3.3
Quality3.1
Difficulty49%
Would Retake107
Reviews49%
Would Retake
107
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
35
4
27
3
13
2
8
1
24
What Students Say
“Pretty cool and all, but he may be a bit disorganized at times”
CHEM113 - 4.0 rating“Professor Whitener's quizzes and tests are straightforward”
CHEM113 - 5.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
46%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.58 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEMISTRY
5.0
(4)GENCHEM
5.0
(1)CHEMISTRY1
5.0
(1)GENERALCHEMI
5.0
(1)CHEM410
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CHEM
4.0
GENCHEM
4.0
CHM490
4.0
CHEM1
4.0
CHEM00
4.0
Reviews (107)
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Very informative professor; knows his stuff, and makes sure that you do too.
Very good professor! He knows his chemistry and teaches it very well! By the end of the semester you will have learned something!
Very good professor, he give a lot of quizzes but he does grade on a curve and everything on the quizzes are stuff that he specifically went over in class. I would recommend him!!!
someone i would definitely recommend to take. amazing professor and one of the better ones in the department
He is a very good teacher, everything he teaches is on the test, you just to study
Great professor...Can get boring. He's very fair...drops 2 out of 8 quizes.
Awesome chemistry professor! His lectures are a little boring, but teaches very well!!!! Very helpful and understandable!!!!!
He is an awesome professor! He cares about his students, and makes sure that everyone does well. I thought he is excellent, and I recommend that you all take him!
well of course he is a Harvard Grad, he doesn't need to consult a book, he is just great, I have worked with him outside the classroom. He is a wonderful man, just don't get caught cheating with your calculator, like some of the students have. he is good
i heard hes'gonna teach chem2 next fall semister 2004...good news rite????take him...i'm gonna take him next sem~
Great teacher, knows chemistry, he also curves grades.
I think Whitener has been the easiest chemistry teacher I have ever taken. He is very fair, and he is interested in that all of his students do well in his class. Take him!!!
There is a reason why Mr. Whitener's class closes in a day- he is the absolute best teacher in the Chemistry Department. If you -can- get into his class, do so. If you can't- try to take him next semester. Made me love chemistry. Honest.
He's an awesome professor. I'm not that great in chemistry, but he gives real world examples, enabling you to understand the material. You'll do really well in that class. I would highly recommend him. I'm taking him again next semester for Chem II.
Very nice prof. I highly recommend to take him. Easy going. Take 8 quizes and the final. Drops 2 quizes. He cares about his students.
Replaced a totally incompetent professor in the middle of the semester...learned a great deal in just one semester. Definitely knows what he is talking about...very, very smart guy!
An example for all teachers to follow. A perfect human.
Very knowledgable and teaches his class with clarity. Notes are written on the board, gives 8 quizzes and drops the lowest 2 grades, & cummulative final. Take him! Do the practice problems after each section of the chapter and you'll be fine. Highly recommended.
Relatively easy to handle. I would def recommend him for any chem course. Do the practice problems before the quizzes and you'll do fine. Lectures are slightly boring, but attendance isn't required.
See comment below...best pure teacher in the department and a brilliant man, though he did put me to sleep a couple of times.
If you want to actually learn chemistry, take him. He actually teaches and you learn. Alright you'll also be put to sleep sometimes, but overall he's a nice guy and easy, and you'll actually learn chemistry.
One of the easiest and clearest chem profs, take him if you can.
Very good teacher. He is less hard versus the other teachers HOWEVER he is only easy when you put work into it. He gives you the ability to really do well but unless you take it, it means nothing. You need to work but it will pay off.
Dr. Whiterner is not only the greast chemistry professor at montclair he is just the greastest professor they have. your lucky if you get to take me
Took him Gen Chem 1+2, I hope to get him again. Unlike other Chem prof, he helps his students. I did good in both classes HOWEVER if you dont put work into his class dont expect a good grade(study his prior exams) and you will do good.
He is the BEST they have in the chemistry department.
THIS GUY IS AWSOME, IM CURRENTLY IN HIS GEN CHEM 1 AND HE IS VERY ESY GUY JUST KEEP UP WITH UR STUDIES AND YOU WILL DO JUST FINE!!!!!
Dr.Whitener is the best chemistry prof at Montclair. Very nice, approachable and explains everything step by step. I wish he taught Orgo. Not easy but not hard..Just ask him questions and you'll be fine.
