2.8
Quality3.4
Difficulty80%
Would Retake97
Reviews80%
Would Retake
97
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
15
4
22
3
20
2
24
1
16
What Students Say
“Purposely misleads his students, is completely unclear in instruction, often going into rants”
CHEM340 - 1.0 rating“What can you say about this guy”
CHEM346 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
80%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.26 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM402
4.3
(4)CHEM342
4.0
(1)CHEM180
4.0
(1)CHEM343
4.0
(1)CHEM346
3.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
13860
5.0
CHEM202
5.0
CHEM343
5.0
114
4.0
CHEM340
4.0
Reviews (97)
cannot understand a word he says, you should avoid him at all costs
Horrible professor. He doesnt go over enough problems and the owl problems he assigns are so much easier than the problems we have on a test or quiz giving us a false sense of security. He didnt even curve the first test (average was 64) and he makes chemistry not fun. Avoid him if you can
Extremely paranoid teacher, thinks everyone is cheating in his class. Disrespectful of students, can't teach well, doesn't explain things well in class, problems on exams are completely different from those in class. AVOID.
His teaching style could use a little improvment, but he tells your what is going to be on the test exactly. I've noticed that he is only friendly to those students whom are greek (he is greek). He has a heavy accent which makes it hard to understand what he's saying and his lectures are boring. But its easy to get an A if you are on top of thin
He tells you what is exactly going to be on the exams/finals. funny teacher. best chemistry teacher since we dont have a wide variety of "good" professors in the science department. way better than prof morton...avoid her, worst teacher ever!!!!
horrible....just horrible....avoid him if you can...
Was really helpful with all the pdf handouts he gave in class, the exams were tough, yet they were fair. The homework was designed to stretch your knowledge to think deeper
This class is much different than any other chemistry class I have taken. There is a lot of programming so if you know CS than its easy.
Your grade is determined on whether he likes or he despises you! He DOES think everybody is cheating in his class and he changes his mind every second. Please save yourself by not taking him.
Ok, about the previous comment: he taught the stuff the morning of the exam because the other prof made the exam, not him. Also, he changed his mind the next day and added a 19 point curve. In any case, he is not always entirely clear, but if you have any questions, ask him after class or in office hours - he's very helpful.
Tests are impossible! But he does curve as opposed to Balch who barely does. I don't suggest taking him unless you want to get a D or F :/
There is no point in going to lectures, because you can't understand him or read his handwriting...rarely understands a your questions...but he does tell you what will be on the test..balch seemed to control most of everything!!
There are a lot of bad stuff here written about him, but i like him. His grading was ok and he was always willing to help. Even though the tests were hard and lectures were useless, it is better to take him than Kral; at least you sre going to learn something and get a good grade if you will read a book.
I recommend him over Balch. (However, the tests/quizzes for both sections were the same the semester I took this class.)
this man should NOT be teaching. the tests are impossible and he doesnt care that you cant finish the massive amount of hw he assigns.he's constantly telling people to drop his class and he never understands your questions. if you take his class you're wasting your time and your money. take someone else and get something out of it.
he is very hard to understand. i would recommend reading the chapters before coming to lecture because they will make more sense that way. if you happen to have joint tests with balch, then its pretty impossible to get an A unless you are already a chem genius. B is definitely possible with hard work
His class is pretty straightforward, and he is really nice and helpful.
The T.A's are worse than the professor. They know the material but do not know how to explain it.
very helpful; cares about students; gives many examples of problems
Who ever says that he is not a good professor, needs to take this classes with other prof. in order to appreciate him. He is a very nice person and he is ALWAYS willing to help. People that say he is hard, do NOT do the work.He is very straightforward professor, follows the book, and explains very well. If he sees that students care,he'll care too
Sure Papdontanakis is a little hard to understand. I took chem 114 over the summer with him. Read your book. He's an average chemistry teacher. I got a B+ and that class is supposed to be "Hard". Just study and do your work. All science majors have to do that for ALL science classes.
