2.6
Quality4.2
Difficulty22%
Would Retake127
Reviews22%
Would Retake
127
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
22
4
21
3
21
2
26
1
37
What Students Say
“*sarcasm* He's so bad, switch out ASAP”
CHEM263 - 2.0 rating“Horrific, absolutely the worst course I have ever taken I would recommend it to no one”
CHEM361 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
30%
Textbook Required
78%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.27 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM163
4.0
(9)CHEM363
3.9
(11)CHEM161
3.5
(20)CHEMISTRY163
3.0
(1)CHEM361
2.8
(8)Difficulty by Course
CHEMISTRY163
5.0
263
4.6
CHEM361
4.5
CHEM263
4.3
CHEM363
4.2
Reviews (127)
he makes the course really interesting. he gets really into it and he has great examples.
He is really good at explaining and telling you things you might not find out just from reading notes or the book, in short he builds a deeper understanding, this can however get confusing when you're wondering what the exams will contain. They can be quite hard too :P
No Comments
Stryker is an excellent prof!! He doesn't usually teach undergraduate chemistry but he's great at it. Very clear notes, entertaining lectures, and teaches "the truth" about concepts. Exams are reasonably difficult, but not outrageous. I would definitely recommend Stryker.
Eh I liked him not bad, he can teach pretty good... I just wish I hadn't slept through the first half of the semester! I'll never know how many of his jokes i missed
here's the truth on stryker: good notes, GREAT TEACHING SKILLS, helpful in office hours. the con: quite unorganize so he rushed through the second half of the material in like 3 weeks, so unless you were ahead of the class, the final was a killer. but he makes you understand the WHY's of learning. if you want in depth learning, he's your man.
This guy is awesome! SUPER funny, always wisecrackng...sometimes gets in trouble, but hey, keeps it interesting! Stresses important things, so heads up. Also, a warning: TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE. Demise to whoevers phone rings in class...you will suffer public humiliation and he may destroy it lol.
Makes lots of jokes, poor job explaining why answers are the way they are.
He was terrible! Very hard exams!
This guy is an idiot! If you can take a class with any other chem proff...DO IT!
No Comments
unorganized with the course schedule and unclear. really funny though
Oh shut up people. Once you tag along to the method in his madness, you'll see Dr. Stryker's got a great style of teaching. His exams are hard, but as long as you know the logic behind everything you're set to go. He's funny and he's a great prof. Definitely recommended.
Our class was very behind but we really learned the concepts a lot better than other sections. He was funny and helpful. His tests were hard but if you understood the concepts you'd ace them. He's a teacher that promotes thinking, not cramming, which in the end is probably best. My understanding of general chemistry is also better after his course.
Mad, Stryker is absolutely mad. But aren't all geniuses? He promotes thinking, questioning, and knowing...not memorization. Organic chem is IMPOSSIBLE to memorize. He will give you the tools to do this and future courses. Warning: do NOT fall behind..don't get something, ask. Also, study groups are a godsend in this course. Form one.
His notes are horrible and all over the place. If you dont get the concept in class you're screwed because his notes suck.
Organic chem sucks! A mediocre prof. Notes were absolute crap. Tends to oversimplify a mechanism and dumb down the content so much that you actually think you will do well. Don't fool yourself-if you think its easy you're doing it wrong. Brilliant guy though. Bad haircut choice. Can anyone say skullet?!
A hard course that could have been made easier and more tolerable by a decent prof. I didn't like his personality much, but I think he is the type of person who you either like or hate. I think he is quite intelligent though and probably more suited for higher level chem courses. But, I'd stay away from him for 161/163.
