Very hard. He really likes to challenge you.

This class is not easy but the professor is helpful.

Dr. Kahn is the hottie in the chemistry department

Kahn expects 300% from you! but you will learn a great deal of information, and overall this prof is GREAT. Be ready to work though!

Kahn is a good one if you want to learn practical methods and ther applications. Makes you work a lot. Coveres topics beyond the text but works hard to help students understand material. Posts helpful lecture notes online. Overall, Kahn is an excelent prof: knows his stuff, always there to help.

Contrary to the last statement, Dr. Kahn is a wonderful and valuable teacher at UCSB. Whoever wrote the previous statement is obviously lacking in certain neurological faculties.

Dr. Kahn is the best chemistry professor at UCSB. Don't get me wrong. He will work you harden than you've been worked and teach you more than you've ever been taught in 10 weeks. I highly recommend taking as many classes with him as you can.

Dr. Kahn is the hardest professor in the chem dept. I can also say that I have never learned so much in my life. We learn practical skills through lab, but in this class with a HUGE writeup due weekly, it gets overwhelming. He is great, hard, but great. If you are willing to work, take him.

Definately not an easy professor, he requires a increased level of conceptual understanding of the topics. Its a lot of work, but once you understand the concepts your ok. Exams are constructed to test your conceptual understanding, by bringing in additional materials and even essays. Its a lot of work but you come out with more than a good grade.

He teaches differently by not going exactly by the book. His powerpoints are interesting and he has a good sense of humor. I got an A only because he curves the class. Because he curves, he makes the exams somewhat difficult--so that he can distinguish the A students from the others. He is really approachable and nice.

Excellent professor. Earned his Ph.D. in one of the best research groups in the country and definitely knows his sh!t. Only the weak and feeble minded dislike him for their inability to comprehend advanced human logic. Basically, don't take his classes if your an idiot.

He is one of the greatest teachers in the chem department. I have taken 4 classes with him and about to take my fifth and I am looking forward to it. He works you hard, but it helps you retain and learn the information. For those who think that he is a bad

As many have said before me, this class requires a lot of work - if you're stupid don't take this because you will do poorly!

Be prepared to work! You will learn a lot but DON'Y come to class unprepared, or his in class oral quizs will make you look like an idoit. He is helpful, but expects a lot.

This man is a workaholic. He tries much harder than the average professor to teach us and he gets to know us really well.

The reason he seems difficult is bc he actually xpects u2learn the material.He won't let u just slide by,bc ur not gonna get n2 medschool that way.He expects&demands a degree of intelligence&maturity,& if u have it,then u'll learn alot.If u read the book,u should do fine on the tests-a 63% is a B-,thats pretty fair.His accent&sarcasm r entertaining

This professor is the best professor in the Chemistry Department. He is funny, interesting and super super smart. He wants you to learn the material and not just slip by. If you are not a science major don't bother taking him, he is fair but extremely tough. He is extremely helpful, and you would bother to talk to him, you just may learn your stuff

great professor. the fairest professor in grading I have ever met. He is funny at times and his teaching style is fun to follow. His class is the hardest class I have taken here at ucsb.

Good professor, as long as you are willing to work hard. Good at presenting what he expects you to know, and helpful if you don't understand something.

Took three quarters of biochem lab with Kahn. He is by far the best professor I have ever had. All the gen chem students that give him bad ratings do not appreciate the value of his teaching HE ACTUALLY MAKES YOU LEARN THE MATERIAL. He makes you work hard, but it pays off in the end. I highly recommend everybody to take classes with him.

It was his first time teaching the class and it took a while to get use to him...but he definitely listened to the class and when we didn't understand something he took the time to explain it. whether or not the explanation helped is a different matter

Biochem lab is demanding. some of the lab write ups are soo long, but you really do learn a lot from them. I learned more in this class than I did in biochem lecture. Kalju is a nice guy and always willing to help. I hear his biochem lecture is rough, hard tests. We only had a final in the lab, and it wasnt that hard.

This is one of the hardest professors in the biochemistry department, you have to study alot, and you have to take him for 3 quarters of lab and he makes you spend most of the week just on his course. As hard as he is, he is still one of the best professors in the school and he will bring out the best in you if your willing to work hard.

