Ok really don't know what all these people are talking about. I failed chem 131 last semester so i had to retake it with her and now i have a B+ in her class! its chemistry, so duh it'll be hard, but she offers so much of her time to help you out!and just ps...if you can't pass her class, then drop because this is as easy as chem gets! love her!

She is good, kind, and very helpful. Test is not easy but you will get through everything if you understand what she teachs in the class. you don't need to read text book but you have to get her presentation then you can solve all problems on the test. But you'd better attend class.

She is extremely helpful and easy to talk to.

Great prof. and easy on the eyes!

One of the nicest professors ive ever had. You have to go to class and do the homework but she is very clear and will help you if you ask. The class requires effort, but she is completely reasonable.

Great professor.She breaks things down and explains them very clearly.If you don't understand something she's very willing to help and super nice.A lot of kids might say she's not good at teaching just cuz chem is hard.But put in the time to study and you'll be fine.Be careful cuz the test/quizzes have answers that are common mistakes people make.

Great teacher. As long as youstudy (A LOOOT) and put a lot of work into this class you should get a decent grade. GO TO CLASS. She is extremely helpful. Do not hesitate to talk to her about things you don't understand. Also, do the suggested problems at the end of the chapters and attend her reviews.She actually made me want to minor in Chemistry!

I just had her for lab and she was really nice. She was a tough grader on the lab reports but her final was very straight forward and fairly easy if you looked back over the labs a little bit.

Very great teacher, love this woman. She is very helpful on clarifying things. You do have to actually do work though, her class is no joke. If you don't study and do practice problems you won't do well. Overall I would have her as a professor again.

SOOO CHILL AND SUPA DUPA NICE. not difficult to do well at all.

Taking chem for the 2nd time, she is much better than before. If you have taken chem, you don't need to go to class, just show up for clicker assignments and do aris. She explains things well for the most part. Some things I understood before she made confusing because she tries to put in the chem explanations over whats easiest to remember.

I am so obsessed with Dr. Tam. She is an amazing teacher and makes difficult material super easy to understand. She is a life savor and going to SMLC helps more than you can ever imagine, especially because she teaches there

Tam is amazing!. She is a tutor in the math/science learning center so she really knows her stuff and she loves teaching chemistry more than anything! Not an easy class, but it's Chem 132, so what do you expect? She gives great powerpoint slide notes, so the textbook is good mostly just for the text questions. Tests are short, multiple choice.

I repeated CHEM 131 and Tam was superb! She explains things very clearly and makes great notes! Rarely used the book cause she thinks its too confusing at times! Tests can be challenging but do-able! Definitely go see her if you're ever confused! Super nice! If someone complains about her class, its because they didn't pay attention!!! TAKE HER!!!!

Tam is awesome!! I love her fill in notes it really gets you involved in the lecture instead of just reading PPs. She is very easy to talk to you and will do a lot to help you... Definitely go to the SMLC and get extra help.. her office is there and you will pass no problem!!

Repeated 132 with Dr. Tam after having Dr. A for 131 and 132, and I have to say Dr. Tam is awesome. Made what used to be an impossible subject for me very do-able. Love her lecture style (fill-in notes) and tests aren't bad. Barely passed 132 the first time but actually felt like I learned it with her. Wish I had her the first time around!

Dr. Tam is one of the best professors I have had at JMU. Yes she can be a tad rude when you ask her questions She will help you out but wants you to think about solving it instead of her just giving you the answer (hence the rudeness towards students who just want the answer) She works in SMLC and notes are fill in the blank so GO TO CLASS!

Notes are fill in the blank. She has clicker questions that are open notes, friends, etc.. REALLY great at explaining material. very thorough. Only thing that was slightly annoying was she writes really fast. She is awesome and wants to help you do well if you seek her out.

Tam is great. I love her fill-in-the-blank notes. The class is kind of difficult, but if you go to her office hours she is SO helpful. Just do your work and study and you will do well.

Dr. Tam is a great teacher, but her tests are very hard. This is Chemistry, so that is reasonable. I wish that she would curve her tests some, but she does drop the lowest grade. I am DEFINITELY glad that I am taking her again for 132. Overall awesome professor :)

Dr. Tam is a good professor. Her notes are very clear and helpful and she answers any questions during lecture. Tests were really hard and lots of people failed but chem is a tough subject and it's a weed-out class. Helpful in office ours & at the learning center but can be rude and almost belting at times. Overall a helpful and effective professor

Dr. Tam is nice and helpful if you go to her office hours a lot and show that you actually care. I would take her again. She was a little rude at first but if you talk to her enough, that rudeness goes away.

