3.2
Quality3.7
Difficulty54%
Would Retake134
Reviews54%
Would Retake
134
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
134 total ratings5
39
4
27
3
22
2
24
1
22
What Students Say
“she doesn't know how to teach”
CHEM2 - 1.0 rating“This class is extremely challenging”
CHEM1300 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
57%
Textbook Required
54%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.13 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEMIWLAB
5.0
(1)CHEMII
5.0
(1)CHM2300
5.0
(1)CHEMDA3
5.0
(1)CHM1300
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CHEM1040
5.0
CHEM1046
5.0
SPA102
5.0
CHEM1310H
5.0
31854
4.0
Reviews (133)
She basically spoon feeds you. If you have a question on the test, she'll pretty much give it to you. But beware of straight lecturing and bad accent.
the best teacher ever and gives clear and concise notes... great curves ...
She is amazing and I totally love her. She is very helpful and give amazing curves. I wish she taught Org. too... :(...i would totally recommend you to take her...have fun...
easiest chem teacher at nsu.
Gives good curves, but doesn't actually work out problems on board- just uses examples from the book. Does send lots of practice stuff and notes, but not everyone consistently gets them. A bit of an accent, but not too bad .... says "no?" and "'kay?" at least 30 times a class (I counted up to 68 once). PBL is really helpful, answers questions.
sheis a VERY NICE PERSON!!!! but... she cant teach!!! if u WANT TO LEARN go to her office hours .. she is GREAT at explainig one on one.. but u wont understand a thing in her class!!!! so be prepared to do alot on ur own. if u can do that this is an easy class.
She is the sweetest most nicest person ever. You can always count on her to help you with anything. You don't really understand that much when you lectures. I highly advise students to read the chapter beforehand and do the chapter problems. Chem I was easy, but for Chem II she made the tests harder, def read the book before class.Overall shez good
She will curve our grade and help you after class but the bottom line is that if you want to learn in this class you will have to teach yourself
She teaches STRAIGHT FROM THE POWERPOINT which is extremely annoying. Everyone says she is helpful one-on-one, but I went to her and she assumes I should know everything. I had to ask her several times to explain something to me, and afterward I just went to the tutor. The tests aren't too bad, but you have to each EVERYTHING to yourself.
Provides what you need to learn the material in terms of powerpoints and review sheets and review sessions. Expects you to have done your homework before asking questions. As long as you don't have a problem with accents and do your due diligence you'll do good.
Dr. ballester is really nice and sweet, but she really cannot teach. I would go to class and tune her out while I read the text book. If you can learn on your own go ahead and take her, if not register for another professor.
really nice and if u fail her class ur a dumb ass all u need to do is listen and take notes......LEARN MATH and ull pass
WORST **** U'LL EVER HAVE satan's daughter herself!!!! she is the worst professor ever! DO NOT TAKE HER PLEASE!
No Comments
The best chemistry professor at Nova. She is the most helpful teacher I have ever had. She turned my world around as far as inorganic chemistry. I enjoyed her class immensely and learned a tremendous amount of material.I still go to her for help in biochemistry.Take her if you get the chance.
I think we all agree shes a nice lady, but teaching...wow she is bad, i rememered a lot from high school, and i would sit there as she explained something, feeling so bad for anyone who never had chem before, because she is a REALLLY bad teacher. If you're able to teach yourself everything, you'll be fine.
If she is the best chemistry teacher at Nova, I suggest take chemistry at a different university. Does not explain anything, just reads the power point. I could teach the class like that. Rate my professor should not grade teachers on personality, I waisted my time taking her because I thought she was good according toratemyprofessor.SHE NO GOOD
you may need your Phd in chemistry before you take her class. She cannot teach. She can read but not explain. Her class is hard not because chemistry is hard but because she does not teach.
She is a nice teacher and all but like she seriously assumes that since the 2 smart people in the class understand the material, then all the students know it. And thats is so not true!
she goes really slow just to the perfect pace for a beginning level. Definitely would recommend to anyone.
Just when you think chemistry can't get any hard, they have teachers like this teaching. I knew more before I left for class than i did after listening to her. If chemistry is your forte but teaching isn't, then please be a pharmacist!!!!!!!
