3.0
Quality3.6
Difficulty15%
Would Retake95
Reviews15%
Would Retake
95
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
26
4
18
3
16
2
15
1
20
What Students Say
“There's no context to anything”
OCHEM2210 - 2.0 rating“He talks so quickly that you can barely understand what he says”
CHEM2210 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
58%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.78 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM2220
5.0
(1)CHEM1300
4.9
(8)CHEM2210
3.1
(69)2210
3.0
(2)ORGANIC1
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
OCHEM2210
4.5
CHEM2100
4.2
CHEM2110
3.7
CHEM2210
3.6
2210
3.5
Reviews (95)
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Very good professor. Intelligent and witty. Makes lectures interesting. Gives demonstrations to break up the monotony. Highly recommended.
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Fantastic professor. Interesting, witty, intelligent. Easy to follow. Doesn't use powerpoint, but draws a lot of pictures and stuff so you can actually keep up with what he's talking about. Highly recommended.
excellent prof. Always stops to answer questions and is very interesting to listen to. Must attend class but it is well worth it. Highly recomended
Great Prof!! Explains concepts clearly. Emphasizes the important points (that appear on the exam).
Awesome teacher, does cool experiments in class. and he is very well dressed ;)
Really knows his stuff, sometimes goes on strange tangents.
I love this guy!!! Awesome prof. I wish he would teach CHEM 2220.
He's the freaking man. Knows his stuff, great examples, very clear, and he has a loud projecting voice. Highly recommended.
best prof i've ever had. he's absolutly amazing.
Whoa whoa whoa. Probably the reason I smoked organic 1. One of the top profs I've had...ever. So helpful outside class, but his explanations inside class will probably be enough. Fresh and young and hot. I still don't love organic but I love this guy.
Great Prof. Thought this class was going to be a problem for me. Great explanations.
AMAZING! He makes organic chem easy!
skips over important sections, too few examples, spends way to much time on really basic material, does not explain clearly, doesn't ever really state rules and doesn't adequatly present the material as a whole, skims over a lot of exeptions and further in detail explanations.
lectures early in the term went too slowly and too basic and then he cranked up the speed at the end when the material is much more diffidcult
He's a pretty good prof. He does make the material fairly easy to understand, although this term he had to rush through the final sections, which upset a lot of students as this material was a big part of the final. If you studied, the course is rather easy. Ended up with A without really studying. Not that approachable, but teaches very well!
Overall very good Prof. He knows his stuff and he's very understandable. Had to use the textbook for clarification, it IS ORGANIC CHEM. He rushed through Chapter 8 (Mechanisms) in one Class(50 Minutes). Probably the low point of his teaching. Overall very good at teaching Organic!! :)
This guy is a really good prof. His loud voice and enthusiasm about what he's teaching keeps you interested. I would recommend him for sure.
John Sorensen is the type of prof that we need more of. Clear, concise explanations. My advice would be to write down MORE that what he writes on the board. He always gives great explanations, but doesnt often write them down. If you do this then you will breeze through the course
I've had a lot of professors in my university career but Dr. Sorensen is one of the few who is also a teacher. He's very easy to listen to and learn from although you need to put in the time practicing, too. Incredibly sexy.
A really nice guy, makes easy midterms. But like everyone has said he rushes through the hardest unit which is the mechanisms, in once class, and then dedicates a HUGE portion of the exam on it. Pretty much the entire long answer section..
Great prof. like everyone says clear concise,write down everything he says. get the separate handbook it helps for part 1. He also has friday help sessions. last year in buller after school. if your confused about anything go to them there really helpful. STUDY MECHANISM it will be on the final (probably organo lithium reaction) you can get an A!!
His notes are very helpful and can be used as a quick review before the exams IF you read the textbook. This prof knew his stuff but his lectures were boring and he didn't seem to understand students' questions and answered their questions by rephrasing their question back at them.
