1.9
Quality4.0
Difficulty17%
Would Retake192
Reviews17%
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192
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16
2
41
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103
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“WORST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER TAKEN IN MY LIFE”
CHEM430 - 1.0 rating“Basically, if you zone out during brief comments during lecture, you've missed 25% of the exam material”
CHEM430 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
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5.0
(1)CHEM111997
4.0
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Reviews (192)
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lots of fun in lecture, very animated has good taste in music?
Good professor. Likes to teach. Seems a little odd at first. Sardines
A total jerk in office hours/on a personal level. But the lectures are pretty entertaining. Tests are HARD!
Gets really annoyed during office hours. Tests are really hard. Leactures are alright, but not at 8 in the morning. I'd advise against taking him as your chem. professor, choose another one.
pielak is forced to teach chemistry 11--he doesn't want to and this is apparent. lectures are pointless (b/c he takes everything out of the book). not a good teacher AT ALL. he's boring and i think he looks like billy bob thorton... which is irrelevant... haha.. .but yea
huge class, didn't learn anything in lecture, all you need to do is know the practice tests from the year before to pass the tests, i did not find him aproachable, likeable, or entertaining.
Pielak holds the title in my book for "Worst Teacher EVER"! I love chemistry, and he totally ruined Chem 11 for me. Rambles in class, tests are IMPOSSIBLE and he's just not a likeable person. At all.
Very straightforward on tests (study last years test)... Very enthusiastic about chemistry in lectures and seems to enjoy the subject (maybe not teaching the particular class).
awesome person... great qualities of a professor learned a lot. althought unlike the others this class was not a chemistry lab course therefore i cannot comment on those abilities but i thought he was a great professor
Pielak kinda of expect you to already know everything. Never thought about the fact that everyones high school Chemistry wasn't the same.
I thought the class was fair and the tests reflected the material presented. It was mostly in the book, so attending class was notimperative, but helpful if you didn't want to study on your own.
Don't be fooled. By far the worst professor I've ever had at UNC. The only professor i've had laugh in my face when i asked a question at office hours. I did NOT like this class or this man.
He did a good job of explaining things. I took it at 8am --bad idea, but he made it bearable. Study old tests -- 80% of tests came from old ones. Learn how to do what you missed on early tests -- the final was a compilation of old tests, so either learn how to do it or memorize how to do it -- he changes #s around, so don't memorize answers
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Terrible professor. Does NOT teach towards tests and rambles constantly off topic. Expects students to know everything and will laugh at you if you don't. Tests were hard and comprehensive and they were very random just like he was. Simply do not take this professor, even if he is the only professor available. It's just not worth it.
definitely the best professor I had in my 1st semester, enthusiastic about teaching, makes his lectures interesting and entertaining, also helpful and a nice person, the tests are fairly straightforward, but class is not really easy, does grade based on the class mean and standard deviation and test grades tend to be low, A definitely is possible
Is a good professor overall--always seems willing to help. Lectures almost directly from the textbook and his tests are pretty straightforward, especially if you study his old exams.
Not a bad teacher. If Hogan is available take him instead, but Pielak is bearable. You could probably do just as well by reading the textbook instead of going to lecture. Definitely do the homework problems, & STUDY THE OLD EXAMS..theyre almost exactly the same as current exams. Only 3 test grades & the final, but an A is possible if you work hard.
He was okay, but his class average was so bad....class gpa was a 2.2........the other chem 101 professors have better grade distributions and easier tests! try getting with them.if not, bit the bullet and endure it. college is full of painful classes you just have to take.
awful
He's a really nice guy who is willing to help you if you go to office hours. If you are a slow test taker the tests may be hard. Don't go to class. Its pointless. Study the old test over and over again, and read the book.. its very helpful! I rarely did the practice problems.
Horrible! Lectures were boring and he would add in questions on the test that were completely irrelevant to the subject. Tests were pretty hard and even though he uses many of the questions from old tests, he changes them often...don't get stuck just memorizing the old questions because he changes them. Not recommended.
The class was hard, but no unreasonable. He made it pretty clear what was expected of you. Definitely read the book and do the practice problems.
Didn't like him at all. He went through problems very quickly and didn't go over them well,the tests felt more like a math test. You get the feeling that he talks "at" you. He does drop you lowest test, and they are curved, but it doesn't help.
Good guy, pretty funny. Clear lecturer. Willing to help.
Loved his personality-- hated his teaching style. Obviously very enthusiastic about the topic, but rushes through information and is unclear with almost every type of calculations you encounter. Unless you have previous chem experience or are very good at keeping up with confusingly fast-paced lectures I would find another professor.
Very difficult exams. Unclear about equations and rushes through them. Be prepared to read your book, but honestly unless you are SUPER good at figuring things out and have had prior chemistry knowledge, DONT take his class. He doesn't even let you use a calculator on exams!!!