Great teacher study notes and review old quizes and you should be fine
If professors were matter, then whitener is the antimatter to awadallah. I know what your thinking, "no, it cant be, that would mean whitener is GOD!". whitener is the almighty zeus of chemistry professors. regista for whitena and thou shalt not fail, but triumph in the field of chemistry.
HE IS SO HELPFUL BUT YOU MUST ATTEND CLASS BECAUSE HE GIVES DETAILED EXAMPLES ON THE BOARD THAT ARE ON HIS EXAMS! GOT A B+
Best chem prof I've had at montclair... what a relief after all the horrible chem professors.. take him he really wants his students to do well and does what ever possible to achieve that!
HE is the best chem professor after humphrey. You must attend class to pass because he does detailed examples that are like the problems in the test. He explains himself very well.he gives 8 quizzes but after 5 he starts to put things on the quizzes that are a bit different from the problems in class because he expects you to really know it.
I am so surprised what good reviews Whitener is getting. He makes soo many mistakes and is a horrible speller. In lectures, double check his answers, because he has to be corrected by the students a lot. But he is an easy grader.
the class is boring i admit but he is sucha good/easy grader and he makes class funny with his stupid lil comments . lectures are boring but hes better than other teachers
makes many errors when doing calculations and boring. He gave a quiz on the day of our final. he's an absolute idiot.
he always messes up. the labs are hard. his TA also is a tough grader. he doesn't throw any bones with his grading. the only thing he does is give extra 5 points for always being late. i know its chem and its hard but he was really bad.
Whitener knows his stuff when it comes to chemistry, but is awful at teaching it to others. He just does all the work but can't really explain how he did it. Gives quizzes often on every few chapters. I might have passed the class, but I hardly learned anything.
don't take him he doesn't teach at all..
takes FOREVER to grade quizzes. so boring.
Hard class first off. Fair grader on the quizzes but it's even hard to pass the quizzes. No midterm but cumulative final along with a quiz. You don't have to go to class, you can teach yourself off the book. Not a great teacher at all, isn't very helpful. Does not ask If the class understands material before continuing. So basically on your own.
Mr. W is ok. he's lectures are clear but fast. take notes! hes a big guy but so sweet and a lil funny. theres like 8 quizzes. if u take notes and try to understand, u will do well. attendance isnt mandatory but i suggest u go. he makes alot of calculating mistakes so if it doesnt make sense, ask him. i say take him, i would do it again
Whitner, in my opinion, is a great professor! He goes over many examples problems in class and even lets you look over and study from all his old quizzes from his previous classes. Yes the class can be boring but that is just because the subject itself isn't the most interesting subject. Take notes/review the example problems & you'll do good!
Best chemistry teacher in the dept. Teaches the subject the way it should be taught, with redundancy and many examples. He is organized, well structured, and has a laid back personality. He's a modest guy, he doesn't make himself an enemy. Student class average on his tests are high, and for good reason. Good professor.
youre better off teaching yourself from the book. He makes a lot of mistakes on the board and takes forever to grade things. Hes not very clear when hes talking and gives really dumb examples sometimes. very nice guy and obviously a very smart man, but needs a new teaching method.
Definitely recommend taking him. He's a little boring but he's a nice professor and explains everything very clearly. There's no tests only short 4 question quizzes which are extremely easy and his final was easy as well. His labs are quick and you could leave an hour early. His attendance isn't mandatory but definitely recommend going to each one.
His quizzes that he puts up are nothing like the quiz you will take. The webpage he made is just as useless since it doesn't contain enough information to prepare you for the tests. But the worst thing he does is lecture for half an hour before each test which is just as long as any other class' tests. I could never finish one of his tests in time.
Wonderful professor. Very intelligent and explains material in a very straight forward manner. Flexible with exams and quizzes. Provides a lot of help even outside of class. I wish he taught more undergraduate chemistry classes! :(
Perhaps because it was 'descriptive' inorganic chemistry, the exams were pretty easy with almost no calculations. If you take good notes and pay attention you will do well. The class was very interesting once he stopped reviewing gen chem... which was about 14 of the semester. There was only 1 graded assignment and it was basically free points.
Coursestraight forward. He posts examsquizzes from previous semester wanswers for reference&practice for his actual examsquizzes. Lectures are only useful if you read the material BEFORE you attend lecture (which you should do, trust me). Practice problems back of chapters, practice exams on canvas. Lazy? you'll fail.
