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Even though I'm doing really bad in his class, his lectures were interesting... I enjoyed taking his class, and I may be taking it next semester too! :(

he was a good teacher, pretty helpful. didnt mind if you came into his office at anytime.

Entertaining-makes you want to come to class; helpful in office hours; takes personal interest in students' progress.

very helpful and enthusiastic. lets you know exactly what will be on the test. beware of all the whiners in chem 104.

Dr. Ray was amazing. Sometimes in lecture things could get a little confusing but he tried really hard to give real life examples. Go to his office hours! It really helped me understand better plus he is really fun to talk to about other stuff not related to chem. I think he will get better the more he teaches. Best chem teacher I have had

Nice teacher but not all that clear. Instead of having power points he writes his notes by hand on the board which really reduced the amount of information you can learn in class. But go to lecture because his test questions are derived directly from lecture. The 1st test is hard just to scare you and the rest are easier- final was very easy!

Hard tests, but very fair grader and generous with curves. Lots of demos, good analogies in class

Dr. Ray is great. He does fun demos and his teaching methods are awesome. His focus for research is improving chemistry teaching, so he definitely knows his stuff. And he's great at chemistry too, but thats really just a bonus.

Very interesting professor, always brings in current events that deal with what we are learning. Great speaker. Hard exams.

Dr. Ray is fantastic. I am terrible at chemistry and was excited to go to lectures... he makes the material interesting. Office hours were very helpful--he was great at rephrasing things I didn't understand and was really interested in my success. It's a tough class, you have to put in the effort, but Dr. Ray is a great professor.

Very enthusiastic professor! Extremely hard tests, but the curves aren't too bad. I would definitely go to office hours to catch up on stuff you don't understand. Prof. Ray will only get better as he gets more experienced! I would definitely take his class! Go Cubs!

Dr. Ray is amazing. Definitely one of my favorite professors. He makes boring chemistry interesting.

Great professor! Had easily understandable and very enjoyable classes! Also, gave fair exams. Definitely recommended!

Great professor. Makes a real effort to constantly improve his teaching. If you read the book before lecture and do the problems he recommends you doing, you will succeed. I never thought I liked chemistry, but now I have a definite interest in it.

The corey matthews look-a-like really makes class interesting, so that you wish there was more time. You don't receive a grade for homework, but you HAVE to do it to do well on exams! Take quizzes seriously, too.

Good guy, definitely makes lectures worth going to. A lot of cool demos, explains things well, but he doesnt just lay everything out in front of you. Exams are fair and curved well.

He's GREAT! Lectures were actually understandable and he had GREAT demos! Obviously it's a hard class- but with a lot of work you can get a great grade. Ray made things really clear and he's a really nice guy.

good lecturer. somewhat interesting, good demos, seems like he cares about students

All around great guy. He loves what he is doing, is always willing to help you, and always has some sort of demo during class. If you apply yourself, it should be an easy A.

Fun teacher; last day of class is "blow stuff up day." Tests have the usual tricky questions. In comparison to Yerkes: Yerkes teaches better but Ray is more entertaining.

Dr. Ray is an amazing teacher. He's incredibly helpful, and as long as you do the suggested problems, go to every lecture, and understand the material the class will be a lot easier. Before exams review suggested problems and do all of the old exams! Dr. Ray is extremely helpful, so use the Chem 104 website frequently. Awesome class!

Dr. Ray is an awesome professor. He absolutely loves teaching, and he always talks about how it is his dream job. I'm really glad I had him instead of Dr. Yerkes. She bores me to death, and doesn't really teach. Dr. Ray keeps you interested. You should see his lectures. They are packed full!

Super awesome chemistry teacher. Seriously, if you have to take this class make sure to get Ray! Not only does he make chem really interesting, he's just overall a great teacher. Do all the suggested problems (trust me you'll be thankful on the exams) and do practice exams and go to class! Chem 104 is nothing but a good time with Ray!!!!

I absolutely looove him! He was so great and chemistry ROCKS!! The class is awesome and he's hott!!!!! He's also good at teaching :)

Dr. Ray is an amazing teacher! Loved this class.

Dr. Ray is a really good guy, he is very helpful and very approachable, Class is tough but if you do practice problems, go to office hours, do the readings, you should be good. This class is all about how much effort you are willing to put into it. If you are gonna take this class, I would say take it with Dr. Ray.

Terrific instructor with energy, enthusiasm, and the rare ability to connect with an auditorium sized class.

One of the few entertaining lectures ever! I actually loved going to his class! A good advise for this class is to do the suggested problems and read his notes and you are good! Now I love chem!

Amazing! Be sure to do suggested problems, lectures were helpful

Rey makes his class interesting and fun to attend which is very refreshing after CHEM102 which made me hate chem. His lectures include lots of demos and he clearly explains everything which is unique to this campus. Definitely recommend!