Pielak tends to hint at exam questions throughout lecture, and many of his exam questions are VERY similar to the homework problems he assigns. From what I've heard, he's probably one of the better CHEM 101 professors at UNC, but apparently he can also be rude or insulting at office hours. Also, the class is graded on a STRICT bell curve.
Gary is an intelligent man teaching an entry level class, and it doesn't mesh. He expects you to already understand everything, he rambles, and flips back and fourth between topics. His lectures are very jumbled and there are hardly any example problems. As someone who learns visually, this was a huge issue. Also unhelpful @ office hours.
Basically you're born to understand chemistry or your not in this course. So if you're lucky and it comes easy to you passing this class will not be a problem; however, if you're not then prepare yourself for a lot of stress and a lot of self teaching.
He isn't clear in lectures and gets off topic often. He offers practice tests which don't really relate to the actual tests. Average grades for the tests were between 60 and 70 and he doesn't curve so if you do poorly you're stuck with it. However, his tests are optional and if you take all three he drops the lowest grade. Office hours are useless.
Please don't take this man. He gives some organic chemistry level questions on his 101 exams and expects people in his class to already be masters at chemistry. He is a smart man, but that makes him really condescending when you don't understand and not very good at teaching. He is not meant for a 101 course... or probably any others.
If you are a scientist already, and have somehow dodged taking CHEM 101 at Chapel Hill so far, take him. A majority of people who take Professor Pielak's Chemistry class are incoming first year students that are interested in pursuing science as a profession. These students are getting shafted by an obscenely advanced teacher for an intro class.
Hardest class ever, I read and did the homework and am not passing this class at the moment... You have to go to the Chem resource center every day if you even want a chance.
Pielak's not a horrible prof, but how class is structured is difficult. Only four grades-- the 3 hour exams & the final exam. The hour exams are optional, HW is also optional. This may sound good; you might be thinking, "YAY LESS WORK!".. WRONG. In order to survive class, you must READ AND SELF-TEACH a lot bc he does not go over a lot of examples.
Pielak is too old for teaching Chemistry. He should stay with his research. Lectures were awful, unclear. There was no assignment or quiz. He had only four exams. Pielak is not helpful. You need to teach yourself.
Professor Pielak was by far the worst professorteacher I have ever had. As far as lectures go, they weren't terrible. He sometimes tells you exact questions that will be on the exam. However, everything else is essentially setting you up for failure. He gives no encouragement, and doesn't actually care how well his students do. Don't take him.
I dread having a professor like Dr. Pielak again. Excellent knowledge of chemistry, but he is not willing to share it with his 101 students. He has a bitter teaching style i.e. he occasionally reprimanded students on their questions. Although he gives decent notes, they don't help at all on exams. If he's your last resort, wait another semester.
Pielak is far too advanced to be teaching 101. His lectures were nothing like the tests and there are only 3 with a final. An A is virtually impossible unless you are already extremely knowledgeable of the content prior to taking the course. Avoid Pielak at all costs.
Unless you had a strong background in AP Chem, get a different professor. He teaches like you should already know material, and tests are the only grades. Never does examples in class. He holds office hours at inconvenient times, and they are rarely helpful. If you can even get his attention to answer a question, he is arrogant and disrespectful.
Dr. Pielak is an amazing chemist I had never taken chemistry before and found it very difficult to do well on the tests. I got a 40 on the first test, and a 44 on the second test and before college I'd never gotten a C in my life! It took me devoting my life to this class to pass it. His bellcurve encourages competition within students
The lectures weren't too bad, but he glazed over difficult topics. The homework is not assigned, but you should do it. I only learned and passed by reading the textbook and doing the homework. I probably could have skipped class, read all the chapters, and still received the same grade.
I thought Pielak was a wonderful professor. You will do well in the class if you are willing to put in the work. He is always willing to help and even gives practice tests before each exam
I would never recommend taking chem 101 with him, nice guy, but no. Seriously.
Very confusing lectures, no chance for practice problems in class, makes tests very difficult. I took AP chem and got a 3 on the exam so I took this class again for clarity, but I came out of it just as confused or maybe even a little more confused than when I signed up. Make sure you find a way to practice problems on your own.
The lectures will keep you awake but not very helpful. I recommend studying the textbook because he frequently rip questions straight from there, such as example problems of oxidation. Tests are fairly hard. And Pielak is mean at office hours. Wouldn't move my friend's exam date though he had to compete for UNC in mountain biking.
DO NOT TAKE PIELAK IF HES YOUR FIRST CHEM PROFESSOR!!!! It is very discouraging taking his class if you want to go into the sciences. His teaching style is all over the place and he doesn't do helpful examples, which can be hard to dive into for incoming first year students. He is also condescending at office hours.
Pielak is not a good lecturer and is often sometimes confusing. There are only three tests plus a final test. None of them are a walk in the park, but they aren't horribly difficult. You definitely need to study.