Bad professor. First, he speaks in an accent that is totally incomprehensible and his teaching style is horrible. 99% of the time you will find yourself struggle to figure out what the hell he's writing on the transparency. Not recommended for CHEM or BIO major at all. Try to find other professor, don't let any of his class pull down your GPA.
I took Chem 402 with Dr. Papadantonakis. He was extremely helpful in his lectures, giving us examples and guiding us step by step in solving problems. I don't understand some of the negative comments posted about this professor. He is one of the few that actually take time out and is willing to help his students.
At first, I thought that this class was going to be a nightmare because his accent is really thick and his handwriting is HORRIBLE. In the end, the class was actually pretty enjoyable, and he was super helpful and the accent and writing grow on you. He just wants everyone to pass, so talk to him if you have a problem or are in between grades.
He is the worse professor ever. He has no clue what he's talking about. I dropped his class because I couldn't look at him anymore.
His handwriting is even worse than his English, and that's saying a lot. You really don't learn anything in his class, but you don't need to. For the exams and quizzes, he told us exactly what would be on them, so they were super easy. It's impossibly hard to do well in the labs, and the final grade is 50/50 lab/lecture, so A's are out of reach.
Lesson learned! I will never ever take a 4 week science course again! Besides the fact that Dr. P thinks all students are chemist, his lectures moved at a fast pace, covering 3 chapters per week! He covers what is going to be on the exam and quizzes but its never the same on the actual exams or quizzes, besides his accent he knows his chem!
He's not nearly as bad as some people make him out to be. He can be confusing at times, but generally speaking, he was a good prof. I actually really enjoyed the 4 week class. It moved quickly, but we learned the essentials without all of the BS. He told us exactly what was on the exams, which rocked, and Jeanita (TA) was incredibly helpful.
He is personally nice and compassionate. However, he is moody and if you go to his office hours he may not help you on a whim. However, he usually gives students the better grade if you are somewhat close.
I don't know why people complain about him, I thought he was an excellent chemistry professor. He just wants everyone to pass and he pretty much tells you what will be on the exams. Our class averages were really high this semester. His notes help A LOT, so read those over several times. Hes also very kind in person.
Don't know what you guys are talking about. I got an A. I thought he was easy. He TOLD YOU what exactly was on the exam and quizzes right before - he even held 3 hour review sessions the Friday before the tests. Papadantonakis should be a reality check to some people - if you can't handle a simple CHEM class, maybe you're not cut out to be doctors.
Lecture exams and quizzes extremely easy; will tell you exactly what's on test. Labs are graded on accuracy of determining unknown so make sure to weigh and add accurate amounts of reagents!!!! Always open to disputes over lost points on test. You should work all of suggested problems
I love PAPA. He is good professor..Exams are easy just have to study tells you what's on it..Quizzes I got all 25's 4 quiz's..Good professor just study and you'll be fine!!
Papa is extremely fair. Do all the worksheets to get good grades on the tests. Caspie sucks but that's not his fault. Go see him during office hours and make sure he sees you in class.
I took him for Analytic Chem and P-Chem 1. He is bad at teaching both, but a lot easier than other professors who teach A-chem.
Great professor. You need to work hard in his class but overall if you go see him during his office hours that will be really helpful. Make sure he gets to know you and knows you by your name. His exams weren't that hard as long as you studied his notes and did exam packets. Basically you need to spend time everyday to study for this class.
Tests are easier than other professors. you need to read over the book in order to understand his lectures, he assumes you know what hes talking about. notes are extremeley hard to read, didnt make a study guide for the final and doesnt clairify whats on the exams. he curved his exams to a 70% average. the best of the worst overall
Papadantonakis is probably the easier of the chem professors out there. Also, lectures are very informative unlike Jursich and Balch
Gives you a lot of homework. His notes are decent but they are handwritten and scanned, which makes them difficult to read. Speaks in a thick accent so he might be kind of hard to understand, but for the most part, it's okay, Class didn't seem very interesting. Kind of boring at times.
You will pass with an solid A if you do owl and study for test. the final was hard but he curved a LOT. Do not worry-- it is easier than chem 112. honestly!!
very good :)
He is kind of hard to understand. However, his exams are not that hard if you do the worksheets and exam review.