Dr. Tam was very helpful and very passionate about the topic. Her tests are very hard, and it does takes a lot of work to get a good grade in the class, but it is not impossible. I highly reccomend Dr. Tam, she is the best for gen chem!

Took Dr. Tam for Chem 131 lab. Labs were easy and she graded pretty leniently on all lab reports (one a week). Tests weren't hard and she told you what was on the lab reports at the beginning of each lab. Take her!

Explains things really well, is easy to understand and is very clear. The material itself is difficult but the tests are by no means impossible, the homework also is not super difficult. As someone who struggles in chemistry normally I would highly recommend her. Especially over some of the other choices.

Professor Tam is great. Her notes are clear though sometimes class can be a bit boring, but you need to go to do well. Expect homework online, can be time consuming but helps boost your grade. Go to her office hours, is intimidating at first but is very bright and can help. Study a lot for her tests, they are not impossible but are by no means easy

Loved Mary Tam! She was incredibly helpful whenever I went to her with questions or concerns and seemed to very genuinely care about my success in the class, which is rare in college professors. Her lectures were very thorough, but a a little fast-paced so expect to be fully present. Wiley plus is a big grade booster. Go to office hours, she cares!

Dr. Tam's lectures are clear cut - has a note packet available for purchase and writes down the notes on a projector as you go through the lecture so it's easy to follow along + its a good study tool. CHEM131 is a tough course but Dr. Tam does a good job of explaining the concepts but you definitely have to work for a decent grade. Would recommend!

Chemistry is a hard class and you have to work for a good grade but Dr. Tam is probably one of the best professors to take chemistry with. She is always in the Learning center to help and is willing to help if you reach out to her. Do the textbook questions, reread your notes, and go to PASS sessions and you'll be fine. DONT SLACK IN CHEM

I wish I had known Dr. Tam was one of the few 131 profs who don't curve, but I had a good experience with the class nonetheless. She drops lowest test grade, but other than that, you have to work your ass off for a B or higher. The class is definitely doable if you work hard, seek help, and don't fall behind on readings or class attendance.

She's an amazing professor and one of the sweetest lady's I've met. The class is going to be hard no matter who the professor is, and from what I've heard she's one of the bests. She can moves really fast in class, but if you go and talk to her she really slows things down and really really helps! Tests are difficult, but manageable.

Chemistry is a hard class by nature and having 75% of your grade resting on three tests and a final doesn't help. That being said, Tam is a great teacher who really invests time in making sure she explains things well. She's super friendly and willing to help you out. Would recommend.

Dr. Tam is one of my favorite professors at JMU. She is so cute and nice and it's very easy to become her best friend. She's not as helpful in class if you don't understand something, but if you go to the learning center, she clears everything up. You do need to try in this class and it's not easy, but getting an A is possible.

I loved Tam, I hate chemistry but she made it bearable. She is always willing to help with any questions you have. Her office is in the Math and Science Learning Center so she frequently tutors student who go there for help.

Dr. MT is the way to go! If you take Chemistry choose Mary Tam

Dr Tam is so nice and a great teacher. Definitely buy the book of all the powerpoints because it's hard to keep up with notes otherwise and it helps when studying for exams! I can't imagine a better chem professor.

Dr. Tam cares about her students, if you're willing to put in the time and come to office hours she is 100% willing to help. Tests are very difficult but if you take advantage of the student center and her out of class help, they are do- able. Highly recommend her!

Dr. Tam is an amazing professor. She is available outside of class, and you can almost always find her at SMLC. She goes through the lecture material really fast, but she wants you to understand, and will do whatever she can to help you understand.

Great teacher take her if you can. Only bad thing is she makes you do online assignments which are due every Sunday Tuesday and Thursday throughout the entire semester.

Dr. Tam is the best choice for 131. Goes through material fast but honestly she has no choice. I think her tests are very doable if you do the PASS prac. test and canvas one she gives. DO HER RECCOMENDED PROBLEMS! I can tell you that they made a huge difference for me. Lots of work in Aleks but it helps. No curves. Final is a super hard ACS exam.

She was a great choice for this course. She works at the CHEM center, and she is so willing to help you. The only down side is she does super easy equations in class, then gives the hardest homework problems. Tho its an online homework generator not really her. She gave a HUGE surprise curve at the end of the semester.