He's a fantastic lecturer. His voice is loud and he makes lectures light by cracking jokes once in a while. Make sure not to get behind in the lectures. The exams are difficult.
Although he comes off as a 'nice guy' in class -- don't even bother going to see him for extra help. He won't help at all with any question from an assignment or old exam - heck, he won't even try to re-explain the topic to you. He was rude to myself and others who tried to get help outside of class. Thank goodness for the new textbook (Klein).
Tough class but he does everything to get you through it. Very clear and tests on the material he stresses! Holds after class help sessions if you have any questions! The Klein OChem textbook is also great! got me through 2210 and 2220
Dr. Sorensen is virtuslly unapproachable for one reason or another. Don't count on getting help from him even after class. Emails are darn useless. He just refers you to the SI sessions which for a lot of students are conflicting with their schedules. Students are doomed if his office hours are conflicting with their hours. Very rude guy.
He even does not answer the students's questions after class, office hours and emails are useless!
The worst chem prof at the u of m. useless, rude, constantly forgets to bring things to class, doesn't go over iclickers. His lectures are basically him talking at you, doesn't feel like a chemistry class.. doesn't explain things, skips important points.
awful. the class is basically watching him draw a bunch of stuff on the board. he doesn't explain what he's doing and just expects you to understand it all. the textbook is where i learned everything, going to class was almost pointless because i learned nothing in it
idk why people are saying he's not a good prof. it might be b/c they are not studying enough to understand the topics discussed in class. ochem itself is really hard. he explained the concepts well & you obviously need to refer to the textbook to understand completely. prepare to spend a lot of time studying! he did a dry ice show on last day :)
Most useless prof I've ever had. The concepts of this course aren't extremely difficult as long as you constantly read and refer to the textbook because the lectures are awful. The only thing that kept me from not attending the lectures altogether was the Iclicker. The one thing I learned from lectures was how to draw a perfect hexagon....
Least favourite prof I've had so far. Very disorganized, and just consist of drawing molecules. Not very helpful when trying to study later. Most of the time I left class not knowing what was going on. Pretty much relied on the textbook because class was fairly useless.
In my opinion he's a very good prof! Keeping up with the textbook readings helped understanding what he was talking about in class. He has very energetic lectures, makes it hard to fall asleep in that class!
He's a nice guy, really energetic as others have previously stated. However, I found it hard to study off of his lecture notes. The main reason I went to class was for the iclickers. I depended on the textbook a lot.
Course was not that hard if you read the textbook. Some of the assignments were tough to complete if you left it to the last day, so DON'T. Sorensen is kinda full of himself, so not that helpful to students after class. The final exam was hard - m/c Q's were replaced with long answer Q's. Not unreasonable, but it would have been nice to know.
Very good speaker, however, very horrible at explaining methods in understanding concepts. You MUST read the textbook if you plan to get a good grade in his course. He also tends to miss/skip extremely important concepts until the last minute so make sure to stay on top of every subject before class.
Dr. Sorensen expects you to be an organic chemist before you even start the course! He skips the most important materials (spectro & mech) till the last minute and expects you to read the textbook and even worse gives you exams that make you think outside the box (for materials that he barely covered in class). He is also rude!
Sorensen is very passionate about organic chemistry and this is reflected in his lectures, frequently brings real life examples into current content. However the main concepts have to be learned outside of class, as studying from his drawings is near impossible. The 2nd language book will save your life.
very clear prof, speaks loudly and clearly. writes notes on the chalk board.. he is organized with them. the course is tough, he gives you the basics but you're expected to do practise questions in the textbook bcuz its a GREAT textbook. Honestly, i read 2nd lang book prior to class starting (in sept) and it made it way easier..got an A+ :)
Really great prof. The course material itself can get a bit tricky, so I highly recommend going to the SI lectures and reading the textbook. Sorensen on his own is pretty funny and extremely clear. He always goes over what he taught last lecture and is extremely helpful when you go to him outside of class. Very recommended.
