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Chemistry is an amazing subject, and he only makes it more interesting & fun. There really is no reason to do poorly in this class. Attend lectures, work hard (ask for help) and you'll be fine.

Lectures are interesting and he does tend to read off the slides but he's helpful in the sense that he'll provide in-class example questions if you ask for it in class.

A fantastic prof! Too bad we only had him for 6 weeks. Very helpful, approachable and patient...definitely knows his stuff. His enthusiasm for Chemistry is infectious. I very much hope that I'll be in another of his classes.

Super nice, super helpful, very fair, super funny - gives breaks with funny/interesting slides so you don't fall asleep!

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he is my world

he is amazing. i love him.

Very clear, straightforward lecturing, with thorough practice questions and examples. I know he reads these though, so in that case I'll say he's a git.

He's great. A little boring sometimes, but who isn't? I liked chemistry before, and now I love it. Take his courses. You won't regret it.

Keeps things pretty interesting. Takes occasional breaks to have fun classes which is great but the exams are excessively hard.

Such a good guy, super approachable. He is set at a massive disadvantage teaching an engaging first year chem to a lecture theatre of 250 where 90% of the people are only taking the class because of requirements, he does manage to have fun times. Also, keep a running tally of F-bombs, i wish i had.

This course was the first time I was introduced to organic chem. The prof made it very interesting by constantly including real life applications of what we're learning. He has a calm voice and a slow pace. He's always available whether during office hours, afterclass, on msn, or emails. He gives advice and exam tips which are always helpful.

He's put at a disadvantage teaching students who only want to memorize definition and do the exam without thinking about the questions. The previous remark is not correct. I'm in that class and 1/3 did not drop. The average was the same as previous years. This is not an easy course but Dr.Carran does an awesome job. Just keep up ur readings daily!

Good course if you put the effort in. The three previous unhappy posters obviously didn't.

You will only do poorly in this course if you don't put the effort in. Unhappy posters below obviously found this out the hard way.

The course isn't easy. The prof does a good job making the material more clear. You NEED to read the textbook and attend lectures to do well.

awesome prof, great couse, fair marking.

A solid lecturer and interesting intellectual.

Wow...I guess some students don't like admitting that they suck and don't work hard enough. This guy is fine. Listen in class and you'll do fine. Always available after class and in office for help.

Lol..if you fail his exams it's because you're stupid. Gives good hints in lectures if you listen. Angry comments here are from students who just realised they aren't as smart as they thought they were. Always available for questions. Just don't ask questions that's been asked and answered a million times before or you will get a one word reply

Really helpful if you go to his office hours - always takes as much time as you need to explain concepts. He really knows what he's talking about and doesn't throw anything unexpected at you on exams. If you go to class, it's easy to do well. Very personable and friendly, and entertaining to listen to in lectures!

I actually really like Carran. He's funny and he does so many examples that if you don't get it at the end of the day, that's truly on you. Great guy, great prof.

Great prof in class. However, exams are unreasonable. Terrible.

I studied for a very long time for the final, going through lectures, reading the text book and doing hundreds of problems, plus course cram and I had no idea what was happening. Funny, smart prof, but exam was unfair, or im just dumb :)

Easy exams if you attend his lectures, ask for his help when needed and put the work in and study. Hard if you don't...simple. If you fail it's totally your own fault.

Great prof! He clearly loves organic chem and makes classes pretty interesting (clear & detailed explanations). Likes to do examples during class - pay attention to them! If you understand his lectures, it'll be a lot easier when studying. As much as possible, do the pract qns he assigns as exams are very similar to those qns.

He's a round headed limey but he's a good prof.

I love Carren! He's hilarious! His midterm was incredibly easy and his lectures are straight forward.

Hilarious, with a very sarcastic, dry sense of humor. He's explains concepts fairly well, and outlines specific questions from the text. He's quite helpful in terms of providing exam aids. But try not to miss his lectures very often. He adds a lot to his slides in class. Exams are very fair.

Straightforward prof. If you listen in class you'll get tons of hints. Too many dumb people taking this course want their marks without doing any work. Makes for unfair ratings, I feel sorry for him. Great prof, easy to talk to outside of class.