Sweet, but horrible teacher. If you don't know how to study from the text, you aren't going to do well at all.
ok ok rating professors should not be based on their personality but she is a nice lady but CAN NOT TEACH!!! . He accent is sooo heavy you can barely understand her!On my first test I got a 52 so I went to see her and all she said was "you are fine you" how can I be fine??? Not helpfull! what is wrong with nova so expensive terrible profeossors!!
I took Chem 1100 as a refresher course since I hadn't had chemistry since 11th grade in HS. I did have AP so I just wanted to reinforce the materials. Prof. Ballester made everything completely confusing. She very vaguely explained everything and could not answer a question properly. I was more confused when I left her class than when I came in.
I wouldnt even go as far to say shes nice like others did...she has a sense of humor, but gets very annoyed with even simple questions. Her labs are the worst, disorganized to the point where you wonder if you are still inhabiting the same planet she is. Midterm was HARD but she did warn us, i'll give her that. Office hours, not helpful at all.
I heard that Ballester was nice and quite easy from her fundamentals of chem students. This was so far from the truth. Going to class was an all together waste of time, the book became my bible, and her lectures an all together blur. She did say, if you fail my exams McDonald's is always hiring and they had a 4O1K plan. Take Giarikos or Perotti
Here's the deal with chem: You either need a great teacher or a great textbook. In this case, we got a great textbook. I pretty much taught myself all semester and have managed to keep a B in the class. She is a nice person but teaching chemistry, or should I say explaining chemistry can be very hard to do.
She is a bi-lingual, fast speaking, and totally useless in answering questions.
Textbook use is 100%. Powerpoints are not good in a chemistry course, just like they wouldnt be in a math course. She does grade very fairly though. I learned so much in chemistry, but from the book, not her. She is such a nice person, she just doesnt explain anything, when i read the book i still cant make the connection between lecture and book
She doesnt like to help you understand. I took her for intro to chem and she made me feel like my brain was melting! she doesnt explain anything and she donest answer questions. if you go to see her out of class, she will make you feel stupid. I DO NOT RECOMEND THAT YOU TAKE HER!
She will keep you on your toes. Will push you to do your best and still call you stupid, in a nice way. She will prepare you for the ACS as well as for Org I.
THICK accent! It may be hard 2 understand. May call u up 2 the board 2 work out a problem as in K-5 school. On the other hand, she'll send handouts & powerpoint slides via email & she'll give handouts in class. Study like your life depends on it & u should do fine. Also, she always looks like she just stepped off of a runway somewhere! Hotness!
Is she the best teacher in the world? No. But, she will push you, and force you to take the class seriously. There are too many people trying to get into medicine that have no chance in the world, and after having her, you will have a better understanding if you're cut out for it or not. Overall, she is a good teacher, recommended.
If you can't write in science, you wont get very far. When I got a 40 on my lab report, i thought I was going to fail the class, but don't worry, if go to her or the TA for help, they will help you, and I think she grades based more on improvements, I still did fine in the class, and I learned how to write a lab report well, so it was easy in orgo.
She is a cool teacher, but a weird mom
she does grade on improvements!! try your hardest and show her that u care and she will help u out at the end. improve on ur lab reports and review ur exams with her. She definetely cares despite her intimidation.
So Ballester is one of those teachers some will love and other will hate. She's nice, but does move through the material rather quickly.She spends a lot of time explaining how or WHY certain things happen. So only take her if you can visit her during office hours. Took some time getting used to but i like her. p.s.doesnt use assigned textbook*
helpful but you need to study and do all of your homeworks
When i read her previous comments, i didnt want to take her. But she is honestly the best. All she wants to do is help you learn the material. She's super sweet and her class is a little challenging but trust me shes there all the way and theres a HUGE curve, Love herrrr! I can't wait to take her for chem 2/lab :)
I had Ballester for lab and while it takes a bit to get used to her teaching style, what is important is to ask questions! She will gladly take her time to explain everything until you understand, and she cares that you do good in the lab. GO to her for help with lab reports!
Very Nice. You have to be on her good side, but she will help you as much as she can.