A nice guy with a fun personality. However, I spent alot of class time really confused. I think he would be much better teaching higher level courses to 3rd year students who already know their chemistry. For first years like me, it was pretty rough. Exams were difficult and unfair at times. He just expected waaaay too much from us
No one should speak ill of Stryker. Unlike other profs during fall semester, he didn't rush through reactions that no one would understand. He teaches you to understand how reactions work logically instead of memorizing nonsense numbers. His exams hard? They have gotten easier but it is curved anyways. Notes are clear if u listen and don't skip.
definetely hard exams, went slower and missed some curriculum. notes hard to follow, flits back and forth. expects u to understand things w/o explaining, i'm sure he's a brilliant 3rd yr prof. you definetely should read the text before class to understand a concept and then appreciate his examples.
notes are really all over the place, exams are tough but he's passoniate about what he's teaching. he didn't finish all the course material but will cover it in the next sememster, which is not helpful if you're not in his lectures next semester.
the least organized prof ever, but if u sit in his class and listen he makes sense, insanely difficult exams, but no memorization, he's always willing to help and really wants u to understand the concept, nice dude
His notes can be a bit messy and difficult to understand, but once you read the textbook, it all makes sense. He gives many examples to help you understand what he's teaching and he's always so cheerful in class. His exams are pretty hard though...
He was awesome! The tests weren't too bad, and he makes everything really clear, no problems understanding. He's funny to laugh at too.
A word of advice: be prepared to work in this class. He moves quickly and his notes are mostly examples, so if you want to learn the fundamentals of organic chem, you HAVE to read the textbook. His exams are insanely hard though.
He goes all over the place really quickly with just examples and you have to read the textbook in order to try and figure out what is going on. He is a great and funny guy, but his exams are pretty hard and you have to be prepared to learn this way, be ready to learn a lot of concepts on your own through the text.
The impression I really get is that he expects you to know everything or you fail, knowing most of it isn't good enough. His questions require you to understand concepts that he really didn't explain in class, just gave examples of, and reading the textbook is a must. Very difficult prof.
much better notes etc than his 161 course, much more organized, tests were easier and more straightforward, i managed to get an A without reading the textbook. the course is hard no matter what, and stryker did a decent job.
Best prof ever.
Unfriendly and unhelpful when approached in person. He did not explain concepts well on class, nor did he provide adequate/relevant help during office hours.
Don't ever ask a question in class, he'll be sure to humiliate you....
So.Awesome.Good notes,awesome explanations,very little ambiguity on tests.Almost no memorization.I love how he gives personalities to molecules.I don't know why people don't like him and say he's really hard.He gave us over 2 hours to write the midterm.
Ha. Ok I have to admit that he is a great prof. His exams are not that bad if you study. I can't blame him for doing bad on the past midterm. Basically, just like every other classes, if you want to do well, you have to study. Don't just go complain about the prof when you didn't study for the exam at all! =P
Class is very tough. He did a decent job, just alot of material to know.
A pretty easy going guy. He is nothing spectacular but he does keep the mood light in an otherwise killer course. You have to study really hard to do well and keep away from the textbook. I concentrated on the textbook at first and bombed the midterm but for the final I stuck to the notes and aced it.
the best prof, besides Dennis Hall. Never use memorization in his class. Sometimes he just wastes too much time explaining one topic. Fairly easy going.
Hard class, not a bad prof! As mentioned below work on understanding the concepts rather than memorizing. He's really nice guy and if you have problems don't be afraid to approach him.
He's a decent prof. Midterm was pretty easy, final was really tough. Alot of material to go over. I tried memorizing info probably not the best way to go. Just need to keep up with the material
Hard exams, but made chemistry entertaining!
I like having an easy prof as much as anyone, but I highly recommend this guy. Hated ochem before him, but now its not bad. If you put in the effort, you WILL do well. Bad averages on his exams mean nothing because the curve sucks so if you work you're ok. He's freakin amazing, basically.
I'm not a fan of his style of teaching where he just stands at the front of the class and makes really bad jokes. The format of the notes made it difficult to study and the exams were brutal.