Dr. Ray is a great teacher. He made going to class worth the effort. He also provided a great pre-organic chemistry base before heading onto organic chemistry.

Ray is a fun-loving guy. He is a great guy but I'm not sure if he's a great professor. He seems to prejudice one over the other and his tests are extremly hard compared to the tests of the other Chem 104 professor.

Dr. Ray is my favorite professor thus far in college. He's cool, smart, and his exams are very straighforward as long as you understand the material. Overall he's a cool professor.

Take Chem 104 with Dr.Ray!He is a great professor,and very down-to-earth.Favorite prof so far!He does challenge you,but pay attention,do suggested problems,and take advantage of his online office hours and the TAs to master it.The class is curved since the tests are challenging.He is really good at explaining complicated things.He made me like chem

Dr. Ray is 'friendly' and interesting and, it seems at first at least, genuine. But if you read his 'teaching philosophy' on the Chem dept website it is all spelled out. To me he did not appear spontaneous; it was as if he was too mechanical. After a while the 'novelty', if any, wears of and you almost start wishing for a more genuine professor.

My favorite professor yet! I loved dr. ray! Although the material is not very easy, he does everything possible to help you learn and gives plenty of opportunities to have things explained outside of lecture. Go to lecture and discussion and its a pretty easy class. Dr. Ray is AWESOME!

Taught material well. His tests were hard, but the curve made up for my poor scores on the tests and I received an A.

Dr. Ray was one of the best professors ive ever had! i never have written a review on a professor before but Ray is worth commenting on. Excellent teaching, not exactly easy material but Ray is very fair and if you go to class (which i would HIGHLY reccomend for chemistry) and put in the time/effort you will be fine.

Great lecturer. Responds well from student feedback and genuinely cares if you don't understand concepts or need help. The only drawback is that he really tests you with his exams. But if you put forth the effort, I'm sure you should do fine in his class.

He's one of the best professors I've ever had. Very good at teaching and really cares about how his students are doing. Puts a lot of effort into this class! Exams really test you, but LONCAPA, quizzes, and the curve should boost your grade.

Best Professor I have had so far here!!! This lecture videos he posts on compass are so helpful.. if you miss lecture you have no problem catching up! I love his class!

All in all great teacher. His power points are organized and his pre lecture videos are very helpful. Also has a lot of suggested problems to help prepare. Exams aren't bad at all, wayyy easier than yerkes' exams. I actually enjoyed going to class. And he's a hot live version of Doug Funny...

Great professor! Actually makes me enjoy going to lecture. Gives you all the tools you need to do well and thoroughly understand the material, including tons of practice problems. My best professor at this university so far.

Excellent professor in all aspects. The best lecturer I've had. Not an easy class, but any problems you have you can post on the compass site, and he will probably respond on the same day... very helpful. Also manages to make chemistry fun. Highly recommended.

I love love love him. I hate chemistry but you can tell how much he cares about his students and puts in so much effort to help you succeed!

If you can get in his lecture, TAKE IT. He is a great professor. I hate chemistry, but LOVED this class. He has tons of lecture videos and prelecture videos, practice problems, suggested problems, and ton's of help available. Go to lecture, get your clicker points, WATCH the videos he posts, and do the suggested/practice problems and you've got an

GREAT TEACHER. He made chem so much fun. People in other reviews bag on him, but honeslty they probably didn't do the practice problems or watch the NUMEROUS lecture videos that he posted, and they probably didn't go to his review sessions that he holds every friday. GREAT TEACHER. Ignore the negative posts. Take him if you can!!!!!

This professor is the best I've had at UIUC. I hate and am terrible at chemistry but he made it completely enjoyable. He cares about the students and does everything in his power to get his students to understand and learn the material. He will challenge you on exams but he does well in preparing you.

Great teacher. He explains subject matter quite well. Exams are tough tho. Be prepared to work hard on org chem.

Great teacher. I could tell he really cared about the individual success of his students and would go out of his way to help.

Ray is definitely a cool guy who is excited about teaching and relates well with his students. Nevertheless, his exams were very difficult. And since they are multiple choice, it is really easy to lose points fast. I would for sure recommend Ray to anyone taking chem 104, but be prepared to study hard.

If you don't like chemistry, this class is tough. Class attendance and discussions are helpful, but not always good enough. I studied for every test and could only achieve a C or D. Quizzes were somewhat difficult. Do the practice problems from the book. Doing minimum work will not get you a B. Tests resembled the practice ones and were fair.

