3.3
Quality3.6
Difficulty64%
Would Retake94
Reviews64%
Would Retake
94
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
38
4
16
3
9
2
5
1
26
What Students Say
“She's nice, just not a great professor”
CHEM162 - 1.0 rating“Honestly if you pay attention in class and the recitations then you will definetly get an A”
ORGO308SUMMER - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
68%
Textbook Required
39%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.03 avg changeRatings by Course
01160309
5.0
(2)ORGO308SUMMER
4.6
(7)CHEM166
4.5
(2)CHEM308
4.0
(9)ORGO307308
4.0
(4)Difficulty by Course
ORGO308
4.4
CHEM166
4.0
ORGO307
3.9
CHEM165
3.6
01160309
3.5
Reviews (94)
maybe it's because she is new, but she did not know how to teach this course at all. tells us the textbook is crap, but doesn't offer any other alternative material besides her powerpoint slides. AVOID THIS PROFESSOR at all costs since orgo 2 itself is not an easy course.
She may not be the most prepared teacher but when I had her it was her very first time teaching. Now she has her act/PowerPoint slides better put together. Her slides were pretty decent to begin with. She cares about her students unlike the other Organic Chemistry Teachers in the sense that she tries to maximize everyone having a good grade. (4/5)
Wonderful Teacher! She's nice and really helpful, her exams are straightforward, just pay attention in class! Plus she's pretty to look at.
Good for recitation, bad for lecture. She uses powerpoints; you cant teach orgo effectively with powerpoints. Exams had a few just plain unfair questions on them, take John Taylor instead
Awesome 307 TA. Her handouts were super helpful and she explained material thoroughly. Have repeated Orgo twice and she's the best TA I've ever had for this course hands down. Clicker quizzes are reasonable and she takes the time to explain things if you don't understand. Definitely one of the best 307 TA's at Rutgers.
Soo helpful. Took this in the summer. She makes her own quizzes and exams in the summer, I thought they were fair. never had to read the text but make sure you do all the problems she assigns and you can ask any question w/o feeling judged which is amazing especially in orgo. didn't have a life for a 1 1/2 months but an A or B is possible!
Amazing lecturer and savior, truly amazing. She was much better than both Boikess and Roth. She actually made Orgo really clear by staying on-topic and using powerpoints. She also never compares Rutgers to high school like Boikess or has an accent and pastes random figures like Roth.
Definitely the most effective lecturer I've had for Orgo. Her way of presenting is easy to understand and worked very well with how I learn. The material itself isn't easy though and if you don't put in the effort, your grade will still reflect that. Go to class, fill in the slides, and go to office hours if you're still unsure.
Outstanding Lab instructor. Clear explanations, shows a mock-up of the apparatus. If asked a question, she helps you reach an answer, not just spoon-feeds answers. Speaks clear English, doesn't leave the lab, has taught the class before.
She is a decent lecturer and has a nice personality unlike many teachers and PIs in Chem. Unfortunately, exams and quizzes are tough. The first exam and two quizzes may be ok, but Exam 2 and the next two quizzes are tough as Calc 151. Boikess probably communicated with her over the weekend in deciding the questions to put on that exam.
She's actually the best professor in the orgo department. GO TO HER OFFICE HOURS!!! Her office hours were literally the only reason I passed both orgo 1 and 2 with good grades. Her fill in powerpoints are clear and helpful in learning the material. I can't explain how much I recommend her for organic chemistry
With the reputation Rutgers has for chemistry teachers I was worried about this course, but CAK is amazing! Go to lecture, trust me. Also she has review sessions before exams and she goes over exact concepts and math problems that will be on the exam. One warning, she likes concepts and her exams are more concept heavy than usual chem classes.
One of the best professors Iv'e had at Rutgers, however you must understand chem 2 and organic chem are both extremely hard weeding out courses no matter who the professor is so your gonna have to work pretty hard. But if you do & understand all the drills and practice exams she posts you'll be fine. Tests are hard but fair.
She is hard to take if you have no interest in chem. However, If you do all the drills and the powerpoint she posts, you will pass the course. I had her for chem162, I was hoping for an A but the final was tough from the department so, I ended up getting B in this class.
She was an okay lecturer but I ended up reading the textbook to prepare for exams. I never looked at her lecture slides to study for anything, although, her drills were kinda helpful for recitations. She's good for clarification if you need it but I used the textbook and Tavss' old exam problems the most to study.
Awesome professor! I took chem 162 with her, and even though she wasnt always confident, she still did a great job teaching us.