Great prof, hints all over the place, and he's really funny Brit. Do the assigned work! If you do what he tells you, the exams are painfully straightforward. So many people complain about the difficulty, while sitting at the back talking or skipping class. Don't listen to the negativity. Work hard, show you care, and he'll help you a lot.

Carran I thought was a great prof. He's super clear in class, gives great examples and resources to practice. The key to succeeding in his orgo class is PAY ATTENTION! With the midterm he literally told us what was on the exam and many people didn't listen and failed. Just go to class, practice and you will be golden!

Pretty straighforward prof. Seems to give massive hints in class. Easy exams if you listen. Guess some people don't listen or work or grow up for that matter. Wish he taught for whole 2 terms. Approachable after class and in office hours which always seemed empty...hey, better for me lol.

Excellent online class. Lots of help and feedback, fast responses, and great instruction. Best online course I took at Queen's yet. I'd highly recommend this for anyone needing an OChem background for MCAT or other reasons.

This class is very hard. But Carran genuinely wants you to do well. He will go out of his way to help you, but remember he has 300+ students. Go to his office hours. Or just show up. If you show him you are trying and want to do well, he will spend hours helping you. Also call him on it when he's rude. He doesn't mean it; he's just sarcastic.

Dr. Carran is a very kind and caring professor. He may seem very intimidating when you meet him (the British accent probably elevates this), but he is genuinely a very good professor. Organic chemistry is a difficult course wherever you go, but Dr. Carran goes out of his way to provide resources to ensure you will do well. Work hard and do great!

Loves to give hints on what will appear in exams. Pay attention to him and you will do fine. He does have a dry sense of humour, but if you can get past it, he's helpful and approachable.

Great Prof, very passionate, gave huge hints for what would be on the exams!

Greatest prof I've ever had! Go to his office hours he's always trying to help students out by changing the course. If you want to do well you have to go to class, he's always giving hints for the exams. Only problem is that he rushes through the last slides in the lecture if he's running low on time.. just use the textbook for this

Dr John Carran is a fair, yet firm, and immensely funny prof. People think he's rude and obnoxious - he's English, they're hardwired to be like that. He is a clear and effective teacher and really does care if you show up to office hours, even though he may appear unapproachable, he's not! Go to class, he'll give MASSIVE hints.

Dr. Carran is hilarious. His jokes are sometimes offensive but their are usually pointed towards himself and he doesn't mean any of it (I think...). Can't say I loved organic chemistry but he kept me awake during the lectures!

Dr Carran is honestly my fav prof at Queens. His hillarious tangents, life stories, and jokes are the highlight of my day. OChem material is difficult, but he does an exceptional job in instilling the important concepts. Examinations were tough, lots of studying required, still a 1010 would take again. #carranisgawd

Good prof, has pretty funny jokes and a lot of british sarcasm to liven up the material. His lectures were good, he makes an effort to make the material interesting even if he keeps making snide remarks about how he should get to teach us organic chem. Tests weren't easy but were reasonable, and lab marks are there to pull your mark way up.

Brilliant prof that has a good sense of humour and demonstrates a genuine interest that his students are understanding the material. I had him for 2nd year organic chemistry, which is quite a difficult course and I think he did an OK job at presenting the material. That being said, I definitely had to refer to Khan Academy on multiple occasions.

Wonderful prof! Makes his lectures clear and informative, but funny at the same time. Very enthusiastic about his subject. Always there is you need help, but he will not spoon-feed you the content. Yes, you actually have to put a bit of effort in and think yourself.

Dr. Carran was a hugely engaging speaker and made Chem 112 a great experience. The work is tough but the final exam was the fairest exam I've ever taken.

I've had Carran for 112 and 281, and he is a good prof. You wouldn't guess it but he actually does really care about his students and wants them to do well. He's totally helpful outside of class and wants to answer questions, go to his office hours! Pay attention in class, the things he emphasizes are always important, he often gives helpful hints!

Dr. Carran was a great professor. He was always enthusiastic about his topic and his sarcasm always made the class hilarious. He taught some useful tricks to understand relatively hard criteria. However, he did expect us to understand some difficult material that was never taught with little explanation in this course.

One of the best profs I've had. While he's hilarious and honestly the sweetest guy, the best part is that if you go to his lectures and pay attention then the readings aren't necessary in the slightest. Also really cares about his students, wants us to pass, will go that extra mile to make sure we're satisfied and understand what's going on.

