2.7
Quality3.9
Difficulty43%
Would Retake98
Reviews43%
Would Retake
98
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
23
4
15
3
6
2
32
1
22
What Students Say
“The mission statement of ESF:”
FCH150 - 1.0 rating“Poor quality instructor”
FCH151 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
36%
Textbook Required
73%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.59 avg changeRatings by Course
FCH153
5.0
(1)FCH410
4.7
(3)EFB153
3.0
(2)GENCHEM
3.0
(2)FCH101
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
EFB153
5.0
FCH101
5.0
CHEM1
4.7
GENCHEM
4.5
FCH151
4.4
Reviews (98)
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Shes a good teacher, but I hate chemistry. Very helpful, she knows her stuff. I havn't seen her act poorly towards students in class, nor make examples of them. Overall a good teacher.
I thought she knew her stuff but was not a good teacher. although she is a harsh grader and it is not an easy class when you are doing bad, she is doing bad, and she knows that so she practicaly gives you as many points as you can, try and you will get a B.
she had a hard time at first teaching to a classoom full of disrespectful freshman, but once she learned to raise her voice & demand their respect, the class was much more enjoyable. not very organized, but always there to help.
she's very nice and very helpful and gives you as many points as she possibly can as well as ALOT of extra credit. she's ogranized but doesn't always present the material in the best way but always manages to pull through before the exams.
Worst prof EVER. She'll explain a problem, give you the answer, and then tell you she did it wrong. Should not be teaching.
knows her stuff and is nice, but is a horrible teacher. her lectures are horrible, and unorganized. The class is easy if you do a lot of outside work on your one, as lectures are almost pointless.
She is not a good teacher. However, she is very knowledgeable in the field of chemistry. she is the only chem 1 teacher at this school, so there is no way to avoid her. she is backed by a good staff of TAs and other assistants. she needs to find anouther place to teach, or the school needs to provide an optional chem teacher who can actually teach
She likes ask questions about things she's yet to teach us, just to show that she's smarter at chemistry than us.
I agree with the comments that she gives us work ON THE SPOT about stuff she has YET to teach us. It doesn't make any sense. Every worksheet she gives us involves problems or variations on problems we have no concept of because she didn't go over them. This is not stuff that will come to us intuitively, so she needs to start TEACHING before TESTING
Mehhhhhhh.
Could be more organized, but is always well-prepared. Never have a problem finding her for extra help. Overall, one of the most accessible professors at ESF.
Offers lots of chances at extra credit. Would be nice if students didn't have to be so dependent on workshops.
Worst teacher I've ever had plus she had a beard.
Offers a lot of "extra credit" opportunities because she knows thats the only way 80% of the class can pass. What is worse is that these extra credits usually involve you spending 4 hours out of your weekend. She dashes through lecture and expects us to pick up the bulk of the work in OPTIONAL workshops.
Great professor. If your not a total idiot and come to class and pay attention you can easily get a B
She is very discouraging and rude. She spent the last 10 minutes of our last lecture READING US A STORY instead of working on more sample problems for the final! She doesn't know anything about teaching. The class is impossible to pass unless you do extra credit work, attend workshops AND TA reviews.
She can be disorganized, although she gives a lot of extra credit opps. As long as you study, you should do fine.
Terrible teacher. Tries to be all warm and fuzzy with students, but she's inconsiderate to students needs and grades. Doesn't curve even when half the class fails. Treats you like dirt when you come in for office hours.
she's not a good professor but you can pass her class or gen an A easily if you go to class and do the workshop book questions. Her class is unorganized but you can just ignore it. Go see TAs when you don't understand the lecture. study the workshop book and the questions she posted on the ppt before exam. Also, study the old exam would be helpful.
Excellent professor. Very approachable in office hours. Fair grading style.
Doesn't always seem to know what she's talking about. Throws serious curve balls on exams.
Easy class, horrible professor. If you grasped concepts during highschool chemistry this is basically a review.
people have their different opinions of dr. d... i loved her. she can be intimidating during lecture, but if you go to her office hours and talk with her she is completely helpful and very kind. she offers many chances for help outside lecture. also- when given the choice, take the service track.
I love Dr. D. She was the best teacher ever.
Good teacher, lots of help, someone is always available for help. She always answers her email.
She is honestly unfair in alot of ways as well as difficult. However, she does make some effort to help a student when asked.
Terrible professor! She relies almost completely on TAs and hours of "optional" workshops. Has been doing the same problems for years and still can't solve them correctly. Tests are filled with curve balls, aren't curved and don't prep you for the ACS exam. She is also well known for trash talking students by name and has clear favorites.
