2.6
Quality4.0
Difficulty40%
Would Retake413
Reviews40%
Would Retake
413
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
413 total ratings5
51
4
91
3
52
2
80
1
139
What Students Say
“ugh i hate saying this but pete made our semester a living hell”
CHEM0120 - 2.0 rating“Pete is an okay guy, but a horrible professor”
CHEM0120 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
27%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+1.20 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM310
5.0
(1)CHEM0330
4.3
(4)CHEM0320
4.0
(2)CHEM320
3.5
(8)CHEM0310
3.4
(58)Difficulty by Course
CHEM1120
5.0
CHEM0910
4.3
CHEM0120
4.3
CHEM910
4.0
CHEM310
4.0
Reviews (300)
I loved Professor Bell! He made me love chemistry and he respects and tries to interact with all his students. His review sessions with TA's are really helpful because he gives them questions that are similar to what will be on tests. He DID NOT adapt well to online learning, but he was also very lenient because of it. Take him if you can!
Is annoyingly hard DONT take him will do not recommend
I had Pete fall semester through zoom. In the beginning, the exams and quizzes were not good, but as the semester progressed, the quizzes became better. For the midterms, he would give a few questions and for the open-ended ones you would submit work for partial credit. He holds many review sessions, so if you ever don't understand, there's help.
I had Pete for Chem 2 and I found him to be very average. I am very good at chem, but honestly did not do my best in class because I didn't study until 2 am the night of the exam. A lot of people don't like him, and he is not the most useful outside of class, but he will answer your emails.
Non understanding and just an all around awful teacher
I absolutely loved Dr. Bell and am surprised more students don't feel the same. Pete was funny, a good teacher, and gave fair exams. He made it clear that he wants you to succeed and cares about you doing well. He also curves the class overall. Highly recommend Pete for chem 2
Pete means well but he is so disorganized that lectures seem impossible. I learned more this semester when I sat down and read the book and did my lab assignments than I ever did going to lecture. There were 6 exams this semester, we only got to drop 1 + a quiz every week. He made lots of mistakes on these exams and partial credit hurt grades.
Put simply, its a hard class. Pete is nice but gets mad when you ask lots of questions. His tests were somewhat fair but sometimes there were questions we had never seen before. He made mistakes on the test answer keys so everyone lost lots of points even if they got it right and he never fixed it. You learn more from the textbook.
The class was tough based on having midterms every other week with quizzes every week. If you also a clarifying question, he will get man and tell you to read the syllabus. He grades on an extreme curve and you will not know if you passed until final grades come out. He also graded things last minute, like the weekend before the final
Professor Pete's class is difficult and that is mostly due to his very tough grading. Despite this, if he sees you struggling but still putting in the effort he will not fail you. His curves are larger than anything I've ever seen. Lots of time is required outside of class if one is to do well.
He hid all of our grades (still dont know % even though semester is over) he constantly put in wrong grades and never fixed them he just curved everyone at the end. its an insane curve that i would have failed without. do not take him if you dont have to. online learning is horrible with him. he gets mad if you ask questions. 0/5 recommend.
Lectures consist of illegible scribbles & useless babble. His tests have many mistakes that negatively impact your grade & are never fixed. He admits to testing with questions that students could not be expected to solve; delayed grading until end of term, couldn't finish in time so randomly assigned grades; destroys the GPA you worked so hard for
I went to lectures via zoom- because all classes were online, and rewatched them later so I can pause and slow down because he makes no sense when lecturing. He brings up a lot of things you dont need to know - so I pretty much used the textbook to get me through. Slowest grader ever and makes mistakes on all exams and doesnt fix them.
Pete Bell is an unreasonable, narcissistic human who should've never gone into teaching. He gives weekly quizzes, 5 "mini" mid terms, and one massive final. He just about SKIMS over the content on these assessments and gets upset when students do poorly. Also he doesn't update grades the ENTIRE semester. He arbitrarily assigns grades at the end.
Seemed chill at first but turned out to be very passive-aggressive and rude when answering questions. Too-short time limit on exams and quizzes cuz he thinks we're all cheaters. Supremely slow grader; I had no idea what my grade was even after finals, he won't tell you the curve or class average either. Very unaccommodating prof and super stressful
Pete is a super funny and nice dude. His teaching can be a bit vague and confusing at times, but he was always willing to answer questions. Tests were kinda difficult and there were weekly quizzes. Wasn't too bad, especially if you have taken chem before.
Pete is super nice and very helpful, but his class is heavy on lectures. He says there will be a curve at the end but there is NO curve and our final scores were never released to us, just our letter grade.
Avoid, avoid, avoid! Dr. Bell made this course insufferable. His lectures are scattered. There are six midterms, quizzes every week, and tons of Sapling homework. His exams suffered from typos, conceptual errors, and unclear questions. You won't know your grade until the semester is over. It is unclear how he curves the course. Don't recommend!
Pete is a great professor he really cares about his students that they actually understand the material. Curves are applied to every exam. Overall I love Pete as a Prof and suggest him to anyone that needs to take chem.
If you can at all avoid taking a class taught by Pete Bell, please do. I am a chemistry major and have always been extremely good at chem, yet I have a feeling I am going to have to retake chem 2. His tests are extremely hard and they are timed and you can't skip around questions. He is very narcissistic and passive aggressive. Find another prof.
Hours of studying just to run out of time on every test. His tests are unfair and many people are failing. He is unwilling to help us out, just gets mad when we ask questions.
Literally the worst Professor I've ever taken so far. His tests are nothing like what we learn in class. DO NOT TAKE HIM. Literally going to fail my first ever chem class because of him. I used to actually like chem somewhat before taking him. I DO NOT RECOMMEND!! STAY AWAY FROM HIM
He is the type of person that talks so much, yet everything that is said is meaningless. He is also super passive aggressive and does not seem like he wants his students to pass. His tests do not give enough time and he does not use slides to teach you the concepts. Honestly, he would probably fail his own class.
"Nice guy" does not good professor. His lectures/notes are not clear and are confusing. There are exams every 2 weeks based off the lectures, and thats basically it. His grading is unfair, and he is NOT accommodating to internet issues for the online exams. We are more that half way through, and have no idea where our over all grades stand. :')
Pete is responsible for all of my stress. Passive aggressive and rude when we ask questions. Exams every 2 weeks, no time to recover after failing an exam and sobbing (happens a lot). I studied so hard for them and still didn't know how to do half of the material (he doesn't go over all of it). He has grades locked. DO NOT TAKE HIM FOR YOUR SANITY.
Let this be a warning to absolutely not take his class. Was a cool dude in the beginning but gets very rude and his exams are off the charts difficult. Exams are on things we didn't even go over in class. 35-40 minute time limit makes it impossible to finish in time. Only relying on the final curve to pass this class. Was good at chem til I met him
Yall literally. I know youre reading these reviews and dont know which to listen to but seriously... do not take this mans class. Hes judgmental and hates when you ask too many questions. Hes not sympathetic at all to your situation and wont accommodate for you. I dont know my grade yet but chance are its not good. Seriously, save yourself.
DONT TAKE THIS CLASS! Not only his tests are impossible (11q/40min), he is passive aggressive and rude if you ask questions (especially about his weird grading system). He will change an assignments due date from Sunday to Friday, just so you have to rush to turn it in (and not learn). If you have any regards for your mental health AVOID!!!!!!!!
his tests are impossible. the class average is usually in the 50s and his ego is too big for him to consider that maybe, just maybe, thats a sign that hes not a good professor. avoid at all costs.
Condescending
If you care about your mental health in any regard DO NOT TAKE PETE BELL, his grading scheme is completely unclear and nobody knows if theyre on the verge of passing or already failing, he seems super nice at first and its all fine but then all hell breaks loose and his passive aggressive side shows and leads to more unclear and failing averages
If you have ANY common sense you will NOT take Pete Bell. The WORST professor at Pitt by far. Does not care about his students, test material is not taught in class, and is rude and extremely passive aggressive. You WILL cry after every test and it WILL be a GPA tanker. Average of tests is never higher than a 60. Say goodbye to your mental health!
AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Most awful prof ever. Wants students to fail and you will. Tests are impossible and you will not finish. Averages are never above 50%. Very passive-aggressive & rude. He yells at you if you ask any questions. Doesn't give you any info on exams until you open it. You will cry over every exam. You have no idea what your grade is.
If I could give Pete a negative/5 I would. This class is literally impossible. Please for your own good don't take his class. My friends and I would study a week in advance and do all the reviews and practice problems and still fail the exams. No one finishes and he wants his students to fail
I'm not usually bad at chemistry, but Peter Bell has such a strange was of teaching that I didn't even understand. When I'd study the material for exams, I'd go to take the exam and none of the material I studied was on it, even though the exam was on those exact chapters. His class was really tough.