She's hot and a great teacher. You have to study though
Ballester knows her stuff and assumes that you do too. Her tests are very challenging and you have to ask questions because if you don't she moves on very quickly!!! By the end of the class you will be prepared for the exam.
dr. ballester is an awesome professor, probably the best chem professor at nova. her tests are tough so you have to study for them, but she really knows what she's talking about and is always willing to help. take her if you have a choice for chem.
Dr. Ballester is the best chemistry professor at Nova. An 80% and above is an A. All of the other professors have an 85% and above as an A. She has an accent but definitely understandable. Brings humor and isn't strict about cell phones or attending class. She will call you out to answer a question though so make sure you pay attention.
Professor Ballester is a very nice professor and she is always willing to help but you have to go to her office hours. She doesn't give a lot of homework but she is a little strict on the lab assignments. She is funny and her class is not boring but her tests are very difficult. She says its so we will be ready for the ACS. Overall she is very nice
She's an okay teacher. It's hard to understand her and she goes fast on powerpoints but as long as you read the book and take notes before class, it won't be a big deal. Tests are okay as long as you study. She's a strict but caring teacher. If you show the interest, she will help you. She's not as bad as the reviews make her out to be.
Dr. Ballester is in no way super easy, but no chemistry class ever is. She is the most helpful professor I have ever had, and if you invest the time, she will work with you as much as possible to help you and make sure you understand. The kindest and most caring professor at Nova, hands down.
I loved her. She is not an easy professor but she really knows what she is talking about. If you are struggling at all go to her office hours. She can tend to move fast in class but is extremely helpful when you see her in her office. Very nice and dedicated.
Reallyy hard class! Her tests have nothing from what she teaches or from what is on the power points and they are extremely hard! She's also very intimidating and doesn't care about your grade. You won't know your grade until the end of the semester and she doesn't try to help you out. I WOULD NOT TAKE HER!
If you're not walking into to her class with a solid chem background, then it'll be hard. She has a good heart but is so intimidating that it wasn't beneficial.. She told us on the first day that she's going to punish us, and she did. I would never take her again but she might be good for someone else.
She def knows her stuff and keeps you on your toes w pop quizzes. She def uses the book. I received an A, it wasn't easy.I had to make sure to do ALL the problems in the book for each chapter and go to her office with any questions. This class is time consuming as you need to study at least 4 days a week. She really cares about the students!
Great professor, a lot of practice time is required in order to get a good grade. Tests are comprehensive, every aspect of the chapter(s) is/are covered. Very strict with lab reports but prepares you for organic and biochemistry reports.
Her tests are really hard! I would not recommend her. She does not prepare you enough for her tests. I barely passed her class. Don't take her she's too hard!
She was extremely hard, not helpful at all.Every time I went to her office hours she was busy and practically kicked me out. She demands to much for the quality of he classes. Some people say that if you get close enough to her shell pass you,not the case with me.
Overall, she is a very good teacher. Her tests are mainly standardized, therefore are difficult. Her powerpoints are always at least 100 slides long per chapter with a lot of practice problems on it. Even if you dont pay attention in class, her powerpoints are helpful. Shes very sweet too
She's not easy, but by far the best to teach you the subject. Always willing to help if you are willing to work. She goes fast and you need to study; do practice problems, and speak up when you're lost. If you're going into a science field (e.g. medicine), then you need this level of teaching to prepare you. Highly recommend if you want to learn.
She's really nice and willing to help, but I had trouble grasping and retaining information from her lectures. Her tests are very challenging, as you are expected to cover all chapter-related concepts - even those not reviewed in the class.
Highly discourage, poor quality. PROS: Drop lowest test grade. CONS: Overall instruction is poor/absent. Question asking not allowed. Office hours inconsistent w/syllabus-only 2 hr period. Office not conducive for students. Confusing, lack of instruction w/assignments. Accent makes it difficult to understand. Rude to students.
This class is extremely challenging. You have to live, eat and breath chemistry to earn a good grade. Dr. Ballester is awesome though! willing to help and notices when you are trying and working hard. Her tests are tough but they prepare you well for the ACS. Be prepared to work & don't get drop if you bomb the 1st test, she drops the lowest of 4.