Great teacher. ALWAYS open to answer questions. His lecture videos are very helpful, and he holds review sessions every week. It's a tough class, exams are difficult. If you put in the work and take advantage of all the practice problems, review sessions, and lecture videos you should be fine.

great professor. his lecture video and notes help a lot. glad to help his students. exam is kinda difficult however if u have done the previous exam u should be fine

good lecturer. very clear, and explains everything well. Got an A+ in the class, didn't work exorbitantly hard. Watch the prelecture video, go to lecture, then review lecture. Then just review notes for the exams, and take the practice tests. Tests are not that hard provided you are not an idiot. most of the test problems are exactly like homework

The best professor I've ever had. He actually cares. Office hours help a ton.

He talks a lot, but he's adorable, easy going, funny in a dorky way, DILF. :D He writes difficult exams, but he is an AWESOME teacher, and he puts the lectures online, which are really convenient and concise.

Watch pre-lecture videos before lectures, read the book for what is unclear, go to class knowing what is discussed that day, participate during it, DO NOT BE AFRAID of asking questions, watch the post-lecture videos, go to his Friday tutoring, go to office hours if you must, and you'll be golden. Made me love chemistry and pursue biochem.

Dr. Ray really wants his students to learn and tries to help as much as possible. He also personalizes the class which is cool. The material is hard (especially orgo) but go to class and study a lot.

Really great teacher. He goes out of his way to make sure you understand, but the catch is, YOU have to ask him. Never had a question go unanswered. Online lectures are exactly what is covered in class so it is very good review material. If you study and actually ask him to explain stuff to you, he will. Great class, hope to have him in future.

Great professor! Always open to answering your questions. Exams can be a little bit challenging but if you go to your discussion or his Friday tutoring sessions you should be just fine.

Good lecturer! Very clear, and explains most things well. I worked pretty hard but did not dedicate as much time as I could have to the class - don't make that mistake! On a regular basis you should watch the pre-lecture videos, go to lecture, then review the lecture. For exams, review notes and take the practice tests.

The guy was great for the first month. Then he had a baby and everything went downhill. I was in the online section and he was supposed to post videos lectures every week. Ended up being three weeks behind schedule. I had to learn the entire three weeks and the current week of material for an exam within 4 days. I'm an A student, he burned me.

Couldn't have asked for a better professor. He asks a lot of you in his exams, but what he gives you is outstanding. He has pre-lecture videos (5 min. long) so you're prepared for lecture, post-lecture videos in case something isn't clear, and any question you ask him will get answered. Don't take anyone but Ray for CHEM 104.

he is literally the best. i love going to lecture because he's funny and clear and very willing to help. tests are hard, but you get a chance to make up some points for each test

fantastic teacher. Very good at explaining hard concepts and answering student questions. Easy to approach and relates well with students. You really want to have Dr. Ray if you plan on taking Orgo, his class lays a wonderful fondation for CHEM 232.

Great Professor! He helps you if you have ANY questions, and his pre/post lecture videos are AWESOME! This class is totally doable if you put the effort in! Watch the videos, attend lectures, and do the practice exams, and you will do just fine! :) Dr. Ray is by far the best professor I've had thus far!

Nicest guy I've met yet. Feels bad when we are confused or don't understand. Loves to teach. He'll help you with any problem you might have. Exams are fine if you study decently. Uses a peculiar system to get points back once you've taken them. His video lectures online are gold. Answers questions during lecture. He is such a good person.

Dr. Ray is awesome. He definitely loves his jobs and is interested in what he teaches. He is always willing to help and does not want his students to fail. His exams are a bit rough but he gives great practice problems and practice exams. Just go to class and take notes.

Really wonderful. Loves to tell stories but also teaches in a nice manner. Numerous examples and an abundance of practice material. Exams are exactly what he warns you they will be. Overall, awesome class. Dr. Ray loves his job and it is apparent through his teaching.

His office hours should really be used. He is extremely helpful when people just ask. He also has lecture videos that are greta for studying and catching up if you miss class.

If you go to his office hours he really makes an effort to get to know you and find a way to help you out that works for you. He tailors his explanations to your learning style. With all this, he is a difficult professor and his midterms are challenging, but doable. Much better than Hummel.

I hate Chemistry. Dr. Ray is incredibly nice. Never met a teacher who cares so much about his students. He wants you to understand more than anything. Everyone warned that he was hard but honestly I thought his exams were very fair if you actually study and do practice problems. Extremely helpful during office hours. I wish he taught Orgo.

Professor Ray was one of the best professors I've had so far at the University. He's passionate about teaching and is extremely helpful when it comes to helping students understand the material. He makes pre/post lecture videos which really help. Practice problems; that's the key!

Chemistry is something I really struggle with, and the only reason I'm doing so well is because Dr. Ray is a fantastic teacher. It is a difficult class, but he's absolutely wonderful. He tries to put everything at students' fingertips so that they can do as well as possible. He really cares about his students.

