2.9
Quality4.6
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake109
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
109
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
18
3
22
2
15
1
27
What Students Say
“Gives very tough exams, but if you study enough you'll get an A”
CHEM51 - 4.0 rating“Absolutely ridiculous”
CHEM51 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.44 avg changeRatings by Course
INORGADV
5.0
(1)CHEMMR10
5.0
(2)ORGO12
5.0
(2)710
4.0
(1)ORGANIC
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
710
5.0
CHE51
5.0
CHEM
5.0
ORGO
5.0
CHEM51ORGO1
5.0
Reviews (109)
No Comments
No Comments
Average grade on his examd is usually without exaggeration in the 30's - 40's.
No Comments
Great guy but the material is very hard to begin with, his tests are hard he's out to trick and get you, but very generous curve at the end. Very helpful in lab. Def take him for lab but try not to have him for lecture.
He goes all over the place in class, and the tests are very hard. He puts questions on the test, that you come saying what the F***. Don't believe me? Take the class with him, get a W, and retake it with another professor. You just wasted two semester
Guaranteed Fail. So dont even bother.
Here is a prime example of a person who has devoted themselves to doing something that they are not well suited to do. As an instructor, Howell will not be remembered for his great talents. Howell is boring and outdated.
A shame.He's kept many a student out of their preffered Med-schools.Please try to stay away. The way he acts, he doesn't deserve any students to torture.His only goal is to maintain the aura of the bc organic dept. as the most feared of all.Good luck.
Thinking about taking this professor? you have got to be kidding me. if you have never failed a class in your life well here is your chance because if you take a class with him he will make sure you fail.
Such a ****, speaking of which, whats the chemical make up of that douche anyway? With his bozo hair...Tests imposible. You have about the same chance as a blind person with no arms taking his test. Take it IN ANOTHER SCHOOL- IT IS ALLOWED!!!
Lectures aren't too bad if you're quick and can follow. The exams are very difficult. His favorite topic seems to be stereochemistry. Gives a decent curve so if you work your ass off, expect around a B. Only 3-4 A's/semester!
extremely hard tests.. he'll pick your brain and see if you understand the material but he is a VERY VERY VERY helpful guy .. especially in lab. i advise everyone to stay away from howell as a lecurer.. but as a lab prof & recitation prof., he's wonderful
Don't take howell, take greer instead although you may have to wait for greer in the spring but well worth it instead of taking orgo twice and haveing an f on your transcript
Brilliant theoritical chemist.He knows a lot about quantum mechanics. His exams are very tough.If you want to do well in his class, you need to know the concept inside out.He likes to lecture on the material that is outside scope of the texbook.Good luck
Howell is the most approachable professor I ever had. He's always willing to help you out and answer any questions you have. But don't be fooled, his tests are very difficult and you really have to be committed to the class to do well.
No Comments
he is open to questions. He can be tough on questions and often ruthless in labs. He is however, in a sense creative. He presents a good set of data in a systemic fashion. He is good if u r searching for a high MCAT grade but not good if you want easy A.
This prof.. should be banned from teaching.. and please tell the guy to do something about his hairs.. yucks..
He is a serious professor. Teaches the right material. His lectures are fun. He will strengthen your MCAT knowledge and he is very linient in terms of curved grading. Great lab instructor also. I recommend him.
very hard. not approachable at all. he thinks he alone has the right to determine who can have a career in the medical field. gave 200% and got back nothing...
Very hard but very helpful!
he gives very tough exams but his lectures are interesting. He explains everything very well and answers all your questions. i will recommend him if u want to learn organic, but i won't recomend him if u want to get good grade.
he gives the hardest possible esams but i had him for lab and i mastered it!! yeah he is a really helpful person. There is a big curve at the end of the course so dont worry, it will all work out well. go to him as much as possible and you will get used to his way of thinking about chemistry.
Lectures are very disorganized. Unfortunately, no one else to take. Students ahould get together and petition for his dismissal. Sometime Greer teaches the course. Not much better either.
Anyone who wants to go to med school will feel very incompetent after taking this man's class. When I took this class ave for the first midterm was 27 and every semester its like that.the class ave is always a failing grade and he takes pleasure at that.so you be the judge of how good he is!
