2.5
Quality3.9
Difficulty29%
Would Retake83
Reviews29%
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
8
4
22
3
8
2
10
1
35
What Students Say
“Do not take Professor Vargas for Chem 2”
CHEM2 - 1.0 rating“Avoid this teacher at all costs”
CHEM2 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
85%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.03 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM 2
4.0
(1)CHEM20
4.0
(1)CHEM3
3.3
(3)CHEM12A
3.3
(8)CHEM12B
2.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
CHEM209
5.0
CHEM12B
4.3
CHEM12A
4.1
CHEM1A
4.1
CHEMISTRY2
4.0
Reviews (83)
Had him before can't believe i saw him again at LBCC. He's awesome :)
Dr. Vargas is a pretty straightforward man. He tells you what he expects, he lectures on what he wants you to know and if you do everything on your part, you will get a good grade. If you need help, he will answer your questions. His labs are very fun and quite easy to understand. If Chem 2 is your very first chem class, I recommend him.
Lectures are based on powerpoints. I didn't even open the book. You'll pass if you really study and review the information.
If you can't teach yourself the material, don't take him. You'll find surprises on the exams. Some things that weren't emphasized enough in class end up on test.. Read before coming to class, do the online HW, do EX. Credit, & have him go over your HW during office hours. If you have at least 90% on labs you can pass with a high B or possibly an A.
Lectures are based off power points, takes attendance almost every day, mainly pop quizzes but sometimes announces them, assigns a lot of homework and offers plenty of extra credit, test are hard if you don't study, not a hard grader, seemed fair to me, must be present and participate in lab to get credit. He can be more friendly and approachable.
Dr. Vargas has an interesting teaching style, he seems like he's rushing and running out of time. With that said, he'll also answer any questions that might come up throughout the lecture. Essentially pay attention to the powerpoints and do the online homework, and labs and you should be all set. Don't let the first one or two tests discourage you.
Tough grader, does drop lowest test and lab. So much material he cant always stop to explain, but always answers emails quickly, there is SI and tutoring available. Worried about your GPA? Take someone else or do it P/NP. Says you don't need to know anything, but have to memorize periodic table, charges, ions, acids, and several formulas quickly.
Vargas has made many people think he is ruining their lives from the amount of work required for this class. But I realized I am better prepared for Chem 1 than most people in other classes. Come up with some Tesla facts and watch him fanboy. Nice tough guy, willing to help, but expects you to work for it. HW online (Hill McGraw) and a HUGE PAIN.
I have gone back and forth on this guy all semester. He may just be burned out, and frustrated. I don't know about his personal life or class load, but he isn't answering emails, changing grades, lost quizzes, stuff isn't getting graded or entered properly. Tomorrow is the final and I don't have any clue what my grade is. So bad right now. Stress.
I have never had such an unorganized professor. He is constantly asking his students how to spell or pronounce words. POP QUIZZES on random days on material that was not fully taught. He is arrogant when you correct him on mistakes. 4 tests and 1 final. Not vert helpful. Ignores your emails. Teaching is not for him. Hard to get an A. Picky grader.
I really enjoyed taking Vargas for Elementary Chemistry. He was always on time to class and assigned a lot of extra credit. He does have pop quizzez and drops lowest midterm, lab, and quiz. This class is easy if you study. The online homework is a pain but worth a bunch of points. Overall, I will be taking him again for Bio Chem down the road.
Professor Vargas is very clear in his lectures and if something is not clear he will go back and explain it again until you comprehend. This subject is not easy, you need to attend every class and put a lot of time into doing homework online and practice worksheets which count as extra credit on your exams. Expect pop quizzes.
Tips for an A in Dr. Vargas' section: Chem2 is a hard class, but he is fair. More math than science. You will need to study every day (I did). Be diligent with the homework and extra credit. Labs are easy/fun. TAKE THE EXAM REVIEWS AND PRACTICE EXAMS! Know your 'SigFigs'. Always refer to his Powerpoints. Do this and you will get a solid A!
Took him for Chem2 and now Chem3 and I would definitely take him again. He wants you to pass the class, but you also have to put in the work! Tough grader, but it makes you study that much harder and learn more that you thought you could. Came into both classes hating Chemistry & now I look forward to learning! Do the EC worksheets & HW, it helps!!