Difficult to follow the lectures, which are more like reviews. 100+ slides which are read, not taught. Take another prof. if you can.
Read the chapter in the book before lectures, ask questions in class, visit her office hours if you need more help, and do the homework and practice problems she posts online. It's college; you're expected to do work. However, this class does not consume your life. Prof. Ballester is excellent and is the best gen chem teacher at Nova, hands down.
Office hours are in the middle of the day when most people have class. Not allowed to ask questions in class. Very sarcastic and makes fun of students who don't understand right away. Drops 1 test grade and posts plenty of reviews for each section, but doesn't actually teach. She just reads the powerpoint. Do not need to actually come to class.
You have 4 tests and she takes the best 3 of those four (Hint: DO WELL ON THE FIRST TWO TESTS) personally I had a very easy time making it through the semester but it would have been a lot harder had she not been there to help me. Dr. Ballester is one of the most caring and understanding teachers if you show that you also care. GO TO CLASS
if you can take another professor I would recommend that you do because she does not help at all, she lectures and does not actually teach. You have to read on your own and try to understand the chapters.
would've fialed the class if it wasn't for the extra credit. she doesn't know how to teach
Dr. Ballester is a wonderful teacher who will help you when you ask. She honestly wants to see her students to succeed, so if you show her you want it, she will be more than helpful. The test are as tough as you could imagine. I found the ACS book sections to be more helpful when reviewing for tests, than the packets she provides. Overall AMAZING!
I took her for both chem 1 (summer) and chem 2. I was in her office 247 and she was very in touch with her students. She went out of her way to help you and was quick to respond to emails. Is flexible and will base the class based on how the students respond. I wish I could take her again she is absolutely amazing!
Dr. Ballester is one of the best chemistry professors Nova has to offer. I took her class for both CHEM 1 & 2 and enjoyed every moment. Yes, her tests are challenging, but she is readily available whenever needed. She makes sure that students grasp the concept in class, and answers any questions when needed. Highly suggest taking her!
Dr. Ballester is one of the most helpful professors I've had. As long as you show interest she will do her best to help. Her test are as expected chemistry is a really hard subject. if u didn't take her for chem 1 DONT take her for chem 2 as u will be LOST!!!! I would've loved to start from chem 1 with her, but she did her best to catch me up!
I loved her reminds me of my grandmother, I would take it over and over again.
Would take her again and again.
She seemed annoyed when questions were asked.
she leaves lots of homework lost and lots she don't give you a break if you go to the restroom she put blasts in front of the class if you miss her class same way you really have to now you stuff other way she will be picking on you all the time
Ballester is one of the best professor options at NSU. She cares for the students but, she will make your life hell. She wants to make you really understand chemistry. Very hard tests but she always drops questions and drops 1/4 lowest tests. NOT an easy A. You will have to put in everything to get a good grade.
Amazing teacher listens to students feedback, will work with you if you are having difficulties. I love chemistry so it was an easy A for me. She comes off intimidating at first but at the end of it all, shes a sweetheart. She is easily teacher of the year material. Ive never had such a wonderful experience with a teacher. I WILL take again!!!! :)
Dr. Ballester is a great chem 1 professor. She is very intellectual in the subject matter, but does make the class challenging. Yet she still helps you out (ex: drops lowest test grade). This isn't a class to skip. Pop quizzes every friday, lots of online hw (Mastering Chemistry, need the access code). Hard class but worth it.
Ballester is probably my favorite professor at Nova. She is definitely caring and will do whatever she can to help you succeed in her class. She is very personable as well so go visit her at office hours, she is funny as well so don't be afraid to joke around with her. Good sense of humor and will do anything to help you pass.
Overall, Dr. Ballester is a great professor. However, taking this class during summer was very difficult because she goes extremely fast. At times she makes you feel dumb if you ask a question that you are confused about but its nothing too bad. On a bright note she is very caring and will really try to listen to you if you are having difficulty.
Dr B. is the best professor I've had at Nova! She cares about her students and always makes time for you to go to her office hours and ask questions. Her tests are fair, she curves a lot. Textbook is not necessary because her powerpoints are so good that you don't even need to open the book.