The class itself is good but he sometimes doesn't interact with the students. He has a kind heart and wants to see his students pass. He's also very funny at times. If I could I would take him again.
Dr. Whitener is great. Really cares about his students, & wants you to succeed. That said, you will get,what you put in. Go to class,do the homework, & go to him for help/review sessions before exams. Gives copies of last semester's tests/quizzes for practice. Definitely one of the best professors @ MSU. Wish he was teaching more Chemistry classes.
He wants to see his students do well and is in his office hours when promised. Go to them!!! He will tutor you and answer all of your questions. Chemistry is tough for me. Without him I would've failed. Definitely get him!
Whitener is the best chemistry option you have at montclair. Don't correct his mistakes!His three exams are just like his practice exams. In order to pass his class make sure you do the practice problems in book. Go through his slides and most importantly do the practice tests and quizes which guarantee an A on the exams. The better Chem opt
whitner is great he is nice and dorky and gives easy quizzes and even sometimes take home quizzes. he drops two quizzes (8 in total). he does mess up a lot on the board and the quizzes but everyone makes mistakes. attendance is not mandatory but if you dont go you probably wont pass
He's a nice enough guy but he's just very bad at explaining things. Pretty much have to teach yourself .
Not an easy class, but if you have solid background in gen. chem this class won't be too bad. He seems a little tense but he's happy to help you out and gives you lots of partial credit on the exams. Make sure to read and do the optional homework assignments if you want to do well.
His lectures can get boring and its easy to doze off but what he tells you is what is on the quizzes and final. There are 5 quizzes and a final. No hw. He is a real easy grader. He doesn't mind helping you if you have any questions. I recommend this professor because he is very easy and reasonable.
Dr Whitener's class is actually not the worst chemistry class you could have. he posts old quizzes and exams online for you that you could use as practice before any exam. His lectures are okay honestly I don't know how I would have done if I just relied on his lectures. I recommend reading the textbook and doing the practice homework problems.
He is the best chemistry teacher in MSU
His lectures were exactly what the name implies. He was awful at explaining things and was so engrossed in his own voice he never noticed the questions that were being asked. He was no help during office hours since he didn't explain things well. You have to be ready to teach yourself or be forced to withdraw like I did.
First chem class/4. He's sweet n willing to help. Won't randomly call on you but u ASK QUESTIONS. Read a chapter every 1-2 weeks n do homework problems between the readings cuz MATH PRACTICE NEEDED 4 exams and weekly quizzes. Take lectures as review of the reading cuz he's rly good at explaining how everything in the chapter comes together.
If you care, you will do really well. Exams are really predictable, he provides you with previous exams and quizzes from the semester before which end up being really close to what your exams are. No homework, and lab is too much work. He responds fast to emails but takes too long to grade material. Not a really nice person to talk to in person.
First, I'll like to say I'm an intelligent biochemistry student, 3.6 gpa. I've had many hard courses and I'd never blame my laziness/lack of knowledge on a professor. However Mr. Whitener is easily the worse teacher I've ever encountered in my few years of living. I can explain more but I'd prefer to just let you know, don't do it. Please don't.
Professor Whitener is a good choice for chemistry, his lectures can feel long. Despite that make sure to pay attention, he does explain things alright. Chemistry is a tough course, he gives plenty of practice problems and quizzes/tests from previous semesters to give you a sense of what is to come, as long as you practice, you will pass.
Dr. Whitener isn't the type of professor that you can easily go up to and talk to about your grade but he is definitely one of the best professors at MSU. His exams are very similar to the last year's exams which he posts on Canvas for practice. Don't read the textbook b/c he teaches everything really well in detail. Definitely take him.
CHEM120 is a hard class in general, no matter who you take you need to put the work in for it. Whitener's lectures are boring but they're worth going and half pay attention to. Used the book for any extra help I needed. He's chill and wants you to pass.
He constantly messes up his quizzes and examples of problems in his lectures. In our online lectures, he's refused to slow down to do problems, even when asked by multiple students. You can tell he HATES teaching the lower level chemistry classes. He's always so behind on grading, you won't know how you're doing until the day before the drop date.
His classes were difficult to understand. I was in his lab, and the lab condition was terrible. (That wasn't his fault though) But it didn't help that he gave barely any explanation and made it impossible to ask questions. He goes over material very fast and won't give the help you need, when you ask.