He is confusing and a poor lecturer. Have to teach yourself from the textbook basically. His lectures are unorganized and his handwriting is poor. Take this class with a different professor.
AVOID. Not clear at all, did not come out of the class at al prepared for Chem 102. Wish I had known going in to wait to take it with a different professor.
Only glosses over important material, doesn't provide reading sections for each class topic, refuses to post resources on Sakai and even though he said that "every biochem textbook has enough material for four semesters," he suggests we read the entirety of each chapter before class in order to have a clue of what he's lecturing on. Mediocre. Avoid
Gary is really funny- keeps class entertaining. He doesn't talk in confusing academic language which makes the chemistry a lot more understandable. He's a low-tech guy- writes notes on an overhead projector during class and doesn't use powerpoints/sakai/email. Learn how to problem-solve outside of class because he doesn't do practice problems.
Gary is awesome! His lecture notes are the key to success. As long as you star concepts in your notes from lecture that you don't understand and go back to those concepts in the textbook you will know the material well enough to do good on the exams. He wants you to do this: read after class, focusing on topics in the notes. Do practice exams!
Ran into him at He's Not. Only time he ever made sense.
Gary uses a very old-style teaching method- no PowerPoints, no online course stuff, no technology whatsoever. His exams ARE his lectures, so make sure to show up for EVERY class. He is a pretty funny and interesting guy in person. As a professor, not too great. But as a person, pretty great. He does make mistakes in lecture so be wary of that.
WORST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER TAKEN IN MY LIFE!!! AVOID AT ALL COSTS. If you are not a chemistry genius you WILL struggle so badly in this class. There is no sakai, resources, nothing. Your exam grades are your only grades. He makes MANY mistakes and his students correct him on average 5 times a day (I counted). Seriously save your self!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Basically, if you zone out during brief comments during lecture, you've missed 25% of the exam material.
Homie is the worst prof I've ever had. He all but refuses to meet with people outside of class, especially to review the final exam that we don't get to know our grade for (He doesn't use any grade book you can see). He's funny so class is entertaining, and he will ask things STRAIGHT from what he said during class, so you really have to go. AVOID.
No Sakai, no PPTs, and he won't answer emails; however, there is optional Mastering. You have to write down every word he says. He makes many mistakes you have to correct from the book. He is funny, makes advanced research understandable, and the tests are almost exactly from lectures. The mean/stdev grading hurts you because he made too easy.
Gary was consistently wrong in class. Probably spent more time correcting him than actually learning material. Exam grading is ridiculous, only allowed 25 words for free response and even takes off pts for every Hydrogen you forget to draw on molecules even though I've never had to explicitly draw them in any other class since its assumed?????
Gary is definitely not the best lecturer, but if you just go to class and write down everything he says, the class is totally doable. His tests and grading criteria are fair (stop complaining about the hydrogens, it specifically says to include them). He's also a funny professor so that's a plus. Textbook and Mastering were useless.
Piece of cake class, probably the easiest A in a chem class at UNC I got. People complain but if you go and write down what he writes for 2 and a half hours per week that is the ONLY thing you have to study for the exam. Also his top 5-6 students at the end dont even have to take the final. Lectures are clear and easy, littered with jokes.
Very good mentor; never hesitates to answer all your questions. His passion is helping students succeed and this is evident in the way he facilitates your understanding and excitement towards science.
If you hate chemistry or are not good at it, avoid him at all cost. If you can afford to take biochemistry in another semester, do that. He was one of the worst professors I've ever had at UNC. No sakai, set office hours, or resources to help you with course.
Gary acts like it's an inconvenience to answer any questions outside of class, and has essentially told people they are stupid for not understanding a concept first try. His exam questions are worded pretty vaguely, but his answer key expects extremely specific buzz words to get full credit. Do not recommend.
Gary is funny, but that is literally his only redeeming quality. He's so cocky, yet regularly makes mistakes that we have to correct him on. Many questions on his exams are so vague that you never know if you're answering the Q correctly and won't know why you got points off. Also he will throw away your test if you work over the time for 2 sec.
No outside materials to help. You have your notes from class that aren't posted online, a practice exam that may or may not be useful for more than 50% of the questions, and his office hours. Totality of your grade is exams. If you know all your notes from his lectures, it is guaranteed he asks you something you didn't talk about in class. Hi Gary.
Pielak was easily the worst teacher I have had at UNC. He constantly misspoke and contradicted the textbook in class and strictly limited the number of A's he gave through a bell curve. He was incredibly unhelpful during office hours and had no sakai page at all to clarify what to study outside of class. Avoid at all costs.
Everything on the test is directly from the lectures. Wanna pass? Just record his lectures, take notes, listen to recordings while rewriting notes. Study by listening to recording while looking at new notes. He does make mistakes but they tend to be small and obvious so feel free to correct him during class. Look at old exams, questions reappear.