He explains it good but his ultimate goal is to have an average of 25 on his exams and a 1 on his quizes. He acts like he owns chemistry(GOd of ORGO). One of his advices is not to commite sucide due to low grades on exams.
he is the biggest **** out there. His test are as crazy as he is. He just wants to make people feel like they are dumb, because you end up getting a 30 on his exams.
good guy overall.
My advice to anyone who takes this class is not to commit suicide although you will feel like it by the end or even before. His lectures are disorganized and his exams are crazy.
just stayaway.This guy which should be thrown out of teaching-- I feel like that.
If you have a choice, just don't take him. His tests are very hard. He is however very helpful.
HORRIBLE, horrible horrible. Take this class somewhere else!!!
oh my God!!! may advice to anyone out there be prepared to do only orgao if howell is the lecturer he is helpful but whatis the point when he structures his exams with the intent to fail more than half the class the school need to look into this
Howell does a great job teaching as much orgo as he can for 1.5 hr/week lecture time. This limits the depths he can enter. To compensate, he makes his old testing material available to prepare students for a supreme understanding of orgo if they allot adequate time to understand the material.
Do not take this guy if you can avoid it. He makes you question your intelligience level. He teaches ABC and expects you to know D through Z.
HORRIBLE TEACHER. TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU PLAN TO FAIL!
He is an excellent teacher. He is also very helpfull if you have questions. You must put a lot of effort into this though. His exams are nothing like the material in the book but he puts all the old exams online. Do yourself a favor, download all the practice exams and learn how to take them. Ask him when you have questions about the old exams.
Everyone thinks this class is hard. His exam is very hard if you don't prepare well. You must do and practice all old exams, which is put in the internet. I got A, because I learn how to do the questions of old exams. Don't spend much time on reading textbook, it would't help you.
He is a nice guy but teaches very fast and it is a lot to absorb in lecture, requires a lot of time and effort. There is no way to coast through this class or cram it a few days before the exams. As a rec. instructor he gives quizzes every week except before and after exams and they are harder than other sections. In lab he explains well
Alright listen up. I got an A. He is by far the hardest test/quiz maker but by far the BEST orgo professor. Read the first 6 chapters of Morrison & Boyd if you have time.Doing EVERY quiz (before recitation) is ESSENTIAL!!! MUCH more important than the book! His notes ARE what will be on his tests. do EVERY test.Book is useless after midterm1.
The rating right below me said it all. It is criticall to never miss a class. Its an advantage to come to his recitation since he goes over his old tests (if you know how to awnser them you will get an A!) Check out organic chemistry as a second language by David R. Klein if you have problems with resonance and chair conformations.
Defintely take his recitation. if you dont, you will be at a serious disadvantage. I felt that Profrssor Howell was a breath of fresh air at BC. he really really cares and he teaches his courses as if he was at an Ivie. I feel like I learned a tremendous amount of orgo from him and he was always there to help during office hours.
He's horrible! He jumps straight into the hard stuff, skipping over all the beginning material, expecting you to know it already. Howell explains well but his Exams are the toughest things I've ever taken, and i did all the old exams too!
No Comments
His lectures are disorganized, as is his outdated syllabus. The book is a waste of money since studying it will get you a 15 at best. He does not explain well and rushes through his lecture, tests are needless to say the hardest I've ever taken. However I did LEARN Organic Chemistry and he grades more than fairly. For the knowledge take him, for yo
No Comments
Hardest class to pass. Which no one did.
He is an excellent professor. However, he is the hardest professor you will have in your life.
He is one of the hardest prof.ever.He does not explain things that he asks in the exams.Even if you do all his old exams,again you did nothing couse he always finds new questions that you never saw them before.I would never recommend him,but what can you do its the only one who teaches orgo 1.
The below said it well, I printed all of old exams and did them over and over. It was useless because he creates questions that you have never seen them. Everyone fails the exams. But what can we all do? He doesn't remove from his spot so that we can have new Professor who actually tell us what to study.
has amusing yet incredibly annoying and weird mannerisms during lecture. even tho the questions aren't the same, do old exams to familiarize urself with his style. if you have heart problems or anything of the sort, beware; aside from the dangerous chemicals in lab, the class causes way too much stress. about time he retired already.
an excellent lecturer, gives over a very clear understanding of organic chemistry. very hard but if you do ALL the old exams and ASK for the answers to ANY questions your unsure of you may do alright.