I don't know why but he always seems cranky. That being said he is good at teaching. You will learn but your grade might not be what you expect because he is one of the most difficult graders ever. He is strict with his definitions and expects you to know them word for word. Take his class if you want to learn and don't care about your GPA.
Dr. Vargas is a great professor! If you really care and want to do well in future classes you have to do the work! And he is great at making you do that. Took him for Chem2 and he even held review sessions before each exam, not a lot of professors take the time to help you out, he's always there for you during office hours, so really use them!
Professor Vargas is a sort of stern professor. Not the jolliest guy, but he is a good teaching . He explains the material well, but you just have to do the worksheets and homework. I did have to study pretty hard for the tests because he is a pretty tough grader. There are a few pop quizzes. But if you're lazy, don't take this class
I do not recommend this teacher if you want to learn anything before CHEM 219. This professor doesn't responds to emails. He has an attitude and doesn't answer "stupid" questions because you should already know the material. He is unorganized and forgets everything. Beware of pop quizzes! Be prepared for class because he will call you out.
The class overall is not that bad. There are 4 midterms, but he drops the lowest grade. He usually gives out "pop quizzes" but he usually lets you know the day before or through email. You must show up to all lab days because he does not do make up labs. Also, do the worksheets he gives out because those count as extra credit.
It's his first semester at Santa Ana College, but I really hope it's his last. He doesnt answer questions or emails. Lots of pop quizzes! He is also a tough grader and expects you to know everything. I do not recommend this professor for Intro.
He really is tough grader. Very moody, not organized, forgets a lot. do the worksheets and practice exams you will be ok for test. Final is another story nothing compare that was taught in class
I don't recommend him. He is NOT organized, cranky all the time. Whenever the students ask questions, he gets offended and not even answer the questions. His grading is NOT FAIR. Sometimes he gives you partial credit or not at all depending on his mood. Also you need to know the definitions for midterms. Online HW is nothing like you learned.
Don't take this course from this Professor. If you are going to take a course from him take it during the long semesters. Never take him during the summer unless you want to be lost.
Professor Vargas is way better than what these past ratings have been. He gives extra credit for worksheets done in class, gives past midterms as a study guide, and demonstrates labs. He allows extra time for homework if students need it and also understands when to take breaks in lecture. He has a sense of humor but don't be lazy if you want an A.
Dr. Vargas gives extra credit for classwork. As long as you do his worksheets, practice the midterms he gives you, and show up for lecture and lab, it is an easy A/B. Chem 2 is math based for most of the course. He does happen to be intimidating in the beginning however, he becomes relaxed and willing to help dedicated students. Know your sig figs
Dr. Vargas is a professor that does a great job of helping you understand the material. However, Chem 2 covers a lot of material so I would not recommend you taking it during the summer unless you have excellent study habits. DO THE WORKSHEETS, they might save your grade. Also, his practice midterms are also very similar to the real thing.
Do not take this professor for CHEM 1A. It seemed like he was learning the course material along with us. It seems like he mainly teaches CHEM 2, but beware for CHEM 1A. It is a hard class that covers a lot of material, and when your teacher barely knows what is going on, it is impossible to pass. He was very scatter brained, beware!
He provides study guides, extends hw due dates, gives extra credit, & explains topics slowly. To succeed you need to have basic Chem knowledge and good math skills. Students that complain about his class are probably not passing and expected this class to be easy. Chem is not easy. Put in work like you would with a Math class and you will do good.
Avoid this teacher at all costs! He is disorganized & WILL lose your work. He is constantly corrected by students because he makes a ton of errors in his lectures & tests. He will try to cram a whole chapter in 15 minutes then give a quiz the next day. The class is not difficult, but he made is super difficult by confusing & frustrating everyone.
Some people on here are saying: people that gave him a bad rating probably "failed." But Vargas is overall a horrible professor. Obviously, there's good/bad parts to all. Yet, with him; good: lectures/lab. That's literally it.. everything else, mainly exams, he will screw it if you dont take the extra time that you don't have to study for it. AVOID
Avoid him. I wrote a good review about him in the past cus he wasn't that bad at first. As the semester went on he became very unorganized, made mistakes with grading, nd took off unnecessary points from assignments nd exams. He also has his own grading system, so if u add up ur points nd u find u have a 85% guess what, nope, u actually have a 78%
Do not take Professor Vargas for Chem 2! His teaching is disorganized and unclear. He does not follow the textbook. He occasionally loses your work too. His exams are hard and unpredictable!