I don't think Pete is deserving of all the negative reviews. He can certainly be passive aggressive and a bit condescending during lecture, but I think he teaches very well overall. You don't really need to read the textbook for this class to get the material, just show up to lecture and recitation and pay attention. Also, you can drop a quiz
Pete's a pretty entertaining guy. He has engaging lectures and teaches in a way thats decently easy to understand. However, the biweekly tests are very hard and have a horrible time limit, so we basically all have 50s right now. Supposedly he curves accordingly at the end, so we'll see about that. Over all, not bad. I wouldn't take him again though
Do not take his class if you can avoid it. His lectures are decent but the tests are impossible. He is passive aggressive and hates when students ask questions. The bi-weekly exams are incredible over whelming and will always leave you in a constant state of dread. Its not worth it, chose someone else!
I have no idea why theres any rating for Professor Bell thats above a 1.0. Pete is charismatic as a person but not a professor. He claims he teaches you the subject matter instead of learning for the test but the test averages are never above a 60. Literally told my class if you get a 35... youre fine. For your mental health dont take him.
AVOID. Pete blames his students for not doing well, when he is the issue. This class has gotten progressively harder throughout the semester and I honestly dont see a light at the end of the tunnel anymore. Save yourself and take literally any other chem 2 prof.
Yes, his class is hard. Yes, he is passive-aggressive. Accept to work very hard. However, I think that people who say he doesn't want to help or that he is extremely mean do not make an effort to talk to him. Going to office hours has been the best decision I have made this semester and he does want to help you if you go.
Sets you up to fail. Hours studying and practicing material when only one topic shows up on the test and he makes it almost impossible in the time frame he provides. The class is so unpredictable with grades that I thought a withdrawal would be the best decision so it wouldnt single-handedly tank my GPA. I agree that he wouldnt pass his own class
Genuinely does not care if anyone at all was to pass his class. Worst of all, does not care if you are learning the content or not. 5 exams over semester (bi-weekly), and they cover 1.5-2 ch each. Although there are MANY types of problems, concepts, etc, he will test you on 9 things in 35 minutes... Horrible timing, very hard problems. Impossible!!
Tests are impossibly difficult for what is taught in lecture. The only reason I don't have an F right now is because of TA review sessions. He does not care if you do well. He's also really condescending to people who ask questions. Just save yourself the constant stress and worrying and take any other Chem 2 professor.
Pete is a cool guy, alright? I could and would totally be friends with him outside of this class. But good lord, this is quite literally the worst class I've taken in my three years of college. His lectures involve no math and the exams have quite literally none of the content that is covered in lecture. Avoid at all cost.
impossible tests that dont reflect what we've learned and not enough time to finish. lowest test averages ive ever heard. that being said, pete is a great guy and has helped me numerous times in office hours and through text. he can be passive aggressive but its usually justifiable. very stressful class :( with a confusing curve :/ hoping i pass
DO NOT take this class. Pete Bell does not relate any of his tests to the material he teaches. You have a time limit of about 30 minutes which is impossible and stressful. He also is extremely condescending and rude.
Pete is honestly a good lecturer. He knows how to teach. His tests, however, are nearly impossible. None of his test questions are related to his in class problems and are usually something students have never seen. He is also pretty disrespectful to students if a question is asked or in email/text responses. Test averages in the 40s
I think Pete can be passive aggressive at times, but he is one of the best lecturers I've had so far in chem. Office hours are useful, and he does care about his students. I think his tests are hard, but fair. His grading scheme is a bit confusing though.
ugh i hate saying this but pete made our semester a living hell. he does teach pretty well, but his online tests are impossible. he is a nice guy though and is really helpful during OHs, but test avg are around 40-50% and are tough! i've heard he's better in person, but i can only speak from my experience. avoid online!!
He seems nice, but run. His exams are impossible compared to what he teaches, HW and recitation. You can drop an exam, but class average is like 40-50% max. His grading system and curve is so up in the air he cant even tell you where you stand or if you will pass until after the final. TAs teach and are in general better than him.
Pete is an okay guy, but a horrible professor. I cry everyday because of him. I study for hours and still cant get above a 50% on his exams. I took Ap Chem in high school and got an A in Chem 1. Now I am worried if Ill even be able to get a C with him. Avoid at all cost. He wants you to fail!
This man is single-handedly killing my GPA. It is currently 2am the night before the final and he is still writing the questions. Give little info about the final thus far, even though he promised it, so no one knows what to expect. He literally wants you to fail. I'm not even sure if I'll pass. I'm depending on the curve. Avoid at all costs.
Do not take his class. I studied for hours every day and am hoping to just pass. He puts on a facade that he is laid back and wants us to succeed however, he really doesn't care. The difficulty of the problems he assigned as homework and the ones we do in class doesn't come near to the difficulty we see on tests. averages on the tests in the 50s
Pete is absolutely awful. We had an exam every other week with the average for each being less than a 70. We just took the final, and I still have no clue even a ballpark estimate of my overall grade because he doesn't tell us. he is rude and passive aggressive if you try to ask a question.
Pete made a class with fairly common college content much more difficult than it had to be. All his tests had questions which were way above the difficulty of questions given in lecture. My biggest problem was that you could not prepare for these tests no matter how you tried. No practice problems with same difficulty as test.
If you see this, this is your sign to take anyone else but Pete. Chem 2 is easy, but Pete gives us exams with content we have never seen before. If you study tirelessly and do every book problem along with the homework, you'll get a c. This class is an unnecessary GPA killer.
All Im gonna say is a quote from Pete that will give you a perspective of the class: "If the average is 35%, that's good" This class is impossible, and many of us don't know if we will pass. No one knows what their grade is. He literally wrote the final at 2 am the day of bc he spends his time playing animal crossing instead of being a decent prof
Was super good at chem in HS and chem 1 but now idek if I passed chem 2. Pete is so cryptic and rude and does not follow through on his promises. Please take another prof. From a student to a student, this class will not be good for your GPA. Hasn't graded our past two exams and will prob not release grades for the final. Completely in the dark rn
A disaster. Wouldnt wish on my worst enemy. I have no idea if Ill get an F or a B because he is so vague about our grades. passive aggressive, doesnt like when students ask questions, little respect for students. Only teaches concepts, but tests are very math heavy and dif from class. Everythings rushed. Brutal tests every other week.
bad. just bad. please listen to all of the negative reviews and don't make the same mistake i did last semester when i enrolled. i'm warning you. you can do so much better than pete.
I can tell you for a fact that none of his bad reviews are false. The only people lying are the ones saying good things about this man's class. He was cool in the beginning as a person, but he is not a good prof. Got progressively more rude as the semester went on to the point where he got mad if we asked him questions. AVOID.
I think that Dr. Bell wasn't adjusted to the online learning environment. He made his exams more difficult to prevent any cheating (strict time limit and concepts not covered in class). He'd get snippy whenever we asked about grades (since nobody understood how his grading worked). Attend office hours, use the textbook, and hope you pass.
I have never hated a professor more than I hate this man. I have never been a person to just want to "pass a class" but I just want to pass this class. Most of your grade consists of exams that he harshly grades but then never actually gives you a definitive score. He doesn't tell you your grade in the class until the end of the semester. NOT FUN
Pete seemed cool at first, and then he gave us an exam every 2 weeks. His lectures would cover surface level material, which recitation being even more shallow. During the exam, the questions would be so difficult that it wouldn't even matter if you went to lecture. He was also so vague about grades, I don't know if I have to retake this class
Pete is a good teacher, I feel like I learned a lot in his class. His tests are insanely hard with an average always in the 50s and 60s. He does not care if everyone fails. His grading is unclear and you never see your actual grade until it is on your transcript. He should not be allowed to be a professor with the grades his students get.
First I wanna make it clear that I did very well in this class and worked hard to get the grade that I did. BUT Pete is not it. As other reviews have said, hes rude, condescending, and can be a jerk at times. Asking questions is impossible without some sort of rude or riddle-like response. If I go could back I would take someone else.
I really liked Pete's teaching style. I enjoyed the lectures and learned a lot. At times he seems a little condescending but in general he is willing to help understand the material. Tests were really hard and averages were low on an absolute scale but I think a lot of that is because of the online format.
Pete is a good choice if you are ready to work hard. Go to office hours, ask questions, and read the textbook before class. A lot of people dislike him which is understandable because its a hard class but thats stem and profs are not going to get easier from here. Its hard. Deal with it.
Pete has the amazing talent of being both condescending and an awful professor. Its the classic case of a complete inability to teach tied to incredibly difficult and frequent exams. Listen to the other comments and avoid at all costs.
all I have to say is that going to every lecture, exhausting every resource provided by the class, and using khan academy should not result in 40%'s on the exams. I would've gotten the same grades doing absolutely nothing, and would have saved myself hours upon hours of time and a lot of tears.