Lectures are tough and go fast. A lot of material that gets covered. She has a separate book just for her class that she made up, buy it. A lot of homework, but doable with help through her canvas postings. (look at canvas!!!). In class problems were easy, but Exams super tough. Usually all the 'Exceptions' to the rule show up in exams.

Tam was a great professor. Had a book for this class that is pretty much guided notes which was super helpful so buy it. LOTS of homework but if you get it done, it's worth a lot at the end (worth 2 tests grades I think). Drops lowest test grade and curves at the end.

Dr. Tam is great. Her class was so insightful to chemistry I switched to a chemistry major. She is great at lecturing and very helpful if you need extra help. There is a lot of homework due but it is on a fixed schedule so you can plan ahead of time.

GENERAL CHEMISTRY IS A NIGHTMARE! That being said, I struggled a lot at the beginning of the year by being too intimidated not to seek her assistance in office hours. But once I did, my grades soared. Shes extremely accessible and genuinely wants to see you succeed. She drops your lowest test grade and curves at the end of the semester. Also do HW

Dr. Tam has great lectures and explains things clearly. Hw is online due twice a week, plenty of ways to study (offers practice tests on canvas/mindtap/in class) I usually see her after class if I have questions. Taking her again for 132. Heard her tests are harder than other 131 profs, but it's definitely worth it! One test dropped, 4 tests total.

Overall I believe that she's a really good professor; however, there is a lot of homework and its doesn't count for a large portion of your grade. Tests account for over half of overall grade but she does drop the lowest test of 4.

Dr. Tam is a great professor. She is fast paced and has a helpful book for notes. Tam is very accessible outside of class. Her tests are HARD but if you go to pass and put in a lot of work, you can get a good grade.

Professor Tam is great especially if you aren't amazing at science. She works at the tutor center so her lectures are very well organized and easy to understand. Note packet was my life saver and made studying for tests ten times easier. pay attention and DO THE MINDTAP

Dr. Tam is a wonderful professor. She lectures great and I feel that I learned a lot. However, she makes her tests way harder than they need to be and they're most of your grade. The other parts of your grade are MindTap (online learning), and small group MC questions. I think I really understand chemistry but her tests say otherwise.

Dr. Tam is wonderful. I had her for both chem 131 and 132 and she is truly a great professor. Her tests are challenging but manageable if you are willing to work hard. Go to SSC and get help from the tutors and from her because she is there a lot. She is super caring and nice especially if she sees that you're putting in the effort. Love her

Dr. Tams class is very difficult but she is so nice. Its based off of four tests (the lowest is dropped) and mindtap activities (which is basically a test grade so it helps your grade a lot). However, if you are struggling in this class make sure Dr. Tam knows and you go in for help a lot because she WILL round your grade a whole lot (C to B-).

Dr. Tam is a nice, caring professor and person if you really get to know her. Her examples in her coursepack are simple but the tests are harder so you really have to work for your grade. If you show her you care and go to her office hours many times she will take time to help you with whatever you need. Don't be scared to ask her for help!!

She's definitely a tougher teacher and you have to work for your grade, but you can succeed in her class. She gives good practice's for tests and her course pack is super helpful. Chem is hard in general but she does a good job teaching

Tam is AMAZING! The best chem professor so far. Her course pack is extremely helpful for taking notes. MindTap HW kinda sucks but every teacher uses it. Does such a good job explaining difficult concepts. Grades are exams and then group worksheets throughout semester. Highly recommend!!

Tam is the best chemistry professor. She is always available for extra help and she really wants her students to succeed. This class is very hard but if you put the work into it, you will see the results you strive for. Tam gives very good studying suggestions and is always willing to help her students out. Do not fall behind in this class!!!

Dr. Tam was an amazing professor. She does teach a little fast, but if you keep up with her lectures, and attend class, you will do great in this class. She is so nice and wants her students to succeed. Great at explaining topics, and always available for help. People who gave her a bad rating definitely didn't utilize the resources she provides.

Took this as a summer class, so all the lectures were recorded in advance. Honestly, this was one of the hardest classes I think I have ever taken. She was incredibly nice though whenever I went in for help during office hours and she is just nice in general. Definitely recommend taking this prof for CHEM131

The only thing that stops me from giving her a 5 is how fast she lectures. It seems like there is a lot of material and when you take notes, you can't comprehend most things during class, so it'll take a large portion of time outside to understand the topic a little bit.