I am not really sure what she is trying to accomplish in this class. Puts questions on the quizzes and exams that were not covered in lecture. Exams are difficult as on-season Orgo. Grading is also equivalent to on-season Orgo. One little mistake on an open-ended question results in no credit. Look somewhere else if you want to do well in Orgo.
If you take Orgo with her, you are fried bacon with a side of hard scrambled eggs. Never responded to emails, accent is hard to understand, and handwriting is difficult to read. Requires hours of self-studying for the exams and quizzes. Do not take this class with her unless you want to become breakfast.
To prepare for this class, know someone that took the course a year ago. Have him or her take pictures of the quizzes and exams once the key is posted online, which is a good strategy since the questions on the quizzes and exams are like unsolvable puzzles that requires a good knowledge of advanced Orgo.
Orgo is difficult but she made it the worst experience. This was the hardest class I have taken and I am premed. I tried so hard to pass and probably only passed since I cried during office hours.
She has the ability to write the hardest exams you will ever take in life. She also teaches the hardest materials ever like 20-step carbonyl mechanisms and complex reactions and synthesis.
Despite going to the lectures and studying the slides, exam questions are difficult due to the wordiness. She is also not helpful when you ask her a question by answering your question with more questions.
Exam questions are not that clear and difficult. Office hours do not help that much since only the easy examples would be covered and those examples are not on the exams.
Took her for gen chem 162, her exams are much easier than on-season 162. She's so kind, helpful, and motherly. I would recommend taking her if you can. She deserves all the happiness in the world. Attendance was 5% which helped me so much.
I'd like to point out that those that gave her bad reviews were people that were probably expecting orgo to be easy. it's a tough subject no matter who you take, but she definitely made the class a lot better. She goes over everything you need to know, and she is more than happy to help her students. So glad I took her
Take her for off-season. Her lecture notes are reflective of her exams. ALSO GO TO HER REVIEW SESSIONS THEY ARE EXTREMELY SIMILAR TO WHATS GOING TO BE ON THE EXAM. She really wants you to do well and she's a really great person. Go to lecture and do the mastering chem. Study hard and you'll be fine.
This may be the hardest class you will ever encounter if you are premed. She's making the class harder now since many people did well on the first exam. The second and third exams have abstract concepts that only advanced chem majors and grad students know how to solve. Good luck getting a good grade in this class and getting into med school.
Great professor. Explains concepts really well and is very patient in her teaching. The material is hard given that it is still orgo, but she teaches the concepts clearly and makes it possible to understand.
Professor Altinis-Kiraz is really a gem. Orgo is a horrible and difficult class in general but she really breaks it down so you understand what's going on. She dedicates her time and sacrifices sleep for her students. Also very understanding so if you work hard she is willing to help you in anyway she can. Best professor I've had at Rutgers so far
She's super nice but her notes aren't that great. Orgo is just hard but she's willing to help you out.
Chem is hard. The professor definitely knows what she's doing, but she does a really poor job explaining things. She goes through slides extremely fast and doesn't show a lot of her work on practice problems. Her exams were hard and had a lot of things that I felt were a lot deeper than we went in class. She's nice, just not a great professor.
She's a nice lady sure, but she isn't a good teacher of tough concepts. Her power-points are mediocre. Recitation, MasteringChem and attendance is just 15% overall. Course is super exam heavy. Did not prepare us well for the exams, thus low averages. Overall, nice lady but doesn't teach well.
She's an amazing professor that really wants you to do good BUT it doesn't mean she'll make it easy for you. Orgo itself is tough but if you're having problems, she's willing to help outside of class
Orgo is tough no matter what but Christine definitely does a good job teaching it.
I got a D when I took Orgo 1 with Boikes, and to be honest, I should've failed based on how little I knew. But when I took Orgo 2 over the summer with Christine I aced the class. She really stresses active learning and if you go to lecture / recitation / office hours with her, you will know how the exam is going to be. My queen.
she is new chem 2 teacher and would not prefer to take it with her. the class itself isnt the easiest and her teaching makes it a lot worse. Her teaching is very unclear and makes going to class more confused with the material. I would prefer to take it with another professor even though everyone takes the same exam regardless of the professor is
Her lectures were usually unclear and too quick. She wasn't good at explaining concepts even though a majority of the test questions were concepts. The test averages were also lower than most semester averages. I would have taken the class with another professor if given a second chance.