Easy class for the most part. Study, do owls, and do his worksheets and you'll be fine (although i suggest doing balch's wkshts also). WAY easier than balch, tests are pretty easy. In terms of lectures, his are useless, so don't even go. Go to balch's instead if it is feasible in your schedule.
HE'S HOT. AS HELL.
Do NOT take him. His lectures are impossible to understand, he is too conceptual, and doesn't teach anything useful. Hes a nice guy, but you're basically stuck teaching yourself. And CASPiE is the stupidest, biggest waste ever. Time consuming and has absolutely nothing to do with CHEM 114 concepts. Balch is evil, but at least you will learn.Take he
He's alright. Not the best but not that bad either. Final is hard but the regular tests are fairly easy.
He is HORRIBLE!!! I would not recommend him to anyone. He is impossible to understand and his final exams are hard. He is not very helpful and is not organized either. Horrible professor, avoid him at any cost!
Avoid him! Not a good professor! You cannot understand him at all! DO NOT TAKE HIM AT ALL! His final was impossible...the average was a 30%! His tests are hard too! And the reviews dont help that much! DO NOT TAKE HIM!
Horrible Professor...avoid him at all costs...His exams are horrible and the final was impossible. It is hard to understand him and his reviews and notes are useless. Take someone else like Balch, at least you learn in her class. Avoid him!!!!
AVOID HIM !! I HATE HIM !!! HE IS SO MEAN AND HE LOVES TO TORTURE HIS STUDENTS AND HE MAKES ME SO MAD !! I HATE HIM !! HIS EXAMS ARE REDICULOUDS AND HIS FINAL WAS INSANE .. HE IS INSANE .. HIS ACCENT IS INSANE !! I JUST HATE HIM !! PLEASE DONT TAKE HIM OR UR LIFE WILL BE HELL !! CASPIE WAS SUCH A WASTE OF TIME AND MR PAPA WAS A WASTE OF MY LIFE !!
He's not a teacher that is for sure. His lectures are completely pointless so don't bother going. CASPIE is the worst thing ever, complete waste of time. He gets paid to read off the his notes, that it. its like a speech... He talks and talks and everyone kind of sits there and waits until its time to get out of there.
worst professor ever the only way to get a good grade in his class is to suck up... everyone in his class is either retaking it or a grad student if you want to fail just take him and waste your time
Dr. P. was not hard at all. Very nice and available for help. He wanted everyone to understand chem. If you read the text, do OWLs, pass the lab, and ask questions, you should at least get a B. Exams and final very straightforward. CASPIE was a pain, but not hard. Overall, highly recommend Dr. P!
good, funny
Do not know where all the horrible comments come from. Complaining about Papa D for 114?! Take it with Hammerich and then write your review. Papa D is very VERY straight forward on his exams. He tells you what you need to know. Highly recommended for 222.
What a terrible teacher to take Chem 114 with. Everyone failed the final. 40% is not good at all. Sure he curves to 70% but it really doesnt make a difference. Also you have to do a very stupid lab at the end of the semester called CASPIE which takes up all your time. Choose another professor
Incompetent and arrogant. If you want to learn nothing - take him.
Amazing teacher, fun to listen too, and lets you know whats on the exam! One of the best teachers at UIC!
Fun teacher! His cell phone always rings in class. There are 2 exams and a final with 4 quizzes. He tells you the day before exactly what to study. The class is 50% lecture and 50% labs. The labs suck but lecture is fine if you study for the exams. TAs take off a lot of points for little things on exams.
i love professor papa. he is the best professor. im taking chem 114 with him this semester. he basically curves everything including practicals, exams, labs.he tells u whats going to be on the exam. he is one of the best professors at UIC.
Not the most interesting prof. I don't usually have trouble with accents, but his thick accent is pretty hard to understand. His handwritten notes are difficult to read. And as someone else mentioned, the CASPiE project was the most useless thing I've ever done. It was completely ineffective and a waste of lab time.
dont take him!he check out girls when they walk in to class and he love girls.he hates guy! if u have a double d then u guranteed a in the class.im getting b in the class but he is not fair in grading.make sure u ansewr the question the way they r in the notes not the hw(aleks).aleks is a pain as well as CASPIE.