Great prof! He makes the concepts interesting and easier to understand, although the textbook is very useful as well. I went to him several times during his office hours and he was VERY patient, friendly and helpful. The course itself is tricky but do-able as long as you put in the time (and make sure you get your practice exams corrected!!).
His lectures are useless. He doesnt explain things in detail. The textbook teaches better than him. The final had questions on mechanisms we didnt even learn. Midterm was pretty easy tho.
He is an entertaining speaker, but the actual teaching leaves something to be desired. Disorganized notes, not very thorough explanations. Fortunately we have the Klein Textbook.
Read the textbook and don't fall behind. He is pretty useless. Study before class and go to class because of the i clickers. He doesn't test fairly.
He's an okay prof it's just that he gives out challenging exams that can trick you easily if you don't think about the questions carefully, always read the Klein textbook and the second language book !!!
Course isn't the most difficult, but procrastinating can definitely make the course hard. Sorenson likes to give examples of each type of mechanism that is represented, and students are expected to be able to apply them to different scenarios. The textbook and 2nd hand book are very helpful, and if you want to do well in the course its reccomended.
Very clear speaker, organized, explains well, open to questions during lecture and during office hours. Course is hard, but textbook (while I didn't find necessary to read the chapters) clarifies concepts further and provides practice problems; 2nd language book helps immensely. Fair exams that got you to apply your knowledge rather than rehash it
Overall, I really enjoyed this course! It was difficult at first, because the way organic chem is taught is very different from all the other courses I've been in. Once you get used to his teaching method and actually get practice with questions, it all starts to click! SI sessions were particularly helpful too!
The only thing I disliked about him was that he was very distant and cold outside of class. If you went and saw him after lecture or in his office, he would be very disinterested and just distant and cold. Often he'd say I'm busy, can't help. He's a good lecturer. Labs really suck and exams are fair. He's not out to get you. Read the textbook.
He's really cool.
Dr J, J Sore, very cool prof 1110 would teach
He is an awesome prof, however extra effort is needed to do well.
Midterm was a way harder then final. I feel like he made the final too easy. He is a good prof and very enthusiastic about the course. It is critical to go to SI sessions and read the text before going to class to receive a god grade.
He's a great lecturer, he really knows his stuff and teaches the class very well. Only down side is that he doesn't really care about students outside of the class, this is demonstrated during 1st class with his classic "Hey how many of you want to be doctors?" speech, and I feel like he does that bc he thinks all students are just there for med.
Difficult course, sometimes unclear prof. While he is very passionate & obviously knowledgeable, doesn't answer questions well & I felt this course was mainly self-taught. SI sessions & the textbook saved my butt. Labs very long and tedious, wasn't sure of expectations but ended up boosting my grade. Never have I worked so hard for a B+.
Dr. Sorensen is great if you are an individualistic learner and like to figure stuff out by yourself. His lectures are very clear, and accurate, however trying to approach him with questions is unpleasant. He is rude, and unhelpful! Ochem is considered one of the toughest courses and it's definitely one that will expose your flaws in studying...
Awesome prof!! Very nice when you meet him in person, makes you work through the question with him. Got A+ in the course. Textbook is highly recommended and so as second language books. TRY TO DO ASS MUCH PRACTICE PROBLEMS AS YOU CAN!!!!!
Nice guy but hard class. Recommend going to lectures and then going home and reading textbook/2nd language book.
Do. Not. Procrastinate. Read the textbook and 2nd lang books and do as many practice problems as you can!!!! Also try to attend SI sessions. Prof is very nice, he helped walk me through a couple Wiley questions in his office hours. He expects everyone to work hard to earn a good grade in the course. Lectures are clear & organized
Well, he's the best of the worst. Took this course with him in Fall 2015. I had to teach myself this course through the textbook and YouTube. He wasn't very helpful and didn't keep my interest in this class, but he's not that bad compared to other profs.
