2.5
Quality3.2
Difficulty17%
Would Retake114
Reviews17%
Would Retake
114
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
17
4
14
3
24
2
18
1
41
What Students Say
“I highly recommend just taking the class and surviving through, never looking back”
CHE134 - 1.0 rating“No one can avoid this”
CHE133 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
88%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM143
5.0
(1)LAB
5.0
(1)CHE131132
5.0
(1)CHE143144
5.0
(1)CHE143CHE144
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CHEM
5.0
CHE199
5.0
CHEM1401
5.0
CHE123124LAB
5.0
CHELABS
5.0
Reviews (114)
No Comments
he's a lil mean but he does try to help you out...personally, i wouldnt reccommend him b/c of my experiences...but i dont think u can avoid him..he teaches a lot of lab courses so good luck :(
he's really really nice once u get to know him..give it time...he'll come through eventually
No Comments
wear your safety goggles
Unreasonable and mean. Ask him an innocent question and hell explode.
He's MEAN!! I made a simple mistake with an assignment and I needed clarification, but was told I better work on my lab or he would gimme a zero for that too.----- ----- ----- -----
God-like in his class wishes he was cool
he is very unfair and a really nasty man...he should go into another profession
Angry, always yelling. Cannot teach at all. Thank God those days he taught lab are over
He yells a lot, that maybe due the constant work pressure. However, that is not acceptable excuse for teacher profession to make his students feel that he is hard to approach and learning is just finshing tasks.
this dude is CRAZY be careful he likes to scream and pick on ppl ....he would always pick on my lab partner for no reason run away when he comes around!!!!
I first entered his class...dressed all formal/ The whole class was smiling...and everything was normal/ By the end of semester...no one was amused/ Cuz we realzied that with the class came all his abuse
As if losing all of your hair from depression of going to Stony Brook isnt enough...he later comes along to make you lose the last few strands of hair left on your head...
No Comments
He's taking ESL b4 he become a professor,so no one understand wt he's talking about in his class. but his powerpoint is great
I got an A in both labs and i still hated this guy
he was nice and helpful.
No Comments
Very unhelpful and mean
Look guys, if you know him he's really helpful. Just don't be stupid and don't be cluless of what you're supposed to do. I mean Think about it. I wouldn't like it if you were a stupid person in my class.
not helpful at all. and i consider myself to be kind , between him and Mr. Munn the store room manager (who always yells at everyone not matter who you are) you are going to be in for a very long and miserable semester.
this man is the most horrible teacher ive had. he goes around and makes obnoxious comments and is extremely unclear and unhelpful. unfortunately there arent any other options in terms of professors for this lab, so good luck
Good professor, but you need to study!
Got an A in his lab but this guy got some Napolean complex. He thinks he is some kind of a Chemistry God. He needs to learn how to speak first of all. If you have to take him be extra careful in lab else he freaks out. Sorry excuse for a professor. I want my money back.
He's a real jerk. He thinks he's GOD. He'll try to make you feel bad for something that's not anything. Or if you try to explain something, he'll be like "yeh right, it's your fault". and he makes everything you say into something that's against him, just so he can yell at you for no apparent reason
Annoying, obnoxious. The man has no idea what the hell he's talking about. ANDDDDDDD he think's he's God's gift to Chemistry. WORST TEACHER EVER.
No Comments
Arrogant man who believes he is better than everyone else.
First of all, he always yells at you without an apprent reason. He easily gets irritated by himself. I don't like him at all. The worst instructor ever.
he's horrible. First of all, he is definetly ****. Two girls had to register late for chem lab at his office with me, and he was nice to them. Then he yelled at me. He also just sits there and criticizes you instead of teaching you the proper way to do things.
hard to understand what he's saying. want to switch class!!!
No Comments
No Comments
Ive seen him twice so far. He's horrible. When he comes to class he would say "wear you goggle!" to you or that means he is giving you a quiz.
I felt like it was a repeat of AP chem from high school. So good job Akhtar
This guy came off as quite arrongant and personally made me feel very uncomfortable as a freshman at stonybrook.
No Comments
He isn't even my lab guy...Kerber is, but this man manages to get tangled up in everyone's fun CONSTANTLY. The man is so mean, and you cannot understand half the things that come out of his mouth. avoid him whenever possible.
It's unfortunate that there is no real way to avoid him if you're a science major. I always felt that talking to him ruined any understanding of chemistry I already had. One of those teachers you just have to deal with.
The class itself isn't hard, he just makes you wish there were another professor to learn from. I made an attempt to talk to him about a situation that I had and he could care less. He didn't in the slightest attempt to be interested. So I would advise avoiding him at all costs if you wish to have a good day.