I worked so hard for this class and still only managed to get a 65 on nearly every exam. The average was always a 50. You never have any idea what your grade is. I dont know what I got on the final. He gets annoyed when you ask what your grade is because he waits till the last minute to figure out his own curve.
Listen, I am ecstatic that I passed, but this is probably the most stressful class I've ever taken. I wish I had taken another prof. Still don't know what I got on exams 4 and 5 and the final examonly my semester grade. If you wanna keep your body in homeostasis, please take another prof for your own good. :)
Good lecturer, but his exams are IMPOSSIBLE. Exams were every other week where we couldn't go back to other questions and the time limit was horrendous. He's so disorganized with grades, we never knew if we were passing the class or not. The class average for each exam was literally in the 50s. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
Very hard class-hardest class I have ever taken so far. The curve was present, & SUPER generous-brought me up a lot. The average of the class was a 71%, not 50% as people say below. He does teach very well-very accessible, a lot of practice, but exams are very difficult. In-person is probs much better, he had to enact anti-cheating techniques.
MUST READ BEFORE TAKING HIS CLASS. Professor Bell for Chem 2 was a nightmare. I was in a gifted program and get As in my classes like nothing and Bell is the first professor I ran into that gave me and others an incredibly tough time. Failed almost all my tests. The only thing that saved my grade was the curve as a lot of people did bad.
Don't take Pete Bell. I made the mistake of taking him and it was easily the worst mistake of my life thus far. My midterm average was about a 50% which wasn't much lower than the class average. Lectures weren't super boring which was a plus. It got to the point though where even if I went to lecture it didn't help my grade or hurt it.
Pete is honestly a terrible professor. It is very evident that he does not care about his students success. When students would ask questions, he would oftentimes say to "read the textbook" or that "we were moving too slow." He is extremely condescending. DO NOT TAKE HIM. his exams have averages within the 50%s. He does not care how you do.
If I could give Pete a negative infinity, I would. His lectures are boring and disorganized. He is rude and talks badly about his students. His test are literally impossible. There is 35 minutes to do 9 complex questions. Pete constantly blames his students for doing poorly, when he is the problem. PLEASE, I BEG YOU, DO NOT TAKE AND AVOID!
Pete is an obscure professor. We had a midterm every other week once we got to the middle of the semester which made it extremely challenging to retain material. Averages are similar to Ochem and were 50-60 for most exams. You won't know your grade until after your final, so you are left guessing all semester. Very passive aggressive
Whatever you do do not take this professor. I had him online last semester and he went through the material extremely fast during lectures and would not explain anything. There were five mini exams which had problems that we never went over. Just trust me when I say avoid him at all costs!
IDK man, I really like Pete. I enjoy going to his lectures more than any other class which is CRAZY because I really am not a Chemistry person. Pete has a super fun teaching style that keeps you engaged for the full 50 mins. He definitely has tough tests, but I feel like he's clear about the curve. Would recommend, especially if you hate chem.
Pete Bell is SO condescending & makes you feel dumb for not understanding things before he teaches them. He always complains he's behind & makes it seem like it's the classes fault when in reality it's his poor teaching. Straight up said he wanted to fail us all so he could curve & make himself look better to the university. Avoid!!
He literally told us that he wants us to fail the exam so that he can curve the class more. Basically, he wants to make himself look better than actually teach us how tf to do chemistry. He always complains about how behind we are when he spends class time by drawing on the board and taking pics for his Instagram. Don't take him. 0/10 recommend.
One of the worst professors Ive had so far. Pete not only straight up said he was gonna make our 2nd exam impossible to pass so he can use his curve, but is one of the most condescending and passive aggressive professors Ive ever had. he rushes through lectures, is extremely behind and doesnt answer questions, and makes you feel stupid.
He defintely cares about his students and his gives good lectures, but the tests are just so hard. He gives great hw practice problems but he never goes over difficult problems in class. The labs in this class are also impossible. I reccommend Danielle for lab instructer/recitation. She's amazing and taught me way more than Pete did.
Peter is the worst teacher ever. He wants you to fail and doesnt care about you getting good grades. He wants to look good by his little curve. Honestly makes me cry so much. Ive never hated someone as much as I hate him. He deserves to have his teaching license stripped away. I hope he never gets to teach again. Dont bother.
Pete is one of the worst professors I've had so far. Most of his time spent "teaching" is on basic material that I can find in the book. He is extremely condescending whenever anyone asks a question & the review sessions don't help. Said "I think I'll pass everyone this semester," but the future doesn't look too bright. Just don't take him.
i have never genuinely been so upset by a professor before, he speaks down to his students. his class is based on the exams which he takes forever to grade. he does not use the textbook but if you want to understand i would recommend teaching yourself if you want to pass. dont let him deceive you by seeming friendly at first:)
If you have Pete Bell, good luck. Not only does he talk down to his students, but he purposely writes the tests to be impossible so that everyone fails so that he can curve the whole class. Curates his image at the expense of our grades, doesn't come prepared, takes a month to grade exams, then complains about the time it takes to curve the class
Dear god. Good luck... Peter Bell is the worst class I've taken in college. People warned me about him but nothing prepared me for him. He will spend 90% of class talking about how behind he is. He will yell at the class for doing poorly on exams he made. he expects a whole lot for first sem college students who don't know chem. will never use this
Pete Bell is a condescending Professor. His lectures are boring, and you need to pay attention due to a lack of outside material. Tests are weighted very strongly. If you study and work lots outside of class, you may get an A; however, he makes it difficult to do well and prides himself off the fact that many students don't score high.
everyone on here has bashed Pete so I'll let these quotes by him speak for themself: 1. "you guys did too good on first exam now I can't give you the grade I want" 2. "I will make the second exam impossible so I can give you a grade you deserve" 3. "Do you feel threatened? No? Let me explain again." 4. "If you don't know this just leave"
Do Not take Pete at all costs even if you have to wait! He is unorganized in class. His lectures are pretty much a discussion where you never know what to write in your notes. He is too slow. His exams are also impossible to complete. He never goes over difficult problems. Lectures are a waste of time and little to no extra material is available.
As a person, hes very friendly and you can tell he wants his students to succeed, but as a teacher, hes not that great. Classes are definitely rushed, yet we were still always behind for some reason. He makes the curve seem very generous, but you never know your grade until the end of the term. Youll have to teach yourself if u want to pass
His teaching style is very visual and conceptual which makes it difficult for his math heavy exams. We rushed every class and still fell very behind. Go to his office hours to ask about grading and for help because he can be really understanding, and as long as you do your best and show improvement you'll do fine.
Pete Bell is a nice person and is willing to help outside of class. But his lectures don't prepare you well for the exams. I had to teach myself the concepts to take his exams.
Engaging lecturer but lectures don't prepare you for how challenging the exams are. You have to teach yourself how to do some stuff on your own and you def have to study lots to get a decent grade on the exams. Getting a B is doable, getting an A seems impossible (although some people were able to).
He assigns a realistic amount of work and provides the resources everyone needs to succeed outside of class. However, he taught too slowly so we didn't finish the curriculum and there was a lot of orgo prep even tho most people in the class didn't need it. Some things were taught thoroughly while other stuff was not even mentioned in class.
Why people are putting their grades on here considering it is now 11:07pm the day after grades were due & still don't know mine. Also confused why some say he was "accessible" because my friend literally went to his office hours before the final & asked for explanation & he said "I'd rather not" as he rolled his eyes at every question I have asked.
If you end up with Pete, here's my advice. Having a strong HS chemistry background can help you to a certain extent, but doing well on tests requires lots of teaching yourself using the textbook and doing practice on your own because many topics are covered so briefly in lecture. Study, REALLY HARD. Make sure you're solid on topics he emphasizes.
Homework graded harshly, exams hard, curve super unclear, and he doesn't tell you your grades until the same day the grades are due. Taught in a confusing way. super focused on concepts, so knowing just the math won't get you through the tests, and many of the open ended test questions are worded so that its hard to even start working on them.
Pete's lectures are kinda disorganized, but he provides the resources you need to do well (peer-led reviews every week, and he's very available for OH). If you do the extra problems and learn everything as you go, I think it's reasonable. This is a college chemistry class, so you are going to have to study and understand material, not just memorize
He seems really nice but thats just a front. He speaks down to his students, doesnt respond to emails or canvas messages, and gives lack luster examples during class that he thinks clear stuff up but really make things more confusing. I didnt have a strong HS chem background and struggled a lot, get a tutor if you want to pass tbh. Good luck.
Pete is a great teacher and person. Yea, tests are hard, but that is chem 2. Curves greatly, too. I remember once he asked us which time is better for a review session, 5pm or 6pm. The hands were split 50/50, so instead of choosing his best time, he said "Okay we'll do both," and had 2 review sessions. He really really cares about his students.