Dr. Ray probably the best teacher I've had at U of I. If you ever struggle with a concept, go to his office hours. The class is not hard if you put the time into study and do the suggested practice problems. He writes hard tests but offers online retakes that can get you point back for the original test. This man was meant to teach chemistry.

He offers multiple ways for you to learn the course. Online lectures were very efficient and well done. Of course, like many chem courses at UIUC, material is not homogeneous, so expect much harder exams than homework and quizzes. And for Fall 2012, half the class is --not-- failing, more like 10-ish% after curve.

One of the best professors I've had. You can tell he has enthusiasm for the subject. Real nice guy and his exams are fair. If you make sure to understand the homework you should be getting an A, the material isn't that hard. The only thing I found annoying was that sometimes the review sheet for the exam wouldn't be posted until two days prior...

He's not that bad. He's really nice, cares about making his students learn, and is really helpful. You don't need to go to class, because he posts lecture videos online that get straight to the point and are exactly the same(rather than sitting in a 50min class)He even curved our class at the end!

Favorite class I've taken in college. Dr. Ray is a great professor and is super helpful during office hours. Go to office hours the day or two before exams and ask how to do the practice test Q's and you're golden for exams.

Dr. Ray is probably the best professor I have had at U of I. He really loves teaching and cares about students. He is always willing to help. Also, the class isn't that hard. The online quizzes were the hardest part, but he lets you work in groups. Overall, he's a great professor.

He is a fantastic professor! Just amazing! He really cares about the students learning. His tests are difficult but really put in perspective what the material is about. Take him!

Best Professor I have ever had.

He was a good teacher and the class was pretty easy with him. He was new to the class and his tests are pretty simple. You just want to make sure you go to his review sessions because they help especially before the exam

Took his chemistry class my freshman year. He is a great professor

After a terrible semester in CHEM 102 with Jamieson, I didn't think I could look at chemistry ever again. But Ray actually made me have an interest in chemistry. He is literally the best chem professor I've ever had!I wish he could teach all of my chem classes. If you have a choice, PICK RAY!

He is the best, he teaches in the most simplest terms, however his tests really test the concepts that are learned in class. SO YOU BETTER KNOW YOUR STUFF. Watch the online videos because they really help, do all your homework assignments. Also he makes class really FUN!

Enjoyable to go to class.

I took this class when he taught chem 204, but the material is pretty much the same as 104. He is the best option for 104. Tests are hard, and he claims he doesn't curve, but he does. He offers retakes as well. Just keep up with all of his material. An A shouldn't be hard to obtain at all.

I took him after having a semester with Overcash who was pretty awful. Ray's a great teacher and really cares about his students doing well. He also offers retakes and all the tests. Keep up with the material and you should do fine. He also posts pre and post lecture videos online which are very helpful. Best teacher for 104

Professor Ray was a great lecturer. He reinforced the material presented in the pre-lectures and his tests and homework was right in line with what he was teaching. He's been the best professor I've had at the U of I. I would definitely make you schedule work around having him as a teacher.

He is one of the best professor I had during my time at UIUC. Yes, his class is hard, but it's chemistry at U of I so that is expected. He lectures clearly, and is also clear about what is expected of you. If you go in to office hours, he is the most helpful and genuine professor you could have. I would recommend him as a professor any time!

One of the best professors I've ever had. Extremely personable, brilliant, and knows what he's doing when it comes to teaching. Lectures are enjoyable. The material is hard, but he explains it clearly and thoroughly. Also extremely helpful at office hours. For CHEM 104, take advantage of the optional problems that are available online.

Up until I took this class, I hated chemistry. I used to do terrible in even the easiest high school chemistry class but this course has completely changed that. The professor is super friendly and turn chemistry into something you can enjoy. He holds office hours by himself and clearly understands what each student is having difficulty with.

Took 104C which has a group project which was interesting but rushed. Ray wasa great teacher and did his best to get everyone to understand material. Glad I took this section. Never used the textbook but it was free!

Dr. Ray is such an amazing teacher. I didn't like chemistry very much going into the class, but my opinion has entirely changed. He explains very well and there are a ton of ways he presents the material. You have to put in work to do well, but the material is so well presented that it's not hard to keep up. I couldn't recommend anyone more.

Good professor overall. Project was fun, and we learned a lot from it. Lectures were clear and he is very approachable. Will try and work his hardest to ensure your success

So long as you're willing to put in the work and keep up with lectures, you should do fairly well in this course. Ray explains the material thoroughly and provides additional resources, such as his pre- and post-lecture videos. Definitely the best choice when it comes to Chem104. Never have I enjoyed chemistry this much prior to taking the class.

I thought Ray was an exceptional teacher because he actually made the expectations of the class clear, so you knew exactly what to study. He gives you all the resources you need to succeed. If you're willing to put in the work then you should do great!