A very hard class and Stryker doesn't make things easier. However I got an A+ in the class because I understood the chemistry. Stryker will put you in situations where you must apply your knowledge. He will present you with questions you have never seen before and except you to solve them. Which you will if you understand the chemistry
We need more profs like Jeff; he is one of the more well-spoken chemistry faculty in lecture (although his notes on the board are pretty basic) and you can tell he gives a damn unlike most other profs..... He also has a generous curve (rare at uofa) in his upper organic class; most of the other profs keep curves low to keep Registrar/admin happy.
Know's his stuff but picks favourites. Arrogant in my humble opinion.
Great prof. He can handle any question you throw at him. He will not baby you and you learn more as a result. He's a bit crazy and all-over-the-place, but it keeps the class engaging. I find him inspiring, this class is about the big picture of o-chem.
Attend all classes,look over notes weeks prior to exams, and best tip of all PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE .. the best way to do well in any organic chemistry class is to practice problems. As for Stryker at first I was scared for life! his lecture style is somewhat all over the place. But after getting used to it, it was a good class =)
Wow. Even though my grade wasn't an A I learned more about his subject than two years in other topics like biology. He is an asset to U of A, his notes are dynamite and his personality is one of enthusiasm. Take his class at all costs!!!
Nope, nope, nope. Although he lectures with the intent of getting you to understand the bigger picture, he is all over the place! A simple concept like IR spectrum took 3 80min classes! Gives a speech for something that could be said in 1 statement so it's REALLY hard to keep up. Not good at answering questions for the same reasons. RUN AWAY.
Stay far far away. He is so incredibly disorganized in class. I have never had such an awful prof. The exams are absolutely brutal and despite going to class I have learned nothing. RUN
This is seriously the worst prof I have ever had. He is completely disorganized, goes off on random unrelated tangets, and over complicates EVERYTHING. He thinks you are him and have all prior knowledge about the course. He doesn't TEACH anything he just tells you to use "logic". Ochem was a strong subject of mine until this guy. Stay FAR away.
I understand that you need to know some material before coming to a course, but the amount he expects is ridiculous. Notes make no sense, and practice problems don't help at all for preparing for the exam. Unless you REALLY know your stuff or review a lot, do not take this class.
He is obviously a brilliant man, however he cannot teach at this level for organic chem. He basically stands at the front of the room ranting about how we learned acids and bases in grade 4 and telling us to use logic. He comes off as very arrogant and seems to enjoy making people seem stupid when they ask questions.
Run the other way.
Heavily emphasis reasons and problem solving over memorizing. Doesn't spoon feed information, but if you ask him questions out of class he will make sure you understand.
Prior to this class I found Ochem challenging, but also interesting. Stryker has a very disorganized teaching style, with notes that look nice but barely cover the material. You have to focus super hard to get the bare minimum of the concept he's teaching. He tries, but overall... Eek. Would not recommend.
He should not be teaching undergrad. Plain and simple. He assumes you know everything and doesn't actually teach. He goes on about random facts that are completely irrelevant and now with 2 days of classes left we still have 4 whole CHAPTERS to learn. Of the 4, we have to learn 2 on our own time before the final because they will be tested... RUN
I'm pretty sure I lost 10 years off of my life from all the stress that I went through from this guy's class. I am on Dean's List but for this guy's class I'm so scared that I won't even get a B-. DON'T TAKE HIS CLASS.
He is decent and genius, but not a good teacher. He emphasized not to memorize the material covered. HOWEVER, ironically, you should memorize all of it that he did not fully explain during lecture. Disorganized note was confusing. I'm afraid of final tomorrow...
At first, the professor seems like a fun guy to listen to in class. However, as the semester went on, all the students find him rather snarky, sort of rude, and not very helpful. The exams were slightly hard, and his lecture notes are good. His lecture teaching IS THE WORST. That is all I have to say. :)
Okay, he was an 'average' prof... At first, it sucked because he would spend days on easy material... But at the end he cut out SO MANY rxns that my friends in first semester had to learn.. Exams are very hard, but the curve is amazing! Never got above 65 on any test and still got an A-. If you ace the lab, you will do fine!
