Hard course, but if you do your work, you will know chemistry when you are done.

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The class isnt easy, but just do the homework and you will be fine. If you have any questions she is SO easy to talk to... just dont be a total slacker and you will get a B or higher. Besides, she prepares you for the rest of the chem faculty.

I took Maguire's class in the fall and I was bored out of my skull; it was so easy. Dr. Wisian-Neilson's class was a bit more challenging, but nothing that I could not handle. Her class went over the beginning parts of organic chemistry, which was very helpful when I formally took organic chemistry later.

Dr. Patty was great. I agree with most who say the class was a little challenging but only if you dont go to class or do the homeworks. The tests are challenging but she gives you more than enough opportunities to make up for mistakes on tests. her grading system was great. how people did that poorly i do not understand! Dr. Patty was great!

Fantastic teacher!

Great professor who is always willing to help! Learned a lot in her class and if you put in a decent amount of effort you can make an A!

I really liked her, she is always there to help and really wants to see everyone succeed. An extremely intelligent, caring lady, her class is HARD but you can do it.

im not sure about the massive amount of hatred going on, her class is hard, chemistry is hard, she tells you how to succeed and shes right, it takes a whole lot of work outside of class but she has plenty of office hours and a one hour help session night before every quiz, its just hard though

she is an amazing teacher. chemistry is very hard, people don't like her because she actually makes you learn it and know it. i would recommend her because you will be MUCHH better off in organic chem, which is EVEN harder! so if your whining about dr. patty, dont bother taking any more chemistry.

You have to know everything! And if you do, you will get an A in the class. You have to study more for this class than any other, but it is not impossible.

Professor Patty is a WONDERFUL professor who really cares about what she teaches as well as her students. Unlike other CHEM 1304 professors, she actually teaches the material and does not hand out free grades: everything is earned. Tips: pay attention in class, do ALL homework problems, and ask questions. She is an amazing prof overall; I would rec

Don't believe bad ratings; I read them and was scared to death of her, but my experience was the complete opposite. Patty is a wonderful professor (my favorite in fact) who loves to help her students in office hours. Yes, it?s hard BUT manageable. Take Patty. She is the best gen chem professor. I got an A both semesters with no background in chem.

Even though I got a C in Dr. Patty's class, I believe that she is a wonderful teacher. You really need to do all of the problems (at least) twice to do well in the class. I normally couldn't get through them all twice though, which is why I got a C. This class taught me how to study well, and I encourage people to take her class.

hard, but you ACTUALLY learn.

Patty's course is the most difficult of the intro courses. I struggled to earn my grades (doing the hw 2x every week and going to her office hours.) If your schedule is already difficult, I would consider going to the easier classes. Patty is much nicer out of class/one-on-one than in class, so go to her office hours and establish yourself early.

Take Dr. Patty's class if you really want to know the material and be competitive for MCAT. It is very difficult and she is a tough grader, but if you go to her office hours and do all the homework problems (as everyone else has said, twice helps), you will do well.

The most challenging chemistry teacher at SMU. She has high expectations for her students: you cannot simply memorize and regurgitate information, all her exams focus on applying information in new situations. It's a challenging course, but by the end you'll know the ins and outs of gen chem.

Easily one of my fave teachers at SMU because she genuinely cares. It is a very challenging class. Unless you are naturally good at Chemistry, this should be your only difficult class in a semester because you have to dedicate a lot of time to it. Go to office hours, even if you don't have questions. Someone is bound to ask something that you didn't even realize that you didn't know! If you are looking for an A without putting in all that much effort, don't take the class.

Dr. Patty has a bad rep because of students who aren't willing to put in the work. The woman is literally a saint. If you go to office hours she will literally sit there with you until you understand. One of the greatest professors I've ever had. She does everything she can to prepare you for higher level courses.

If you hadn't taken AP chem in high school this class will be very, very hard. good class to take just for the sake of learning how to put forth effort in college, if you didn't have to do so in high school.

She's literally the best. The class is super tough, and you have to do all the work required twice, but if you need help, she's always there for you. Her office hours are SO helpful and she really wants you to succeed. It's a tough class and she isn't going to just hand you an A, but if you work hard and put in the effort, you can get a good grade.