This is my favorite professor to date. Given that I am just a freshman, take that with a grain of salt, but I have previously taken Chem 104 in high school and retook it for a grade boost, and the way he teaches the concepts is very similar to my high school teacher. He really walks through exactly how to do problems and makes lecture fun.

Gives you everything you need to do well on exams but they can be a bit tough. easily one of the best professors i've had so far on campus

I thought he was amazing! Really great at coming to lecture early and had good office hours at the CLC.

Dr. Ray is extremely knowledgeable, and always seems to love to come to class. He makes lectures interesting, and is always there to help you if you need ANYTHING. I wish I could take every chemistry class with him as my teacher - he is awesome!

Professor Ray is an amazing teacher. His gives a lot of resources to help prepare for tests and his tests are similar to those materials. He doesn't curve, but he does give every student a chance to "earn a curve" by doing an online retake with multiple tries. These helped my grade a significant amount!

You need to go to lecture, and he can be intimidating at office hours, but he's a nice guy.

Dr. Ray is a good professor but his exams are pretty difficult. Don't think you can pull your grade up with them for the most part. Do all the little homework assignments and get them all right and you will have some padding for the exams. He has a group project for some lectures that sucks so make sure to start early on it.

Dr. Ray is the best professor I have ever had. His lectures are easy to understand and he does not speak too fast. His office hours are wonderful and he will remember you by name. The project isn't bad as long as you get a group of people that actually do work.

Makes you work extremely hard to keep your grade up in the class, seems to be easy to pass, but with what grade you want is to be determined how hard you work and understand the material. Tests sometimes don't exactly reflect the material taught in my opinion. Overall, would not say this is an easy A, but an easy pass is definitely a possibility.

Honestly the best professor I've has at this University so far. I found him extremely funny and was very knowledgeable about the subject. Exams need a pretty big time commitment to do well, homework is relatively easy. Put in the time and this class is very doable.

Dr. Ray is one of the BEST professors one could ever have! Do not defer the opportunity to have him as a professor. His exam questions are slightly convoluted and tie multiple things together, but as long as you understand the concepts, it's not all that bad- he does not try to trick you on exams! He will go out of his way to help you succeed.

Ray was a gem -- if you have the opportunity to take him, I HIGHLY recommend you do so. This is not to say that his exams were easy (they were rather tricky), but he was FAIR throughout the entire semester. As long as you participate in lecture, take good notes, DO THE PRACTICE EXAMS, and just spare some time throughout the week, you will be gold.

Dr. Ray is the most amazing professor that I have ever had. His lectures are easy to understand because he takes scary topics and breaks them down. Take good notes and do all the practice exams. Make sure you ask if you do not understand something! Dont let questions build up. Hes always available before and after class. Great prof and class!

Dr. Ray is the best chemistry professor I have ever had. He genuinely cares about his students which was evident on the first day when he made an announcement about caring about student mental health. He is vey busy but usually is available outside of class and puts in a lot of effort to help you succeed.

He is a great lecturer. His tests are more straight forward then CHEM102. Don't need to go to class even though there are clickers because he posts video which are easier to understand on LonCapa. Ray also is good at explaining and answers all your questions thoroughly. Great teacher

The lectures were always very interesting, and he very clearly taught the material needed for the exams. He gives you everything you need to be successful in the class, and he sometimes brings his kids to lecture.

one of the best professors I've ever had

He genuinly cares for all his students and makes an effort to make sure everyone understands the material. His lectures were extremely enjoyable and not boring. Lastly, His teaching style is amazing. I love this man for sure!

LITERALLY THE MOST AMAZING PROFESSOR EVER!!!!!! I was able to pay attention in every single lecture - he has such a great teaching style. Made me love chemistry!!!!! Also such a nice guy in general. He makes it so easy to follow what is going on in class.

Ray is probably the best general chemistry professor on campus. His lectures are crystal clear, and the quizzes are very similar to the practice quizzes he gives. He will give a generous curve to the class if needed, but as long as you pay attention to the lectures and review all the practice quizzes, you will do great in his class.

Ray was great at taking difficult or abstract ideas and making them manageable, and not seem so daunting. I would strongly advise going over the prelecture content he provides online, it only takes a few minutes, and it really helped me.

His lectures were enjoyable because he didn't just speak nonstop about chemistry for 50 minutes like a textbook. He included life stories and demonstrations that made concepts much clearer.

Very kind and understanding. Biweekly exams are exhausting and the practice problems arent reflective of the actual exam

Ray is an angel sent from above. He was born to be a chem professor. He made me not absolutely hate chemistry. Do whatever you have to do to get into his section.