Relates all content in his lectures back to the pictures. Extremely helpful in a class as content-heavy as Organic Chemistry. Real nice guy during office hours as well

Carran is straight up the man. He knows his stuff, he's a clear communicator and he's really funny. People who don't like him are looking for an excuse for their bad grade. He made a second year chemistry course as easy as addition. Arguably the hardest course this semester but he made it the easiest to understand.

The best

Carran is a wonderful professor. He definitely seems like a toughy when lecturing, but is more than helpful after class or during his office hours. A genuinely nice guy, who really does want to see his students do well. Very fair testing and grading (no 'trick questions'). Overall, great experience and would definitely take a class with him again.

Top bloke. Keeps you engaged during lecture and prepares you well for exams. Also very welcoming and helpful during office hours.

He's one of my favourite profs at Queen's. He cares about his students a lot, and is very cynical (but in a good way). His tests, however, are difficult. You need to make sure you understand everything, and start from the beginning of the semester. I may fail his final exam, but he's a great prof.

You won't like him at the beginning of 281 and 282. Well, you may continue not liking him. But, if you do your part in keeping up and actively trying to understand the information, you'll find he's the prof you need. Don't fall for his tough shell - he's got a big heart and cares about his students. If you did poorly, it wasn't his fault.

Carran is one of my favourite professors at Queen's. He made this course easy to understand. You still have to put a lot of effort into it to do well, but he teaches well and he's just overall a very nice guy.

John Carran is my definition of what a prof should be. He teaches clearly, is caring, wants you to succeed, and tells you EXACTLY how to succeed. He is hilarious & his lectures are interesting. He drops constant hints on what to expect on an exam. You will have to work for your grade, this is a tough class, but it's not his fault if you do poorly.

Funny guy, not his fault I'm an idiot.

Carran was easily the best prof I've ever had! I went to his office hours at least once a week and he was extremely helpful and made sure I always left with a clear understanding of the material. He wants all of his students to succeed and definitely gives all the tools to make sure you do!

Listen in lectures. Use the office hours. Follow advice. Put the work in. If you fail its on you as this guy will help you succeed. Great prof.

The best professor that I have had. His exams are challenging, but fun. If you go to his lectures, read the materials and potentially go to his office hours, you are guaranteed to do well. Poor guy for getting a bad reputation. Organic chemistry is hard on its own, but Carran makes it seem like a fun puzzle for everyone to enjoy.

Great prof, wants all his students to succeed - soak up everything he says.

Mmmmmm..... Toy Story Chicken Man

Professor Carran put a lot of effort into communicating with us in online school and tried to make it fun. Great professor, my only issue was there were no lectures and the exam was a hefty 45%. Hard course for sure but that has nothing to do with the teacher and just with the content.

Hard class, you definitely have to work hard to get a good grade. However, Carran is incredibly supportive and cares so much about his students. He responds to discussion forums extremely fast and provides four office hours every week. As long as you do your homework, you will be fine.

This course is VERY content heavy, attend the tutorials (weekly) and use his office hours (multiple per week) if you are struggling with any concepts. The final exam is challenging but manageable if youve studied well and followed his recommendations throughout the term. Carran is a gem overall and always happy to help in his office hours!

I think Carran gets a bad rep because students do poorly as they don't follow his advice. He is very clear on what study methods will get you the best grade & will always lead you in the right direction. His office hours were vert helpful (& fun) and he gave SO many bonus marks this year to ease our stress with COVID. Overall a great prof.

Professor Carran is a very understanding individual. During our covid year, he gave us bonus points on an exam because our exam got moved from in-person to online, and made the content of the exam a lot easier than a normal year. He is a great prof and clearly understands and cares for his students. Would definitely recommend!

One my favourite profs. Super engaged in students success and has a lot of really interesting things to say.

Solid prof. He always responds to questions on discussion posts super fast, plus he has a bajillion office hours that you can attend to have your questions answered. This course is more independent and content-heavy but getting a high grade is definitely achievable; just be sure to prioritize this course and stay on top of content.

Carran is an excellent lecturer and goes above and beyond to help out his students. 281 is a difficult course however Carran supplies students with more than enough resources to do well in his course.

Honestly a great prof. As long as you do the readings you'll be fine.