The reviews are misleading. Attend class, take notes, and practice. His lectures explain everything really well and he actively tries to make his exams easy while making previous ones available for review. Theres plenty of resources and he makes himself very available. He curves and will cushion a bad test if you do well otherwise. 10/10 :)
I had Pete last semester for Chem 0120, and I absolutely loved them. He curves the grades at the end of the semester after the final, but he will give you a general ballpark about where you want to be for each letter grade after each test. They can go a bit fast during lectures, but if you do the homework and go to review sessions you can pass.
Pete was actually a nice dude and kept his lectures a lot more entertaining than most other professors. There are only 3 tests but they are not as impossible as people make them out to be. Just understand why you are doing what you are doing. Very little homework and you can definitely get by without reading the book or going to office hours.
Try to avoid, Bell just writes things on the board and doesn't fully explain what he is doing, he just does it. If you read the book then you'll make the connection (hopefully). His tests actually made me want to cy. The avg of the last exam was a disgrace and then he kinda blamed it on us.
grades on recitation quizzes, achieve homework, 3 midterms, and a cumulative final. Midterm exams are very very difficult. averages are usually 60's or below he does curve His midterms are usually on 3 chapters he'll go slow on the first one and a half chapters then spends 30 mins on the last chapter you have to teach yourself a lot of the material
His lectures and homework do not relate to the material on his exams. #stayaway
Awful. The notes are just scribbled on the board and run through very fast but without much explanation. Exams are very very hard even with hours of studying put in. The class averages on test is 50s and i have been concerned if i am even gonna pass the class. He is the reason I now hate chemistry.
Dr. Bell genuinely knows chemistry and is a very nice person. However, his lectures never fully cover the topics that are on the test and often left the entire class confused and stressed. He does provide you with lots of practice problems and if you do those and study every single day you'll probably do alright.
Could not recommend not taking this professor more. The lectures and hw contribute very little to difficult level of the exams. The averages are in the low 40s for the last two exams. There is a curve but you are unaware of your grade until the end of the semester, I'm even unsure if I'm passing. He's very unhelpful in office hours and a narcissist
No one is well prepared for exams, averages are always low and he blames students which makes little sense considering this is consistent for him as a professor. Exams feel like I am trying to be tricked - I fully understand the material, put in the work, then exams are a whole different playing field.
The average on one exam this semester was around a 35-40%. Do not take him. He sucks.
I would never recommend him to anyone. If you go to his office hours to get help he never actually answers any of your questions. The class has 3 big tests but he makes them very hard. He is a very smart guy but he is too smart to be a teacher because he cannot explain anything well. The highest average for a test score in my class was a 30%.
Absolutely the worst professor in the chemistry department. Grades are only determined by 3 midterms and a final, which may not sound too bad until you realize the average for the tests are in the 30-40s. The 3rd exam he made easier so that half the class would not fail. Take any other professor, but him.
spare yourself. if he is the only professor that fits in your schedule for the course you need, it next semester. he can't teach and has no mercy on his exams, which are almost all of the course grade. one time he started an exam off with, "This exam is three questions too long, you wont be able to finish. Good luck!". I'm convinced he's a sadist.
He is one of the better lectures overall at Pitt. His tests are graded hard, but he gives you practice exams and the exams are FAIR! They are straight from achieve (homework) or old exams (that you have access to!) There is a generous curve that will always work in your favor. Just remember, you'll work hard no matter who your prof. is.
Never in my life have I been more humbled. I'm a science person (especially chem and physics) and I just could never grasp what Pete was trying to say during the lecture. It was always hard to follow because he would write on the board a reaction and then be like "kay, moving on." Like he makes it so difficult for why?
Pete Bell is a very interesting man. He is very sweet but aggressively passive at the same time. Unclear about material on exams and averages are extremely low due to lack of repetition and comprehension of material. Lab quizzes are often given after exams with little knowledge of the new information. Do not take this professor.
As much as I want to say I really dislike Dr. Pete, I don't think I have actually retained class material in any other class compared to this one. Yes he is difficult and your best bet is office hours and a lot of practice problems. I genuinely think he is a good teacher, his expectation for students are just too high.
Pete is very passionate about chemistry and I actually enjoyed his lectures. The problem is the exams are crazy difficult. The lecture material does not line up with exam material. The averages on the exams are crazy low. Pete knows how hard his exams are and has said that he expects very few people to get certain questions right.
Pete is so so bad. Dont take him. I was told not to take him, and I should have listened. Everything on his tests are not from his lectures, he wont work through math, he gives out quizzes before you learn how to do them, AND you never know what your grade is going to be. Please avoid him, and if you cannot, im sorry.
I heard that professor Bell was an awful professor but decided to take his class and give him a chance anyways (even tho I had the opportunity to switch out). This was a mistake. The tests are ridiculously hard (average was 40% for exam 2) and he doesn't post grades to canvas. If you wanna be left in the dark about your grades, take his class.
Pete is all around a pretty bad professor. He fools you with first exam making you believe that the rumors about him are not true, but when you take the other exams and final, you realize exactly why his ratings are so terrible. Would avoid if you can, but if you get stuck with him just do your best to be above the average and you should be fine.
I liked Pete. He gave us so many resources to succeed and while the exams were hard, they weren't impossible. Most of the questions would be straight out of Achieve, the textbook or the sample exams on canvas and he would give u points for just having the right equation. I do have to say that the final was super unfair and acc impossible.
I really thought he was not doing well at all. His tests were horrible and the class averages were always below 50. He went too fast during the lectures and was not much help during reviews and overall made gen chem 2 harder than it ever needed to be.
Not a great lecturer. Often times doesn't go over math concepts and focuses on conceptual work. Tests are difficult and definitely need to be a fast test taker. Okay if you have taken AP chem and are comfortable with the material.
Professor Pete is a nice guy who provided extra resources we needed. The lectures were engaging, however, the exams were EXTREMELY difficult; often did not reflect practice problems done in/out of class. You do not know your grade until final grades are posted he does a curve at the end. I felt he made chem 2 more difficult than it needed to be.
A nice guy and wants you to do well but the exams are not easy. He hypes up this big curve and its really not that big. Definitely doable but a huge pain, would recommend the other chem 2 profs.
I took this professor a few years ago for Chem 2 and thought he was a good teacher. The material was a bit complex for me, however I think he did a decent job teaching it.
Couldnt take an exam because I was sick. He told me no problem, Ill just make up a score for you! He gave me an F. And I didnt know till a week after grades were due. Do yourself a favor and steer clear!
I had to take Pete's class, and I was terrified thanks to his reviews, but he turned out to be a really kind professor, and I learned a lot from his lectures. His tests are kind of unorthodox. He likes to ask students to draw graphs and stuff like that, but if you study and do the achieve you should get through it just fine.
his average for the final exam was 27.8%
I think Im an outlier here but I actually enjoyed Dr. Bells class. He is a really tough professor but if you keep up youll learn a lot. But If chem isnt your thing and you just have to take it as a major requirement I would try and find a different professor since his class is pretty hard and takes up a good bit of time.
Pete has a bad reputation, but he was my favorite prof last semester. He was super nice and passionate about chemistry. However, his tests were insanely difficult. If you have a good chemistry background you'll be fine in the class, if not I'd try to take a different prof.
Pete is kind and knows his stuff. If you wanna do well in his class you HAVE to put extra effort in. His exams are difficult but doable. Lectures: he'll go on random rants and when he realizes he only has a few minutes of class left, he'll often rush through all the problems without explaining. Don't rely only on lectures to do well in this class.
I don't like Bell's teaching style and he strays away from the book, so you can't really just read and keep up. I felt better with the material once I started going to the peer led reviews because they have taken Bell before and seem to know how his mind works. Also, on the tests you get partial credit if you just write equations or the formula.
Pete clearly cares so much about his students and is incredibly helpful in office hours/much smaller sessions, but teaches virtually nothing in class and goes on long tangents about unrelated subjects. His tests don't reflect the material he teaches and without prior knowledge of chemistry I would have done much more poorly. Go to his office hours.
Took him for Gen Chem 2, avoid at all costs. Lecture + hw doesn't match up at all with the exams, and the exams are ridiculously hard. He'll ask stuff that's either way beyond what you learned in lecture, or just didn't teach. Got accused of cheating off a guess and he dragged it out over 4 months, got cleared once it was out of his hands.
I have to take chemistry 2 to remain on track for my major and I had no other choice than to take it with Peter. As I am typing this I am trying to complete the homework that makes absolutely no sense because this man can not lecture. He wastes so much time and uses the chalkboard so you can't even see what he writes. I am not having a good time.