Honestly, take this professor for chem 114. You have to attend class and pay attention but he is such a great professor and very helpful. Some people don't like him, but you have to get on his good side by letting him know that you are trying (i.e go to his office hours). I got an A in his class and I learned alot.
He honestly was the best professor at UIC that I've ever had. He really makes sure that his students do well. If he knows your trying he will do everything in his power literally to help you. You really have to attend all discussions and all lectures to do well in his class. He gives away a lot of hints in lecture so it's always helpful. GREAT
Best chemistry professor I have had so far at UIC. Attend lecture, pay attention, and you will have EVERYTHING you need to ace exams. Extremely helpful at office hours, TAKE THIS PROFESSOR!!!!
He does not help students very much if they are confused. He refuses to clarify things that are confusing on tests. He calls us stupid and lazy in class because we did not understand what he wanted on test. He wants us to assume the answer to a question based on nothing really. The class is hard, but his obtuse nature makes it impossible. Avoid!
he is not good professor!!!! avoid him if you can...people having trouble to understand him ....take him if you are girl....:)
useless lectures. says people doing poorly is a result of laziness. if you have a natural chem aptitude, take him--easy A/B. if you dont, find a teacher to actually help you. i got a B in his chem 340 class but learned NOTHING. also, when he laughs its HILARIOUS. learned a fair bit of greek history too :)
Pappa is the only easy teacher for chem 114 wait till you have balch or hemrich who are purely evil!!! Anyone can get an A in papa's class if you do his work sheets and study guide for exams. he literally gives you all the questions on the exams!!! plus if your girl go to his office hours alot he will start liking you and give you a better grade :)
I would like to preface this rating by saying I have gotten an A in all of the classes I have taken with him. He has horrible people skills and is extremely bipolar. The slightest thing will set him off. His class is uncomfortable because you have walk on egg shells around him. He seems burnt out with teaching and the students suffer. AVOID
This is a great teacher. Had him for 101 and 114. Look chemistry is hard but if u do the work, youll get an A. The only thing about Papa is he needs to know youre trying. So show up for class and ask for help. He'll be your favorite teacher.
Easy course, BUT below average professor. I achieved a 94% on my first exam in this class BARELY studying, but had to withdrawal because of his lame lab policy. You cannot miss one lab practical, if you do, its automatic fail of the course. The material is NOT difficult to understand, and I think I could have done a better job teaching it.
He is the type of teacher who is tough on you, only to help you succeed. Those who take advantage of this fact and show their hard work to him, will def be on his good side and have higher chances of doing well in the class. To succeed in his class, you must be willing to put a lot of hard work and studying, but its totally worth it in the end!
Papas' class is pretty challenging, but the main thing he focuses on is improvement and if you are trying hard. He curves all the exams. Attend his office hours, so that he can get to know you. It will come in handy when he determines your grade. I got a A in this class, so its' possible
I got an A with Papa for 114 and A with Jursich for 112. Papa is much harder then Jursich, so stick to Jursich if you had him for 112. He curves all the exams. Aleks does not help at all with the exams. His exams are very tough and not like the book problems. The average for quizzes were 50% and for exams around 60%. He only curves exams though.
At the beginning of the semester I was so upset because I loved chemistry but I couldn't understand a thing he said. But eventually I got used to it and started understanding him. It helps to sit in the front of the room. He's a really nice guy and really wants his students to do well. Go to his office hours.
Can be intimidating and hard to understand at 1st b/c of accent but you get used to it. sit in the front. Attend office hours and get to know him. He is a really nice guy and cares about each student doing well. He is more than happy to make extra time to meet with him if you are having trouble with the material.
Honestly, his class was great! I would recommend anyone to take him over Jursich. I was top of my class and he curved the class as a whole, probably like 5%. Go to his office hours, but be nice to him. If you are mad, he will yell at you back. go to class, study, and don't be rude, you'll get an A.