Professor Vargas is a really good teacher. He lectures through the powerpoint and go through the study guide and it's similar to the exam. I prefer getting this professor because he is straight forward for the material/lab. The past rating is not true. I recommend study because he give out specific points for each question. Know your definition!
not as bad as he seems to be on here. taking chem for the first time is def not easy but the only way i was able to pass is getting a lot of help outside class. spent a lot of time in tutoring center or SI. the aleks hw is a bit much but he usually realizes it when enough students complain to him so he always extends it for you. its a doable class
really good professor,doesn't read off a book goes into detail and works every example with the class if something is not clear he will clarify. He was a tough grader in the sense that he took his grading serious especially with sig figs. attendance will affect you if you don't show up. DO THE PRACTIC EXAMS very similar to exams he gives.
Professor Vargas gets a bad rap. He really isn't as bad as people make him out to be. He makes the material very digestible. Definitely study his worksheets and quizzes, he frequently pulls questions from these for the test. My only criticism is that he would frequently forget to give me points for questions I got right. Great Professor Take him
He is a good professor, would highly recommend him to others looking to take chemistry. Do the worksheets and ask lots of questions. His labs are easy and interesting.
Took him for Chem 2. He is a very good professor. There are power point slides, which he includes on canvas. He has multiple practice exams on canvas which are extremely similar to the actual in seat exams. The lecture might seem like a lot, but if you go over the practice exams and worksheets you will be fine! Just practice and you will be fine.
The subject is hard in general if you don't put the effort. He is clear on lecturing and projects slides. LABS are easy point don't skip them. drops lowest test not the final LOL and lowest lab. Pop quizzes were given i did bad on them but they're not worth a lot did not make a difference on my grade. do not fall behind and you'll be fine.
This professor does not seem to have much passed a background in chemistry. He has little to no pedagogical skill. His favorite phrase is "Hurry up and do it before I do". If he does care for his students, it is no way, shape, or form visible. He is rarely available during office hours. He doesn't answer emails. Take literally anyone else.
Probably the worst chemistry professor I've had. Won't respond to your emails, will grade things late so you can't actually apply feedback, and is VERY unorganized. Copies testbank q's (i.e. doesn't write his own questions) so material doesn't always align with lec/book. As somebody from a different course said, take literally any other professor.
Probably the worst chemistry teacher Ive taken yet. He is all over the place with his coursework. He doesnt respond to email fast enough, he isnt clear with his class instructions either. He doesnt seem to care much about the students or with whats going on in the world and how its affecting his students. I dont recommend him. Save your GPA.
I understand that he was confused because the classes suddenly went online. BUT, he does not seem to care about his students at all. You're very lucky if you get an email back from him -ever. He is very rude and does not even say hello when he comes into the class. You will have to study hard and memorize a lot but that's just chemistry. Not great.
Probably the WORST professor I have ever taken. He kept claiming that as long as you watched his lecture videos, you would do fine his the exams.... NOT TRUE! I utilized the book the majority of the course, which helped save my grade on exams. He is also rude, does not email you back. Very unorganized and super confusing. DO NOT TAKE THIS PROF!
Used prerecorded lessons to "teach". Repeats the same sentence several times for basic information. inconsiderate of students' schedules. doesn't follow PowerPoint examples that he made.
Prof. Vargas is perhaps the worst professor Ive ever had. I took this class in hopes of loving the subject, however when taking it online he made it absolutely difficult to understand anything. He makes you second guess yourself for his careless unedited mistakes on his YouTube lectures. Avoid at all costs
Never, Ever take his course. He's the worst professor I've ever had in my life. Very unorganized, Very rude, Inaccurate feedback and doesn't care his students at all. I can't imagine he is paid for what he teaches. He's not prepared to teach students.
I extremely regret I didn't drop out this class in the first 2 weeks.
I can't recognize his writing
Makes a good amount of errors in lectures & answer keys, does not explain things well, does not respond to emails in a timely manner, and class schedule is very disorganized. If you end up taking his class, teach yourself with the textbook and just use his lectures for additional practice problems and potential exam problems or concepts.