Professor Bell's ability to teach in Chem 120 so far has left much to be desired. What he does teach, he explains well, however, he doesn't teach enough. I don't usually put much stock in RMP, but professor Bell is a very difficult tester who doesn't teach enough material in lecture or provide sufficient examples to be practically helpful.
I don't have anything personal against Pete, but he needs to improve his commitment to teaching. I've been deducted points on assignments because of "correct answers" that are objectively incorrect, and he continues to make these these mistakes without acknowledging them. That, and his exams feel designed to go against and punish students. 0 stars.
Homework is graded on correctness, students want the points, so we cheat. Lectures are very disorganized and hard to follow due to Pete using the chalkboard. Exam questions are written in poor English making chemistry the easiest part. Graphing calculators are not permitted so you can throw away the one you have been using for the past 5 years.
The one good thing about Pete Bell is the amazing curve at the end of the semester. I maintained a high D/low C for the majority of the term because his tests were IMPOSSIBLE. Do not fret, the average for one question on the final was an 18% (ish). Survive the class and you will probably pass.
As he tells you at the beginning of the semester, Prof Bell is impossible to reach by email, so ask for regrades via Gradescope. His methods seem arbitrary. I was deducted points for providing too much (correct) information in an answer. I had a D average on tests but was curved to a B+ and have no idea how I performed on any part of the final.
I am a straight A student 99.9% of the time and have taken some pretty rough courses but still cannot pass a Pete bell exam. Whatever you have heard, he is worse. I highly recommend taking this class over the summer somewhere else if you want to learn anything or maintain a decent mental health. I cannot stress enough that you should run far away.
If you have any sort of chemistry background whether it be honors or AP from highschool, you should be fine taking this class. He makes it very clear at the start of semester what your resources are to make sure you understand the material and the rest falls on you. If you aren't actively trying to learn and retain the content, you're screwed.
he was mid.
I had Pete for gen chem II and he's honestly not as bad as everyone says he is. Yes his exams can be a lot but if you study and READ THE TEXTBOOK you will do well in this class no problem. The questions he asks on the exams are reasonable and fair. Definitely go to lecture and take good notes because his lectures are very engaging and helpful.
Pete Bell gets a bad rep, but I actually liked him and even though his class is very hard it is manageable. You should do all of his homework and I recommend attending review/study sessions. The lecture is not mandatory but he goes over examples that will help prepare you for recitation/exams. Read the book outside of class and you'll be fine.
I had Pete as a freshman two years ago and I still hop on here every semester to rate him. That should tell you something about this man. Absolutely NOTHING can prepare you for his class.
Pete truly believes that his students' difficulties are only from their own fault. And it shows in the way he talks down to most people. There's no organization, he doesn't teach well, he doesn't provide good resources, he isn't empathetic; It's hard to explain how unprofessional he is. No redeeming qualities as a professor.
he wasn't as bad as everyone says. I got a 26% on the first exam. I was devastated but worked my ass off for the next exams. I improved by 35 points on my second exam. And I still managed to pass his class with the curve. Exams are HARD but do the homework and recitation papers and you'll be just fine. GO TO PEER LED REVIWES!!!!
Chem 2 is a hard class and the material is incredibly challenging. Pete can be a bit rude sometimes depending on his mood, however he isn't a terrible professor like people say. He gives you everything that you need to succeed. Go to peer led reviews, and do the practice problems he gives. If you work hard you can do well in his class.
Reading everything down below - it's true. THIS IS HIS GRADING SCALE: Out of 950 points (retaking? out of 750 for no lab) Exam 1: 100 Exam 2: 100 Exam 3: 100 Final: 200 Homework: 150 Lab: 200 Recitation: 100 -Homework takes forever, multiple hours every other night, but can get 100 here -Recitation quiz every week -Pete Bell always inaccessible
I went to all of his lectures, did the homework, and did a lot of practice problems before exams, but nothing more, and I did well on the exams and finished with an A. He's a big personality, which some people like and some hate. Don't go into the class hating him, though. I learned from his lectures and did well without doing too much extra.
Pete has been infamously known to be the worst professor at Pitt, I didn't think the rumors were actually true but believe me they are. His horribly disorganized lecture style and miscellaneous pointless homework assignments made it so that every kid was just barely passing, or not at all. Save yourself the trouble and just pick someone else.
While I think Pete is judged a bit too harshly, his class is pretty difficult and you'll have to work hard to succeed. Exams are tough but fair as long as you review all the homework and practice exams. My biggest issue was with not knowing your grade until the semester was over.
Avoid if possible. The stress from this class is not worth it. You feel like you are failing the entire time and don't know your grade until the very end. If you do take this class, make sure to focus on conceptual parts because these are tested heavily. The curve is nice though.
read textbook before class. tests are heavily problem solving and math but lectures are more conceptual. do all problems he provides. go see UTA (not TA) for help. recitation content helpful too. final was hard. tests were pretty easy.
Peter Bell isn't impossible but should be your last resort. To give him credit, he curves well and you can earn points on exams by just writing the formulas. You will have to teach yourself which I struggled to do, but if you're already good at chem/math you should do alright.
Pete Bell is underrated. He helped his students outside of class, provided many UTA review sessions, and made many videos on how to solve the problems in his free time outside of class. Because it is considered "trendy" to hate on Pete, people continue to do so. If you are failing you should go to office hours and reviews. I never saw anyone there.
Idk how to feel about Pete... I really have mixed opinions. Pros Hes always there to help kinda interesting you can get an A without scoring 90+ on his exams, you just need to be above the average some exam questions are fro cons wont reply to your emails tests VERY heavy writes on the board w/o pp pres. gave us DAILY hw that everyone cheated on
I got stuck with Pete Bell for Chem 2 and I have to say he is not that bad so far. Yes the class is difficult but if you study and practice continuously you will get through it no problem. I got an above average grade on the first exam. You just need to have an above average grade and the curve will do the rest.
I think Dr. Bell is a very nice individual, however, teaching chemistry is not his strong suit. The exams covered things we never talked about in the lectures, at times he was VERY condescending to students who needed help, and the homework he assigns do not help you learn. Please try and avoid it at all costs.
Although I did take AP chem in high school, Pete was a great chem 2 professor. He gives daily homework which was super helpful for learning the material, even though it was time consuming. The same types of homework questions would be on the test. Many many opportunities for outside of class help too. I would take him again.
Pete is probably one of the best professors you can have for Chem. Just pay attention during lectures and study. The exam material comes directly from lectures. The exams are tough but fair, they are not impossible like everyone says.
AVOID. You spend hours and hours on the homework every day, it takes up so much time. His lectures are extremely fast paced and hard to keep track of and you HAVE to attend lecture or else you will not pass this class. His exams aren't impossible, but they aren't easy. Attend the peer review sessions for extra help if you do end up taking him.
His lectures aren't dry, but they are sometimes unhelpful. He does provide resources like TA reviews and video lectures, though. My main qualm with him, though, is his daily homework. It takes an hour even though he insists it should only take 15 minutes. Also, your exam grades do not matter. There's a big curve so just do better than the average.
While I don't think that his class was incredibly difficult, Pete worked to make the class harder than it had to be. His daily homework was helpful in that it reflects some of the exam questions, but the frequency of the homework only worked to stress out students. He didn't prepare students for exams, so READ THE TEXTBOOK, though he says not to.
Pete does give daily homework but actually put effort into it and make sure you understand it because he puts similar types of questions on the actual exams. Use the practice exams that he gives to study as well since he reuses questions. His class requires work and is hard but not impossible if you put in the required work.
Pete doesn't deserve all the hate that he gets. He is actually a pretty good instructor, he isn't the best but he isn't horrible. The exams come straight from lectures and everything you need for them is mentioned at least once in lecture, just pay attention and study. Yes, the exams can be difficult but that is just chemistry in general.
In Dr Bell's class, I never used the textbook although it is offered. I attended lectures and did well on the exams. The homework is lengthy, but if you attend lecture every week the tests and homework are easily do able. 3 tests throughout the semester and one final, quizzes every week in recitation, homework daily.
Even though his tests aren't that hard, this guy has such a bad reputation that everybody fails anyway. This class is a psychological mind game the whole time. Gives hw everyday that takes a long time (only if you want 100%). Bad at explaining things. Once lectured for 20 mins about the distance from Pitt to philly, then complained we were behind
I grew into his teaching style a little bit, but he's still not a great teacher. Homework is blasphemous, claims they take 15-30 minutes, but that's a cold lie. Very available outside class, lots of peer-led reviews and homework sessions. Nice guy, I guess. Doesn't ever seem like he's fully present - makes a lot of mistakes during lecture.
Pete Bell was a great professor for Chem 2. He really doesn't deserve all the hate he gets. Yes, his tests can be a lot but if you study and use all the resources that he provides and go to all of his lectures you should have no problem passing this course. The daily hw while annoying and time consuming was very helpful with learning the material.