Treated our class like a joke it felt sometimes, he's too smart for his own good to teach undergrad. He can be very helpful, but be prepared to feel like an idiot. Lecture is all over the place, but you have to go because the notes are what will be on the tests. You will have to answer things you've never seen, has hard tests, so study hard!
Rather than explaining concepts, he would frequently rant about how if we don't already know these concepts we will fail and we should just drop now. In office hours he was a little nicer but still in his arrogant I-am-so-much-smarter-than-you way. I wish he would get over himself enough to actually teach something.
Great prof. Easy quiz and final but did poorly on the midterm.
Brutal prof, obviously knows tons about organic chemistry and is kinda funny from time to time, but he doesn't explain concepts clearly at all. Tells you not to memorize things but that's really the only way to do well in his class.
Very bright and an exceptional chemist. Emphasizes problem solving in lecture and on the exams. Warns students they cannot memorize the course, so there is ample warning. His problem sets prepare you well for his exams.
Jeff expects great things from his students. Overall an exceptional person and genius. However, his tests are rather challenging and it is based off the curve. They are completely fair but he really does make you work for it. DONT GET BEHIND THE CLASS. He will tell you not to memorize reactions because he want you to understand the chemistry.
Really great prof. Knows everything ever regarding chemistry. Course is tough. Labs take up a lot of time. The textbook was handy.
Horrific, absolutely the worst course I have ever taken I would recommend it to no one. I learned nothing at all and feel very discouraged to continue my education.
ho boy, where to start on Jeff. Honestly, I enjoyed his lectures for the most part just due to his wacky character. His notes aren't very linear or systematic, however. So if you're used to Brzezowski or Clive, and need structured learned, you may struggle with Stryker. Most days he just lectures off the top of his head, so definitely read the text
His lectures are above the level of understanding of most students, even my TA said in their 500 level course he was teaching above their heads. Obviously he knows his stuff but he doesn't know how to teach it to beginners. I tried to get help but among his comments was lots of ridicule and belittlement. He is a nice guy but doesn't seem to get it.
Stryker is one of the most difficult profs I've ever had. Not only do I dread going to his lectures because they in no way help me understand the material, his notes are even worse and super confusing. Tests? Super difficult, so expect the worst. Highly recommend to switch out of his class if you get him as a prof.
Provides a lot of help if you visit him out of class. Will try and rush reactions at the end of the course, but really good for the chemical physics at the beginning of the course.
The course itself is tough. Having Stryker as a prof doesn't make it any easier. He surely knows the material but, not so good teaching it to students. Rants about how we should know the concepts and how they work. Exams are hard. Practice exams definitely helps. If you have difficulties go to his office hours. Use all learning resources you have.
An amazing prof that taught me so much, especially the 2 lectures he wasn't there to actually teach. *sarcasm* He's so bad, switch out ASAP
He's a genius, but a horridly bad teacher. Very bad. He'll lecture on a new topic and build it upon other chem concepts 'you should already know'. He won't elaborate on any of those 'old topics' though. So if you don't know what an aryl compound is or forgotten how to recognise free p orbitals, you'll be left way behind. Khan academy helps though.
Definitely one of the smartest prof in University of Alberta. Although he is passionate about the subject he teaches, he is not the best teacher. You kinda have to get used to his style of teaching... if you want to do well in this course, you better prepare to live in the Chem help room. thats how I did it.
He's an okay prof. Tests are ridiculous because he wants to bring the curve down, so expect to work like crazy for a 50%. Goes off on tangents sometimes, but overall don't really have any complaints about his actual teaching
A tough professor to recommend. Although his passion is clearly there, and he absolutely excels in his field, he can't teach. Absolutely horrid teacher who glosses over the fundamentals. Content is clumsily covered. I lost my love of Chemistry with Stryker. You'll probably get a good grade(curve), but you'll learn nothing. Find other professors.