I took honors.I actually wish I could take it again, I realized my mistakes at the end of semester. For one, visit her office hours, she wants to see you there. Ask her anything, if you aren't sure if you formed the lab report right, ask her. She wants you to learn. When studying for tests focus first on math, secondly on concepts, go on powerpoint
Dr. Ballester is so far one of my favorite teachers. She challenged the class in our Gen Chem 1 Honors class and there is some extra credit when she thinks you deserve it. You have to pay attention in class or else you will be lost. Go to class, plus she makes is interesting and funny. She cracks a few jokes every now and then. She prepares u well.
Ballester was nice but would get annoyed if you ask questions. Her tests are hard and that's pretty much your whole grade. She wants you to come to office hours, but when you do she'll make jokes at your mistakes. I wouldn't take her again...
She is nice, but we had to self-teach the info. She reads off ppts, which doesn't really provide us with actually learning anything. But she does have four tests (lowest one is dropped though) and the acs final. Sometimes she can say things that are a bit rude (like when you ask questions, makes you feel dumb). Study groups are good to form...
Professor Ballester straight up is a good professor. The lectures can be fast sometimes, but she makes sure you get the concepts. She's test-heavy for the lectures but drops one test grade out of the top three test grades. For the final I recommend you to practice with the ACS practice book and some practice from the online website from the ACS!
I took this class during the summer. Our class average for the first exam was a 30% and a 40% for the second exam. I studied so hard for this class and Im barely gonna pass. She leaves out critical material from tests. Whatever the hardest thing is, you'll study it so good, but it wont be on the test. Is very conceptual but im a math person so eh
Summer Class, Dr. Ballester will move FAST. I did well as this was a retake for me, but other people struggled as you get what you put into the course. She is SO sweet, and you will get used to her sense of humor which is sarcastic she can be hilarious. She never handed back labs, so a little lost on that. Otherwise definitely recommend!
Her power point presentations are hard to understand and she has few resources to get you ready for tests. What she shows in class is nothing like whats on the test so do not rely on only her lectures and power points to understand the material.
She's a very nice professor and she always wants to help but she goes so fast during lectures that it's hard to keep up. You have to study mostly from her powerpoint and the book (which isn't mandatory) but she curves the final grade (A LOT).
Dr Ballester is tough at first but is truly a sweetheart. Can be off-putting initially during office hours, but the more you go, the more she will like you- build a relationship with this one. Unfortunately, I had to self teach the information so the textbook was my BEST friend. Tests are tough but all multiple choice- do the practice problems!
AWFUL! -Heavy accent -Talks very fast -Purposefully intimidates and demeans students -Glares at you and makes you feel stupid if you ask a question -Tells the whole class who did bad on her test -Difficult tests -Talks to students while they are testing -Only put in test grades into Canvas Thankfully dropped 2 lowest test grades
Her accent and mumbling makes lecture extremely boring and useless. She goes through the slides way too fast. The first test is cake. Everything after that is unnecessarily difficult. She is accessible during office hours and nice. She can seem a little intimidating but thats just her personality. She makes you do ALEKS which takes HOURS.
Shes very sweet if you get to know her. Go to office hours! Create a relationship with this one :) the class is hard but manageable
She has a really thick accent so it is like nearly impossible to understand anything she says. Her tests are fair, and everything that's on her powerpoints are on the test, but her powerpoint are really unclear. The conceptual problems are the hardest. She's easy in lab but she grades decently hard on the full lab reports. Never responds to emails.
Dr. Ballester is a great professor for those who have a solid chemistry background. Her tests are fairly difficult, but there is an adjusted scale. The lecture is somewhat difficult to understand due to the powerpoints being bad, but the worksheets she posts on canvas will help. Overall, you will need to self study a bit to succeed.
Ridiculously unclear and never gives instruction or directions for things like lab and writing reports. She doesn't give study guides and will "surprise you" with what is on tests. Super condescending and intimidating, but if you can tolerate that then it's not a big deal. Tests are really hard but shes the only prof w an ACS test bank
Ballester lectures VERY quickly and doesn't give a lot of time for questions or practice, she is very helpful in office hours. She cares a lot about her students, so if you work hard, speak up in lecture, and go to office hours, she'll like you. You have to do her practice problems on your own OFTEN if you want an A. Tests are easy if you practice.
