He is a good teacher, but this is a hard subject. Test are sort of hard

Hard grader, but excellent teacher. Totally willing to help out his students. If you study, and work hard you will get a good grade, and learn a lot!

Great teacher, like to help students, very clear lectures. However, be careful on his tests, sort of hard. Although you can do it in 10 min (easy looking), but your grade won't be as expected. If you love Chem, this is your instructor.

he is the guy. I really learn a looooot.however, he is hard, all you have to do is study! Good luck!!!

took in summer in 5 weeks. it was hard but he is a good teacher so you understood the material. tests are hard but if you do his problem sets and read the chapters you should do well. I wish he taught 201 for fall 2004

get ready for a history of chemistry class. when he tells you about people and what they did/discovered...know it, you'll be tested on that. study your notes and do the prob. sets. ask him Q's hes helpful. If he says something wont be on test, study it!

VERY HELPFUL. His class is moderate, not too hard, but certainly not very easy. Ask questions, he's very helpful in class, and on his own time.

EXTREMELY difficult class. i thought it was an "introductory class". the tests are RIDICULOUSLY long and so is the quiz/homeowrk assigments, they take at least TWO dolid weekends to finish. good teacher, and grades on curve, but VERY tough class. half of the students dropped.

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had to make a comment to the 2nd entry. Dr. Phelan has been teaching for over 25 years, hes a great teacher, hard but you will learn something. If you cant handle his class better try another major. Of course he expects you to read the book, cant cover everything in class.you sound LAZY and WHINEY!!

His lectures at the start lab are unusually long--about an hour. Assignments aren't due until the end of the lab period on the day they're due, which is helpful because you may not have finished or you may want to compare answers. If you ask him one question, he will answer five (he likes to talk).

He is tough, but you will have learned a lot more than the other instructors. Better than Toto, Budzynski, & Tappen (i have had them all). His take home Pre Tests are hard but are "real" prep for his tests. He is willing to answer questions and is very very helpful. Be prepared to do the work :-)

Who knew someone could say "WHAT" so much?

Currently have him as a substitute--I've learned more in 3 weeks from him than the whole rest of the semester from Perkins. He repeats the info a lot so that is sticks in your brain. Has a lot of energy so no sleeping in his class. Seems very willing to help, and he has help sessions throughout th

He's substituting for Perkins for the rest of the semester. Yes, he teached at a much faster pace than Perkins, but the first exam (actually exam #4) was ridiculously LONG and worth more points (600+) than the points possible for the class (600)!

He subbed for Perkins, and it was such a relief! He is a bit harder, but he explains ten times better. The only annoying thing about him is that every other word out of his mouth is what. We counted one class and 165 whats came out of his mouth! Very nice guy though.

He is a very helpful teacher.

Phelan is a cool guy. He weeds out the people that aren't there to learn. But he has sessions outside of class to ask him any questions on top of office hours. Don't go by the overhead because he rips down the page before your ready. Do take good notes because pretests are based on notes and book. He is generous with the curve. Tests are hard

He goes at a very fast pace. His quizzes are long, but really prepare you for the test. His tests are long, not many can finish, but his curve helps a lot. You can actually learn something in this class. So WHAT, about how many times he says "WHAT".

And WHAT. Mr Failing(nickname) is a true gangsta, sure his lectures at the begining of lab are 40 hours long. But he does help alot, hes funny, and he plays along with my numerous jokes. He loves to talk and explain things very thourougly. Not an easy grader, but makes it pretty clear what he is looking for. As soon as the Lab actually started, FUN

Spock's class is quite difficult, his quizzes are long and his tests are hard. He does grade on a very large curve though. Stick it out and youll get atleast a C.

He is a very hard teacher, but he has a great curve, and you learn a lot, and he helps prepare you very well.

really good teacher, makes the subject really clear, test are based on the notes(take good notes), and gives a really GREAT curve. got an A

"And What" is his favorite phrase, used 463 times a day. Lab isnt too hard but its not easy, make sure to turn everything in on time or lose 25%. Getting an A is possilbe if u work hard.

He's a good teacher but the material is just hard. I would recommend taking him because he's just one of those teachers who WANT you to do well.