Stryker has a vast knowledge of organic chemistry, however he is one of the most rude, disrespectful and demeaning professors I have ever come into contact with. I would NOT recommend taking a class with him. His lectures are unclear and he spends valuable class time lecturing on information that is not relevant to the course.
Stryker is one of the most amazing professors that I have ever had. I did not like him in 263, but in 361 and 363, Organic Chemistry became my favourite class. You should attend class to understand his notes. His exams are extremely difficult but the overall grades depend on how the entire class did. Practice problems will save you - DO THEM!
excellent prof. Very detailed and clear. A little scattered, but super helpful if you ask him a question.
He's the worst prof I've ever had. Little to no point in going to his lectures seeing as his notes barely help you with exams. He'll test you on very difficult and confusing concepts that weren't in his notes, nor on his practice exams. Class averages were in the low 40's - which reflects his awful teaching in a very hard course. Do NOT pick him.
By far the worst professor I've ever had, avoid at all possible costs. His lectures are all over the place and it's difficult to know how to prepare for his exams because you don't know what he wants. He'll probably end up calling your class stupid at least once in the semester even though his class averages for exams are usually in the 40% range.
Hardest class I have ever been in in my four years at the U of A. He obviously knows what he talks about, but he does not teach well. The exams were insanely hard, what really through me off was how he talked down to the class. I thought profs were supposed to be inspiring and lift people up!?!
I really like Dr. Stryker, although I can see why people don't. He's very blunt so a thick skin is helpful. He really expects a lot from you so be prepared. The midterm averages were 48% and 38%. The lab was so much easier than 361 but the course material is harder so it balances out. I would only recommend this class if you love organic chemistry.
I think the only reason Dr. Stryker has negative reviews on here is because 1) this class is very hard 2) his humour rubs people the wrong way 3) he can seem very mean, but from my experiences he was great! He uploaded all the content right away when classes got cancelled and he was very helpful both over email and in class. Also the jokes were A+
Seriously the only good reviews on this guy are people that feel bad giving bad reviews. Worst prof Ive had, and hardest class Ive taken. Thank god for covid that I got a CR instead of a grade. Midterms are so hard (33% average) and he went on a 20 minute rant the next class saying it was our fault. Notes are sloppy, learned nothing. Avoid this
Avoid Jeff if you can. His lectures are awful and you don't learn anything, so you have to learn everything on your own.
avoid avoid avoid, he literally copy and pastes his notes from master organic chemistry .com and hardly writes anything down / shows how do any mechanisms etc. he teaches ochem like its an english course. our averages were significantly lower than the other class section.
Posted an email sent privately to him asking a question regarding grades. He proceeded to post it and flame him publicly to the entire class through the discussion forum on eclass. This guy is unacceptable and unfit to teach students.
He is not a kind person. I find him very unprofessional. His teaching is poor at best, even though I did well.
Would not recommend. His notes are taken from masterorganicchemistry com, and he is not a good lecturer. He repeatedly berated the class for not answering his questions/getting them wrong, and made jokes that felt inappropriate/derogatory. When asking him questions, I would get long, confusing answers that didn't address my question. Tests hard.
He is not good, don't let his mid rating confuse you, he doesn't deserve any more than a 1. the class material felt easier than chem 261, but with his way of teaching, it was impossible to understand anything in lecture. STAY AWAY.
Choose Clive/Vederas etc for ochem if you like memorizing compound names, and structured robot-like exams. Choose Stryker, if you exhibit any sort of critical thinking, or like to learn. His tests are tough they test the understanding of concepts (only stuff from class). He's a fascinating person and will ABSOLUTELY help you during office hours
tests heavy. crazy curve
The tests were pretty fair and the curve goes crazy. Based on my personal experiences, he's also a pretty chill guy. It does get hard to follow along in class sometimes, so be prepared to learn a lot of material on your own.