I don't understand people's comments on here. While he is intense (teaches undergraduate courses as graduate courses), he is by far not the worst professor here at UCSB (try some of the ChE profs!). He is available for questions and curves the class at the end (even if the average is an F!). I recommend taking him if you want to really learn.

The way Kahn teaches brings out your best. His courses are intense, but he is by far the nicest and most helpful professor I've had in my entire 4 years of school. Be prepared to study hard and be challenged-- he sets his bar pretty high.

after taking his biochem lab series, i will never be intimidated by anyone and life is just completely downhill from this point. im better because of it but my gpa definitely isn't.

Hard, but if you study enough, you should be fine. Plus there's a generous curve. Nice guy imho.

A great professor who definitely knows all of the intricacies of biochemistry. While it is true that you will work your butt off for a good grade from him, you will be the better for it, since you will know a lot more than most about the subject. Didn't care much for the class being only 6 wks, mostly biochemists, and multiple geniuses/small class.

The class is taught at the graduate level and the hw's are time consuming. There is only one midterm which covers 7 chapters and the final is worth 50% of your total grade. The class should be part of a yearlong sequence and have more prerequisites(entire math, ochem, physics, and pchem sequence along with a programming course)in order to do well.

By far the hardest prof you will ever have at UCSB but also BY FAR the best prof you will ever have, he will make u work VERY hard but you learn so much, if you go to lecture read the book take notes RE-take notes and think, u will have no problem he puts in a lot of effort and is a very interesting and he is a right of passage in the biochem dept

He really pushes you to be the best student that you can be. When you put in the effort, so does he. He is always there to help you out and will go above and beyond if you are making a real effort to succeed in his classes. He has inspired me to achieve more in life and the one class I had with him was the best class I've ever taken at UCSB.

Excellent at stimulating interest in the class through real life examples. While tests were a bit tricky, homework was straightforward. Pushed inductive reasoning skills through intriguing questions.

This is the first professor that I've ever rated on this website because I never felt it was necessary. The lab classes that I took with Kahn were by far the hardest classes I have ever taken. The best way to phrase it is like so: these classes are a rite of passage into the biochemistry major, he is intimidating but puts in a lot of effort.

He hadn't taught 109c since like 2007 so he was definitely rusty with mechanisms etc but still really enjoyed the class. His tests can be ridiculous but he curves generously. also gave explicit study guides... super chill!

This guy is a walking textbook or encyclopedia and will expect you to become the same. His classes will push you further than you may like but you'll end up better because of it since you really get a lot of practical experience with him. He also has an open door policy when you need help; so if he's around he'll give you help.

He really pushes you into the world of being a future graduate student. That saying, he expects a lot from you and it can seem stressful but when you look back you realize that the conditioning he puts you through is really helpful. Also took chem 110L, lots time and humiliation but loved it and totally worth it to get ready for grad school!

Really has passion and mastery biochem. Genuinely cares about success of students in class and their careers. Assigns way too much work. Always try to read ahead. Always ask him to clarify if you don't understand. GO TO OFFICE HOURS. If you do well and take time to get to know him try to get a letter of rec. His review sheets are key for tests.

Kahn was an amazing teacher. 142A was a cake walk compared to his chem110L lab which was the hardest class I have ever taken in my life. He scared you into learning and it works! You need to listen to his lectures he tells you the answer to everything if you listen well. He is an excellent teacher and really cares about his students

Great professor- passionate, knowledgable, organized & helpful. He can appear intimidating because he has very high standards & expectations for students (expect to be randomly verbally quizzed during class- even on the first day). Course is challenging- don't let the 3 units fool you. Read material BEFORE class, ask questions & NEVER get behind.

I have taken 3 lab and 3 elective lecture courses with him. You will have to work very hard in his classes and do loads of preparation, but you will also learn so much and will realize you are capable of exceedingly challenging work! The assignments and tests are heavily focused on problem solving, which I enjoyed. Don't be intimidated by him.

Great professor. He certainly has high standards & expectations, but he puts a lot of time & effort into the class materials to help you. He appreciates when the class is prepared & participates in discussions & will call on people if it gets too quiet. Don't be intimidated by him though, he is extremely willing to help any student who is trying.