No Comments
I dunno why everyone gives this guy a hard time...he was a good teacher....better than millar anyways...if you show a little intrest in chemistry he gets excited and wants to help you but then will try and talk chemistry with you the whole rest of the semester....tht sucks but its better than him being a dick like to all the other ppl right?
HORRIBLE TEACHER. HE YELLS AT PEOPLE AND TRIES TO MAKE THEM RUSH DURING LAB CLAIMING THAT HE DOESN'T WANT "YOU ALL TO WASTE SO MUCH TIME!" AND THEN DELIBERATELY PUTS STUDENTS INTO A PANIC ABOUT THE TIME LEFT IN LAB. HE IS VERY NASTY AND ARROGANT, AND BELIEVES HE IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNOWS CHEMISTRY.
He is one of the greatest person I know. I guess if people stopped treating him like crap, that he won't treat you like crap at the end. He is so nice and he really helped me alot, and oh yea, he did that without any yelling or "arrogance".
No Comments
He is awesome! You really have to know him. He is really understanding and fair. He is not a easy teacher but he knows a lot. He is willing to help, and he just wants us to do great. My lab skills and knowledge was surely improved. I LOVE PROF Ahktar, and so will you. Just be open and be good. ^^
His class was really easy. You don't even have to pay attention in lecutre just do the pre-lab (you don't need to read the lab to do them) and you'll be set. Also he's a pretty helpful guy and willing to look at grading complaints fairly.
Made the subject and procedures clear. Very nice man and great to talk to. The reason why I enjoyed chem lab.
This guy is a complete jerk...i switched into chem lab hoping this guy would be helpful and all he did was say that i was being a pest and to "get off his ass" i quote him...he is a mean and arrogant person who hates american life...he should be fired on the spot...once i asked him a question and he told me i was stupid and to get out of his face
CHE labs are all about hard work. labs should be worth more than 1 credit. Go to lectures. do teh pre-labs and you should be fine.You won't get to see him unless you have a problem with your grades. He's not that friendly but he's okay overall.
I got an A in lab but it wasn't because of the professor. If anything, he was a cold man who's difficult to approach and ask questions. To do well, you basically read your manual and do the prelab. Aktar is just an old moving statue waiting to crack.
He is notorious for being a right difficult ****, and it's true. Expect to be insulted and yelled at for no reason from him, and not to receive any actual help. Go to the TA, the other professors, the Chem Help room- anyone but him!
He doesn't do much, occassionally he wanders into the class and tells us to put our goggles on, but otherwise he isn't around. From what I have seen of his interactions with students he doesn't seem like a bad dude, just kinda incompetent.
Never saw too much of him. He gave a lecture though, which was helpful, since he taught us step by step and actually prefrom the procedures in front of us. Other than that I can't say too much more about him
The man just wanders in and out of class. I believe he makes up the quizzes and the final. He is very impatient... because they ARE RIDICULOUS. He gives a 50 question final exam with true and false and computatiosn for only like 30 minutes, while giving quizzes 5 questions long for 15 minutes
hard to pass
This guy is so adorable. I think he's a great prof. and he's funny in a corny way. The class wasn't hard, quizzes weren't that bad in my opinion. I'd recommend him. He seemed cool to me.
Not a good teacher, not an easy lab!
He's not a bad guy; he just has a chip on his shoulder. Rough around the edges, and can be unreasonable at times. Just keep calm and take his criticism while talking to him - ask him what you need help with, even if he's yelling at you, and he'll help eventually.
worst ever! grading system is really bad. u need to get really good numbers for each lab to get an A. 88% is an A, but 85% is a B. also, be prepared to be tortured by long, long labs.
He is a nice guy who wants his students to do well. Although he is impatient and can really yell at you, its needed when working with chemicals that can be harmful. Just be open to hearing critisim and read the lab manual and you should be fine.
During lecture he reads off power point slides prepared by another professor. I asked him several times if my results were ok. He said they were fine and later I had points taken off because they were not. He is nice and helpfult to select few students. I guess I did not belong to the club:(
always willing to help out with grades
He's a nice guy and all but there really was no need to beef up an intro to Chem lab the way they did..I mean seriously, quizzes in a 1 credit lab? Just make sure you watch out for simple mistakes, sig.figs., melting point, boiling point, etc..being off by a minute amount can cost you big points (even if you fully understand the concept of the lab)
Crazy and outrageous yelling for no reason. Very rude and not open to helping students. Showing politeness will not help.
I had Prof. Ahktar for a winter session class and it was fine. He's a genuinely nice, witty guy, although there is way too much work given for a one credit course. I heard he's a lot worse with bigger classes/classes in the spring/fall but he was just fine over the winter.