Responsive to students, knows when we don't get something and tries to rephrase it accordingly. Just go to her office hours, one-on-one she's awesome, some of you nay sayers should try standing up in front of 120 people answering questions and working problems. She works really hard and if you don't want to study you will fail!
Do not learn much during lecture, she counts on her TAs to teach the class during the so called "optional workshops" .. She should be required to sit in on other professors lectures to learn how to teach her own class... or even better, replace her.
Lectures are pointless she would probably fail her own exams and if not for endless hours of out of class work with the TAs no one would pass. She is disrespectful to students. She is often wrong and if you try to correct her she will throw a fit and kick you out of class.
she is the most disrespectful person in the world.
She was rude to students, unhelpful in office hours, didn't care if you were having difficulty with class material, and is an awful teacher. In Chem 2, the final is on the previous semester's work as well (I didn't take her class the previous semester and she was unwilling to accomodate me.) Her TA'S are far better teachers than she is.
This teacher is terrible she will not help you with anything you are having trouble with. Her office hours are pointless because since shes usually to preoccupied with eating she will find any reason imaginable to tell you its your fault that you didn't understand her sloppy teaching style and possibly try to make you feel bad for asking at all POS
Not willing to explain grading! Should not be a professor at SUNY ESF! ""Please note the first time someone asks me about a grading question during the review, will terminate the review of the quiz. Questions about the problem will be entertained but not about how the quiz was graded and why "johnny got more points than sally". Kelley""
If you are not a pet of hers, don't expect any help. Don't think about asking questions about quizzes or exams because there are blackout periods after tests so no one can ask questions. She is a real big back stabber too.
HORRIBLE teacher, Worst I have had at ESF. Pitiful job of explaining problems and wastes tons of time on childish content intended to make chemistry "fun". Throws major curve balls and grades projects harshly and doesn't curve even when the majority of the class does poorly. Grade calculator is total B.S. All the bad stuff said by others is true!
I wish the Dean would read these posts!
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Dr. D. is always available if you come with good questions. I don't know what this person is talking about, it sounds like one person posting over and over which is completely allowed on this site. Stop bashing and do a little work on your own!!!
She gets a bad rep because a lot of people totally bomb her exams. But, it really is the subject matter which is difficult and with the limited amount of time she has to teach it in, she does the best she can. Also, there are very many venues for extra help.
Despite what anyone says, she is plain and simply a bad teacher. You shouldnt have to go see her in her office for her to not treat you like dirt and have a pissy attitude. She spends more of her class repeating how to do certain equations and calculations because she couldnt teach it right the first time. Head of faculty? What a joke.
Her exams aren't too difficult but she can be very mean during her office hours, especially when she is in a bad mood. Went there once and she treated me as if I didn't know anything even though I am one of her best students
Chemistry is my major at ESF and i ended up getting a B+ in her class both semesters. She is one of the most unprofessional and unhelpful professors I've ever had. She constantly puts down other professors and students during her office hours and will twist your worst in order to her her way...I know form personal experience.
Good teacher gets a bad rap because her class is predominately non-majors and the majors think they are entitled, see comment below.
Disorganized, and caters only to the freshmen. If you're unsure of general chemistry or transferred into ESF, you'll probably have a hard time. Tends to play favorites and treats her pets with more respect, and tends to help them more.
a few nitpicks: being a chemistry major does not entitle you to As. nevertheless, there are not enough chemistry majors at ESF to be the sole reason she gets slammed here. her students are just not happy. she is not (and has not been) the department head.
a few nitpicks: being a chemistry major does not entitle you to As. nevertheless, there are not enough chemistry majors at ESF to be the sole reason she gets slammed here. her students are just not happy. she is not (and has not been) the department head.
Erratic, unorganized, rude. Poor instructor. Its bad when I have to watch Youtube Videos to teach myself concepts that are not presented logically and clearly in class. Im paying for this clown? Hopefully I can grind out a passing grade with the help of the internet...THANKS CHEMTEAM.info and CMU.edu. Worst Prof on campus
Teaches the topics poorly and grades the quizzes and exams unfairly. She jokes around in class and shows us how to do things poorly. She assumes that we know what we're doing just because she knows what she's doing.
She's tough but her exams are very fair. Those complaining aren't doing anything on their own and haven't been to see her in her office. She's super nice one on one.
The mission statement of ESF: ?advancement of knowledge and skills and to promote leadership? now can we justify this?: Both admissions and my advisor told me to avoid her, however I had no choice-hands down I failed. I was told (by a college official) that it is more common for students to fail, then to pass. If there is a problem, fix it.
She definitely has mood swings and comes to class not interested at all sometimes. She's unwilling to answer questions and even sets limits to how many questions students can ask. There have been kids who have come out of her office crying because she would humiliate them.