Note: Only take CHEM 111 if you are serious about learning how to analyze real chemical kinetic data computationally. This is an excellent course that will teach you a lot and leave you with great, practical materials to use for analyzing kinetic data, but know that it is a hard, fast-paced class with heavy use of Mathematica.

Hardest professor ever. Will push to the limit. prepare for days and nights of study.

This professor has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject, and that's good, because this course is intense (of course it is - it's an upper division Biochemistry course taught on a severely compressed schedule). Do the work and participate, and you will get a good grade.

He is obviously one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. He was relearning organic chemistry from the same textbook the students used, and he found a couple of errors in the book. His vitamin pop quizzes are nearly impossible. The exams are overwhelmingly difficult, thus my 54% turned out to be a B+.

He's very stimulating in lecture, and frequently asks the audience questions which enhances attention and learning (in my opinion). His homeworks can be quite long, and your research skills shouldwill be definitely sharpened, but the questions are very interesting. Tests are pretty fair.

Dr. Kahn is a brilliant professor, and is likely one of the smartest people you will ever be around. The secret to Kahn is making sure you know his material. Read the theory manual. It is written in a conversational manner,and contains the answer to every question he will ask in class. You need to prepare. Don't be afraid. He can see the effort.

He expects a lot from you. Hard as all get out, but he expects you to do well which is refreshing and inspiring. Put in the work, meet with him in his office, go to class and be prepared. One of my favorite professors even though he was tough. Half our class dropped by the midterm, but he teaches you how to learn, which is really why you're there.

I was enrolled in Dr. Kalju Kahn's three-quarter lab seq. during the 2014-2015 (3 Qrts), and 2015-2016 (2 Qrts), academic year. I was brought to tears, and later disqualified from school. He took the time to walk with me, find the source of the adversity, and unexpected sponsored my readmission. Fixing sometimes requires being broken. Ty KK & MB.

Honestly, I enjoyed having Kahn as a professor. Yes, his courses are very challenging and yes, he'll push you to your limit but he cares about his students and about learning. Work hard as he likes this and is very approachable! Don't listen to the negative hype and be your own judge.

I was enrolled in the biochem lab series with Dr. Kahn for the entire year (3 quarters). He is VERY TOUGH and my mental health was the lowest it has ever been. However, you do gain A LOT out of this series. He always challenges you and pushes you harder than any professors ever will.

Professor Kahn is a very difficult teacher. He's also the only teacher who will give you access to concise explanations of extremely complex and theoretical material. You are not disillusioned if your reason for taking his class is to have an opportunity to use your knowlege set to look deeply into chemistry. You are if you think A+ is ab initio.

If you're looking for an A but not willing to work day and night, avoid this man at all costs. Change to biochem in the bio dept if necessary. He is a great professor if you want to learn difficult concepts in great detail. His theory manuals sometimes get difficult to keep up with. Heard rumors that he's mean, but he's always been very kind to me.

Dr. Kahn's classes are VERY HARD but his material is always interesting and he constantly pushes students towards harder concepts. If you really try and work hard you will succeed. Please go to his office hours if you need help. He is very kind and supportive, even if he may seem intimidating. DO NOT CHEAT OR SLACK OFF IN HIS CLASS

The contents aren't too difficult, but you should expect devoting a lot of time in homework assignments, which is like a small project each. Attend lectures definitely saves your time.

Truly one of the best teachers I've had at UCSB. I was worried about taking this class because I've heard he's very tough, but he's literally so sweet. He cares so much about his students individually. He stayed late in his office to help me with homework, slowed the course down, and asked us what he could do to improve his tests and listened 10/10

Prof Kahn was a great first impression of UCSB for me as a transfer; always asking the class for ways he could improve our quality of learning and he implemented them. Grading was fair and there were lots of ways to earn easy points, like vocab pop quizzes or extra credit. He also likes to recycle questions sometimes on exams/homeworks.

The coursework is manageable, but be ready to put in the time on assignments. Attending lectures is crucial - you'll get a lot more out of the class that way. For study prep, Unstuck study and the free textbook were super helpful.

A beautiful series on drug design. Entertaining lectures, laid back classroom setting, chill homework assignments, crucial feedback. Kahn does everything that other professors try to do. Most professors suck, but Kahn is an exception. It is clear that he has been in academia his whole life because he has perfected teaching. Very enjoyable.