The only thing smaller than Akhtar is his worth as a teacher. Very rude, arrogant, terrible person. Don't bother going to office hours unless you want to be insulted. He ruined my chemistry lab experience. Avoid him.
stay away from him he is the worst professor at stonybrook and maybe the entire world
dr akhtar looks adorable...key word looks. In actuality he is really mean. He gets frustrated very easily and a majority of the time, he cuts you off before you can finish asking your question. He is completely dismissive and has the tendency to yell at you like you're five when he gets angry. Seriously,he is just so mean
His 1-credit class took up so much of my time and it wasn't easy. The lab manual for this class is written very poorly. The formulas presented in the lab manual are an eyesore.
Thankfully I did not need to make too much contact with him - I heard him yell a few times to other students. The two times I did ask him questions he was nice. I think for a 1-credit course there is too much work required and the course is very hard. In the beginning I was looking forward to lab but halfway thru I couldn't wait for it to be over!
I never really had that much contact with him, but when I did talk to him he seemed very nice. He makes a few stupid jokes that made lecture a bit more bearable.
He's a very nice guy and he's adorable. His lectures are helpful and he's laid back about lecture attendance.
very nice guy. he makes his lecture notes very clear and includes procedures step by step. even if you don't call him over in lab, if he sees you're having a problem he'll come over to help you. not sure why people said he's mean, he's always been very helpful and kind to me and anyone else i've seen him with. he's a cute old guy.
Nah he's cool. You can tell he puts a lot of effort into the lecture slides and the lecture itself. people just complain that hes bad because they dont try. if you put in the effort from begining to end, you'll get an A
Really nice guyy
He was a wonderful professor, very entertaining. Unlike most people, I thought he was hilarious when he got mad at the class.
Everyone says he's all mean and stuff, but when he lectured for our class during the winter session, he was reallly nice. Maybe that adage is true that people get nicer when they get older... That said, he did mention we would "labor" in laboratory class and there's no doubt about that. There's definetly too much work for a 1 credit class
I do not know why you need to read this guy's review. The lecture was conducted by another teacher. ANd TAs help you through the lab. Maybe he made thoes pop quizes. It is hard if you did not get A in the 131 or 132. but anyway some people go to 133/134 without taking 131/132.
He is VERY NICE. I don't know why people are saying he is mean. He explains CLEARLY what you need to do in lecture and he points on what may be on the quizzes. All the tools are given to you, people just need to reciprocate the effort. Easy to get an A, just do the work required. I would def take another class with him.. he is so sweet and nice
Great teacher. A bit strict, but do your best and you'll be fine. Interesting and (corny) funny. He may seem a bit intimidating at first, but ASK and be specific about any problems. He's a decent guy, just cooperate and pay attention. The course is VERY involved for 1-credit, but it's also extremely well organized and the book is well written.
Took this class over the summer and im really happy i did. Not too difficult although TA was horrible. I still got a B+ and the prof is actually really nice and helpful if you ask. Just go to lectures and youll do fine.
Had him over the summer.. he is awesome and very helpful.
I was scrolling through the list of professors and was so surprised to see P.Akhtar's low rating. He's really approachable, friendly, and helpful! The dreary four hours labs are a bit brighter when he's around to help out. And yes, he isn't THE professor teaching the labs - he's the head of the labs as far as I know.
this guy gets angry quickly if u ask easy? or tell him to repeat something LOL but other than that he nice n he will cooperate with your situation depending what it is and what u r trying to do...this CHE133 lab is really easy all u have to do is STUDY CHEMISTRY DUHHHHH!!! getting an A in chem lab is easy, not kidding
I honestly think hes the cutest little man ever! hes so nice and so approachable. I love his class :)
he can be condescending and difficult to understand but funny at times
From my experience, this man is an awful human being. As a teacher, he cannot teach. He knows limited english and his "published" lab workbook (which is mandatory for the class) has several grammer and spelling mistakes. Unfortunately he is one of the only lab professors. Just ignore him and read the lab manual.
When I was in Chem, he only seemed a little stressed out at times. I can't blame him with some of the ridiculous questions people come in with. For most, its their first science lab class, so they're put off when the professor isn't holding their hand. He made chem lab run well, not chaotic like it could have been. Refer to: BIO 204/205.
Introductory chem lab like 134 is NOT hard at all, seriously. Compared to BIO204/205 introductory labs, CHE133/134 labs r a joke. This professor is nice for the most part unless u ask him very easy n dumb questions which means u did not do prelab or forgot simple stuff. He is helpful and will do what he can to solve your problems, i dont mean hw.
Very nice man, helpful and tries to lighten up what can be very stuffy chem material. Really enjoyed having him as a professor.
it's okay, but his pronounciation is weird.
He seems to complain often and take off points often. He doesn't really explain well but just finds faults.He has an accent and makes a lot of typos in labs. Once, he emailed out a missing lab handout before the day of the lab. The class did not get to prepare and were confused during lab. This lowere my confidence and fate in his capability.