Whitener is a pretty good professor, he clearly explains what you need to know and tells you want will be on the tests. He also shows you practice exams which are very useful and is very accessible. All in all he is a pretty good chem teacher.
Horrible. If you do not already have a background in chemistry don't take him. He acts as if he is teaching people that are already on his level which is understandable but not good if you are the student. Grades are solely based on exams all other grades were not considered. Waited till the last minute to show students their true grades.
You will do great in his class if you show up, pay attention & take notes, and do the practice problems and exams that he provides to you. If you dont do those, you will not learn the material and pass. Dr. Whitener makes sure that students understand what is being taught in class and does a lot of review sessions to help students. He's great!
One of the worst professors I had so far. Please dont take his class unless you want to teach yourself the course and pass with a -C Chemistry was one of my favorite subjects and always looked forward to it and now I despise it because of this professor, his lectures are basically him solving problems with no explanation.
he was always so disorganized and was all over the place during online classes. you might as well teach yourself because he teaches as if you already know the material. it was overall a mess in that class. take him at your own risk.
This class was the hardest class I've ever taken. This professor overcomplicates the most simple concepts and you end up feeling dumb and failing the exams. Everything is graded extremely harsh. The average for the exams are 50s and below. Exams are in person. He doesn't curve anything either btw! I would not recommend this class at all!!!
Wanna find the class that makes you change your major? Welcome to CHEM120! Labs are graded too harshly. The lectures are messy, overcomplicated, and not helpful. Office hours are a joke. You'll end up teaching yourself everything from YouTube videos. Prof. Whitener is the worst in the chem department at MSU. You'll regret it if you take him!
I wish I wouldve read all these reviews before taking this professor. He is so sloppy.. all over the place during lectures. He makes so many mistakes during the math problems which confuses you more!! I honestly didnt think this class would be difficultbecause its the basics but he makes it sooo difficult. Stay far away!! Do not take his class.
If you have the chance to chose any other Chem Professor at MSU do it! & do not take Whitener. He is extremely disorganized. He make a lot of mistakes on quizzes and exams and then makes you re-do them. He never inputs grades on time. He waited for the day before the withdraw deadline to tell us our grades. He isnt understanding at all, very rude
I original failed chem120, I took Whitener expecting to have a really hard time and his class was way better. He is easily the best chem 120 professor. There are 4 exams and he post a study guide with a in depth answer key a week before which is almost a carbon copy of the exam. I didn't even attend class and did well on the exams.
One of the best professors I had. Really cares about the students and takes the time to help the students understand the work. Is very considerate and kind. Updates grades. Quiz every week. 4 exams. Does not like cheaters. Exams taken in person if online courses. Overall a fair teacher, no complaints about him. Treated students well and is patient
Never paid attention in class. Leaves blueprint to pass exams and quizzes by talking about what topics. 4 Exam 12 quizzes. YouTube videos helped me pass looked up every topic and it was on the quiz and exam. Very old school teaching in certain areas which can confuse people cause there are easier ways to do it. Practice. Study. Youll pass
A much better choice for 120 than other professors. Curves every exam, and gives 100's on quizzes as long as you hand them in with your own work. Does lots of review sessions before exams, & does pre lab videos which gives you all the equations for lab which makes it so easy to finish & leave early. Disorganized at times tho... makes mistakes often
Bad professor! He is not good at explaining material and makes a lot of mistakes on the board. His review sessions are useless and is not helpful at office hours, either. He does not want to connect with his students, yet he is disappointed when the test average is a failing grade. I am disappointed in the quality of his teaching.
Professor Whitener wasn't the greatest at explaining the material. However, he gave us old exams that were sometimes similar to his actual exams which were great. But since his lectures were very boring, it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying.
Class was unorganized and extremely confusing lectures. Quizzes were often postponed minutes before taking. Hard to follow his teaching methods. Explains everything in a confusing, more difficult manner. Seemed to forget what class he was teaching often. Did not give feedback until midway through gah the semester when we had to beg for it.
Do not take this course unless you want to deal with a semester of inconsistency, confusion, and insanity. Professor Whitener constantly postponed quizzes minutes before class, expected students to have years worth of chem knowledge, and made it very difficult to understand his lessons. Save yourself the troubles and stress and take someone else.