EVERYTHING you need to know and study for the exam is in his notes. Go to lecture, write everything he says and rewrite his notes until it makes sense, and there you have your study guide for the entire semester. Do the practice exams: questions are similar and reappear. Top 5-6 students don't have to take final. What more do you want me to say?
Listen to the crowd and do not take this class- it might seem fine at first but the entire class is based on exams and those exams are only based on his lectures, and he consistently writes things confusingly or incorrect. In those cases you can't even check the book because he doesn't use it. Any positive comments were 100% written by Gary himself
No assignments, no sakai, nothing. The most frustrating thing is the bell curve he uses. If the SD of the class is super high, it is nearly impossible to get an A. Also, no transparency about how the grading works - he gives the top 10 students an A and they do not take the final, but never mentions how their grades factor in.
The man is old school. Go to class and take note on EVERYTHING he writes down and study them for the exam. Also, study old test exams and you should be fine. He grades based on a bell curve so its hard to fail but a bit difficult to get an A. Overall he an ok lecturer and his exams are do-able if you put in the hours studying.
I really don't understand why Pielak gets so much flak, he's a great professor and class is really straightforward. Attend and write down what he says, study what you wrote, and ace the tests. Top 10 students dont need to take the final too, so extra motivation.
About the top 10 students who do not take the final, they're grades are no longer factored into the curve so the class average decreases and the class standard deviation also decreases. Thus, those who do well but didn't make it into the top 10 have a better chance of getting an A.
Look the class is obviously not a cakewalk - it's an upper level chem course. But Gary is funny and engaging, and his tests come directly from lecture material. If you study well the exams aren't that difficult. Go to his office hours if you need help! He's pretty approachable and he likes to talk to students.
AVOID. Makes SOOOOO many errors/inconsistencies in lecture and it's really frustrating when we're screwed because Gary wrote or said the wrong thing in class. Lack of resources (no Sakai, HW, posted note). Grading is all free response that's specific/need buzzwords. Refuses to talk to students about exams.. will just say to submit a regrade.
Dr. Pielak makes the material interesting. If you want a good in-class experience he is a wonderful lecturer. That said, tests are often a mediocre measure of understanding. Questions can be reductive of the material emphasized. He also reuses questions heavily from past tests he does not post, giving an advantage to students who have resources
Pielak has a good class. The tests are straightforward and direct from his notes so that's a plus. He also will reuse old exam questions. The downside to his class is he does not use UNC's free site Sakai, rather he makes you have to buy a useless textbook for $100 in order to get emails, and importantly access his old exams.
you have to record and listen to every single lecture and pay attention to the little details. The questions on the tests aren't hard, just extremely specific, and are graded for their specificity. Don't read textbook, if anything for supplement get a princeton review biochemistry book, covers things from class in a similar way.
I have him right now and with Covid and everything it is terrible!! We have 20-minute lectures and half the time is used figuring out how to put us in breakout rooms. I'm using my old hs notes to barely pass cause I haven't learned anything from him. He gives problems that we haven't even learned how to solve.
Dr. Pielak is the worst! He confuses us during chemistry lectures! Not only has he given us wrong answers to problem, but he also refuses to answer emails and important questions. Pielak works through problems by skipping steps and doing mental math without properly explaining his reasoning to aid his students. Ive had to hire a tutor.
Every time we joined lecture it was like this was the first time Dr. Pielak was seeing the material. Nice guy but he expects us to be more advanced than we are. He loves saying that you don't need to do calculations and uses shortcuts that make his problem solving impossible to follow.
Having this class online is much more difficult. It is hit or miss with responses to emails. The way the class section was broken up and structured was not a good use of class time. He is a hilarious person, but it seemed like this was his first time looking at the material. Students would have to correct him and he would try and do shortcuts.
I rarely encounter professors I do not like but Pielak has to be one of my "no thank you" profs at UNC. He cut lectures in half and only did practice problems. When students challenged him or asked questions, he would get worked up and flustered. Although I have at times found him funny, he was not a good professor to take during a pandemic.
Do not take this course if you do not need to. If you need to: read the textbook, study the lecture, then self study a LOT. The practice exams are super good practice. Dr. Pielak is NOT a good resource. He's pretty funny sometimes, very enthusiastic, but reacts to questions like they're a bother. A lot of daily work.
Pielak wasn't very helpful. He didn't answer questions well and made lots of mistakes, which made lessons confusing. Class was 20 minutes, which is half of the 50 minutes we're supposed to get. You really have to make sure you study on your own if you want to do well. Curtis and Pielak do the same thing so good luck if you have to take chem at UNC.
I can barely find a person that likes Pielak, but he is a good guy. People get annoyed when he's loud but he's just energetic, charismatic, and clearly passionate. Sometimes he can be a bit round-about in how he answers questions, but the class isn't hard, especially if you took high school chem. Take good notes and the open book exams are great
Dr. Pielak is not the best at explaining topics, so be prepared to go over topics several times. Also take advantage of office hours because the TAs may have different explanations for some concepts that make it easier to understand than the way Pielak explains it.