He's nice but grades REALLY harshly on exams. Out of the three midterms I got a 70, 91, and a 93. Hw took a long time to do. Attend all lectures because that's what'll be on the exams. Began studying/reviewing 2 weeks before each exam. Go to peer review sessions and bother him with stuff you don't get. Pete and chem 2 are tough, but not impossible.
People love to hate on Pete, but the class isn't that bad if you put the work in. Attend lectures and take advantage of the LOADS of resources available. HW is 3-6 questions and can take 15 min to an hour. Exams are graded based on the average, do above average and curve will do the work for you. Put in the effort from the start, will pay off big!
Homework takes a long time and makes up a majority of exam content, despite not properly introducing it in lectures and not providing full answer keys to reinforce. Makes lots of mistakes in lectures and wastes time on unimportant things, while speeding through important content.purposely "tricks" students on exams and makes it difficult to do well
Managed to get an A only by teaching myself all of the material. I do not feel that his grading scale is fair, as all multiple choice questions are weighted as heavily as short answer. His lectures do not explain material well, and I taught myself most of the material from YouTube and the textbook. He spends most of lecture telling bad jokes.
class is not bad at all if effort is put in. go to review sessions and do all the extra problem sets. the exams were all extremely fair and easy if you slow down and calm down. i truly believe people only do bad because they are psyched out by his bad reputation. honestly cant complain about the class at all really
Exceptionally difficult professor. Lectures were largely unhelpful and disorganized, students were disrespected when asking questions, no communication was made with TA's, grade depended almost exclusively on exam scores, and final grade not visible until the end of the semester. The lab grade saved my score in this course.
I may be in the minority, but once you understand how Pete tests, the class is hard but straightforward. Pete makes you work for your grade, but you learn a lot from his class. If you study your notes and redo your homework problems, you will be set for his exams. It's college so don't be scared to put the work in for a major-defining class.
The grading system is not transparent at all -- only the lab grade is visible throughout the semester, and the overall grade is uncurved until he puts the final grade in people soft. His lectures were constantly running behind and disorganized. My advice is to meet with him if you want any idea of how your grade looks, otherwise you'll be surprised
He's an alright professor, but his teaching style is weird. Be prepared to just write everything he says since his slides are god-awful. Also, he has lectures after tests which was annoying. Also, lots and lots of homework
I did not like his lecturing style. His presentations are not really helpful and he writes everything on the chalkboard, so you're always taking notes. Highly recommend, making friends in the class and using the resources he gives you and the practice tests. The good thing is he did curve a lot, and that's why I passed the class.
I really am not sure why everyone hates him. I love his teaching style as he actively engages with the class instead of reading slides from a PowerPoint. He posts past exams which are similar to current exams. And he is ALWAYS available, sent him something at 8pm got it back 8:10pm. Only complaint is he might ramble. Overall amazing choice.
I was nervous going into the class because of his reputation. However, I was surprised to learn that he is a great lecturer who stops for questions, dumbs down complex material, and waits for students to finish copying notes before introducing the next step. He was also very kind and gentle with students who needed extra help.
I will probably finish between A- to B in Chem-2. Do not expect to succeed in this course if you do not attend his lectures because he does everything on the board. Exams reflect stuff we did in class and were pretty much fair. Another advice- go to his office hours because he clarifies things we covered in the lecture.
Like most, I did not like pete much at first. I wrote a pretty bad review of him the first time I took his class. I ended up having to retake for my own reasons. I was pleasantly surprised.Taking him over the summer made all the difference in the world. I did extremely well this time around all thanks to him. Consider taking him over the summer.
Pete Bell is genuinely a really nice guy--he cares about his students and wants them to suceed. Gen Chem 2 is a VERY difficult course so be prepared for the worst. He assigns tons of homework, but provides lots of opporutunites for out of class help. As long as you focus during lecutres and practice consistently, you will do fine.
Pete is genuinely a great person who truly cares about not only chemistry, but also about his students. He gets a bad wrap sometimes because of the difficulty of his Gen Chem classes, but no one likes teaching general chemistry. Go to lecture. Do the textbook problems. He offers so many outside resources in order to succeed in his class. Go!!!!!
Pete doesn't deserve the rep that he gets; I'm sure he's not the best at gen chem, but who is? He's a GREAT choice for CHEM 310 compared to the other professors (which are way more difficult). His tests are straightforward but difficult - do his recitation worksheets and MASTER them; never did textbook problems one and ending with A-/A. Take him!
I took Pete for gen chem and it was miserable... BUT he is a great choice for Orgo! You are only graded on 3 exams + a final but the exams are straight forward and only from lecture material. He genuinely cares about his students and wants you to do well. Attend lecture and doing HW problems are the best way to feel prepared! 100% recommend Pete!
I did not have Pete for Gen Chem, but my professor got switched to Pete for OChem. I won't lie, I was extremely nervous due to his previous reviews, but I am so glad I ended up having him. His class is straight forward and all exams are extremely fair as long as you do plenty of practice problems. I am taking him again for Ochem 2.
Pete really surprised me for OChem I! I was nervous going in because of the horrible things I have heard, but his understanding of organic chemistry is extensive. His tests are also extremely fair as long as you study. I am taking him again for OChem II because I was that happy with him!
I have mixed reviews about him. The tests were kinda hard, second exam was the easiest. The third exam i dont think he took the proper time to teach. I dont think his TAs are that good (the ones i had experience with) so maybe just reevaluate who he is choosing to help teach the course. He waits too long to put answers out for worksheets.
No grades other than exams. Very high expectations- anything I learned I taught myself. Didn't provide practice reflective of the exams. TA's were unhelpful too. He constantly complained about being behind, but would waste time and end up rushing through other subjects. Absolutely awful, I think I have to retake and it's not from a lack of trying.
Yeah, its slightly inconvenient to take Pete bell- no electronic notes, no lecture recordings, less electronic resources overall; however, what he lacks in resources he makes up for in extremely short, easy, and straightforward exams. Just make sure you understand the topics he emphasizes, that's literally all u have to do. Use book and JoeChem.
After having Pete for chem 2 i was nerv having him for ochem. But he was actually alright. If you miss a class though its hard to catch up since he never posts anything from his lectures. Exams were hard but honestly manageable. His TAs sucked they were horrible and no help at all. I wish he had more for us to study bc we only had recitation wrksts
Pete is not the monster some reviews make him seem. You can do fine if you vibe with his style of only blackboard notes (dont skip class). I found that made me lock in and pay attention. Recitation worksheets are similar to the exams. He even made a discord to ask questions in. You do have to work hard and study a lot, it is organic chem after all.
This was my second semester in a row with Pete and I have to say he's far worse at teaching orgo than his usual gen chem. I did really well in his gen chem but orgo was so disorganized and there was not enough practice for the exams. More practice with mixes of reactions would have saved my grade a lot more than the textbook problems.
It's orgo, it's supposed to be difficult, but Pete teaches well and makes sure u learn. He has peer led review and his TA's are always willing to assist+stay after class. Pete is fairly open for office hours, and will sit down help u out. On test 3+final, there was a slight curveball question but u could still logic it out. Not as bad as RMP says.
I can tell he cares about his class and he enjoys teaching, but he is so disorganized that it makes taking his class awful. His lectures made little sense to me, he didn't posts notes online, the textbook felt useless. I did fine in all my other difficult classes but his. Never take if you self study alot
Pete's lectures are confusing and he cannot keep track of his own notes. But, he is helpful when you ask and he makes the concepts easier to understand. He is one of the better Ochem professors. His tests are heavy on memorization. So get ready to memorize 20 pKa's and 70 reactions that you don't need to know anywhere else.
Pete is manageable if you're willing to teach yourself most of the material. His teaching style relies heavily on showing examples on the chalkboard, rather than giving definitions/general rules. Reading the textbook (although painful) is the way to go. Exams are straightforward, no tricks. He can be cranky and will take it out on the class lol
Although attendance isn't a part of your grade in this class, you miss a lot if you miss a day and can't learn through reading a textbook. Wants you to spend a chunk of time outside of class devoting yourself to go to workshops or doing problems from the textbook. Told us he'd set up an ALEKS or Achieve but never did. He is ok, orgo is just hard.
All of your grade is based to tests, which means you better be prepared to study. There are a lot of practice problems and no sample tests. However, he is a nice guy who cares about his students. If you need help go to his office hours or his TA's. He also has review sheets during recitation and his TA's make some too.
heard bad things about pete from his gen chem- but was pleasantly surprised for ochem. clearly very passionate for organic chem, and i feel like he provided a good understanding of ochem. tests were imo very straight forward if you paid attention in class but definitely difficult.
Before taking him, I was very hesitant as I was told horror stories about him from gen chem. However, he was the best, most passionate professor I have ever taken. He provided us with many worksheets, practice problems and workshops. The TAs were also very professional and helpful. However, your entire grade is determined by the midterms and final.