Dr. Ray is such a great chem teacher. He made me not hate chemistry for once in my life and actually made me curious about it instead of dreading it. He GENUINELY cares about his students and works with you. One of the best professors I've had at UIUC.

Professor Ray is a perfect example of what all professors should aspire to be. He actually cares about his students, and is so incredibly talented at taking a lot of difficult material and condensing it into easily understandable chunks. He is fair, he is cool, by far the best professor I've ever had. Do anything you can to get a seat in his class!

Dr. Ray is one of the best professors I've had so far. His lectures are engaging and fun and he's really good at explaining difficult topics. He genuinely cares about his students and makes sure to gauge understanding on difficult topics. Overall, amazing.

Ray is awesome! He really cares about his students and going to office hours is EXTREMELY helpful. The practice quiz questions are basically the real quizzes which is great. Definitely use the practice materials given on lon capa. There are 6 quizzes which makes it easier to stay on top of materials. Lectures are really engaging and fun:)

Best professor I have had thus far. He has a lot of quizzes, but he is very clear about what he expects you to know and will give you plenty of materials to prep with. He is a genuinely great person and cares about his students a lot. If you have him you're set!

Dr. Ray is a great professor who does an excellent job explaining concepts in an easy to understand manner. He is very patient with people who ask questions and takes the class at a very reasonable pace. His test questions are very fair and as long as you keep up with learning materials, you should do just fine,

Dr. Ray has been one of the best chemistry professors Ive had. I know some of my peers are upset that there wasnt a curve overall in the class but he did curve some of our individual quiz scores. He was always available to help us, got to know a lot of us on a personal level during the pandemic and empathized with us. Overall, a wonderful prof.

Great professor!

THE BEST professor Ive had at UIUC. He really shows a passion for chemistry and wants his students to succeed. He isnt out to fail you, if you work hard and show it you get the grade you deserve. Wish there was a Dr. Ray in all of my classes

Although I can see why many of my peers were upset about our final grade situation, I genuinely really liked and respected Dr. Ray. I think he is a great professor and made chemistry as a subject much easier for me to understand. I did much better in this chem class than I have in any other, so I am grateful to him for getting me through it.

This is a challenging class and requires hours of studying. I strongly recommend taking a merit discussion section while taking this class because having a great TA will make a huge difference. Dr. Ray offers retakes for each quiz, and also holds review sessions every Friday to help with digesting difficult material.

Ray is genuinely my favorite professor! He made chemistry so easy to learn because he would give you pre-lecture, post-lecture, and even host Zoom lectures. If you want to succeed, take advantage of them! Yes, he did offer extra credit but our class didn't follow the instructions, so it's fair that he didn't give any. I completely understand him!

amazing

he's great at explaining things and is easy going. he understands that we have lives outside of schoolwork. his quizzes can be tricky, so definitely study his provided practice questions. there isn't a textbook, he teaches you what he wants you to know. overall great guy and professor.

Dr. Ray is amazing. Easily the best professor Ive had at this school. He makes CHEM 104 feel like such a relief after taking 102. As long as you truly understand the content from his lectures (pre/post) and do the practice quizzes, this class should be an easy A. The retakes are also very helpful so make sure you always get them done.

I had Dr. G last semester for CHEM 1o2 so Dr. Ray was an amazing 180 turn. You can tell that he enjoys teaching because his lectures are very engaging, and he is great at explaining complicated concepts. The biweekly quizzes can be challenging, but he gives plenty of practice problems and materials. I recommend taking the merit section CHEM 199.

Dr. Ray is the best 104 Professor. He uses analogies to teach, personal anecdotes etc.. which makes understanding chemistry much more manageable. His office hours are also very helpful. Jessica Xhumari is the best TA who does 6 hour review sessions before the final, and she is probably as good of an instructor. Ray + Jess are your key to success

Ray is a pretty easygoing professor who is also happy to talk with students outside of class. His lectures were decent; although I have seen better lectures before, he generally did a good job of helping me understand the material. He also gives retakes for the two midterms and partial credit on multiple choice questions.

Most grading quiz-based, but you will never run out of practice problems and quiz prblms are 99% of time from these practice problems. Retakes avail (takes avg so may hurt) Lectures were fine; type to be personable. Check out TA Jessica Xhumari's youtube for review. If you have a chance, take her section! (super helpful & review sessions galore)

Dr. Ray was an amazing professor. He is so good at explaining things and he genuinely cares about everyone. If you are struggling in his class you can always find help. If you put in the effort in the class you can pass!

You can tell Dr. Ray cares about teaching. Though the class is difficult, he is always available and wants to see students succeed. I wish he taught more classes!

This class is hard for someone who doesn't love chemistry. I am an animal science major, so I just need to get chem out of the way. Prof. Ray has weekly review sessions and reasonable windows for office hours. even though I ended up with a C, I actually learned a ton.