Yes the class is hard, but not impossible. If you do the extra credit she makes available, and put in the effort it is not that hard to do well in her class. She does humiliate students from time to time, but from the instances I've seen its because they didn't listen to her, or missed something she previously said. be good to her & she will be 2 u
Tough course, good professor, lots of work, she doesn't baby you. Face it folks, it's College!
Her tests are tough but there's a huge curve by the end of the semester.
1st chemistry class I took and last I'll ever take. I'm an non-traditional student, and have been around the block, but she has to be one of the most difficult people I've ever met. A real big (literally) grouch and very much 2-faced. Her TAs are the only saving grace & without them I would prob. failed.
I genuinely love taking Dr. Donaghy's class. She is an amazing teacher who honestly cares about her student's education. She is very approachable during office hours if you need extra help and teaches the course material in a way that is easy to grasp. Her test can be a little challenging at times but it is only motivation to work harder.
She'll have you worried you'll fail the whole time so you're better off reading the book and teaching yourself
The worst possible teacher. Be prepared to teach yourself. Seriously
I can tell inorganic chemistry is more of her cup of tea than general chemistry. She is working hard to revamp the class and is doing a great job. Pretty humble about things she doesn't know, seeing as the subject is very far reaching. Labs can be very fun and helpful as well.
Course is fair, she's tough but her lectures are organized and worth attending. You do need to do a little work outside the class. Exam questions are often lifted directly from quizzes and homeworks.
Terrible professor. I would have been better off taking the 50 minutes three days a week doing practice problems than to go sit in on irrelevant lectures.
Poor quality instructor. Does not actually teach core general chemistry topics, but instead teaches related topics. The quiz and test questions reflect this. She should probably start a class called "Chemistry related subjects". avoid her.
Just read the other negative reviews, they're true. She really didn't teach us much, that's why its curved so much at the end. She broke down CRYING and LEFT CLASS because she realized it and was so overwhelmed. Material is fairly simple if you use textbook and NOT her. Class not relevant to ACS. Test q's are often straight off of the quizzes.
She really wants you succeed but you have to work hard for it! Take the service track and you will be fine. Standardized test is from a previous year so look online for previous exams. Overall the last exam does not count for much.
She makes mathematical errors and speaking errors when teaching. This makes it difficult to learn things the correct way.
General Chemistry II is a wild card. You never really know what your grade is - my advice is to stay above the curve. Difficult tests that are graded very harshly (little to no 1/2 credit), but she does give you points here and there (participation and extra credit). Very hard to understand in lecture.
She curves handsomely at the end, but if you want to do well, prepare to work incredibly hard on your own. I'm happy to have passed with a C+, but lots of folks ended up dropping the class. Not super quick to return emails, and can be very unprofessional at times. Aside from service track, there isn't much that I gained from the class material wise
Really difficult for a freshman course. Tests are hard, and if you don't spend hours studying for them or going to recitation/extra help you will have a hard time. In class she's rude, stuck up, and will treat you like you're stupid. You definitely have to work hard.
I had Gen Chem II with her and the material was easier than Gen Chem I but she couldn't teach it well so it was much harder than it needed to be.
This is a difficult class, and exams really require you to master material and to be able to think about/apply what you've learned. Go to workshops and office hours, work hard on your homework, and review what you got wrong on the quizzes (which do not matter a lot in the final grade). Dr. Donaghy wants you to do well, as long as you work hard.
Gen Chem I was really difficult as a freshman class. The tests were really hard, even if you spend hours studying for them and going for extra help. She makes so many mathematical and wording errors when teaching and on almost every quiz and test.
Horrible professor. Absolutely awful class. I tried so hard and yet I did not see an improvement in my grades. Also, she teaches new material the class before an exam.
This is a tough class, a tough subject and she makes it as accessible as it can be but you will need to do the homework (honestly) and practice doing problems. Use all the material at your disposal, the text, the quizzes, the internet. While the other comments are true - at some point we all need to take responsibility for our own learning.
The material is hard but not impossible to understand. She takes off a lot of points on exams for minor details regardless of if you get the right answer or understand the concept which can hurt your grade a lot. Way more friendly at office hours than in lecture.
She grades extremely harshly (-4 points on quizzes and tests for no/improper units, even if the answer is right). She almost always has some mathematical error/typo on exams, quizzes, and homeworks. Gives nearly no guidance on the final project. Go hops with TAs, who are way more helpful and teach the concepts better.
Tends to be snippy, doesn't seem to enjoy teaching. Not good at explaining, just kinda throws numbers on the board. If you don't go to workshops or reviews and you haven't previously taken AP chem, your grade will be close to, if not failing.