For a 100 level class this professor was a nightmare. Lectures were hard to understand, tests were very difficult (taken in class on paper), took weeks to grade things, overall would not recommend. On the other hand labs were easy and probably saved my grade and the TA was great.
Pretty cool and all, but he may be a bit disorganized at times.
100% would take him again, I wish he taught the next chem course I need. He knows what he's talking about, he's willing to spend time on topics when students don't understand it. Professor Whitener's quizzes and tests are straightforward. He cares about his students.
good prof, but he's a bit scattered. He drops your two lowest quizzes and gives you exams and quizzes from the previous semester. He goes over everything but takes a while to do so. Gives partial credit, and typically postpones exams or quizzes. overall a good teacher
If you want a professor who is unorganized, like to feel lost during lectures, and a professor who is very vague with what you need to study, and not have any of your quizzes or tests posted then he is for you. Otherwise, take this class with someone else who can give you a great foundation. No mater how much you study, you are never prepared.
He's slow on grading, never puts grades on canvas. He releases "midterm" grades but after that it's all up to you if to figure out what you have. Exams and quizzes are not that hard. Study his previous exams and quizzes and look at the textbook and you should be fine. I could have given him a 4-5 but he can be confusing and is very slow in arades
This class is overall okay, Professor Whitener is a good guy and does his best to try to get his students to learn the material but sometimes he's just a bit disorganized and doesn't explain certain concepts clearly. If you're stuck on something visit his office hours as he does help A LOT when it comes to 1 to 1 instructing compared to lectures!
If you can, just don't do it.
Unclear grading, doesn't always grade based off of questions asked on exam/ quiz. You have to guess in his labs because everything is disorganized
I did not chose this prof and if I could go back I would choose anyone else, way too many quizzes and you will have a better chance learning from youtube than anything he "tries" to teach.
He is not good at explaining concepts in class. His office hours are better to go to than lectures. Labs are confusing and hard to get through. You have to teach yourself the material. He can be rude to speak with, and is VERY slow with grading. If you can, take another professor. You will save yourself a LOT of frustration.
honestly he's alright compared to other teachers, he's just a bit disorganized and sometimes confusing. you're better off teaching yourself. going to recitation and his office hours/review sessions is what helped me.
This professor is the worst I've ever encountered. He lacks understanding of the material, writes gibberish, and delivers disorganized lectures. His endless, poorly designed tests make no sense, and he offers no helpful responses to questions. Avoid his class to save yourself unnecessary stress and frustration.
4 core exam and one final exam. Omg! Plus 3 extra assignments. He took two exam in one day. Seriously, he is not for freshman. I am a freshman and he gave me F.
Do NOT take him unless you want to be studying chemistry all day everyday. Kinda unorganized and very confusing in lectures. Expects you to know things you don't. The best way to learn is go to office hours and watch youtube. Slow grader. Doesn't upload grades. STAY AWAY FROM HIM. Socially awkward and a bit rude.
While the lectures can be disorganized, Whitener's class is manageable if you stay on top of the material. The exam study guides are a lifesaver, and unstuck ai proved useful for quiz and exam prep.
Worst professor even for students that work hard. Unorganized/unapproachable/rude. Review sessions help minutely. Exam average is failing. You can do well through self-teaching with youtube/AI/etc, NOT him. If you're willing to sacrifice the quality of your education and trust your own ability to teach yourself you'll pass. If possible, avoid him.
Go to recitation! You will not do well on exams if you aren't doing practice problems. 3 exams and 1 final. He gives a lot of resources and sometimes the exams are similar to the ones from the previous semester. Go to lecture, 9-12 unannounced quizzes but they are not difficult. You can do well but u need to put in the time!!!
Semester just started and i wished i had drop this course but as of right now, this dude is really bad. We'll see if i pass or not but I do not recommend
Dr. Whitener is one of the smartest professors you will ever meet. If you don't pay attention or study you'll probably perform poorly, but it's honestly on you that's not his problem lol... His exams are exactly what you would expect. Not sure why there are so many negative reviews, he's not rude at all and he cares about his students. Just study!
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
21%
Textbook Required
46%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.58 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEMISTRY
5.0
(4)GENCHEM
5.0
(1)CHEMISTRY1
5.0
(1)GENERALCHEMI
5.0
(1)CHEM410
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CHEM
4.0
GENCHEM
4.0
CHM490
4.0
CHEM1
4.0
CHEM00
4.0