Professor Stryker definitely knows a lot about organic chemistry, however I found his exams extremely difficult, his notes hard to understand, and he was occasionally disrespectful to students asking questions. Overall, I wouldn't recommend him as a professor.
Very difficult to follow along in lectures, everything I learned in this class was from my own reading or watching Youtube videos. Assessments were very difficult. I would've liked it if he showed us how to approach and solve organic chemistry problems rather than just list mechanisms to memorize. He has a great sense of humour though.
Dr. Stryker is difficult to follow in lectures, so be expected to teach yourself. I think he is a nice guy who cares about his students. His tests are quite difficult but he is generous with part marks. I personally would avoid taking him again just because I really did not understand most of his lectures. Curve goes crazy in this class.
I personally gave up going to class because he doesent really teach anything. Tests will be super difficult and require applying concepts which you will need to teach yourself. Be prepared to study hard and be expected to go beyond what should be expected of a person who just needs 263 as a part of there program.
I took advanced organic chemistry some years ago and this was the first course I felt was challenging and required critical thinking. You will only do well if you actually understand the concepts. Great professor, lectures and lots of hilarious jokes. Awesome!!
I thought the reviews for Stryker were exaggerating. but they're not. If you HAVE to take this course with him, skip lectures and buy yourself the premium pass to masterorganicchemistry. It's where he gets the material from and it actually has the explanations he chooses to exclude from lectures.
Very difficult to follow his classes, but thankfully, probably 85% of his notes were taken without credit (plagiarized) from master organic chemistry, which is much better at explaining things. He was sometimes rude to students, but he was generous with partial marks. You just have to understand enough to stay above the forgiving curve
I feel bad writing this review because he genuinely seems like a nice guy and likes making jokes that are funny. But genuinely the notes don't make sense, so if you think going to lectures will fill in the blanks, it won't. He goes on very long, unrelated tangents that sometimes had nothing to do with the topic, so be ready to learn the textbook.
One of the best classes in all of my undergrad. Dr. Stryker is extremely passionate; his class was a mix of philosophy, inspiration, abstract thinking and ofcourse chemistry. Every lecture is engaging, you learn to think, question and realize how vast chemistry is. Dr. Stryker is also extremely caring and quite genius, but people are critical.
He's a sweet prof and knows what he is doing but can not really teach it. It's hard to understand what he's saying during class and the notes are pretty messy too so it's hard to teach yourself. Master Organic Chemistry will help you get thru the course considering ochem is already tough as it is. Prof is accessible tho incase you need help.
Not the best at teaching, but he is a genuine guy who is clearly very smart and seems to care for his students. Kinda funny sometimes too. If you can help yourself enough to score at or slightly above average on quizzes and exams, and can excel in the lab, the wild curve might make taking his section worthwhile.
You can tell he wants everyone to do well; he has taught much higher-level chemistry courses to this one more, so he is not very good at explaining simple concepts and yaps about stuff you really don't need to know. You will struggle in this class with him if you did not have a good grasp of 261. Find videos and use master organic chemistry.
Ultimately, I would take this class if you find you are good at learning on your own. For me, the lecture slides (though very textbook-like) were sufficient for me to learn the course. The lectures… well… lack cohesion and are sometimes unrelated to the topic. Dr. Stryker is a very nice guy and the curve does wonders.
Prof. Stryker's class is tough, but the crazy curve helps. Though lectures can be hard to follow, unstuck AI and the textbook are great supplemental resources. Stay on top of the material, and you'll do well. Overall, a rewarding challenge.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS!! I have never wanted to kill myself more strongly than the semester I was in this class. Never has a prof taught me less and made me want to switch my degree more. The average on his final was a 30!! What. Please do not take this class take it with Clive please please please.