Professor Altinis-Kiraz is amazing! She is super sweet, genuine and kind, I absolutely love her! She is definitely my all-time fav! Sure, her classes are hard; the subject itself is difficult. But like with anything, if you give it your all: go to lecture, office hours, and read the textbook - you'll do great!
she did not teach chem 162 very well. she would go through chem example problems really quickly on the powerpoint slides, so its impossible to understand what she's doing until you read the textbook. She also graded many students incorrectly for attendance due to app issues, but could not fix the problem.
Honestly if you pay attention in class and the recitations then you will definetly get an A. She is very helpful in coming up with ways to know the material without hours of useless memorization. Also her feedback helps you consolidate information and actually learn the material.
CAK is a gift from above. She is the reason I succeeded in Orgo 307/308 with Boikess. She taught my active-learning session (engaging af) and gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to do well. She's more than accessible outside of class, and her office hours are heads above the rest. She can confidently answer questions unlike some other TAs
If you come to love orgo youll be able to spend 8+ hrs/day studying it. Key is prep.. read the book chs and lecture notes (chs typically took me 4-8 hrs to complete, including the green in text problems). Recitations dont seem so fast as mentioned in poor reviews here; youll find it fun trying to keep up w/ this genius of a women, trust me
Excellent Orgo Instructor. Take it with her!
She is a very caring teacher who wants her students to succeed. The class isn't easy but no organic chemistry class at rutgers is, but she does help you learn more than most organic chemistry teachers at rutgers. If you put in the time you will succeed. one downside is when i took it not all the answers were given.
Do not take her in the summer if you can't learn at the speed of light! She moves through material wayyyy too fast. I get that the summer classes have to be pretty condensed, but this class was just ridiculously fast especially for the people who need to really understand organic chemistry who are later taking biochemistry and orgo II.
CAK is such a great professor. Summer Orgo is a really fast paced course and its up to the individual to ensure they are understanding the material well enough, but Prof. Altinis helps so much in office hours and gives confidence to her students. Her exams are extremely fair and she cares about all the students especially those that are struggling.
DO NOT TAKE ORGO 2 WITH THIS PROFESSOR IF YOU WANT TO SAVE YOUR GPA AND TIME. The class was so disorganized, from receiving feedback on assessments about 3 weeks later to being assessed on material that was supposed to be taught in upcoming classes. 2 of my quizzes this semester had been regraded 3 times by this professor! Ended up learning from TB
Professor Altinis is the best chemistry professor at Rutgers. Is her class easy? Of course not, it's orgo. But is it possible to get an A? Absolutely. She has lectures and active-learning workshops, which are extremely helpful. Her office hours are key! She is extremely caring and truly wants her students to succeed, but you have to work for it.
Orgo is difficult and taking it in summer would be stressful BUT she made everything harder than it should be. She was passionate but extremely disorganized and unhelpful, and assumed we were cheating at the first place. Assignments and quizzes were not graded until exams were over, and she blamed everything on technical difficulties.
She changed the grading scale 4 different times w/o informing us. She originally said there was extra credit & then got rid of it and she said on our first exam we could use a cheat sheet & then changed her mind the day before the exam. She also doesn't release grades even though the TA graded it. She decided to add topics on our exam & not tell us
1. She changed the syllabus & grading scale 4 times without telling us 2. She is condescending when responding to emails regarding the grading scale and exam answers 3. Extremely unorganized professor. Did not tell us what materials will be on the exam/quiz until the night before. She release the final practice exam a day before the final.
As much as there are positive comments, I believe they were all made when she wasn't a professor, because she deserves nothing more than a one rating. Her lectures were incredibly disorganized, to the point that I basically taught myself this semester and had to rely on TAs/LAs for help. If you know anything about orgo, you know how tough that is.
Not the best not the worst. Compared to other orgo proff, she is good Goes fast in lecture email her nicely and she will reply nicely&fast averages for exams will be 50% get at least 5 point above class average and you will get a B or higher IT IS AN ORGO CLASS, IT WONT BE EASY ANYWHERE Exams and quizzes will challenge you
She goes over her lectures super fast but she also record the entire thing and post the annotated notes so you can go over after class. She explains the concepts pretty well and demonstrates how to solver certain problems that might appear on the exam. Personally I like her style a lot. It does take her a LONG time to post grades tho.
Better than other orgo professors teaching wise but since it was a summer course she did rush through a lot of materials. She does take a long time to get grades back and she did change the grading scale on us several times without telling us, including taking away our extra credit, but overall she wasn't that bad of a professor.