I liked Dr. Pielak, he seemed to care about students especially in as big a class as Chem101. He is clearly used to teaching higher level classes, which I think explains why he was unable to explain on a simple level as needed sometimes. As for the 20-minute lectures I get it, it was an effort to ensure every person could attend a Zoom.
Class was awful, absolutely no teaching was involved, had to teach myself all the content. Tests were nothing like the quizzes and other recitation problems that were given. the zoom was only 25 mins long when the class was supposed to be 50 mins, half the time was taken by the prof talking about random things, no time to ask questions, struggled.
Gary is a good guy but he is not the best teacher. Take him at your own risk!
Chem 101 department is so incredibly organized and Pielak is such an impassioned lecturer. I would highly recommend taking him as his legacy, experience and humor makes chem 101 so enjoyable. More-or-less, doing the pre-work for the class will allow you to follow along with the lectures. And his bell is amazing.
This guy is actually the worst. I would rather have transfer out of UNC than have to take another class from Pielak. While the chem department here as a whole is not fun, this guy will make it a living hell.
Gary Pielak could not teach to save his life. He was very all over the place and not really that accessible outside of class. He often got the questions we did in lectures wrong and we did not find out until days later. Also, make sure the check the schedule because he will not tell you about upcoming quizzes. If you can, do everything to avoid him
Gary Pielak seems to be a nice guy outside of the classroom; making several efforts to be funny and lighthearted. However, I would NEVER take his class again. He works out all of the math before class so he only states the answer and not the "why." Gets questions wrong and doesn't care about student mental health. Beware!
I think the class was manageable if you attend class, pay attention to the lecture and take note of what he deems important when he rings his bell. Everyone says the class is a "weed out" but that's because they don't want to put the work in for the grade they want. Gary was a caring person and he wants us to strive in his class. Attend tutoring!!
The lecture was very confusing at times as he would work out the problems ahead of time and quickly go over the work and concepts during class. It was hard to follow his method of thinking. The exams were okay but there were a few surprises that the lecture didn't prepare me for. I wouldn't take Pielak again for chem although I liked the class.
The content itself isn't too bad. I would always understand it. However, the practice tests didn't match up with the midterms. They would make the practice tests way easier. Also, the final was horrible and wasn't an accurate depiction of what we learned. Not a bad professor, but the class needs more redesigning.
Pielak is very straight-forward and funny during lecture. I honestly can't understand the bad reviews, he's just as good if not better than the other CHEM101 professors.
the tests for this class are insane and don't match up to learning. pielak was alright at teaching, but would often get some of his own answers wrong, and it confused students. in general, the chem department really needs to change its ways.
All of the chemistry classes do the same work and have the same slideshows for class, so why not pick the most enjoyable professor.
One of the worst teachers I've ever had. Very nice but always unprepared for lectures. Frequently makes mistakes and tells students the wrong information. Rushed through lectures and left out information that was important for tests. Relied on the lectures made by another professor and was frequently confused. Take this class with any other prof.
Gary is a every cool guy but that doesn't really translate to a great intro professor. He's too advanced for his own good and assumes you already know quite a bit of chemistry already. Most of my learning was from supplementary videos and google.
Professor Pielak seems like a nice guy, but he cannot teach chemistry. Lectures were difficult to follow and he frequently got problems wrong and had to email us with corrections. Exams make up a large part of your grade and frequently did not line up with material taught in lectures making it difficult to do well. Be prepared to teach yourself.
UNC CHEM t puts so much stress on the students because the tests are made so much harder than the practice tests -- even if one attends all the classes. Pielak's lectures weren't horrible, but they also didn't prepare for the rigor of the tests. It's upsetting that the tests made up most of the grade since they didn't accurately measure ability.
I took the class at 8am so it was kind of awful. He's pretty funny and a decent lecturer but could've explained some things better.
I really enjoyed having Dr. Pielak this semester! Contrary to most of the negative ratings here, but I personally had a great experience in his class! He explained all of the concepts very thoroughly and even threw in some funny jokes here and there. While some of the reviews here might discourage you from taking his class, don't let them stop you!
I went into this class being overconfident because I handled chemistry fine at high school, but I really regretted that after I didn't pay much attention in the first few weeks. Make sure to stay on top of the material and pay attention. Pielak isn't great but he's not the absolute worst. He can just be confusing and the TAs often correct him.
Pielak seemed like a nice guy, but he poorly explained the topics for this class. I once attended the same class with a different professor and actually understood the lecture for once. I recommend you learn the material he is teaching in class the day before as the way he explains the material is very bad. Practice tests are too easy & not helpful
Dr. Pielak was the first professor who cared about me as a person at UNC. If you get to know him, he is so willing to help you. He super personable and wants everyone to do well in his class. If you are a chemistry major, I highly recommend using Dr. Pielak as a mentor. Chemistry at UNC is harder than most freshmen expect but totally doable.