I was skeptical to take Dr. B after reading reviews but ended up loving her and didn't see proof of the negative reviews at all! I'm not someone who participates or kisses up to teachers and I loved her. Chem is hard regardless, but she's great at lecturing, her tests are fair and very straightforward, plus she's so easily accessible and sweet.
DO NOT take her! She makes grading errors and her instructions are super vague. Keep track of your own lab work and report using the syllabus. Don't expect reminders. Visit her office hours. Replies rudely to emails(email anyways). Annoy her constantly about your grades. Study using the book & Youtube(The Organic Chemistry Tutor)! DON'T BE SHY!
I love Dr. B! No matter who you take chem is hard but amidst the pandemic she was extremely accessible and you can tell she really cares IF you work for it. She does sometimes go really fast in lecture but if you put in the work you will be fine. Tests and labs are very straight forward if you know what to do! Overall love her so much!!
She is a great professor, but can be hard to understand at times. It's chemistry so you have to work for it. Tests were very fair for the content she teaches. Prepares you well for the final. Drops a test from your grade. Is a little disorganized and slides can be messy, but I would recommend to anyone who knows how to put proper work in
She never responds to emails even if it's regarding something important... like your GRADE or her unclear lab report instructions (yet they will still be due). when she does, she just gives an excuse but never tries really understanding what it is you are asking for. She knows what she is doing but she seems like she is always in a rush
Canvas is completely disorganized. In my opinion I never understood her lectures/explanations. Instead I used the book which helped better. You wont learn anything In lab, but the homework is very easy. She doesnt answer emails either and can come across rude. Her tests are not that bad if you understand the chapters.
She is often funny but gets so mad when the class is confused and lost and decides to let things be. She teaches new students as if they have had her before which is not fair for those who have no chem experience. 1/10, not a good teacher but exams and course content are not too much to handle.
It was so frustrating taking her for Chem 2 because she would act and expect us to know how she ran her classroom in chem1. Her grading criteria and assignments aren't very well organized and sometimes during labs she would be so rude and mean when people didn't understand everything. She does drop one of the lowest test grades, so 6/10.
Absolutely Not, if you are not good at chemistry or do not have some background do not take her!!!! LOTS of HW and is incredible difficult to understand. Must go to office hours or SI sessions to understand concepts.
Professor Ballester is a great professor! She is so sweet and funny. I took her for both Chem 1& 2. She gives extra credit and lets you drop your lowest test. She assigns a lot of homework, but with the extra credit, you can skip some and still get an A. Her lectures are sometimes confusing, so I recommend watching the organic chem tutor to study.
she's not the worst professor but she's def not the best to take for gen chem 1 or 2. very rude in her office hours but she was nice in class. the tests were really hard and not at all what we learned in class but she curves a bit and drops the lowest test grade. i would say take someone else tbh
Professor Ballester was fine, but can be intimidating. She would start explaining how to do a problem and then skip a lot of the in between steps and somehow get to the answer without explaining. She drops lowest test grade and drops some questions from the test for extra credit. Tests aren't similar to problems she does in class, so go to SI.
Dr. B speeds through ppts (which are disorganized) and skips steps during explanations. She also uses tactics (intimidation among other things) to make you more anxious about exams; this is very stressful just don't let her get in your head. The one benefit is she drops your lowest test grade but that's it. I learned most things outside of class.
A really great professor! Her tests are very straight forward and are based exactly as the lecture. If you write down the examples in class, her exam is literally the exact same even with the same numbers. Her lab is also very easy as she is lenient at with grading - I recommend 100%
I really enjoyed Prof. Ballester's class. She explained concepts very well and her exams were very reflective of her lectures. Her exam questions were much simpler than the class examples which is why I would recommend taking her. She is also great during lab- easy grader. Would recommend.