He is very professional teacher, he knows what he is talking about. His tests are long, but stright forward, if you read. It is esay to get an A in this class but needs to much effort.

TOUGH GRADER BUT GIVE GOOD CURVE....EXCELLENT PROFFESOR.....EXPECT HIS STUDENT TO BE PERFECT....LUV HiM

Professor Phelan is a great teacher. His lectures are clear and organized. He is very friendly and holds 2 hour study sessions before the class if you need to go anget help. He's also always open for office hours. He gives a good curve on tests, which are timed.

He knows all the material he is teaching. Better than the chemistry of head chair Tappen.

Highly recommended! Took him both for 200 and 201 and yes, you'll do lots of homework but you'll learn a lot. Let's be real, would you do the end of chapter problems if he didn't require you to? Yeah, me neither. He really wants you to do well, and a fair grader. Tests are not hard or tricky but think and write fast!

Set aside extra hours for any students that had questions. Very organized.

I took this course because of all the positive reviews. The positive reviews are ridiculous. He stands in front of the class points to his study guide and says all you need to do is know this and your fine....no surprises. Each test he gave had extensive materials that were not covered in the practice test despite what he said. Stay clear!!

He is a great teacher. Took him for my first chem class and teaches it extremely well. Has hilarious stories that relate too. He gives huge take home quizzes and test but they are very helpful.

Vry hlpfl.Long take home quizzes & long tests.U must be a super fast writer to finish an 8pge test!U will learn a lot w/ him although too much to learn 4 an intro chem class.Dont take him if ur not willing to put in the time to do the work.

hard teacher. learn alot. his take home quizes are hard and take a longgg time to complete. his test are just as long and he only gives you one class to complete them. he grades on a curve so u dont have to be perfect, you just have to do better then everybody else.

He will never ask questions in the form of a question. "Once you finish your experiment, you do what?" Big curve to help you out on grading, tests are mostly multiple choice. Lecturing or "hot air" takes a long time and he will repeat himself several times. Good lab teacher overall.

Very Fast Paced, covers A LOT of material. Moves on from one subject to another quickly. You must be extremely attentive to grasp all concepts. Initially tough to ask questions do to the pace, BUT MAKE SURE YOU DO or you will fall gravely behind. Get a tutor if needed. Do 1-2 pages of the take home quizzes every night, definitions given in lecture.

Always answers his own questions. Requires a lot of superfluous writing for labs but does a very helpful curve for lab reports. Overall, good professor. He does like to go off on tangents a lot, especially political tangents.

I love Phelan! He is a sweet man who loves chemistry and genuinely likes teaching. You have to work hard to do well in his class but the effort is well worth it. You get back what you put into it. Take home quizzes are long but they fully prepare you for exams.

I have only one comment for Phelan: he's the only one prof that makes me get rid of the clock!

Extremely helpful as a Chem lab professor, I wish he taught lectures too. Go to his office hours if you need help with lab questions, he will basically answer all of it for you! I got an A+ in the class. Easy

I really don't understand these ratings on here. He is a very nice man who seems to be interested in what he is teaching and I can tolerate his extra long take home quizes but the way he grades is RIDICULOUS. The curve doesn't help much either since he basis it off of the highest score and NOT the average -_- Nice guy but doesn't help me learn chem

He's very patient and nice professor. Very helpful and willing to help even you are not in his class!

Phelan is the best! Don't get me wrong, the class is very difficult and requires a lot of time. He will be more than happy to explain concepts to you as many times as you need until you understand. Quizzes are hard but prepare you for the exams.

Phelan was a nice man, but his quizzes and exams are SOOOO long, usually eight pages and no multiple choice. Be prepared to study your butt off if you get him as a professor!!

1st met him as a sub & during that class period i learned stuff that i had never quite understood before. I took his class the following semester. His take home quizzes're intense but he's hella friendly, helpful & flexible w/deadlines. He actually worked as a chemist for a long time so he knows what's up. I STILL GO CHAT HIM UP, HE'S A COOL GUY.

Double-sided PACKET for homework. Long tests. Very difficult class if you did not recently take 200. Prepare to spend many hours on hwstudy. He deducted points for using textbook definitions to his hw questions so prepare to tak notes. Prepare to be challenged to the MAX.

