best chem prof at umass, course content difficult, but he explains it very well

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Very hard class but lots of help available. Way way harder than CHEM 261.

Hard concepts, but explained well. Just go to his help sessions.

Really prepared to test class

The TA help sessions are the way to go...otherwise you get lost. This guy tries to be funny but fails miserably...

a lot of material and always explained well. he tries to do his best to explain things so that everyone ubderstands. also is a smartass.

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Boring lecture that is usually held 5 minutes too long. Likes to introduce new concepts and ask trick questions on the exams. Greatest TA sessions ever, especially with Christen Bell - so hot, so wicked hot!

I dont know what everyones whinning about. He's awesome. Funny. Clear. He doesnt teach over time in my class ever. He is easy to understand and his exams are just right.

Generally helpful and very clear. Exams are easy enough if you study the notes, old exams and homework. This is not a bs class, you need to study and stay on top of everything. I think most people have a hard time because they don't want to do the work.

Snyder is a nice guy, really funny. Has helpful review sessions and is approachable and eager during office hours. His tests are very difficult, you have to put the work in doing homeworks, old exams etc. Clear explanations and good teaching style.

This guy is the MAN! He just started to teach the honors section, and its awesome. He's funny, clear, holds extra help sessions, grades on a nice curve, as long as you pay attention and put forth your standard ammounts of effort, you'll do just fine.

GARY IS THE MAN!!!!! I <3 ORGO!!!!!

Always teaches the full extent of the lecture but exams are HARD if you want to do better than a B-B/C. Grades strict, but curves. You need to go to class and study, but the exams are taken from the notes and homework. Plenty of help available.

His class is difficult but challenging and interesting. As long as you express that you're trying to learn the material he will bend over backwards to help you out. His exams are difficult but doable if you study hard.

pretty funny guy... can be nice sometimes. was very insensitive in a difficult time for me. his tests are VERY hard, there are some trick questions (which he will brag about the next day). don't ask him dumb questions or he will openly make fun of you.

The exams are hard, and its impossible not to go to the problem sessions, but he is out to help you learn, and his jokes are so lame its funny?

Snyder is the kind of teacher that will make a test insanely hard just to prove that you aren't as smart as you think you are. But he is very nice and will help you out. Does he remind anyone of Christopher Lowell from the discovery channel?

Every one of these comments perfectly describe Dr. Snyder and Chemistry 261/262 to a T.

Ok, so he's VERY arrogant and appears cold at first. But is is the MOST giving and helpful professor I've had - ALWAYS ready to give extra help. People get intimidated and never approach him! He knows his stuff - everyone has an ego.

Snyder is hilarious! Don't take his saracstic humor the wrong way or you'll be bitter for the whole semester. Exams are hard, and homework and problem sessions are a must.

I like Snyder. He's sarcastic and expects people to just understand stuff at times, which can be hard if you don't. If you go to class and pay attention, do all of his homework and then check it over, and make sure you don't fall behind on anything the class isn't that bad at all.

The sarcasm is ok, but a bit over the top at times. The exams are extremely hard, esp. if you can't make the problem sessions. Be prepared to study a ton for these exams.

HE TEACHES VERY WELL BUT EXAMS ARE PRETTY HARD. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE PREVIOUS EXAMS AND HOMEWORK TO GO THROUGH BEFORE TAKING THE EXAMS BUT THEY ARE NOT REALLY HELPFUL BECAUSE EXAM PATTERN IS DIFFERENT THAN THOSE. NOT TAKING WITH CLASS AGAIN WITH HIM ALTHOUGH HE IS A GOOD TEACHER BUT I NEED TO THINK ABOU

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The best professor I ever had, no jokes. He gives out clear notes that help us follow up with what he is teaching. He gives out a lot of problem sets which are similar to his exams. He also has an optional discussion every week which was "a must do" to pass his class.

He'll give you the challenge most UMass classes won't. Will bend over backwards to help you learn. If you wan't to learn Organic chem, he is the teacher to take this class with.

I took this class as an undergrad and still remember him as one of my best profs ever. HE KNOWS how to teach! Do the prob sheets and you'll do great. He seems stuck up, but is nice and a little flexible if don't ask totally stupid questions. He scared the heck out of me at first but I got an easy A.