-Lowest of four tests gets dropped -Must buy coursepack (notes) and make sure you make it to class to learn material -two mind-tap mastery assignments due a week *If you make it to class and have time to study you will do okay but it's a lot of material *Study Practice tests well, they mirror actual tests closely

I took Dr. Tam for CHEM 132 during the Spring 2022 semester. She is so smart and can seem intimidating until you get to know her. I met with her almost every week outside of class and reviewed my exams with her to try and succeed. Her lectures are hard but very well done, she wants you to understand. Go to office hours and complete your Mindtaps!!

Professor Tam is a great chemistry professor! The mini lectures and question reviews she does in class are always helpful. The way Chem 131 is set up there is group work every class but professor Tam has always been accommodating with the groups and offers help on all the work sheets. Attendance is mandatory but every class is beneficial.

Dr. Tam is a really great professor. The class is structed in a way where you learn the material beforehand and practice it in class with your group. Overall, she is a really great person, and her tests are comprehensible if you spend a few hours on the material (watching videos, doing WebAssign and check-ins).

If you watch the video lectures before class (like you're supposed to) you'll be fine. Many students complain about the difficulty without watching the lectures which is unfair. Tam goes over questions from the class before class and her explanations are always clear. I have not met a teacher as adamant about helping their students as Tam.

If you are decently smart and good at chemistry then don't listen to any of the negative reviews lol. Dr. Tam is a great professor and honestly not that hard

chemistry is HARD. but tam is always there to motivate and help you. she is one of the more caring professors at JMU, and she understands it is hard. she has so many resources and will help push you to better understand. she is awesome!

Chemistry is not my strong suit at all, but Professor Tam is one of the most helpful professors I have ever had! She offers lots of resources to excel in her course, and I really enjoy her lectures. There is occasionally some group work during class and she offers a custom textbook to follow her lectures easier.

Chem 132 is an extremely difficult class and you must put in the work to be successful. The tests are extremely challenging and you have to know the material inside and out to do well. There are 4 tests, she drops the lowest one but does not curve so be aware of that. She lectures fast but they are extremely well done.

Dr. Tam is an excellent professor, but the way that Chem132 is structured is very hard. The lectures were really fast and were pretty much information overload. A lot of the notes taken during class were difficult to comprehend since the lecture just goes so fast so you have to speed-write everything down. Ask a lot of questions to succeed.

She was great! There was quite a bit of homework to learn info before class but it would be gone over during the lecture to help better understand and solidify. Many grades also would get dropped at the end of the semester which added some leeway. There was group work but worksheets were graded mostly on effort with few points taken for wrongness.

Professor Tam gives a lot of assignments however they're all helpful in understanding the concepts. Overall, she's a great and easily accessible professor. The class is difficult but that is just chemistry in general, I think that Professor Tam does a great job at making all the information digestible.

She's super nice! The course is hard because it is chem but she is very nice when you ask questions or don't understand things. Tests are like 50% of the grade but the lowest does get dropped along with some other assignments. Because of this, she does not allow any excuses for missing tests so be warned.

Drops one test out of five. Super helpful after class worksheets. It is not hard to succeed in this class if you can understand the material but she is not lenient in the slightest. To make your life easier I would just take another professor because their tests are much simpler.

I think she is better than a lot of the other chem professors

I do really like Dr. Tam, she is nice and office hours with her are actually fun and interesting. Coursework is challenging but she offers a lot of help and wants you to succeed. You won't pass if you don't go to class, go to PASS review sessions and you'll be okay. Do all of the little assignments, they add up. She drops one exam and other things.

I literally made RMP account just to praise Professor Tam. If you have a difficult time comprehending chemistry, TAKE HER. She uses a course pack (which was pretty cheap), and a free online textbook to help you comprehend. Chemistry is really hard and you definitely have to put in the work to get a good grade, but she does her best to help you out.

I think she's one of the best chemistry professors, really nice if you talk to her and ask her for help but makes you put in the work for it. Definitely a very time-consuming class with lots of homework but I really like her lectures and teachings. Also gives you a bunch of options to make things up and earn more points.

Dr. Tam is a very intelligent Professor and it is obvious she knows what she is doing. However the class itself is incredibly difficult, so be prepared to teach yourself a few things. There are a lot of great TA's to help though. Also she provides a coursebook that is optional to buy to make lectures easier.