Worst class I've ever taken. I loved organic chemistry before this class and was planning to take 361 but had second thoughts when I saw he was teaching it. Dr. Stryker is very knowledgeable in organic chemistry, but he CANNOT convey his thoughts coherently, and often goes on tangents. His tests are insanely difficult and nothing like the practice.
it's only 2 weeks into the semester and i already hate him. he knows what he's doing but cannot teach AT ALL, we spent the first 3 classes just doing review of chem 261 and somehow he made it crazy confusing. He goes on random tangents that are unrealted, and speaks in a way where he dies off at the end of a sentence and then u dk what he said. 👎
DON'T TAKE. His lectures are incredibly difficult to follow as he goes on so many tangents. The most simplest ideas, confused and contorted beyond imagination. Not only that, but the study guide and problem sets he gives you, if not from the textbook, are generated completely by copilot AI. Yes, AI. You will have to teach this course to yourself.
PLEASE KEEP YOUR SANITY & AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!! I have never been this miserable in a chem class. I hate every aspect of this prof's "teaching" style. He doesn't explain anything, overcomplicates everything & will make you WAY more confused! It is only 3 weeks into the semester & I will be teaching myself the entire course :(
If you're not religious, pick one and start praying.
Awful prof. It's obvious that he doesn't care about his students and is only there for research. He's so lazy he can't even make his own notes and takes them off of Master Organic Chemistry. You will be teaching this class to yourself as he overcomplicates everything and goes on tangents. Word of advice… AVOID AT ALL COSTS or get a tutor.
This man is the worst prof I have had throughout my entire university career. While he is funny, he is a terrible teacher who goes on tangents, and when students are confused he suggests to just use AI to explain instead of explaining. Avoid him at all costs, don't make this very hard class even harder by having to endure Professor Stryker
AVOID AT ALL COSTS. It is so hard to follow his lectures, he just rambles on about nothing and then tells us to use AI to understand it better. He takes all his lecture notes from Master Organic Chemistry, so just use that or find a tutor or online course instead. Lab section is great, as he does not teach it..
Babes, switch sections. Bro doesn't know how to explain. Lectures are confusing and he often go on tangents. When asked questions, he can be dismissive and sometimes right out condescending. He cannot comprehend that ochem is just hard for some people. Yall who say he's really funny need a MRI scan because he's dissing you most of the time.
PLEASE for your sanity do not take this class with him. Every moment I spent in lecture made me more and more miserable. If you're forced to take this class with him, I suggest having access to a tutor or some other external help because his explanations for even the most basic concepts are extremely convoluted and confusing. PLEAASSEE DO NOT TAKE
I had planned to say that although the lectures are useless, his tests are okay if you can self teach well enough, but the third midterm wiped that out (48% avg btw). Plainly, this man cannot teach to save your life - "this test would be so much easier if you remembered to think!" gee thanks. He also seems to be allergic to answer keys.
This prof was so confusing and bad, avoid at all costs
His notes are from online. Half the time, his answer keys do not match the assigned questions. He rambles a LOT and never finishes his explanation. Take it with a different prof. This class has made me cry at least 15 times this semester. I was crying on the train after our 3rd quiz. I was crying while driving on the highway.
He writes tough exams, but the curve is very, very generous, so you mainly just need to perform solidly. Some people call his tests unfair, and honestly, there's a bit of truth to that, but it is what it is. Yes, the course is hard, and yes, the tests are hard, but you'll be fine.
Try a different prof. He's a nice guy but his lectures are confusing & it's mostly self study. This is going to be tougher if ochem confuses you. The curve was very generous. Get used to low averages if taking. Cried a lot
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
30%
Textbook Required
78%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.27 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM163
4.0
(9)CHEM363
3.9
(11)CHEM161
3.5
(20)CHEMISTRY163
3.0
(1)CHEM361
2.8
(8)Difficulty by Course
CHEMISTRY163
5.0
263
4.6
CHEM361
4.5
CHEM263
4.3
CHEM363
4.2