I took his chem 1A course online because of COVID. If you can, TAKE ANY OTHER CHEM CLASS!!!! This course is extremely test heavy, little extra credit, with horrible/long lectures that dont cover the actually test material. Its impossible to get any help if you dont understand the material. This was probably the worst class I have ever taken.
Uncaring, unprepared, and lazy. Never take his class.
Difficult class but Vargas was fair. Dont fall behind or you wont pass. Heavy workload between HW, labs, extra credit worksheets and chapter quizzes. Drops 1 of the lowest exam and lab score. Do all extra credit to boost grd! Lectures and labs are on YouTube. He offers reviews before exams & has zoom office hours. I would take his class again.
Not a caring teacher. Expects way to much of his students, constantly makes mistakes on lecturer videos and sometimes grades. Whenever I ask for a better explanation on a video, he just tells me to watch it again. Really wish he showed more compassion for his students. Recommend nobody take his class unless you enjoy stress and depression...
Ok wow where do I start? This professor is seriously LAZY. He makes so many mistakes, literally does the bare minimum. Uses last semesters recorded lectures. He is a tough grader, very arrogant, does nothing to help his students succeed in his class. I cant believe he is teaching. Please do not take him, he makes this subject boring and tough.
Let me start by saying Prof. Vargas is not the worst professor. HOWEVER, as with most Chemistry professors, he will do his best to stump you on the quizzes and exams. You have to REALLY understand the material and practice! He also was incredibly disrespectful and spoke over me WHILE I was asking a question during a review session. Very arrogant.
Difficult even if youre a STEM major. Lecture & HW heavy. Exams are nothing like the notes/mocktests yet large chunk of ur grade. Overcomplicates lessons & doesnt explain. The worst teacher Ive ever had. Do yourself a favor and dont take his class even if hes the only teacher available. Disappointed because I love chemistry
I disliked this class because his teaching wasn't as clear. His exams are difficult and sometimes not related to the notes/lectures. I had to drop this class because of how he taught online during covid plus I was failing. I don't really recommend if you want to learn basics of chemistry. He does try to help but his lectures need more explanations.
worst professor. do not take this class. if you have a hard time with chemistry dont even bother taking him. uses proctorio for exams and quizzes. office hours are useless when he tells you to just go back to the video/notes. youll be teaching yourself in this class
3-hour video lectures. Rarely available to students. Gives 5 questions per quiz (2 pt. each) and 20 questions per unit exam (at 100 points total) and expects you to demonstrate well that you know the material. Bogus. Doesn't give partial credit either. Really unclear how he weighs points. GOOD LUCK.
Literally one of the rudest professors I have ever had. Videos are like 3 hours long and when you ask any question he will make you feel dumb and is always so patronizing. Get ready to teach yourself too because his feedback is never helpful. Would not recommend at all unless you already have a fair knowledge of chem like I did.
He's ok at best. Proctorio for every test. Heavy workload. Long lectures. Confusing at times, he corrects himself during lecture, gives wrong answer. Worksheets are your extra credit, make sure to complete them. Answers his emails, so that's good. Helpful if accommodations for tests are needed. Just be ready to put in the work.
I had him for an online class, and he did not teach at all. He just did lectures and did not explain the material very thoroughly. I had to use YouTube videos to pass this class, and that was the only way. There are far better professors. Steer away from Professor Vargas!
If there is one word that can describe him, it's 'lazy'. You will know what I mean if you take this course. Good luck.
At the beginning I was able to do all my assignments but later, was harder. But i was almost halfway to finish my course and the profesor text me saying I have not grade exam 3 yet but you might want to consider dropping this course by tonight. Today is the last day to dropI was mad because he shouldnt said that he should give me a chance.
For the online course, it was very lecture heavy, with many lectures being over an hour per video. However, if you actually focus and do the work, you'll be fine. You can tell that he is trying, it is just a difficult course that you have to pay attention to.
If you don't have a decent understanding of Chemistry going in to this, you may have a lot of trouble. He will expect you to get basically all of the information in via his recorded lectures, which are basically just reading from ppts. Will suddenly post assignment and quiz due dates, then deem the students irresponsible for not responding in time.
Professor Vargas does not care about the success of his students at all in his course. All reviews are very accurate. Responds to emails late or not at all. Will add last min assignments & material to exam very late the night before. Do not take if you have zero prior Chem knowledge.