Dr. Tam is a great professor and is really nice. She tries to help you when you ask questions and tries to explain it in a way you might understand. She does move pretty fast and there is a lot of homework. The class is hard so be ready to put in the work for it. There might be times you might have to teach yourself something outside of class.

Chem 132 with Professor Tam is a challenging course, but with dedication and the right study tools like unstuck AI, you can succeed. The lectures move quickly, so be prepared to stay engaged and ask questions. The exams are tough, but the lowest one gets dropped.

It's chem so it will be hard. I love her teaching style but as a person she doesn't have much empathy towards students. She always answers emails and can be helpful in/out of class. LOTS of work every week so be prepared, but it helps cushion your grade. 4 tests (lowest dropped) and a cumulative standardized final. Not bad.

Dr. Tam is an amazing professor. Chemistry is a difficult class, but she teaches it in a digestible way. The tests are difficult, but she drops one out of four and also gave us the chance to replace our 2nd lowest test with the score we get on the final. There is a lot of work outside class, but all of it helps to understand the material better.

Chem is hard no matter what teacher you have but i think she is one of the best for 131. She uses a coursepack with printed notes in it and I haven't heard of any other 131 professor that does this. It makes it a lot easier to study for exams. We had 4 exams but drops lowest one. You need to study A LOT and go to PASS sessions to get a good grade.

If you do the work, you will be able to keep up with the class. Many people I know will be failing out of the course but they do not do their work. If you complete the homework and actually learn it instead of AI the answers you should be fine to get a B in the class and if you do extra work you can get an A easily. It is a review of high school

If you like structure, take her class! Dr. Tam made it very clear what exactly was required pre and post class work-wise. Chem is a hard class but Dr. Tam made it manageable. I'm taking her for 132 as well. She drops your worst exam grade and replaces your second worst exam grade with your final. She is not lenient about anything, so lock in!

i found chem 132 much more difficult than 131 because of how math heavy it was but the way dr tam does her lecture notes was an AMAZING resource for studying. she can come off as a bit condescending but i think she is just very blunt. almost everyone struggles with gen chem but she made it a little bit better with her coursepack.

Dr. Tam talks at a fast pace and can sometimes be hard to keep up in class but if you see her in office hours she is so helpful. I recommend buying her course pack. She assigns ALEKS work every night and gives you post class worksheets (not for a grade) which are very helpful in preparing for the exams. I would definitely recommend her class.

Chem is hard, but Dr. Tam has amazing lectures that make everything easier and are organized well. She makes a notebook with all the notes for the semester, and it is available to buy at the bookstore for like 30$. This book makes everything 100 times easier, as everything is organized neatly in one place. Dr. Tam is also nice and happy to help!

I took her for 131 and 132 and she's super nice. She's really easy to reach outside of class through email and the MHLC. 132 was much harder for me because it is almost all math, but you can still pass with straight 50-60s on the exams. There's only like 10 other grades than exams, so you actually have to do your work to get a good final grade.

I will die on the hill that Dr. Tam is a good chem teacher. If you do not like reverse lecture style take her! She has a fill in note packet that's super helpful for studying. Beware that chem 132 is very difficult and you WILL need to put the work in to do good. We have 4 tests (low dropped) and a final. There's also some GW that are for accuracy.

The information its self is somewhat tricky. Felt like I really understood an everything then bombed the tests. Short and fast tests that make up a lot of the final grade. A ton of help outside of class available. Attendance is required but necessary even if it wasnt.

very chill but a lot of homework for a weed out course, go to Office Hours if you need help regarding anything and she is very responding to any help needed.

Has a coursepack to take notes in (costs $), lectures pretty fast and moves through material quickly. About a 1:3 lecture to workshop day ratio and has an assignment due before every class plus HWs-- lots of assignments, do all of them. Difficult but passable since she drops lowest test grade-- do NOT get behind/skip its hard to catch back up.

Gen chem is going to be hard no matter what, but Dr. Tam is one of the best chem professors. She has a coursepack that is very helpful and assigns all homework through ALEKS. The lectures are very fast-paced but there is just too much information to cover in a 50-minute class. Has a lot of study materials and drops 1 out of 5 tests.

General Chemistry is going to be tough, no matter who you take. I went to every single PASS Session and visited her office hours at least once a week, and still scored 60s-70s on tests. However, Dr. Tam is a great professor and will help you out if you attend her office hours. Tests account for 50% of your grade, while the final exam is 20%.