Best prof ever! Extremely knowledgeable, helpful and approachable. Dr. Carran will answer all your questions, plus tell you cool stories from his own research and experience. After 281/5, organic chemistry was my favourite subject. Go to office hours! Also, keep in mind the course content is super useful for future coursework and for the MCAT.

ORGO was a lot of new and hard content. I did not read the textbook and I feel like I should have. Caren always kept our attention in class but sometimes would brush over important topics in lectures- he had a lot of great tips and tricks though. Don't ask stupid questions he will flame you

I feel like his sole purpose of existence is to trick and screw over as many students as possible. His homework, labs and midterm is unnecessarily difficult. Every year he makes the course harder by adding more answer options to the midterm and the assignments. With all this said he is still a very good lecturer and is very competent.

Carran is great. Very good, engaging lectures that cover all you need to know. He tells you right off the bat how to succeed in the course and everything he says is correct. His exams are fair, he gives bonus marks, he's very available before/after class, and the assignments/labs are free marks and stress-free.

Carran is one of the best profs Queen's has to offer. He makes orgo fun, something I never thought would happen. He has tons of office hours, and responds to discussion board questions/emails within minutes, even if posted at midnight. You can tell that he cares about his students and is passionate about what he teaches.

Lightning speed replies on discussion posts, major yawn fest in lectures where irrelevant rants take center stage. And hey, get ready for exams that'll make you question your future, because why make it easy right?

My favourite prof at Queen's so far by a mile.

I promise that the bad reviews for this professor stem from the difficulty of the courses and not from him. Carran has been my favourite professor at Queen's and neither CHEM 281 or 282 are impossible to get an A+ in, I did for both. He is funny and a great lecturer, and if you go in with an open mind and study hard you will have a great time.

Great sense of humour, makes learning easy, and instills passion into his work. Very experienced and knowledgeable and extremely helpful when asked for help. I've improved massively with his help and under his instruction. Excellent teacher

Smart, honest, clear, experienced and on hand for support. Do the work and you'll pass. Simple.

BEST PROF EVER!! I miss him.

Errrmmm. His lectures made me fall asleep, but his videos were good. His background in pharmaceutical chemistry is quite interesting. As a professor, he is not very approachable. He doesn't like talking and comes off as mean. Midterm and exam expectations were very clear and good. Lots of resources for success provided by his TAs and volunteers.

Great prof, expectations were made clear and available at all times. Hard midterm, so-so final. Gave lots of feedback in discussions, and had lots of TA help available. Would take again.

Dr Carran's lectures were mid, but he gave good tips and tricks to ace the exam. Midterm was hard, final was moderate. Discussion boards were monitored super regularly. TA's and UGVs helped a lot. Biggest challenge was WHAT to study. Textbook was the most helpful- this should've been told in class

CHEM 281 is a tough course but it is possible to get a good grade. Carran can be hard to follow as he knows the content so he goes through it fairly quickly. I would advise that you follow along in the textbook and learn content before lectures.

Ermmm. He was kind of mean and intimidating which made him difficult to approach to ask questions. Overall, his exam was fair and nothing was too much of a surprise. He is also a pretty good lecturer because he integrates pharmaceutical applications of chemistry just for fun.

"If you follow the mechanistic arrows this course is just common sense" - Biggest lie, but great prof he really understands ochem. Lectures are a bit hard to follow and quite fast paced.

John Chemistry was pretty awesome at his job, but he only cares if you care. You better go to lecture or else you'll have an absurd amount of content to get through later when exams come around. Dr. Carran was really great during lecture, he was funny and extremely fair. Before asking a question though, check the discussion forum.

Ok at first I found him intimidating… and he is. BUT he is a nice guy, and does actually want to see you succeed. Other than that I found the midterm and final very fair. The same style of questions as the past exams on Exam Bank. He's also always there to answer questions on the online discussion forum which is helpful to look at. Class was okay!!

The guy is out of his mind, but it was an easy class if you payed even a little bit of attention. Midterm was online unproctored and final was crazy easy.

The only complaint I have about Professor Carran is how fast he talked in lectures. But then again he posted lecture videos after class and had multiple office hours per week where he was patient and answered everyone's questions. As long as you do all the practice exams understanding each question you should be good for final.