The most disorganized professor I've ever had. Changed the syllabus so many times up until the very end. We received majority of the grades back literally right before we ended class, and it wasn't even accurate. Very passive aggressive when it comes to accessing her outside of class for help, so she wasn't very helpful at all.
Honestly, a fairly solid professor and gives reasonable expectations given the circumstances. If you just put your head down and grind a high A (in the 90s) is super doable and you can be well above average if you spend 6-7 hours per day studying. OChem in the summer is a character builder and this course will test your discipline to stay on track.
Not good at all
She made a bad impression on me for her constant want for students to not make excuses, even with a global pandemic occurring. She wants her students to work for the answers and so sometimes wouldn't say what is correct. She did provide a lot of extra work (without keys), so I respected that. Putting in work with her is MANDATORY.
Just do yourself a favor and don't take her. She might be a decent professor during the fall or spring semester but do not take her during the summer because she cannot handle the fast pace as a professor
During lecture, she would constantly tell students to stop playing "victim" when all they wanted to know was a question that many students were afraid to ask in regards to the class material. She would barely answer emails and if she did, most times they were passive-aggressive. One of the most condescending professors I've ever had.
Really disliked her class. The prof fostered a poor learning space, often just rushing through important concepts and remarking in condescending ways if students asked her any questions. Criteria of grades were not clear, changed syllabus multiple times during the summer session unannounced. This just wasn't it.
Compared to the orgo2 professor we had for summer 2, Altinis was AMAZING. She is hard but looking back she truly wanted us to learn. You will definitely need to work for your grades, but she gives many opportunities for you to ask questions and learn! Super fair, and creates interactive recitations which help. HW/assignments added to grades plus!
The worst professor ever.
I disliked her as my professor. She was not understanding at all and went through lectures fast. The rest of the ratings were right about her being passive-agressive in her emails and always changed up the syllabus.
I took extended general chemistry1. She is INCREDIBLY passionate about chem. The lectures are not mandatory to attend and the slides are taken straight from the textbook (which you can find PDFs of online) ABSOLUTELY GO TO RECITATION theyre the only time youll learn how to do test problems. Exams are super hard so start studying asap with elearning
She's a great professor, very passionate about chemistry, and truly wants all students to succeed in the course. Also, there are plenty of opportunities to earn points in this course. Attendance is not mandatory but she definitely notices the students who show up for every class.
Professor Altinis is a great professor that cares about chemistry as a whole. Her lectures follow the textbook pretty well and she posts her annotated notes after the class is over. The class can be hard at times, but you can always ask her questions and she will help you understand the topics as a whole. She also gives extra credit surveys.
She is a really nice professor but you have to really understand the material in order to pass her class.
Professor Altinis is definitely an extremely competent chemist, but having her as my first chemistry teacher was a bit rough. Her lectures pack so much information into the time given. But it's to the point where if you aren't paying attention, can't attend, or skip class, you will have to do a lot of catching up outside of class.
Nice teacher but very difficult and not as lenient as you might hope. She's a tough grader but you can do well if you really really try.
She genuinely wants you to understand and she teachs in a way that makes it very clear what's expected of you in the exams. However she rushes too much at the end and doesn't emphasize mechanisms as much as she should to set you up for orgo 2. But hands down best orgo professor for orgo 1, if only she taught orgo 2.
Honestly confused as to why her rating is so low. I took her class this past semester and she was a very caring prof. Her lectures matter, but recitation matters the most. I skipped lectures a lot so that's why I got a bad grade lol so definitely go to class. She can get confusing sometimes, but she is very helpful one-on-one.
Altinis is a good professor who wants her students to succeed. The class is set up for your success and the curves are usually pretty good. If you attend lecture and recitation and do all the practice then you should be fine.
She was very nice, however, her lectures were sometimes hard to follow. But again, its chemistry. She also gives you a lot of opportunities to get points outside of exams/ quizzes to help you pass. (Playposits, Surveys, grade boost for submitting recitation worksheets, etc) I would recommend her.
Altinis is an angel sent from heaven. I was never good at chemistry but it is really obvious she's passionate about the subject and wants all her students to succeed. The recitations are so helpful and she's always there to answer your questions. Would 100% take her again if I could
In the beginning, Professor Altinis was the ideal orgo professor- she was thorough in her explanations about concepts and what she expected of us on exams. Near the end of the semester though, her lectures were all over the place, but in the beginning she was great. She's also a relatively fair grader and gives a lot of extra credit opportunities.