He should not be called 'professor'. At times, he is nice n n hr later he is super mean. Going to his lectures is wasting ur time. He does not show real interest n helping students 2 understand the concepts. He also may be rude when u ask him questions. Avoid him, if u can!
Papa D has a heavy Greek accent. He also speaks in broken sentences with plain bad english. He doesn't explain concepts well; He says things like "this molecule does not want to stay in the excited state". When I asked him a question he couldn't understand what I was asking. Very frustrating. You can get an A but you won't learn much.
Most of his study guides do not prepare you well for the exams. The study guides cover way too many concepts that are not on the exams, so you cannot even remember the concepts that are on the exams. I did not have enough time to finish many of his exams and quizzes. I do not suggest taking chem 114 with him, I failed it. There was way too much homework.
His accent is a little hard to understand but once you get used to it, his class isn't that bad. I didn't put in much effort but I passed. His laugh is very entertaining.
He is a good professor although hard to understand so sit close. Look over notes and worksheets and past exams and you'll be set. He's a nice guy with good TAs. :] Good Luck!
I didn't work as hard as I should've but was still expecting a low C. I ended up failing this class. He didn't even curve either. My friend worked her butt off and got a C. Don't take this class, trust me.
This class is easy as long as you keep up with what you are learning and USE the book! Don't listen to people who say this course is too hard. They are just not willing to put in honest work. His quizzes and exams were very easy if you actually, honestly, studied. Going to his office really helps too! Not necessary to sit in the front of class.
You have to make some useless presentations and paper, but no one gets less that a B in the end. Also, the content of class is very useful if you're into chem/bio research
Good. You just have to be ready to work. Go to his office hours. He is willing to help.
he is actually very knowledgeable on the subject matter but he has a very rough accent and its very hard to understand him lots of the time. I couldn't stay woke sometimes because its boring and the fact that you can understand you eyes will just close. his class is very difficult especially the exams, the labs and lab reports are pretty easy.
He is not very helpful you have to truly work hard and get help from outside sources. He is also very hard to understand.
Papadantonakis has his problems. His lectures are unclear and relatively pointless (occasional iClickers). However, the material is pretty easy, and reading the textbook is helpful. I've heard going to his office hours is useful, as he actually works through problems. Wouldn't recommend if there are better profs available. Getting an A is doable!
Papa papa papa. What can you say about this guy? His lectures are hard to follow--it's quantum mechanics keep in mind. His homework doesn't really help grasp the material. Going thru his tests brought about a familiar feeling like going thru a haunted house. Know your math going into this class because that's what got thru this class and the grade
You need to go to office hours. If you think you got something correct and it was marked wrong on your exam, you have to first talk to your TA . If that doesn't work and you still think you are correct, then you can talk to him. He has a thick accent and he doesn't use PPT. He uses Word Document for lectures and it is not easy to follow.
While Papa is very tough, it's for good reason. He's a great teacher and genuinely cares about his students. Don't be intimidated by how in depth the material is. If you have questions he will answer them and try to help. Although the class is incredibly difficult, he will make sure to help you get the grade you need.
Awful professor. Purposely misleads his students, is completely unclear in instruction, often going into rants. Makes you look for answers in obscure textbooks (NOT the assigned one) rather than answering your questions. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
An Amazing person and teacher.
This course gives a unique perspective on a more computerized use of biology and chemistry, into the world of bioinformatics. While you don't need to pay attention to lectures (no quizzes / tests), homework, a project, and essay all decide your grade, and he can grade tough with the papers.
This was my favorite class I've ever taken in my life, and the class I've learned the most in. Professor P made each lecture very engaging (even at 9am) and covered the most interesting topics. Thanks to him my writing in chemistry has improved significantly. Not only is he an amazing professor, but a genuine and great person.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
50%
Textbook Required
80%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.26 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM402
4.3
(4)CHEM342
4.0
(1)CHEM180
4.0
(1)CHEM343
4.0
(1)CHEM346
3.5
(2)Difficulty by Course
13860
5.0
CHEM202
5.0
CHEM343
5.0
114
4.0
CHEM340
4.0