One of the best chem teachers here. Chemistry is a hard subject, but he's a really good teacher and explains things in detail. If you have questions, he will answer with really good explanations. He provides practice quizzes and his office hours are very helpful. If you put in the work, you will be rewarded.

Christian Ray is a well-respected figure in the community. He is a strong lecturer, with a ton of experience under his belt. Yes - his exams are fairly difficult, but many of us persevered, and can actually say we learned a ton once all was said and done. He was recently recognized for his excellence in teaching with a huge award. Go for him.

Dr. Ray is a great professor who truly cares about his students. The quizzes are quite hard however and are not very representative of the practice material that he hands out. The nice thing is that he offers a retake and allows you to see your old exam so you can review what you got wrong and ensure you ace the retake, he then averages both scores

Clear, helpful explanations are given during lecture, and can also be found in concise online videos. The expectation for what you need to know is clear and straight forward. While he likes to include what he calls "kitchen sink" questions, the quizzes are reasonable and resemble the practice content.

assessments aren't easy but if you understand lectures & homework well enough to explain it to someone else rather than just memorizing the steps then you should be good for the quizzes. He has very thorough & efficient pre-lectures and posts all of his lectures online. He's also available to answer any questions and gives almost identical retakes.

After 102 I was terrified, but Ray is seriously one of the best professors I have ever had. Lectures are recorded if you miss one you can watch them on your own time. He gives you a lot of resources to prepare for quizzes. Do the practice quiz problems and the discussion worksheet over and over and you'll be fine. Also go to office hours!!

After taking Dr. G's class in CHEM 102, I found it hard to continue my existence on the planet Earth. But Dr. Ray single-handedly restored my will to exist. His lectures are very organized and understandable after watching the pre-lecture. His quizzes are a bit hard but with the LON CAPA practice problems, you will be well prepared.

Great teacher who really cares about his students. Explains difficult concepts in an easy to understand manner. Would definitely recommend for CHEM 104.

The class he teaches is quite difficult if chemistry is not your strong suit, but he is very accessible during office hours and over emails and wants all of his students to succeed.

As a professor, Dr. Ray is very good at teaching the content! He engages with students well and is available to help outside of lectures. Although he is a good teacher, the quizzes are harder than the practice, the final is worth 30%, and there is a lot of homework. I learned a lot from him, but I definitely struggled in this class.

A fantastic professor who is kind, caring, and is amazing at lecturing. Offers a ton of resources to help students with chemistry. His quizzes are a bit difficult, but the retakes/worksheets are helpful.

Class was hard as hell, every quiz made me lose a part of my soul, but Ray restored my hope for the next 2 weeks before I had to take another. Lectures were well organized and overall helpful and Ray is good at explaining and offering additional explanations outside of class. Overall, a win in my book.

Overall, I really appreciated all the help that Ray gave me. I started off the class really confused, and close to having to drop the course. But, go to his office hours, and really put in the time meeting with him one-on-one, he really helps in giving advice on how and what to study if you need. There was a lot of work, but it was all helpful.

I really enjoyed this class. I felt like lectures were easy to follow and the fact that they are available online is a huge weight off of your shoulders because if you miss lecture or don't understand you can go back and rewatch it. Dr. Ray is really nice and cares deeply for his students. One of the best professors I have ever had.

Manages to make a 300 person lecture feel like a high school classroom. Chill and funny guy!

Dr Ray was caring and funny. He explained concepts well and gave plenty of resources to practice. He clearly knows what works for students and has good availability. I enjoyed the many demos that were performed during lecture as well. Tests are worth 82% of the class with little extra credit, but the quizzes were not hard if you studied well.

Dr Ray was caring and funny. He explained concepts well and gave plenty of resources to practice. He clearly knows what works for students and has good availability. I enjoyed the many demos that were performed during lecture as well. Tests are worth 82% of the class with little extra credit, but the quizzes were not hard if you studied well.

I struggled a lot in this class, but Dr. Ray was very gracious and helpful every week. goat

PROS: final is hard but its impact is forgiving, RETAKES, good teacher and has study sessions every week, provides extra practice sheets that prepare you well for tests, passable class if you study and take advantage of retakes CONS: lecture notes can be hard to follow, grading is very test heavy, your TA matters

Dr. Ray is extremely helpful and invested in students' success. If you pay attention in lecture, practice, and attend his review sessions, you can do well. The material is pretty difficult, and the grade breakdown weights quizzes heavily, but Ray's explanations are clear and he provides plenty of resources. Time-consuming class.

Ray makes a 300-person lecture feel cozy. He's caring, funny, and explains concepts clearly. The tests are tough, but quizzes are doable if you study hard. unstuck study was a lifesaver for extra practice.