Overall, a pretty good professor. You can tell that she genuinely wants her students to succeed. Not always the best lecturer, but great at office hour explanations. Gives lots of practice problems and opportunities for grade bumps, and exams generally reflect what she goes over in lecture/recitation.
orgo is difficult regardless but she explains and simplifies the material nicely. took her over the summer & she gave hw & weekly quizzes. the recitations & her extra practice sessions helped for the exams. questions on exams were similar to the ones shown in class. towards the end her lectures were rushed bc of time but still recommend her.
Barely prepares students for exams and quizzes.
She was very lecture- and test-heavy; she did a good amount of homework at the beginning of the semester but stopped in the middle. She can be very intimidating to talk to as she does not seem to care much about you/ you grades if she does not know who you are. I would recommend going to office hours and joining a study group, but it's still hard.
Although coming from a first-semester freshman, this was the best course I've taken so far. Not sure why there's so many negative reviews. Getting Dr. Altinis with extended gen chem is a cheat code to getting a good grade and learning the material as well. She gives so many opportunities for extra credit, extra support, and motivation to do better.
Professor Altinis-Kiraz learned every student's name in the 300 person lecture and cared about each of their learning paths. She was very attentive to students struggling and answered all questions tot he best of her ability. I would suggest sitting towards the front, asking questions, and going to office hours if possible.
Unlike other inept professors at RU chem department, professor Altinis is only instructor who not only knows how to teach but also loves to teach. Put in the work and if you are lost, go to her office hours!!! She does an unbelievable job of explaining certain things that could be hard especially in orgo 1! She's a godsend to chem department.
I had Dr. Altinis for extended 1&2. She is a great teacher & very kind to her students. She's very easy to talk to and helpful. I wish I dedicated myself more to studying because I know I could've done way better. She gives you many resources so use them! She got quizheavy 2nd semester so my grade took a hit but love her & her class nonetheless.
Dr. Altinis was very caring. Although I only had her for 166, she did not make me feel left out. Her lectures can get confusing but she is good at explaining things in office hours and her review sessions on nights before the exam were extremely helpful. She tried very hard to make sure we all succeeded. Extended chem is much better than gen chem.
Professor Altinis is incredible for orgo 1 during the summer. The class is EXTREMELY fast paced but she is very encouraging and wants everyone to succeed. Go to all of her lectures, office hours, recitations, and stay ahead. Keep doing practice problems as well and you will be more than okay. Only downside is canvas can be a bit disorganized
Honestly one of the best professors at Rutgers in my opinion. She really does care about student learning and makes it a point for students to understand rather than just memorize. Make sure to go to every lecture and practice for at least an hour a day since that was the best way I was able to study without much stress in the class.
I'm surprised to see her score is so low. I took Prof Altinis for extended gen chem 1 and let me tell you she sets you up so well to succeed. The structure of the class is 3 lectures, 2 recitations and she really drills the work into you. I had a lot of friends in Chem for Engineers and they came out with zero knowledge compared to me in extended.
SHE MADE ME ACTUALLY ENJOY ORGANIC CHEMISTRY! ME... WHO HATES ANYTHING CHEMISTRY RELATED. THIS WOMAN HAD SHOWED ME THAT THERE IS HOPE FOR GOOD PROFESSORS. SHE IS SO KIND, ENCOURAGING, AND UNDERSTANDING. HER APPORACH OF ACTIVE LEARNING TOWARDS THE SUBJECT IS WHAT ALLOWED ME TO DO AS WELL AS I DID I REGRET NOT TAKINV GEN CHEM WITH HER. SHE IS AMAZING
Super nice person. Will answer any questions. Chemistry is difficult, no matter what professor you have.
She cannot teach. If you take her, you will have to learn everything by yourself or go to another lecturer.
Prof. Altinis is a very kind woman who loves every single one of her students and wishes them to succeed. That said, her course is very challenging and you won't get an A if you slack Please, for the love of God, make sure you complete all your homework, attend every lecture/recitation, and participate in E-Learning to succeed. You CAN get an A.
While it was clear she cared about her students, she was not a good lecturer. There was no consistency during her lectures and she always jumped around from concept to concept. Multiple choice questions on the exams were extremely hard and nothing like what we learned. The only reason I earned my grade was from my recitation instructor, Dr. E.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
68%
Textbook Required
39%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.03 avg changeRatings by Course
01160309
5.0
(2)ORGO308SUMMER
4.6
(7)CHEM166
4.5
(2)CHEM308
4.0
(9)ORGO307308
4.0
(4)Difficulty by Course
ORGO308
4.4
CHEM166
4.0
ORGO307
3.9
CHEM165
3.6
01160309
3.5