Is never prepared for class and just reads off Hogan's slides. His explanations are unclear and he's usually on a tangent about a scientist or animal part that is not actually related to lecture. You're better off going to Hogan's section or just not going at all.
I love Gary Pielak so much BUT he is not a good teacher. He does not know what is going on and is not good at explaining things, however, the problem with chem 101 is the class in general NOT him. He is such a nice guy and makes jokes but he just does not know how to explain gen chem. Chem 101 is a weed out class so it's just gonna suck.
All CHEM 101 content and exams are the same for every section, so it really doesn't matter too much who you take it with. However, if you do take it with Pielak, be prepared to struggle more than you might with Curtis. If you haven't already taught yourself the material before coming to the lecture, don't expect it to be taught there.
Even though Chem is a standardized course at UNC, Pielak is not the best teacher. There were multiple times throughout the semester when he'd spend the first ten minutes of class telling us all the things he told us that were wrong at the last lecture. Very nice and encouraging guy but not the best lecturer. Take it with him as a last resort
He's a sweet guy, but you could tell he was pretty disorganized. I certainly relied on the learning assistants to teach me concepts in class instead of him. Several classes he ended early which is always a bad sign for a class as challenging as Chem 101. Would not recommend him but wish him all the best.
Gary has an awesome personality but is a terrible lecturer. He's hilarious and very passionate, but constantly goes on tangents that are unrelated to the material. I seriously don't think I learned anything going to class, to the point that I stopped going. Great guy, great scientist, bad teacher. Take Hogan instead.
Really funny guy and enjoyable class. Lectures were pointless since the slides are Dr. Hogans so most of course is taught through online videos. Exams are fair aside from the final. Was cumulative and extremely detailed, combining over 20 lessons. A midterm is dropped but I'd recommend studying for the final over a week before.
Dr. Pielak was a very funny professor and often went on tangents not relating to the class and did not finish the slides. This course is a difficult course by itself, but it is even harder when you have to teach the entire thing to yourself. You can tell he's a caring guy just not a good lecturer.
Not accessible outside of class, did not explain the problems well, would repeatedly work out problems incorrectly and have it pointed out to him by a student.
He is the worst teacher you could possibly imagine. This class is hard, but he makes it awful. He would get questions wrong almost every lecture and not realize it until a few minutes later. I was so confused and ended up not paying attention in class because listening to his lectures just confused me more. Never take chem with him.
Just got out of exam 1. Please take another professor. Think it's a trick question? It likely is. Probably the only time I recommend second guessing. Class is currently curved, it is a shame that even if I do well my grade will not reflect my understanding but rather how I performed in comparison to others. Funny guy, but tragedy of a class.
nice guy but his exams are not it. full of trick questions and random things you wouldn't think to study. his lectures consist of him opening Hogan's slides for the very first time and reading off them. Everything is Hogan's, including the practice exams, but then his exams are very different style and difficulty wise.
He needs to retire from teaching and focus only on his lab. He pulls up all of Hogan's materials in class for the first time and you can tell he does not look over before. Told someone he was purposely going to make midterm 3 extremely hard to bring the average down even though the average on the second exam was a 72, which is a failing grade.
Questionable exam question weightage. Hard questions that may take you 10-15 minutes are worth the same 4 points as a silly question. You may have 99% of the question right but make one mistake and you get 2/4. The same amount of points as someone who might've answered 10% of the question right. And this class is graded on a curve, of course.
Cool guy, but he is so outdated. His lectures are completely useless, so don't waste your time going. He gives useless coding assignments that no one cares about. His exams aren't even that bad, but you have to know everything, even beyond what he says. Overall, he is a really poor professor and the class sucks
Lecture = reading Dr. Hogan's slides. Quiz & Gradescope = basic factual information. Practice exam = Dr. Hogan's and is very different from his exam. Exams = factual information and sometimes random details from the slides and textbook that he never emphasized in class. Grading = class mean ± class stdev and not the regular 93, 90, 87 cutoffs
dr pielak is interesting. he's kinda cool as a person, but as a teacher... i do NOT recommend. he reads directly off dr. hogan's slides and half the time he doesn't know what's on the slides or he disagrees with dr. hogan wrote. he literally grades on a BELL CURVE which is insane for a unc chem class. lots of content, mediocre delivery, fun guy.
The class is graded on a curve so all that matters is how you do compared to everyone else (aka only exams actually count). Because of this no one helps each other, no study groups, and it creates a very competitive and comparative environment in/out of class. He is by far the worst lecturer I have ever had. INSANE compared to Hogan.
DO NOT take him. He grades on a bell curve which is insane, had extra credit on canvas but sike then decided at the end of the semester that there's no extra credit actually. Exam two we had no canvas access the whole day before the exam and he didn't care. Reads off Hogan's slides and goes on tangents. Exams aren't like Hogan's practice exams.