Ochem is supposed to be hard. If you read the textbook and take the time to memorize the reactions you will be fine. Pete is disorganized but his lectures and worksheets are helpful. He is not a great gen chem teacher but Ochem was good. His exams were also very fair and straightforward.
pete is the best choice for o chem. his recitation worksheets resembled exams. the textbook is super important if you want to do well. there were no tricks on the exams if you studied. i took him for gen chem and he wasnt the best but i loved him sm in o chem that i am taking him for o chem 2 now! i averaged an 82 on my exams and finished with an A
The lectures are very important and he's good at teaching the concepts, but there wasn't a lot of helpful practice material outside of class, which is a big problem since ochem is so heavy on application in problems. There was just the recitation worksheets, and frankly those weren't enough practice for me to get a satisfactory grade on the tests.
There is no homework, and not a lot of good practice outside of class. If you want to do well in this class, you have to memorize reactions and read the textbook, and I STRONGLY advise doing JoeChem practice OFTEN. Lecture attendance is practically mandatory since no lecture material is posted on Canvas. Strange professor, but the tests were fair.
Graded only on tests but 1) the tests were fair (only a couple tricky things on them) and 2) you can drop one. He explained the concepts really well in lecture He gives out weekly worksheets and recommended textbook problems. No practice tests or extra worksheets He started a class discord which was super helpful and he was accessible on it
ochem is hard no matter what but Pete was very helpful and I learned a lot. Focus on studying the recitation problems
I love Pete. I took him for Orgo 1, and I liked him so much that I'm now in his Orgo 2 class. Pete can sometimes be chaotic, but his exams were EXTREMELY fair. He does a great job of simplifying topics to make them understandable & his class dynamic is so fun. I think he did a great job and I wholeheartedly recommend him. Pete Bell Slay
I LOVE pete SO MUCH. He was the absolute BEST OCHEM PROFESSOR. His tests are SO fair (if you study the bare minimum rec worksheets, textbook, etc, you'll get average score) and he genuinely loves ochem. He is always willing to talk with you at any point of the day and he genuinely WANTS TO HELP YOU. DON'T LISTEN TO GEN CHEM REVIEWS! He has improved
hes awesome definitely the best!!!!! choice for ochem1 and 2! ochem is a hard class you will obviously have to put in effort to do good but he makes the content easy to understand and the exams are sooooooo fair. read the textbook, do the problems in the back, joechem, and study the rec worksheets, and youre solid
Orgo 2 with him is really easy - just attend lectures (don't need to attend recitation IMO). Exams are super easy compared to the ones I had in orgo 1 (had Scott Nelson) and you can drop an exam. Curves well. He posts the recitation practice answers/exam keys and also had UTA review sessions weekly that were very helpful (would recommend going).
Pete is genuinely the best chem professor I have had at Pitt thus far. I have him for ochem 2 which is a difficult course, but Pete puts in a lot of effort to make sure each student can succeed. He does a good job aligning lectures with the book so it is easy to work along in the book. His recitation worksheets are similar to questions on the exams
Don't be fooled by the good orgo reviews, he is still AWFUL. Terrible job teaching concepts, and makes up his own rules that are wrong so you can't use other resources. He never tells you what the curve is, super disorganized, and barely gives practice problems and takes weeks to upload answer keys so you have nothing to study. Worst prof at pitt
Pete was meant to teach Ochem to those of us who don't want to be in Ochem. He makes the material understandable and organized. The course is extremely hard regardless, but he does his best to make it manageable and always has people available to help. The tests were fair and I only got a C because I was sick while taking the final.
I came into ochem 2 with Pete after barely passing ochem 1 with a diff professor, and I didn't know ochem could actually be understandable lol. Pete makes the material easy to learn and apply. Also probably one of the more understanding professors I've had. Every time I met with him, he was so helpful and answered all my questions. 10/10 recommend
Pete Bell isn't as bad as everyone says he is - I thought he was amazing for Orgo. I had him three semesters in a row and I did think he was a lot better at teaching Orgo than gen chem. His exams can be difficult but that's just the nature of the course - I doubt you'd find a professor with easier exams. He also makes himself VERY accessible.
scheduled the midterm the night of halloween…
If you want to waste your money and kill your GPA, then take a class with him. Please take chemistry with anyone but him and if he is the only option available then take the CLEP exam for college credit. That exam is worth more and costs less then 4 credit hours with him.
Amazing teacher, classes curved and exams fairly easy if u study well.
DONT TAKE THIS COURSE WITH THIS "teacher". He will be petty, condescending and rude when you ask him questions about the test when he should take his anger out toward himself for being a waste of space in the chem department. Please take anyone else if you're pre-med. The only thing he prepares you for is knowing how to self teach.
Bell is honestly not the worst choice for ochem. This class is obviously difficult but he does everything he can to help you understand the material. There are peer-led sessions, office hours, recitation, and even a class Discord to ask questions. His exams are reflective of the practice exams he provides. I'm taking him again for ochem 2
Pete is a very interesting professor. Honestly, organic is going to be awful no matter what, but the practice exams were way easier than the actual exams, the homework doesn't count for anything, and he can be kind of rude when people ask for clarification. That being said, I signed up to take ochem 2 with him, so do with that what you will.
Pete has serious trouble converting organic chemistry speak to normal people speak. It can be hard to keep up in lecture because he just writes molecules on chalkboard and verbally explains everything. Says he follows the textbook but skips around and is overall a little disorganized. 1st exam Average: 79 2nd exam 75, 3rd exam 50
I hated his teaching style and the disorganization of the Canvas page. Only graded on tests (no graded HW or labs or anything) which makes it the class harder than it already is. Normally, I can remember a lot of the concepts professors teach even after class. But his lectures and the notes he gave us are so disorganized I felt dizzy looking atthem
Bases teaching directly off the textbook which makes it easy to study and know what we will be tested on! He is an engaging lecturer, and very easily reached during his office hours - seriously I went like very afternoon. He answered alll of my questions and genuinely cared to make sure I understood. Tests are fair: he uses recitation/PLR questions
Solid choice for orgo. I really liked that with Pete I knew what to expect going into exams. Didn't learn a lot in lecture, so I did a lot of self teaching but I think that is the nature of orgo. Pete makes himself very available for questions which was very helpful!! Difficult course but Pete is fair. Go to peer led reviews and study weekly!
dont do it omg
grade is only exams. towards the end of the semester (when it started getting hard) he became too lazy to post the answers to the practice probs he gave out and once he brought up other practice resources it was too little too late. tenured prof that doesnt know how to pace a class and his notes are pointless. if he's the only option use jOeCHEM.
Hands down best Orgo prof @ pitt. There are four..? Orgo profs at pitt and 3/4 of them teach a nightmare, while Pete's very manageable class is kept a secret quite effectively by the horrible reviews on this page. Thank god. Wake up people it's Orgo not woodshop.
Took Pete for orgo 1 and will take him again for 2. Many people assume they do bad because of him. Orgo is a hard class and to be honest it just doesn't click for a lot of people, or they do not put in the time they need to be. if you attend lectures, peer led reviews, and recitations you will do fine. People like to blame their failure on him.
Very hard professor, wish there was extra credit so that there could be higher grades
Grading was entirely tests with a hefty portion of the grade being your final. Despite this grading scheme, I think Pete did a really good job teaching orgo and I'm glad I didn't take someone else. Grind for the tests and you'll do fine. With Pete you definitely get out of the class what you put into it, and he is very fair on his exams.
PETE BELL SLAY! I struggled in gen chem, but Pete's orgo class was a game-changer. From day one, lectures made sense, which rarely happens before I study. Pete can be a bit sassy if you ask stupid questions, but he's genuinely nice. His teaching style is refreshing and made orgo feel approachable for the first time. IDK why he rated so bad.
Take him for orgo and not erika. Pete's tests were pretty easy compared to other profs. They are exactly like the practice exams and recitation worksheets. Typically he is never out to trick you on exam questions. PRACTICE PROBLEMS ARE KEY to passing. Also reading the textbook can really help you understand material that you didnt in lecture
Pete is an example of trust the process. If you listen to him during lectures, take your time to understand the material, and do the textbook problems, an A is super achievable.
Organic Chemistry is hard when it comes to any professor. Pete's exams are straightforward and better than other professors. When it comes to his teaching, I'd say he rushes through things a lot, so this course for me was self taught. Pete has office hours, and peer-led workshops to help you understand the material better, so attend them.
Pete rushed through a lot of the material and was very vague w/ what needed to be known. He didn't utilize class time to teach us, he mostly just spoke at us, so I had teach myself a majority of the material. His class is weighted totally on exams, w/ no opportunity for extra credit/"buffer" to help improve your grade.