Chemistry is one of the hardest level 1 classes at ESF and Donaghy doesn't make it any easier. Lectures don't do much to help you learn, so be ready for most learning to be done on your own or with the TAs. If you don't go to office hours and workshops, you will fail this class.
Gen Chem is hard and you must put in the effort required and more in order to receive a good grade. The professor did her best to teach the hard subject but you also have to put in the effort outside of lecture in order to do good. Life is hard, take responsibility instead of blaming others.
The exams are nearly impossible to complete in the allotted time. Homework is exceptionally long and hard and if you don't go to the workshops, you won't get it right. Lecture is huge and the material is discussed quickly. Take a chem course over the summer for credit and save yourself at least one semester.
Donaghy has her ups and downs. Class-wise, shes really not good at explaining things. Just because she knows it like the back of her hand, she expects you to understand her jargin. Her tests are the hardest things Ive done. Outside of class, she cares A LOT about the welfare of the students at this school. You wont find anyone more caring.
A week before the final she moved our exam up 4 days without warning. The exam was standardized and contained very little of the information that was taught in lecture. Consistently left us to fend for ourselves on exams. Frankly didnt care.
Professor Donaghy is a good professor. Tests and quizzes are fair, only you NEED to study for them. I have to say chem is not my favorite, but I learned a good bit of information. Lots of extra credit is awarded, which compensates for the difficulty of the class.
Chemistry is a tough course, you need to do a lot of work on your own but if you come to class, do the homework honestly, study from quizzes, this is a fair course with an instructor who cares. Visit office hours but most of all get out of bed and make that 8AM lecture!
Donaghy works hard to make sure that students have enough material and skills to do well on her exams. Exams are straight forward right out of quizzes and homework but she does use time as factor. Totally disagree with previous poster, she cares deeply about her students - go to her office hours! One on one she's awesome.
This class is a lot of fun, definitely her specialty area. She uses art to make the labs fun and you bring home projects like stained glass. Learned a lot of useful practical chemistry as well as some really deep stuff. Wish she had more time to do more lab projects.
I had nightmares at least once a week while taking this class. She gives negative bonus points for simple things, but I don't believe we had any tests or homework without mistakes. She reprimanded a student that was crying during her lecture. You will mostly likely cry a few times over this class. She puts things on exams that she never went over.
Chemistry is a tough subject. Being in a lecture with 100 other students doesnt make it easy to focus. Because this is a first year class you have a lot of people that arent going into chemistry, so they dont care. But she does. Quizzes weekly to keep you from falling behind. And tests are fair. If there is a typo she gives credit to everyone
The reason why a lot of people dont like her is because chemistry is hard and they blame her for their bad grade. Dr. Donaghy is always willing to help. She holds more office hours than any professor Ive had. If you respect her, she will reciprocate that respect. Not a ton of homework. Exams are fair. Best teacher/prof I have ever had
This class was incredibly difficult, and the fact that Dr. Donaghy grades with negative bonus points does not help, and, quite frankly, is very unfair. Fortunately, a new class was created due to the increased amount of failing/struggling students. Many students taking this new class are improving, which really says something about Dr. Donaghy.
This course is so much fun, deep topics in inorganic chemistry made relatively simple and the labs are incredible. We even got to do some 3D printing this semester. Instructor can be a little testy when we aren't participating, but that's mostly on us, she wants us to think about what's going on, not just listen to her and not think.
She seems to actually care about her subject matter, she is really easy to get ahold of for extra help, and she seems like an alright person. If she makes a mistake she owns up to it and gives everyone extra points for it. But, I failed and dropped, and so did so many others. That class just doesn't do well in a lecture hall with 100 other students
Dr. Donaghy is really nice and is always available to help anyone. Go to her office hours if you are having trouble. Even some of the bad reviews here acknowledge that she isn't the problem, but rather the huge number of students in a lecture hall where personal conversations compete with the lecture. Give her a break. Hard classes need work!
Probably the worst class I have ever taken. She was very knowledgable but wasn't helpful in learning. Lectures were very fast paced and she expected us to know the material immediately. Workshops and the TA's got me a passing grade.
Way long overdue, this class was spectacular and never stopped impressing me. Would take again..
Took this course my freshmen year of college. I've since transferred out of SUNY ESF. At first I attended every single class, went to TA's workshops and reviews. When it came time to collect my tests, D,F lucky if I got a C. I've never felt more stupid and disheartened in my life. SUNY ESF needs to change their teaching methods. Glad I got out.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
36%
Textbook Required
73%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.59 avg changeRatings by Course
FCH153
5.0
(1)FCH410
4.7
(3)EFB153
3.0
(2)GENCHEM
3.0
(2)FCH101
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
EFB153
5.0
FCH101
5.0
CHEM1
4.7
GENCHEM
4.5
FCH151
4.4