The best chemistry professor! I took her for Chem 1300 and Chem 1310. Exams are super simple and mostly multiple choice- exactly from the presentation. Labs are straightforward and we got out in 1 hour max. End of the semester, there is a final that every chemistry class takes and Dr. Ballester curved our exam a LOT. Easy A
drops the lowest exam grade- so you can do bad on one exam and still get an a in the course. would recommend
She is a very easy professor
I would study the night before the exam and still made an A. Her exam is multiple choice and it comes down to process of elimination. Lots of bonus and extra credit
If you are sick she will help you and let you take a make-up exam at a different time and give you extra time to turn in labs. Way easier than other professors
I enjoyed her lectures, even though her Cuban accent may make it hard for others to understand. she drops your lowest test grade and prepares you for her tests with everything on canvas. I am taking her again for Chem 2!
careful if you don't already know chemistry because she assumes that you already know a big chunk of the content even if this is your first time taking a chem course. she's alright but if you don't know the basics she'll probably look at you funny...
Very easy and nice professor
A truly awful professor. She told everyone on the first day of class that "we would not like her", compared the entire class to kindergartners because we did not understand something she explained very poorly, and gave tons of homework on ALEKS that was not even relevant to the exams.
shes rude, and yells at everyone for not knowing things as if its a chem 2 class (its not). very vague in lab, doesnt teach anything just reads the powerpoint. for the math part of chemistry she literally just verbally reads out the math- doesn't even work it out. homework amount is insane. dont do this,, unless youre a teachers pet ig...
coming back to say a few things ppl said... theres no extra credit and no curve btw and the amount of homework is insane
personally really didnt like her. test highs were only in the 80s MAX, averages in the 40- 50s. ppl here said her labs get out in one hour? yeah right, she took the full time and would get mad and left halfway through. ran into her outside nova ooo how i wanted to cut her off. 0/10 take qwon young instead
I didn't enjoy her class. She was a rude professor, and didn't teach us well. I can't speak for chem 1 but in chem 2 she acted like we knew her methods for teaching chem 1 perfectly. She also doesn't complete problems the traditional way, she just has them on slides which she talks through. BUT, sometimes she has her nice moments, and is funnyish.
class started out pretty tough but once you get to know her she can be very funny and caring. she does have a pretty decent curve depending on overall grades no book really but she offers a lot of powerpoints and study guides if youre nice to her shell be great with you and can be lenient. office hours can be helpful too
She's a good person honestly but her class was horrible. Left clas feeling burnt out and did not learn anything. Did work outside of class with tutoring and SI sessions and understood the material but did not understand when she taught. She's all over the place. The teaching style did not work for me.
The class has a heavy workload, but using resources like unstuck ai and staying engaged can make it manageable. Exams are straightforward if you prepare well. Overall, a decent course if you're willing to put in the effort.
She's a tough professor. Her lectures were not the easiest to follow but I learned the basics during them. A lot of her homework assignments and practice problems on modules were similar to the exams but I still had to use outside resources to receive an A. She curves the exam by three points and drops your lowest test grade.
The lectures didn't make sense and she skipped over important info that was on the tests. She makes you get the HW from the PASS leaders not on canvas she never put in the grades for half the homework. She claims she will drop the lowest test grade and curve every test but she never did that she also brags about intentionally making the tests hard.
She was good but truly didn't give you a window to catch up with her. She gives lots of Hw which she gives to the SI/Pass leaders so you are forced to attend the sessions. She, to me was honestly very scary and sometimes came off as rude/condescending. If you'r really good at Chem you'll like her and do fine otherwise dont pick her.
She seems intimidating at first but gets friendlier over time. She reads slides quickly and word for word, and many feel like filler. However, she helps students reach a high mastery of general chemistry. You will need to rely on SI leaders. She's accessible for office hours, offers a 3-point curve, drops the lowest test score, and offers few hw.
Ballester is kind but most of the time, intimidating. honestly, her lectures aren't very informational. sometimes they are, but I HEAVILYY relied on the SI! If you're able to teach yourself then take her! drops lowest grade and the homework wasn't terrible. rely on organic chem teacher on youtube! very similar to acs! also watch chads prep! he help
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
57%
Textbook Required
54%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
-0.13 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEMIWLAB
5.0
(1)CHEMII
5.0
(1)CHM2300
5.0
(1)CHEMDA3
5.0
(1)CHM1300
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CHEM1040
5.0
CHEM1046
5.0
SPA102
5.0
CHEM1310H
5.0
31854
4.0