Does not add anything that isn't already in the textbook. Only reason to attend are the iclickers. NOT approachable after class and was rude to me when I asked him after class. I got an A+ in the course. Textbook + Youtube is all you need to succeed. NO SI sessions, NO 2nd language book, no gimmicks are required, but merely optional.
not the best prof in chemistry. highly unapproachable. gets mad very esaily when I asked him a simple question after class.
Taking this class with Sorensen is like having someone ride a bike with training wheels then expecting them to be able to drive a car as soon as they get the hang of it. All he does is draw pictures without actually writing anything down. There's no context to anything. The exam material can take a big jump from what is actually covered. Go to SI.
He'll scribble on the board and then erase it, expecting you to already fully know and understand what he's teaching in the lecture. I ended up going to Dr. Davis' lectures, and she actually teaches you the material. Sorenson includes lots of useless material while skipping ALL explanations of things you'll be tested on. 0/5 prof. Take w/ Dr. Davis
I honestly think this professor may not be the best for teaching an intensive organic chemistry course. Does not interact at all with the lecture, just looks at the blackboard writing to fast and to messy for most students to understand. Then quickly erases it, leaving most students lost to begin with. I would not recommend him, go for RD.
Clear lectures and thoroughly explains concepts. Lacks sufficient examples, so studying the textbook material is a must.
Overall just an O.K. prof, some of the explanations are quite fast and messy, but others are good and clear its pretty hit and miss. Doesn't go through many examples if any in class which makes the exams seem pretty tough, definitely make sure to keep up with the textbook or extra tutoring.
Does not post lecture slides, so you must attend class. He's decent at explaining concepts but come to class having read the appropriate section of the textbook. His class is very fast paced. Do many practice problems and use the second language book
I don't know why there are so many bad reviews of Sorensen... I thought he did a really good job with 2210. His examples made sense, he posted all notes that were on powerpoint, provided practice exams well within reasonable time before an exam, PLUS he posted the solutions to them. Work hard, use the textbook(its good!) and go to S.I. sessions!!
The textbooks a better prof than John, quite sad actually. Honestly just use the textbook primarily for studying and his lectures for a introduction. He goes to fast, he scribbles on the white board messy drawings of molecules, talks super fast at the same time. Stuff rarely has time to sink in, if there is another prof take it with them instead.
Funny without meaning to be. Interesting character, not the greatest prof. Very disorganized and hard to follow, but you get used to it as the class goes on. Second language books are your best friend. Exams are fair and not tricky. The notes you take in class are not very clear or helpful so if you just study the right textbook sections ur good
Dr. Sorenson is horribly disorganized, gives unclear explanation, and races through lectures. His lectures only touched the surface of testable material, so you're left to your own devices the majority of the time. He doesn't explain how topics can be applied in questions. He gives much more clear answers if you ask him questions one on one.
Does not go into detail on anything, skims over topics and does not explain how or why. Just a bunch of drawing on the white board. Does not post stuff online and you are better off reading the textbook than going to lecture. On the midterm surprised with a full section he never taught in class which was worth 20% of the midterm. BAD PROF!
He's one of the worst prof's I've had! He goes very fast in class and barely touches the surface for any of the material. The midterm covered topics we didn't learn in class and was 20% of your grade. Overall, its a class you need to teach yourself outside of class. The textbook and second language books are your best friend!
He talks so quickly that you can barely understand what he says. I basically had to teach myself the spectroscopy section since he skipped through slides at lightning speed. His molecule/mechanism drawings are also very messy and hard to follow. But he did give an in-depth talk about marijuana for 10 minutes once so that was cool
He was really helpful and wrote out all the notes on the board so that you had a clear understanding. The course is pretty tough but I think he does his best to help and make things clear. He is definitely one of the better chemistry profs I have ever had at U of M. definitely make use of the SI sessions offered so you get help with practice.
