid amount and he's clearly a good and thoughtful professor. He puts in effort, seems to actually care about his students, and honestly my issues stem mostly from the class itself not his teaching style.

The most kind professor I have had the pleasure of learning from. He does not make Orgo II easy, but he wants you to succeed and makes himself available outside classes. If you go to office hours and stay on top of workshop, everything will start to make sense.

Awesome lecturer and brings a very personable approach to instructing. The exams are difficult but fair. The grades are moved to ensure fair grading, and you always know what you need to do to get an A. Has MANY office hours, which are helpful but usually full

He is super caring, engaging, and a great professor overall. However, the class format can be frustrating. There is no curve and exams feel different from homework. He explains concepts well but sometimes jumps topics and doesn't teach linearly.

~CHEM 203~ Great guy, I enjoyed going to lecture (at least compared to other professors as a STEM major - I'm looking at you Fall 2025 BIO198 professor). However, tests are quite hard and lecture content is pretty surface level so there is a lot of self-learning in this class. Workshop helps, OH format kind of stinks. Hard class but its worth it.

*Chem 203* Dr. H explains concepts well, but for me they were sometimes a bit too surface level. Workshops go more in-depth and are very helpful. The content order could be better, leading to early concepts being harder than necessary. The “Orgo as a 2nd Language” textbook helps a lot. Make sure to attend workshops consistently.