He's hard but he's worth it. He goes through all of the material and explains it clearly. He also makes a concerted effort to give biology related examples when he can. He's a great teacher...and he likes cats...

The material is hard but as long as you pay attention and go to the problem sessions you'll do fine. He is a good teacher but make sure you keep up with the work!

I really liked professor Snyder. His class is very hard, but it is worth taking. If you go to class and do his problem sets, you will do well on the exams. He can sometimes fly through material, but if you go to the problem sessions, he clarifies these problems.

I'll miss it when it's gone. The challenge you've always heard Organic could be. Snyder will force you to learn it, you will do well on MCATs, and you will like him because he's a good guy. Take the honors section.

He's a really great guy and a pretty good teacher. Orgo is tough and I think that a lot of people hold it against him when they don't understand the material. He'll teach you what you need to know. The tests are hard but it's worth it.

Awesome professor, extremely difficult class... Keep up with the homework and don't be afraid to ask for help!

This class will be your hell for an entire year. Prof Snyder moves quickly but he's brilliant and if you dont burden your schedule with too many other classes and REALLY focus on organic you can do well. The class and the review setions are a lot of fun and the material is (mostly) interesting. You'll be sad when it's over, as well as relieved.

Snyder is a fast-paced and smart guy. The only saving grace in this class is your own self-discpline. GO TO HIS REVIEW SESSION EVERY WEEK. Even though they are "optional", treat them as required. They will help. In order to pass Snyder's tests, you have to understand the material AND be able to manipulate with it. This is not your ordinary class.

Outstanding professor. He has an extremely efficient way of presenting the material. He is super clear in class and at the problems session. He is very organized and keeps his website updated all the time with the lecture notes and announcements. The class had a great difficulty, only really hard if you dont work hard. Got 2A's and learned a ton.

Clear and organized

Difficult, but hot. He speaks very eloquently, he never uses the word "like".He's smart, funny, and undoubtedly intelligent. The class is hard and requires discipline, but his review sessions make it easy.Plus, if you are a girl who is likes smart, witty, and attractive older men, going to class is one of the best things you could be doing at9am

One of the best classes I've ever taken, Just do the Work and go to the review sesions, do the homework and go over the class notes. He is sets you up to do well on the MCATs. Good teacher

He's undoubtedly a great teacher, but his exams are too difficult in my opinion. Conceptually, very clear on material, and witty. You'll learn if you go to class and read his notes, but the tests will humble you if you're a mere mortal like me. My work schedule prevented me from going to prob sessions, but go if you can!

"Orgo" is certainly a challenging subject, but Professor Snyder is still able to convey it in a clear and concise manner. His tests, while tricky at times, often come straight from the homework sets and old exams, and thus very little of the material on them should be a surprise to anyone. A word to the wise: ATTEND ALL OF THE REVIEW SESSIONS!

Easy A!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i was terrified to take this class. yes, it is hard, very hard at times. BUT, he is clear in class despite moving quickly through material. his review sessions are usually helpful, even though he goes off on weird tangents go to all the classes, his review sessions, extra TA reviews and cram for the exams. thank god he SCALES! easier than genchem.

Professor Snyder is undoubtedly highly intelligent. He really knows his subject and though he goes through the material extremely quickly, he does make things as clear as possible. The tests are ridiculously difficult, but if you study the material and go to the review sessions, you can pull off a decent grade.. and the scaling helps for sure.

Very difficult material, but Prof. Snyder does a great job explaining everything. He is a genius. Go to EVERY CLASS and review, and print the notes that he posts online, they help!!! His Exams are extremely difficult, but he gives you a lot of time to practice with homework’s and old exams. Pay attention and you will do fine (the curve also helps)

Awesome professor, excellent method of teaching, very clear, very helpful...hard exams though...but not if you go to class and keep up...great professor he actually knows what he's doing...

Go to class at ALL times, its not required but helps plus with PRS. Study in groups with other students to master the material, especially with the smart kids. Snyder is a good guy, he listens to you if you put in the effort. He hates people who don't even come to class.

Go to class and go to his homework reviews every week. The more reviews and office hours you go to, the better you will understand the material and thus do better on his exams. If he doesn't like you Snydy might mock you, but don't let that intimiate you. He's actually a big soft chemistry teddy bear.