Pros: -Extends HW -Willing to accept late work for partial credit -Lab experiments are easy -Reach out to him before/after class, he'll hear you out -No textbook required Cons: -you need great math skills, he will not explain -you need a lot of independent studying Vargas is not the worst, if you need a teacher to spoon feed you look elsewhere.
Took him in fall of 2022, it was a mostly hard class but for sure passable. The lectures followed by labs were a little tiring but he went over all lab calculations and procedures which was nice. Prelabs were required but at some point I think he stopped checking. He's not as "evil" as most people are claiming honestly but it was a bit hard.
Dr. Vargas is very disorganized and will often forget to grade a lot of stuff unless you basically beg him to. Don't even BOTHER writing him an email or anything just go up to him directly, the first exam is BS but once you figure out his teaching methods its a lot easier. Labs are easy credit to your grade, lots of textbook homework though.
Not a 5 star professor but he doesn't deserve such a low rating either, took him for CHEM1A and 12A and it was definitely a harder course than if I chose a different professor but manageable if you put in the time to study. Don't go into the course expecting to be spoonfed information, do your own studying, and ask questions and you'll pass.
Prof Vargas is not a bad ochem professor at all, but not the best one either. He does curve exams though because it's difficult but doable. He does speed very fast in lectures and makes mistakes in his grading. It is possible to pass Vargas's class if you do the HW, ask him questions, and pay attention in lecture because yes he's a tough grader.
Prof Vargas is cool as a person, but as a prof he does need to WORK on some things to be better. He has good lectures, and explains things well. If you take Vargas PLEASE don't miss any lecture or lab because it will COST your grade, and he grades tough on everything. His class is VERY difficult to earn an A so take someone else if you want that A.
Prof Vargas's exams are MORE difficult than his practice exams. If you take his class BE READY to put in countless hours of study time because exams and take home quizzes are not easy since its Organic Chemistry and its difficult. The good thing about him is that he curves all exams and PLEASE ask him questions too during lecture and youll pass.
Dr. Vargas lectures at a great pace and works through practice problems during lecture to make sure students understand. He also does a good job of relating concepts back to real-world applications. Organic chemistry is difficult, but Dr. Vargas is always happy to help students during office hours. Exams are curved based on the class average.
He looked up on google on certain topic because he forgot.
"lectures" are as good as him literally reading off slides and doing exercises minimally related to the actual exams.Doesnt provide ANY helpful feedback.Horrible organization,his lectures sometimes dont match with the assigned powerpoints.Blatantly told the class he didnt care about answers on the hw, all he cares for is that the assignment is done
Dr. Vargas's class is tough, but you will leave his class with a deep, fundamental understanding of organic chemistry if you put in the work and utilize the wealth of practice problems/resources he provides (worksheets, in-class practice, practice exams...) He's a great lecturer and is always willing to break down complex topics for those who ask.
Never in my life have I had a worse professor in any science class. His "lectures" boiled down to him repetitively tapping on the board repeating the same phrase for an hour and a half. He will grade off of personal preferences and consistently grade incorrectly on exams, and reuse the same material that has been incorrect for years. DO NOT TAKE.
His teaching style may not be for everyone but he always teaches you exactly what you need to know and provides worksheets for you to practice with. The class is hard but there's no way around putting in the work yourself. He curves all exams and gives open book take home quizzes. You definitely leave his class with an understanding of material.
Drop this class as soon as possible. By far the worst professor I've ever had. Could not contact outside of class because all his info was left blank, and he was never helpful in class either. Marked me absent multiple times, even after acknowledging that I was present. Cannot actually teach to save his life. Do not take this class.
I will be honest this class put me through insane times and stress. Professor is super harsh on grading and there is a ton of material but if you need to take this class and want to pass, prepare to dedicate a LOT of time and brain cells and if you're strong enough you'll succeed. Believe in yourself!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
85%
Textbook Required
20%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.03 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM 2
4.0
(1)CHEM20
4.0
(1)CHEM3
3.3
(3)CHEM12A
3.3
(8)CHEM12B
2.7
(3)Difficulty by Course
CHEM209
5.0
CHEM12B
4.3
CHEM12A
4.1
CHEM1A
4.1
CHEMISTRY2
4.0