He complains much and doesn't explain well in the beginnning. When he forgot to post up one of the handouts until the day before the lab,the class could not prepare and were confused. But he continued to reduce points for mistakes when he made the big mistake of missing the lab.
Awful instructor. The entire course was extremely disorganized; sends out last minute e-mails barely explaining an important last minute change in what's going on. Treated the TAs like they were clueless. would not recommend.
he's a nice guy but what is up with the grading for this class? I had 875 points out of 1000, that is 87% and got a B?! he only gives A or B or C nothing in between. ridiculous. no other class is 87% a B
Professor Ahktar was very fair. He doesn't just hand out grades, you have to work for them. He grades out of 1000 points and he curves the final averages slightly even though he says he doesn't. His midterms are fair if you study. His final was a bit more difficult but still fair if you go to lecture and study.
I asked him for makeup and he just told me to stop wasting my time in his office. NOT very helpful. Eventually, I just asked my TA instead and he let me.
He is a nice guy but a rough exterior. The class is very demanding in time, labs are long and tedious. Prepare and always do your pre-labs. Work your sig figs since, you can only lose at most 100 points to get an A. Study hard for the quizzes and final.
This Professor is cool. He is very helpful and very understanding especially if you got to his office requesting his help. I took chem 133 and chem 134 with him and got an grade A in both.
I took CHE133 during Summer section. Lectures are to inform you what you will do in the lab, and the lab is actual experiments but easy. You don't need to worry about this course too much. One thing I got annoyed is his lecture, lecture slides, and quiz schedules. He has somewhat strong Indian accent. un-focus-able slides. unclear notice about quiz
His lectures are pointless. Just read the manual to understand what to do on the lab and the pre-lab. He is not a friendly guy. I asked him a few questions and he gets angry that I don't understand his lectures. He even yells at his TAs. He's very dull and his quizzes are very difficult based due to his poor teaching.
I took this lab during summer session. The course itself is relatively easy (got an A). Prof Akhtar's lectures, however, were pointless, overly complicated, and difficult to understand. Focus on the pre-lab, and the labs will be simple. He also likes to let students know syllabus changes at the last minute, so be prepared. Study for the quizzes.
He's got a tough exterior and seems very stressed out due to the large amount of students he has to handle. He can be rude, but in the end he will help you. You have to get to him through other people, such as a TA or another instructor. His quizzes are very difficult and the labs are very long. Not a bad instructor, just difficult to deal with.
Akhtar seems really mean and unapproachable. That much is true, but if you have no fear and approach him with confidence, he will budge. Don't let his personality scare you away. Challenge him if you're having a problem and he will help you out. He appreciates the fact that some people actually care about lab.
He's an amazing professor and a human being . His classes are real fun and can be really helpful during exams. I would honestly recommend him to everyone who need to take Chem Lab because I took lab with other TAs and none of them were as good as he is. He has really evolved over the years so dont pay attention to the other reviews.
He has so many students per semester that he does in fact have a thick skin. No one can avoid this. I agree with some reviews that with some respect and patience he will soften up. He will not remember you or your problems if you spoke to him yesterday. Doesn't have much of a connection to his students in lab. Just keep bugging him respectfully.
Akthar is an incredibly difficult person to deal with. For one he is barely in the labs and when he is he mostly yells at people. Two, the man will never concede anything, attempting to talk to him will have you get dismissed like you're a child who knows nothing. I highly recommend just taking the class and surviving through, never looking back.
what is good about him? once he spilled hydrochloric acid all over (and onto some students), and another time he still held classes even though the university canceled classes for that day.... it's a shame he's the only choice for chem lab....
Chem 134 is really annoying. You wont want to be there even though its only once every two weeks. You wont see professor Akhtar much but when yiu do, hes pretty hilarious. I think hes a nice man
The quizzes in this class are mostly easy. The experiments however demand precision and accuracy, especially the test experimets. It is very easy to mess up a titration and get 50 points taken off. Make sure to read the lab manual as it will guide you during the expeirments and quizzes. The online lab quizzes are not too hard. Watch lecture videos!
He is never in the lab. But when he is, you would wish he wasn't. He does not care about your learning at all, and if you have any questions you better wish for a good TA.
Never gonna see him in the lab; all the grading and labs are controlled by the TA's, so you better hope that your TA is good. Class itself is tricky, make sure to constantly ask questions and do all the labs and assignments to get a passing grade. Not a class I'd recommend.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
88%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.90 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM143
5.0
(1)LAB
5.0
(1)CHE131132
5.0
(1)CHE143144
5.0
(1)CHE143CHE144
5.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
CHEM
5.0
CHE199
5.0
CHEM1401
5.0
CHE123124LAB
5.0
CHELABS
5.0