Hardest class I have ever taken so far! You REALLY have to study and practice, practice, practice for this class (unless you're already pretty good at general chemistry from AP background). However, she is one of the sweetest professors I've met. She will answer all your questions during office hours. She's difficult and challenging in a good way.

It's definitely a weed out course but if you take the time to do EVERY single homework problem at least twice you can do well in the class. The toughest thing about the tests is the time. Everybody could do well if they had longer time but in her class you can't hesitate. You either know it or you fail.

I absolutely LOVE Dr. Patty. Gen Chem is probably one of the hardest classes I've ever taken, but its worth it. Do the homework (at least twice). Go to her office hours and get to know her! She's very scary at first but if you actually take the time to meet her, you'll be surprised.

I have incredibly mixed feelings about Patty as an instructor. While this class is way more stressful than it should be and requires an extraordinary amount of dedication to do well, I am still choosing to take her for 1304. The stress and requirement of dedication has made me learn this stuff like the back of my hand.

I used to hate chemistry in high school and sucked at it. For some reason Dr. Patty somehow made me want to do amazingly in chem, and I work really hard in that class. Take her class if you want a fantastic, rewarding education. If you just want the credit but don't care about chem, don't take her class. You will definitely "earn" an A here.

Dr. Patty is a difficult professor, but in her defense, Gen chem is hard EVERYWHERE. I had her for both 1 and 2, and did pretty well. I did not go to every lecture. But if you study about three or four nights before each exam/quiz and understand every hwk problem AND how to do it quickly, you WILL make an A. But this is no blow off class.

Dr. Patty is an amazing professor. In class she can seem a bit cold but go into her office hours, she is so helpful. She definitely makes you work for your grade but you will learn so much.

One of the most difficult and rewarding classes I've taken. She is tough -but fair- and extremely helpful in and out of class. In order to pass, homework, practice quizzes, and reading are a MUST (I spent 4-6 hrs/week). Providing you have a good work ethic, I would highly recommend Professor Patty for an in-depth understanding of chemistry.

Dr. Patty is hard. That's a good thing. You will actually learn Chemistry in her class. Your grades will not look so hot, but if you put the work in and go in for office hours, you can make it out with an A. Be ready to work for your grade. I respect Patty's students more than any other profs because they didn't take the easy way out.

Hardest class I have ever taken. She makes it very clear that her course is one of the hardest at SMU and that she's going to make you work for your grade. With that said, if you work hard, go to office hours, and truly understand the material you'll do just fine. She curves and wants to give good grades to hard workers. A must take for pre-meds.

Hardest class I've ever taken, but would 100% take again. She makes you work for your grade, but if you are willing to put in some time you can do well. GO TO OFFICE HOURS! It gives her a chance to know you. The class is on a MAJOR curve so don't stress during the semester, but work hard. She taught me so much and I'm happy I took her for Chem 1&2

Absolutely the hardest but most rewarding class I've ever taken. I put in at least 12+ hours of work per week outside class but it really paid off in the end. This class is a must-take for pre-med students. Truthfully I think everyone in Patty's class is going to do much better than everyone else in O-Chem. This class is not for the faint of heart.

If you're a pre-med student and you're thinking of not taking Dr. Patty, just drop pre-med now. If you can't handle Dr. Patty, no way you'll make it through med school. Dr. Patty is amazing and pushes you to your limit. Your grade will look terrible for a while, but she curves at the end. Be at every office hours and get all your questions answered

If you're willing to put the time and effort into this class, you will do well. But time management and understanding your own learning process is essential. If you're good at math, it will help you tremendously. If not, that's okay, just plan in some extra time to grasp the concepts. Do all the problems at least twice - three times if you can.

Dr. Patty's students do better in every other science class because they are so well prepared. She's a great teacher and you will learn the material forwards backwards and sideways. Worth the effort! Go to office hours and actually make an effort to get your questions answered to get that A.

Dr. Patty is an extremely tough professor but very thorough with her teaching course. Attend office hours, do ALL the homework she assigns although its not graded it will tremendously improve your grade on her tests. Great professor but do not take her if you're not up to putting in a great amount of outside class work.

Look, here is the thing, you will either LOVE or hate this professor. I just happened to be on her good side. I honestly thought I would dislike this professor, but I realized that with a bit of hard work and enthusiasm, it is possible to get an A. If I can do it, then anyone can. I used to be awful at chem (got a 2 on the AP test) but I made it!