Average on the lastest test was a 20, highest grade 60 enough said? Tests on things he hasn't covered. And has a pretty bad attitude.
Let me be the first to give this man the hot pepper. Howell is a trip! Very challenging but very prepared . This might really be the hardest class to take at BC.You do feel like an idiot throughout the semester, short before mental breakdown. Use it to learn to manage stress, stay cool. Orgo is really the most beautiful and exciting thing ever.
Very hard professor, very demanding, you must study or you will be weeded out. His exam questions are very original and very creative, they force you to think nothing is straight foreward. You must go to him in his office hours, if you really want to learn from him.study the book material, and do a lot of his questions. Learn to think creatively
the worst and retarded professor. he needs to be removed from office for teaching the way he is. very unclear and unhelpful. very not fair. favorite grade is D. i'm still trying to determine how come he is the chairman of the department???
He is the worst teacher ever. He skips the beginning of the book. Doesn't explain things well. Test Avg. 20%. Only people who passed had taken his class before.(2 and 3 times) Started with 22 people in class 12 dropped and 5 passed his class. Everyone who passed had taken orgo before. Worst professor ever.
My friends in Columbia and NYU didn't learn half the stuff we had to in Howell's class--not because those schools are sub-par, but because a lot of the material is supposed to be taught in Orgo 2. Howell is only here to show off his Harvard education by trying to teach two semesters in one and essentially making orgo unnecessarily difficult.
Howel is an extremly interesting character but incredibly confusing because he is crazy (but exciting). Read the textbook, work on problems and try to stay cool. Make sure to get into HIS receitation.That is key. Or take the summer class- much better if you have him every day. Orgo is not that difficult and...it is surely not THAT confusing.
Since he teaches basically ALL the sections AND is chair of the department, you basically have to go through him to pass this course. There are 2 things you must do EVERY DAY if you want to pass (and I mean barely pass, forget your GPA for the term you have him) in one shot: 1. study for AT LEAST 1 hour - 2. PRAY.
he is a NIGHTMARE....i am seriously considering changing my career path because of his horrible teaching method.....i thought i was prepared well for the first exam, and got a single digit grade! so annoyed of him! my gpa is going way way down this semester! =(
Seriously the class isn't bad, don't believe the other ratings. Howell is a great teacher who answers all questions and really cares about his students. One of the few professors at brooklyn college who have a genuine concern for students inhis class.
Prof Howell is the worst professor ever. He doesn't even attempt to teach the subject. He reviews things as if the students already understand the material. I had heard about him but seeing is believing. He told me I should re-think my plans about medical school. He should not be teaching students. Hey Howell, my GPA was 3.8 before I met you.
Easiest class i took. i got a B+ because i did horrible in lab. you gotta read the text and answer all the questions. also office hours are crucial because you wont learn in class.go to him with online quiz then test. some pass withouy going to his office but if your dumb like me find your butt there ever week, my grades on his test were 50,80,80.
After taking this course twice, the main thing I can say is to not get discouraged. The sheer amount of material you have to know seems daunting at first, and often leads to half-assing to the point of dropping or failing. Class material often does not follow the book's path, so you should always take your own notes and use the office hours.
Very Easy, recommended over Silbering anytime!!!!
i don't understand how anyone could possibly think that howell is an easy professor. orgo is a hard subject to begin with, and howell makes it even harder. he is also very unwilling to answer questions.
SUPER NICE GUY-very approachable & helpful. tests are challenging but definitely doable if you just do the hw and study.
DO NOT TAKE HIM if you are an average student. I dont know if it will help to sit in to his class before taking it. when he says he'll curve he really wont. I cried so much after taking his class because i got a D+ the 1st time at QC (goofing off) and when i took it with him i got an F (studying my ass off and i knew what i was doing)
Take him if you want to learn the material. Ask questions and be on time. He will always give you the correct answer, not the easiest one, though...
IF YOU WISH TO LIVE, DON'T TAKE THIS PROF! There is nothing easy about him whatsoever! He will make your 4.0 GPA drop to a 2.4 if you don't study constantly (aka every minute of your life.) Passing his class is near impossible with a A or even a B... save yourself from failure.
for your own sake - dont think ur smart enough for howell, just take this class at another college or something. trust me its not worth it, it can kill ur premed dreams
Students that are backing him up are just simply ignorant and kissing his buttoc. This guy is a mean and very no extremely unreasonable person. He can easily cover 3chapters in one day! and this day may be 2days before the exam. Run,as fast as you can and never do orgo chem with him! He does not give you time to do his exam. I simply hate hate him!
purgatory!!!!!!!!!!!
if everyone gets a zero on his lecture exams everyones grade will be a C. there is no curve on his lecture exam, the only curve u will get is on the recitaion and labs. never take him. he will mess up your GPA. He is called the executionor.