Despite his reputation, Snyder is a superb professor, as he is clear and concise. The tests are quite straightforward if you put in the time by completing all homework and all of the assigned book problems; very little on them will be a surprise. Also, take the honors/majors section! It is about equal in difficulty, and meets later in the day, too.

He was an OK teacher but taking an exam felt like passing 1,000 kidney stones or something painful like that. Easily one of the hardest courses I have ever taken and I do not reccomend taking orgo with this guy, take it at another school as a last resort.

Orgo is extremely hard with snyder- you'll need to do a lot of studying and really know the material for the tests to do decently on them- they will be much harder than the homework questions, and he might cram a lot of hard material in at the end so it's essential to not fall behind. He is interested in helping you if you really want it.

First of all, TAKE THE HONORS CLASS. Snyder likes that class more and it is the same as regular. He is one of the toughest but best professors I have had at UMass, since he doesn't focus on memorization, but only if you put in the work...you have to study a TON for his exams. The homework sets and problem sessions are essential and SUPER helpful.

work harrrrd. hes unrelentingly challenging but that makes him a good prof. lectures are intense but well-paced. go to help sessions, they're key. his tests are undeniably hard only because you get an hour and a half but they're actually very fun. on occassion he can actually be quite amusing.

Not a bad professor. Unless of course, you're a tool, in which case you probably weren't going to study regardless of which professor you picked. He's a decent guy, and his class isn't all that bad if you invest the time.

To be honest, this man is an excellent teacher of chemistry. He explains the subject matter extremely well, with great clarity and anticipation. Also, I have noticed that he spends a liberal amount of time helping students one-on-one when they ask while demonstrating patience when confronted by students expressing their concerns.

Dr. Snyder has a bad reputation, and people will say he's on 'probation.' THIS IS MYTH! He is NOT on probation. His class and exams are hard, but organic chemistry is hard with any teacher. He is a wonderful professor-he explains things clearly and covers the material in logical order. He actually has a sense of humor sometimes too.I recommend him.

Snyder is one of the best teachers at UMass. Just because orgo is hard doesn't mean that the Prof is bad. Snyder is extremely helpful and he gives weekly review sessions. To be honest, if you do the owls, the practice exam, go to class and pay attention, you do good

Awesome teacher, made this lowly bio major love chemistry for chemistry's sake. Gives 100% to teaching, including outside of class.

Class is extremely difficult, but Prof. Snyder is a very good teacher. Has a sense of humor and is passionate about his material. Still, seems a little messed up that he "aims for" a 65 average on his exams.

He's really a great teacher... he holds out and explains everything very clearly, and breaks it down to the most basic chemistry principles. You just have to ACTUALLY LEARN SOMETHING to do well on his tests.

Orgo is hard with any teacher. Make sure you go to his problem sessions every week 2-3 hrs if you want to do good on the exams.

This class is HARD, but Dr. Snyder LOVES chem, and teaching orgo is his forte. Material is taught clearly, but if you didn't get it the first time, problem sessions (or SI/TA sessions) are very helpful. If you put lots of work you can get a decent grade, and without a doubt you will learn a lot in the end.

The best professor I've had at UMass. Difficult material but his teaching style makes the tedious subject matter somewhat enjoyable. The exams REALLY test you, but eventually you come away actually understanding organic chem. Highly recommend his 261 and 262 courses for MCAT prep.

Just took this summer course , was scared at the start due to some poor reviews of this man on this site, then I WENT to class and LISTENED and WORKED. This man will make you work for your grade. However he makes a hard subject fun with wit and humor and outstanding lecture notes. For those who want to learn chemistry, this is a top notch class.

Great Prof. Hard Class. this is the thing, he does not like pre-med students, because most-premed are all about grade, they don't care about the material. Most students who are not science major, they have a lot of trouble because they have study psy or literature all the time in college. i am pre-med, it is a good mcat prep.

I had Dr. Snyder as a professor at UCSD. He is one of the best teachers I have ever encountered in my long academic career. I am now a physician and thanks largely to the challenge and problem solving skills that his classes helped foster.

I took O Chem for two quarters at UCSD with Dr. Snyder. THE BEST professor ever.

Great guy. I had to retake the class here from my other school. Everything made sense and was actually pretty easy to learn, not something I normally associated with organic chem.