Absolutely terrible professor. Ya he's a nice guy but the class is graded on a curve, which means no matter how well you do you aren't guaranteed a good grade (and have no idea what your grade is). Exams always 2-3 dumb questions that are impossible and on our most recent exam, there were two incorrectly graded questions that he refuses to change!
Literally the worst. He might be a nice guy but it doesn't make up for the fact that he has 0 interest in teaching. He's never prepared for the slides, goes out of his way to make exams difficult, and grades on a curve (???). This class is not supposed to be extraordinarily difficult but yet here we are. Should've waited and taken with Hogan.
I took the class didn't attend one class and got an A. He said he'd give a handshake to anyone who can do it, I did it. I'm proud haha. But there is one downside. He does ask 1-2 questions per exam about his personal life and classes. But it was the easiest chem I have taken at UNC as they are usually ridiculously hard. Just do practice exams.
Everything is online on canvas. Course material was not the most difficult, however it was very memorization heavy. Midterm exams weren't awful. Final was about as easy as they come, yet it wouldn't matter due to the bell curve on final grades. Gary was the only section for biochem in the Fall 2025 and clearly did not care. Take with someone else!
Curved down the final grade and didn't really care about students
Why did he input my B grade as a C in connectcarolina? I did the math out and I don't even know how you mess up to such a heinous degree? He also does not really care about lecturing but at least he is honest about it. I kind of liked his weird personality but this kind of stuff is unacceptable.
Gary curves grades downward (A 90 ends up a B). He calculated my grade wrong, put it in as a C but should be a B. He is a poor teacher, confused on the content, you should study Hogan's lecture videos, do not go to class you will not learn. DO NOT TAKE, WAIT FOR HOGAN SO YOU CAN GET AN A INSTEAD OF A C.
Do not take with pielak
Ahh yes. You need a 97.4% for an A. Good luck
Finished with a 94.1 in the class and got graded down to a B+. Avoid at all costs. I doubt they'll even let him teach anymore because of how many people got screwed over in this class and are taking it to the head of the department. Biggest waste of time ever.
Grades are on a bell curve, such that your final letter grade is ultimately determined by the overall performance of the class. As a result of this policy, my 93 final grade was considered a B. He's not that bad at teaching, but the way he assigns letter grades is ridiculous.
Please save yourself.
Overall grade 83% got a C. Overall class average 88.7, standard deviation 5.83. His grading scale: A = average + 1.5*stdev = 97.4. B = average + 0.5*stdev = 91.6. Each midterm has about 130pts, each question worths 4 points. Many questions are multiple choice with multiple correct answers. Many open-ended questions about trivial details.
:( painnnnnn
It is insane how the grading changed to a bell curve for the one semester that Hogan wasn't teaching, and he's coming back next semester. In what world is an 89 a C+ in a class!!
Pielak down curves to meet a bell curve. In what world is an A = 97.47, A- = 95.5, and B+ = 93.5. That's insane; in previous semesters with Prof. Hogan, a cutoff of only 90 was required to receive an A in the same biochemistry course.
DON'T TAKE!! I got a 93 overall and 94 final, yet got a B in the class. He graded on a bell curve, and then last minute decided to change the grading scale, moving me from a B+ to a B. He put the wrong grades into connect carolina AFTER the 72 hour deadline, which now has to be approved by the registrar and won't be put in for several days.
Gary's bell curve was incredibly unfair and landed me at a B- when I ended the class with a 90.5. do not take it with him at all costs protect your gpa
In what world should a 97.5 be the cutoff for an A in the class? His grading curve is disrespectful and unacceptable to all of us who worked hard in his class. He does not care about students, as he made the final super easy (simply combining the midterms) just so our class average would go up, allowing him to implement this psychotic bell curve.
This professor decided to give everyone below a 88.9 a C plus or worse. Students with a B in this class get a C minus? Does Gary realize he is intentionally failing students who now have to retake a core premed course? Unless you had above a 97.5 or higher, your GPA is ruined, and only because of this math that was completely out of your control.
He is genuinely just evil. I got a B+ and he gave me a C...
78 was an F in his class lol
I got a 92 overall in the class but received a B- .. I graduated a few days before thinking i would be receiving an A- in the class excited that I improved so much regarding chem/biol classes just for this. He is horrible and needs to be fired, also a rude and NOT nice person.
F tier Dr. Hogan Giving a no effort, copied and pasted final is one thing. Curving the entire course because no more than 20% of the class is allowed to have an A- or better is another.
Gave a copy-and-pasted final exam with 70/80 repeat questions from previous midterms, leading to an inflated class average course grade—whose fault is that? Not the students' fault. Yet, decided to apply a bell curve that would down curve many students. It is not acceptable for a course to equate an 80 to a C- letter grade.