Great person, cares about students. The course content is tough, but not his fault. The only issue is that he's not a very organized person, so that makes navigating the Canvas difficult. Have study buddies for this class and read about the topics online. The homework is helpful but overwhelming.

Professor Ray is very clear when going over lecture material.

Dr Ray was an amazing professor. He knows how to teach the material and make concepts easier. Be aware that the quizzes are hard, and more often than not you'll find yourself running out of time to complete it to its entirety. The final is fair, but you do have to dedicate quite a few hours to studying. The curve at the end really saves you.

He is overall such a great person! He is a great professor and you will learn a lot from taking his class.

Literally had to write a review at 4 pm on a Tuesday simply because I love Dr. Ray. He makes life so much better because chem is hard but he makes it digestible. Super caring, super fun. Great lectures. Respectable man. Love him. God bless Dr. Ray. Thank you Dr Ray!!!!!

The class is difficult, but Dr. Ray is a very good lecturer and such a caring person. His explanations are clear, and he is very accessible outside of class.

Not gonna lie, this class is hard. I struggled because there are just so many quizzes that we get no break. It makes the semester go very fast.

I just love this professor, the goat for teaching concepts especially the ones i won't forget for a long time, the lectures are really fun especially for an intro class ! the quizzes are doable until you practise a lot

Oh my god dr ray is everything you could ever want or need in a friend, human, or teacher. I wish he taught every single class i needed. He is funny, personable, caring, humble, and very reasonable. Discussions were actually helpful and there were 6 quizzes with lots of practice and retakes available instead big, anxiety inducing tests. LOVE him

Ray is amazing. He is one of the kindest professors you'll have and genuinely enjoys his job. The class is hard but he does a great job teaching the material and posts videos so you can look back on lessons. If you are struggling go talk to him!!!!! He gives great study tips and is super helpful in office hours.

Dr. Ray is the coolest dude you'll meet in the chem department. If you need help, find him before or after lecture and he'll be more than happy to explain. His lectures make sense and are closely related to the coursework, so show up! His tests are difficult, but study well and consult people who took the course before and you should do fine.

Dr. Ray has been one of the best professors I've had. He is not only excellent at explaining complex material clearly, but also brings humor into his lectures, making them enjoyable. It's clear that he genuinely cares about his students' success. While the quizzes are challenging, if you put in the effort, you will do well.

Ray is the best professor I have had at UIUC. He is such a kind guy that really cares about his students and their success. The course itself is pretty hard, but he is such a great lecturer and makes the content actually understandable and doable. 6 quizzes instead of 3 exams, which is great for this type of course. I strongly recommend his class!

Honestly this class is not that bad. I really like the quizes every two weeks as it forces you to stay on top of the material. The most helpful thing for this class to to find past tests and practice tests and study from those. He pre-lecture videos are also really helpful so don't really need to go to lecture. Also good teacher.

CHEM 104 is tough, but Ray is a great lecturer. He provides a lot of useful resources, and is generally excellent at clarifying concepts (although this varies on the content). Pay attention, use practice materials, genuinely try, and you should be fine. What made CHEM 104 difficult for me was the amount of tests, not Professor Ray.

holy goated

Ray Ray slays the house down. At times, bit of a diva—but a chem to it. He knows his stuff. I'd say he's funny similar to Trisha Paytas and Anna Stawowski !!

I will admit professor Ray is really friendly and gives off major dad energy but I think sometimes he does that to throw us off on how hard his quizzes are because they never reflect his kindness

Dr. Ray is such an amazing person and teacher, his class is just HARD, I can't even rate him poorly because it has nothing to do with him, the course he teaches is just inherently hard.

Great lecture and teacher, the tests were unreasonably hard in my opinion, lowkey fried me every other week when I knew the material but make some stupid mistake to get zero points in the CBTF. Still cool professor and enjoyable class, class is mandatory and requires physical iclicker.

He's a great professor, really cares about his students and being a good educator. I like that he provides supplementary videos to the lectures. On some quizzes the questions can be a bit hard to understand but that might just be on me.

I loved Professor Ray, he always approaches students with kindness rather than judgment. He doesn't make students feel stupid for asking a silly question. Grading criteria are clear, discussion wrksheets are completion points. Workload can be pretty heavy as you have a pre and post-lecture every class period. Quizzes have review questions everytime

Good guy. Definitely seemed to care about his students and was funny. Tests were kinda hard and always would put questions that majority of class would get wrong. But, they were doable. Just wish the class wasn't so heavily weighted on tests.

Professor Ray is great. Super nice and helpful. I'd say that the online 104 class is more difficult than taking it in person, as it's easy to get behind on the lecture videos. The 6 quizzes at the CBTF are difficult, but he curves the class nicely. Final exam was a lot easier than the quizzes.