This is the single most challenging class I have ever had to take. Taking Howell's exams is like skydiving (if you've done it, you'll know). Ang I hate the class competition for grades it turns out to be. Begin studying a month ahead. Get a study gp, practice a lot, read ahead,ask q's, utilize all resources and I promise you an A.(Im not an A stdnt
THE SYSTEM:find 2-3 people to study with; start at least a month before the semester; read chapters 1-6, work through problems (from syllabus); as semester starts, finish ch. 7&8 (1st 2 weeks); (practice quizes with study group all this time); now start online exam1...as many as you can b4 the test. After exam1, read ahead b4 lectures, practice.
wow!!! never worked so hard in my entire life.. not kidding.. u just keep studying and pray to god u r above that class average cuz ppl keep droping and the average keeps going higher STUDY WITH UR LIFE!!!!!
Worst professor I have ever met. This class is supposed to be hard but he is a terrible teacher. I am a chem major and I couldn't do it. I got A's in Chem 1 and 2. he is condescending, unhelpful, makes his tests vague and difficult without making you learn something from them. Textbook is useless. Wants to show off his Harvard edu. Don't do it!
I have taken his class twice. The first time i failed. The second time i got an A. The difference? I put in a minimum of 3-4 of studying a day without fail in my second try. He is not impossible, it is just that he is working with material that challenges you to hurt a little for the prize. Dont make excuses for not studying, it will catch up
the only ppl that know whats going on are the ones who are taking second time around or have outside tutors...i studied with dear life for the second midterm because I bombed the first one, i got a single digit grade and no I'm not stupid i have well now thanks to howell i HAD a 3.9!
he's really a great prof HARD but great OChem is not easy & I think he helped me ALOT old exams r posted & theyre so similar to all his exams, prob OChem is that u have to study in a diff way than other sci classes its more about understanding not memorization im not an A student and if u put in enough work and dedication u will get the A
ah the critically acclaimed prof Howell. This is one of the (if not the) hardest classes in BC.The material is hard and requires a lot studying so "don't hate the playa, hate da game". Orgo is not for everyone. Howell is an excellent lecturer and a very fair guy. "Put in 3 hrs a day, and youll get ur A". My point is ppl do get A's and A+ thnx Howel
Great guy. Expert in his field. It was a privilege to study under him. You must study 3-5 hours daily without fail. Qustions he will for sure ask: Fischer projections, Neighboring Group Effects, Sn1 Sn2 and protecting groups etc etc. Do all practice tests beforeyou take his exam. Trust me.
I wanna go around giving "I survived Howell" buttons to everyone who passed. Brilliant man. Exams are posted online, should be fine if you can go through all of them. Its not that hard if you put in 5 hours a day. You will be dreaming about, eating, brething, sleeping, doing, organic chemistry. All day. Everyday. Its pretty awsome actually.
Gives very tough exams, but if you study enough you'll get an A. The key is to thoroughly every single one of his old exams/quizzes. Also, after exam 1, focus primarily on the slides, NOT the textbook. Devote much more time for this course than for any other science course in undergrad.
OMG!!!! My 3.8 GPA is completely ruined!!! Yes he is super hard and he gives practice exams which are useful!!! However, when grading comes it solely depends on ur class rank and not ur own individual grades. My ave. was a C but I was given a D because "I was one of the lowest ranked in the class" so basically its a competition with other ppl.
Not trying to complement Howell but he's just too smart to be teaching this class. Orgo is supposed to be hard... he makes it harder.
The avg. person does not have 5 free hrs a day to devote to this 1 class on a moderate course load. This class is pure ludicrous; esp. when you will never see this material again or need most of it in your graduate years (minus chem PHD). Moreover, this class seperates those who have an edge (tutors, retakes, etc.) over those who don't. Horrible.