The worst professor I've ever come across. He literally does not care about his students, and his attitude is downright awful. I would sue him if i had the chance. He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a university
Sorry, but I have to write this. Hardest final I have every experienced at the University of Manitoba (biochem was easier). Information and spec problems are bare bone compared to the questions on both the midterm and final (emphasize on the final - was ridiculous). Does the UoM chemistry department enjoy failing students?
You can tell this guy was bullied heavily as a kid, now that he's in a position of power he decides to be a complete unapproachable d-bag. Do yourself a favor and register with Dr Davis. If there are no spots in her class don't bother attending this guys classes just read the textbook and practise as many Wiley problems as you can.
His lectures were slightly less organized than our other chem 2210 prof's. His writing is kind of messy but nothing crazy that you wouldn't be able to follow, it's mostly drawing/diagrams anyways.
John was kind of entertaining but unfortunately is extremely unorganized in how he presents information & teaches the bare minimum, leaving students to learn from the textbook. Zoom lectures felt pointless. Tests/assignments were clearly written by Dr. Davis. Just rely on textbook and 2nd lang book.
Never replies to emails, you'll have an assignment worth 12% of ur mark and he won't even post the instructions until the middle of the week its originally scheduled to be due. Gives no info on the final exam, and keeps you guessing on what to do on assignments because he is never organized. He's like the father this is never there.
Insanely unorganized, even though this organic chemistry lab course isn't the hardest. The few reports we had to do had very unclear instructions, he would release the info of an assignment couple days prior to the original due date for no apparent reason which then causes him to push the assignment to a new date. Syllabus had many mistakes.
When Dr.Sorensen would come into the lab to watch he was a stand up guy and I liked him, but good luck trying to ask him anything outside lab hours. Its pretty much a game of Where's Waldo. Never responds to email and puts up assignments a few days before the due date and then has to push said date. Also doesn't post anything when he said he would.
Hate
Horrible Prof. If you want a smooth and sailing ride to a guaranteed F then this is the prof for you!
Great guy honestly. Nothing to complain about, enjoyable lectures, easy assignments and tests, explains everything well, nice when you ask him questions in his office hours. Ochem was a very pleasant experience with him as a prof.
one of the worst profs I have had. His teaching style is drawing molecules on the board with ZERO explanation about what is going on. Do not waste your time going to office hours because he is not helpful and just says to read the textbook. Very disorganized and assignments are very difficult because you don't learn all the concepts in class.
Scribbles on the board a lot of orgo molecules and says "simple chemistry trivia" several times as if we have doctorates in organic chem. He does bare minimum and puts hard things in exams. His office hrs are according to his availability cause his research is more imp. Exams and assignments are too hard!! Pick Rebecca & avoid him!!
CHEM2100 was a trainwreck but CHEM2110 wasn't as bad. Just make sure to visit his office when you can bc there are some concepts he prefers over what the txtbook says. His lectures are quite disorganized but the assignments and exams are pretty straightforward once you've got the mechanisms down.
I took orgo 2 and the ochem lab with John. I found the presentation of course content to be concise, however some concepts were wishy-washy where it would be stated to pretend things would take place in the assignments due to his errors. However, he does take accountability for mistakes and I had an overall positive experience.
Something must have snapped in him around 2012 because all the reviews went from positive to what they currently are. Kinda sad honestly because I could totally see him being passionate back in the day but for now he is a shell of what he formerly was.
The lectures are entertaining, but the teaching is disorganized. I relied on the textbook and Unstuck AI to learn the material. Exams and assignments are very challenging, but the class is manageable with the right study strategy.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
58%
Textbook Required
33%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.78 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM2220
5.0
(1)CHEM1300
4.9
(8)CHEM2210
3.1
(69)2210
3.0
(2)ORGANIC1
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
OCHEM2210
4.5
CHEM2100
4.2
CHEM2110
3.7
CHEM2210
3.6
2210
3.5