Mr. Phelan is a friendly professor. Lectures basically non-stop throughout the whole period and he explains the material clearly. Assigns lengthy take-home quizzes (took me about 8-10 hours for each one) but they prepare you well for his tests. He grades everything on a curve which is quite helpful. Definitely recommended.

The material itself is dense but Prof. Phelan makes it engaging and informative. Concepts are well explained and he gives graded take-home quizzes that prepare you for the tests and boost your grade. Had a blast every lecture too with robust conversations and cheesy jokes.

This man is an awesome chem teacher . funny . helpful. caring. He loves teaching chem. Take his class if you want to spend some quality time learning chemistry .. He used to work in industry so some good examples of real world are always in the classes. A lot of homework but you learn chem a lot easier and better

Phelan was by far my favorite chemistry teacher at Mesa college. He gives very long quizzes that really help you prepare you for his exams. The course is well organized and he is clear cut with what he wants; very helpful in office hours as well. His lab is pretty straightforward and his lab exams are doable since they're open book. LOVE HIM!!!!!!

8 long quiz (about 12 front and back pages, only theoretical questions on the quiz, take-home quiz, and no drop lowest grade quiz). 4 test(review 2 quiz for each test b/c questions comes from the 2 quiz, each test contains about 6-7 front and back pages theoretical questions, and no drop the lowest test)

Professor Phelan is a genuine chemist who loves to share his knowledge by teaching. There were 8 long take home quizzes and 4 exams. Read the book, do the quizzes, end of chapter problems - you'll be prepared for the exams. He's a very difficult grader as the subject material is very dense. If chemistry is your major, you'll appreciate him.

Inspiring and a great teacher as well as a chemist. He puts his heart in his work, giving practical applications, jokes, stories, hand-outs and problems worked step-by-step. I am saddened to see such low ratings. If you can get past needing a good grade and focus on learning the material, it's a wonderful journey. This professor is a real gem.

Professor Phelan is a great chemist, he explains the lab procedure really clearly and doesn't get annoyed when you ask a lot of questions, he's tough when grading reports and exams are hard but if you're a chem major who's trying to transfer to a a UC you need someone like this, you're gonna have to work for that A, drops an exam but no labs

Prof. Phelan is an brilliant chemist as he has worked in the field for over 30 years. Any questions you have will be answered in great lengths and he goes over every topic in deep detail. Lecture was graded based on 4 exams and 8 take-home quizzes. The quizzes are very long but study them and you will get an A, guaranteed.

Professor Phelan knows how to strategically make sure you understand (by making exams free response). He lectures as he writes on the white board, and is very patient so he always has time to pause and answer any questions. He is a former UCSD instructor so if you're looking for a university preparatory course you should go for him!

Overall a good lab professor. Just the usual lab reports you have to turn in when you do labs. He is quite picky on your precision and accuracy on labs. You'll be given 5 lab test based on what you did on your labs. He will explain how to do each lab and is very helpful.

Good small lectures and straight to the point. Funny but helpful! He walks around to offer help and also give little mind challenges and make you process how the chem your doing links to the real world. As long as you read his lab grading's -you'll be prepared for the tests. He gives a lot of points for every answer, dont leave anything blank :)

His Chem152L lab class was very easy. He always has time to answer student questions. there are 13 assignment due and he drops one of your lowest scores. Always willing to help you with anything you need during the lab. Hope he has a chem 200L class as well.

SUCH AN EASY LAB CLASS, if you want an easy A take him for lab! There are no test, no quizzes, only grades lab reports, just like any other lab class you have to do a pre-lab and then in all information from lab in the next class. He drops your lowest lab report grade, he clarified any questions you have, truly a great professor!

Had him for 152, 152L and 201L. Quirky knowledgeable professor. Get ready for Star Trek references. Admittedly hes pretty tough, but you actually learn in his class. He knows the material very well and hes passionate. Very accessible after and during class. Hes emailed me back at 12am on a Saturday! Hes my favorite chem prof thus far.

At first, this class was so hard and I wasn't used to doing labs (this was my first lab class ever) but towards the end, I got familiar with the class and it definitely surprised me as to what my grade came out to be! Professor Phelan is really sweet and funny guy, his labs can feel really long and boring but you just got to bear with it.