People often fail to realize that orgo is supposed to be hard (and in fact is intended to be a weed-out course). Prof. Howell is a caring and insightful prof. who will make you appreciate orgo as long as you put the proper amount of effort in. You must also use as many resources as possible if you want to succeed.
Just Don't ever take him, if u want to even pass this class.
His contributions to the field of chemistry are laughable (2 publications?) - if only he didn't waste so much of his time being an awful teacher.
This class is a nightmare. The textbook is insufficient and old exams are needed for practice; outside help is almost a necessity(This should NOT be the case, every class should be managable alone, this causes discrepancies in itself)The lecture slides are also disorganized and overloaded. My friend had legit panic attacks from the class: Horrible
Harder than Columbia's and MIT's organic chem 1 course (true). Nuff' said. Absolutely ridiculous.
MIT posts old course materials to be available to the public. Just google MIT organic chem1 exams and it will show you some exams from 2005 etc. Now compare them to Howell...they are about the same difficulty (some of Howell's exams look worse) but MIT has 4 tests rather than 2 tests like Howell's class, which is why I would say it is easier.
DON'T TAKE HIM.TOTAL TORTURE.PPL WILL HIGHER GRADE GO DOWN DON'T GET DA SYSTEM. HIS FORMAT OF GRADING IS UNACCEPTABLE & DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE & I HAVE NO CLUE Y NO1 EVER BOTHERED TO DO ANYTHING ABT IT.ONLY 15% PASSES.SO HE IS HELPING BROOKLYN COLLEGE TO GET MONEY &PREMED DREAMS R GONA DIE.SINCE CUNY IS GETTING MONEY THEY DON'T CARE ABT OUR OPINION
I think the bottom line is, if you are a chem major or have an real love for chem, take Howell- but there is no other reason to spend 5 hrs a day studying for one class.If you're just fulfilling a requirement, go elsewhere. You'll leave the class REALLY understanding more orgo than you'll ever need to.... & more than is on the MCAT (so I'm told)
Orgo is hard regardless. Study hard. I'm so serious..that's the only way you can survive this class. His notes actually explain things well..just put that mind to work and you will be rewarded
DON'T TAKE HIM PPL. i beg u.take it some where else if u can plz plz plz.no clue what he is trying to do.if u take orgo at bk college after that semester u'll not be able to look at ur gpa and it will never go up.take it some where else.if u have to take it than just take the class only on a regular semester but i don't know that will gurantee an A
I worked hard for the first test, and I received a below average grade (~C-) I worked even harder for the final and second test and received above average grades (15-25 points above the average (~B+/A-). However, I received a C. This class is pure ridiculousness that I wonder how this class is legitamtely accepted into the course offerings at BC.
I have nothing against any professors. but professor howell gave me nightmares before his exams. the day before the tests i would not be able to sleep because i have nightmares of him failing me. people in school call him the executioner
I really learned a lot in this class. There are 2 midterms and 1 final exam. Exams are pretty similar to the previous exams. Read the textbook for the first midterm; after the first midterm, it is not necessary to read the book, focus on the reactions that are on the slides. SLIDES ARE EXTREMELY HELPFUL!!! I got an average grade on the first midter
Ok, I have metlitsky's night class and all I have to say is howell's tests are a joke compared w/ metlitsky's. So take howell but go to Metlitsky's lectures!!! Trust me I took orgo twice and metlistky is a superb explainer and goes over ALOT of questions! BTW dont be stupid and do questions in the book, they help!!!
Difficult class! It forces you to study and then to know a lot! If you are not strong enough in science I donot advise you to take organic with prof. Howell. TExtbook is USELESS!!! get a new one! And as for old exams, practice them and know all the theory.! This class is like English Writing intensive class!
Had him for Orgo 1, very helpful and nice, taking him will make u study like never before but at end it'll be worth it and im grateful of him for the enormous amount of material he had us learn in a short time it has really changed the way I study and look at a subject, the people who complain about him just didnt put in the work
best professor in Brooklyn college
excellent professor, very helpful, highly recommend him
don't take him this guy is h h horrible you take him your med school dream is over yes i mean it
Class Info
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.44 avg changeRatings by Course
INORGADV
5.0
(1)CHEMMR10
5.0
(2)ORGO12
5.0
(2)710
4.0
(1)ORGANIC
4.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
710
5.0
CHE51
5.0
CHEM
5.0
ORGO
5.0
CHEM51ORGO1
5.0