Atrocious. Structure of the class: watch a well done lecture by Dr.Hogan. Then, Pielak would lecture the exact same slides, but worse (appeared to be seeing them for the first time.) Exams: Did old practice exams from Dr.Hogan, felt good, took my real exams, did bad. Evil final I got down-curved a letter grade down. Go on strike, dont take.
You know Plato's Cave? When Dr.Hogan substituted and taught it felt exiting the cave and seeing the sun for the first time. Next class: back to the shadows on the wall.
he must not give a flip about students if he can enforce a curve down like this then apparently throw away his phone and enjoy his time off despite royally screwing us over
Pielak *clearly* did not want to teach 430 and punished students for it. Lectures were so bad esp compared to Hogan's recorded lectures (a godsent), they use the same slides anyway. Worst of all, implemented bell curve that SEVERELY tanked final grades to punish pre-meds (and, by association, everyone else). Super lame, take with Hogan!
curved down. is evil.
Spiteful & disrespectful to students looking for help/clarification on exam key. Huge discrepancies in grading; one student might have received credit for an answer & another student with a near-identical answer didn't. Grades were massively inflated at the end, & despite having a 95.7, I received an A- b/c avg ended up higher than it should've.
I ended this class with a 90 and he curved it down to a C+. He is not accessible at all outside of the classroom, is the laziest professor I've ever met, and is entirely unhelpful. I reached out to him after the first exam on advice on how to improve and he straight up refused to help me. Makes mistakes every class. Avoid at all costs. Evil man.
Bro needs to be fired, don't take
This was not a good class. Professor does not care for the content.
Ridiculous grading scheme that punishes the class for doing well
He needs to reconsider his grading or life decisions
hey so a 97.444 should NEVER be an A-
Class was easy. Canvas said I had an A-. Bombed the final and ended with 77%. Canvas says C+ but curves to an F. Make it make sense
Don't understand why UNC still thinks he should be teaching Biochem.
Genuinely does not teach the class correctly. Get ready to teach yourself everything bc Gary will mess it up during lecture. I guarantee every single ULA could go to the front of class and teach it better
Despite years of being involved in academics, Pielak has understood very little when it comes to teaching.
I didn't actually take his class but I'm hearing everything about this insane grading scale (anything below ~80 is FAILING) and had to reiterate what others are saying. Make his classes empty!!
This dude sucks. Thats it
Sending out an email restating the grading scale and the fact that it's in the syllabus doesn't make the grading scale more reasonable. (Btw this is the clearest email he has ever wrote to the class. All other announcements throughout the semester have been confusing) Not mentioning the fact that exams didn't reflect the course material well
Lectures were unorganized and repetitive to the prefecture content, not mandatory but almost always seemed pointless to attend. Practice exams and materials not helpful in preparing for the actual exams (good luck). Most importantly grading scale does not reflect your grade percentage/overall performance at all. AVOID AT ALL COST
He will curve your grade down! Also he is not a good lecturer at all it's clear he is never prepared for class.
His grading system is actually evil. I've never seen a bell curve be used in such a cruel way. He used it to lower students grades, and doesn't care about his students at all. Don't take hi class because he shouldn't even be allowed to teach
Uses all of Hogan's materials but makes his own exams without disclosing any differences in content that will be on the exams. Misleads students heavily without being communicative. Unfair grading scale and just overall a poor professor who lacks any consideration and genuine care to see his students succeed.
avoid at all costs
Do not take him! He rambles in lecture, claims oh you already know this when going over the learning objectives. Often skipped part of the lecture and never came back the next class. It was a very uncoordinated semester, canvas never showed the correct grade and many answer keys weren't available til 1-2 days before an exam such as concept checks.
Inconsistent grading. Lack of effort placed on creating exam questions. Lack of effort preparing for lecture. Most effort placed on pointing out mistakes in Dr Hogans slides. Your grade in this class literally depended on two midterms (no effort in furnishing an actual final exam). Fantastic researcher but does not care about students. avoid.
What everyone else said
Did great on my midterms and assignments. Professor decided to curve down the final and I ended with a C… around 41% of students got a C as well which isn't normal for a class.
Don't do it.
I have never heard of a professor who says an 80 is a C- in the class!! His entire grading system was based on how other students perform. If everyone does well, he will curve the class down. Please don't take.
Curving a 95 down to a B+ is insanity.
I received a 91.6 in the class. Got curved down to a B. DO NOT recommend taking this class. Please take with Hogan!
This was the worst professor I could ever have a nightmare about let alone actually have. He grades on a bell curve scale so he can make himself feel better. It's as if he wants his students to fail.
Got an A. Course material was easy but graded on a curve. Was not a nice person.
The worst experience in college. Lectures were bad, everything is said better in recorded Hogan videos - except you'll miss things in lecture he puts in tests like his wife's name or a riddle's answer. Was disrespectful in office hours. Curved everyone down by up to 5 letter grades based on normal distrubution. 87% in class overall, ended with a C.
Curves down grades
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