Start studying the mechanisms early on because exam 3 is way harder than the other exams. Also, this was only his second time teaching this course so he made the exams significantly harder than the previous semester exams. No homework. Only grades on exams. He curves at the end of the semester. No extra credit.
I'm not sure why he has such bad ratings, I thought he was a great professor. For this class, stay back for recitations and attend the peer reviews. Doing the textbook problems also really helped. His exams are just like the practice exams. Honestly, if you don't put in the work, you won't do well in any orgo class.
Great professor. Ochem is a hard class, but I feel he taught it very well. Exams were very reasonable, and he was very clear about what would be on the test. He gives good practice exams and recitation worksheets, but the grade is entirely based on exams. Overall an enjoyable professor and a really great choice for an Ochem professor!
Orgo is hard no matter what professor you take, but he gives plenty of resources to help you succeed. Recitation worksheets and keys are posted on Canvas + peer-led review sessions every week. He wants all of his students to do well and it shows during lectures. His exams are fair and straightforward, just be prepared to put in A LOT of work.
Pete was a GREAT professor. He explains the material well. Grading is tough, but with enough practice, attending recitations, peer-led workshops, etc., you'll be fine. Tests are very fair. He's still trying to figure out his best way to teach, but he already is a lot better than most other professors. He wants you to do well.
His exams are very straightforward and fair. He is a great lecturer and has the highest exam averages out of all the orgo professors. He's very rude and dismissive but overall a good professor.
Most would agree that Pete was the easiest professor to take the course with. Most of his lectures are very good and he explains things well. H took his time in the beginning of the course which caused him to breeze through some of the last chapters. But, his exams are so straight forward and the practice exams are so useful. Very accessible.
He's really nice at the start, but around five week in he really picks up the pace and gets annoyed when students ask questions. Exams are tricky, start learning the reactions as early as you can
Pete Bell is not a bad pick for Orgo, he has plenty of resources like Peer Review sessions and office hours and goes more in depth into content during recitation. There are 3 exams and a final which makes up the entirety of your grade. I would get prepared early for the 2 and 3rd exams because they are much more content heavy.
If you're any pre health professional where you need orgo for placement exams don't take him. Pete will not teach you anything you need except the basics. Your only grade is 3 exams and the only source of practice he gives is one practice exam that he says will be the same as the test and then it never is. Not terrible but by no means good.
His lectures are not technically required, but I went to all of them. His notes closely follow the textbook, which is really nice. He also genuinely cares about his students and wants us to do well. He's personable as well. I am currently taking him again for organic 2.
He gets a bad reputation but hes really not bad, its just a really hard class. Graded on 3 exams and a final (one dropped exam) which are tough but fair. I took him for ochem 1 and 2.
Pete is so amazing. Need to pay attention during class and take more notes than what he writes on the board. The little things he says are on exams. Ochem is so hard, but Pete made it feel a lot more manageable and doable. I feel like I genuinely learned a lot in this class and was tested extremely fairly.
I had Pete for both Orgo 1 and 2 and thought he was a good lecturer and his exams were extremely fair. Orgo is hard, but he makes sure his students are where they should be and are provided the material they need to succeed. Entire grade is exams, so u need to put in the work to do well, going to lecture isn't enough. Would recommend!
Not organized. Skips material & says to check the textbook. Can be rude when answering questions. Still take him because he curves the exams. Spends too much time explaining "basic" concepts and less time on why mechanisms work the way they do. Simply memorize.
I took him for OChem 1 and got a B, but once I improved my study habits outside of class I was able to improve! You will need to put in a good amount of time (for me it was quite a bit) to really learn the material and prepare for exams. I thought all exams were fair, but studying is so important! He gives a lot of good resources outside of class.
Pete was a good professor; he doesn't try to make things more complicated than they have to be. Do the textbook homeworks and recitation sheets and you'll be fine.
At least for organic chemistry, I don't know why Pete gets all this hate. His lectures were engaging, his exams were easy (compared to other organic classes/teachers), and he was funny and sweet. Is he 100% perfect? Of course not. But if you go to lecture and study a bit you should be fine. He's caring and wants his students to succeed.
Got a A- in orgo 1 and a B- in orgo 2 honestly didnt put enough effort into orgo 2 since I took it in the summer, but Pete wasnt bad at all! His exams were really fair curves were generous plus you get a dropped exam. Honestly just do the textbook problems and it'll be a cake walk for exams 1-3 as for his final... all I can say is good luck.
I hope the building burns down every time I go to his lectures. He is extremely disorganized and explains simple concepts in a hard way. The recitation quizzes are always on random topics and no one alerts us what we will be tested on.
He explains simple things in a very hard way and goes extremely fast. He's pretty accessible after class, but he is impatient and it usually ends up being no help. If you have a rough start, it will be extremely hard to fix your grade. He provides a link for the textbook, so no need to buy one.
He is a nice guy and seems like he loves teaching, but he just makes things too confusing. For reference, I stopped listening to lectures and completely self taught the class material. The class average for the last exam was a 68%, I got an 85%. But the grade scale is nice if you get 10% above class average its an A. 3 Exams 1 final. No HW.
awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful, awful,
do not take this class
don't take this class
Every single lecture I have to watch YT on the subject because his teaching leaves me confused about the content, and I can never understand what's going on in class. He teaches soo slowly for the first 80% of class then realizes he's running out of time and rushes through the rest of the content often going over time. His tests aren't too bad tho
his lectures leave you so confused that you just have to teach yourself for the exams. do not take him. nice guy, but just bad teaching.
Very confusing lectures and overcomplicates topics to the MAX, but a very nice guy, and if you have some sense in chemistry, you will do well. Needs to show up to the lecture because he doesn't have a slide deck, only writes on the chalkboard for the whole class period.
He teaches orgo normally so i dont know why hes teaching gen chem. He overcomplicates everything and draws random pictures all class. He is too smart for gen chem and doesn't know how to teach an introductory class. Rushes at the end of the semester so he can fit everything. Find someone else to take if you don't want to teach yourself everything.
Bell is extremely overhated. Yes his class is difficult but obviously, it's orgo, it's going to be difficult. he has a ton of materials to help you do well on the exams and is so accessible. insane curves on his exams & he calculates your grades with/without a drop and keeps the highest. i got 40s-50s on the midterms and still ended with a B!
Lectures aren't really necessary, but he explains things well. He really isn't to worst grader, but your grade is all tests, expect to study a little.
I did well in chemistry in high school and that's basically what the first exam is based on. After that I realized that the only reason why I did well the first exam was because of that. Rushes at the end of lectures so it makes it hard to clearly understand. Overcomplicates during the lectures and makes the recitation worksheets easier than exam.
Only went to class to know what I had to teach myself. He makes simple concepts hard to grasp and lectures way to fast. His tests are not that bad if you're good at taking tests. You will miss a lot if you skip class.
Out of all the chem professors, he has the best grading policy. The class average for an exam is a C, meaning 10% above it is a B, and 20% above it is an A. You get one dropped exam, one dropped quiz, and one dropped lab. As long as you do the practice problems and the rec worksheets he provides, you will do fine.
If you do not have a good background in chem, do not take him. Lectures are a waste of time, all he does is draw random pictures on the chalkboard and talk about unnecessary small details. that do not matter. Averages for the tests were in the 50s and 60s. Says a lot about curving grades in the beginning of the year but does not actually.
Teaches an easy subject in an overly complicated way. I wouldn't recommend taking this class with them if you have the option, choose another professor.
You will have to teach yourself everything on your own because he rushes the lectures, skims past important stuff and somehow overcomplicates the easy stuff.
During lecture he tends to draw a lot of meaningless pictures instead of teaching you what the practice is on. He also focuses on the not important stuff for too long and you get behind in lab. I'm averaging an A in his chem class right now so it could be worse, but I would not take if you do not have a background in chem.
nice guy, very sassy. tests consisted of either similar questions to class questions or complete bullshit. sorry pete.
Class is ok, Pete is easygoing, but tests have weird & specific questions on them that he didnt rlly emphasize during the lecture/ theyre weirdly worded. Makes it hard to get above a B on them. His grading system is also confusing. Said there is a “curve” on the final grade, but i don't see it. End of chapter Qs are your best friend for reviewing.
Meeting him he seems like a nice guy, very sassy. However he goes through the lecutres really fast and doesnt really teach the content making it hard to pay attention. Theres an online textbook that he refers toso watch videos and read it. His grading is very confusing, he claims theres a curve however I still dont know my grade. Wants all to pass.
Do not take him like actually unless you have a very strong chem background, I personally do not and had to teach myself everything making this class awful. Spends too much time on the wrong things and is bad at explaining overall, just writes things on the board and expects you to understand
Told the class the final would be evenly spread out, ended up making it 75% Thermochemistry. Lectures were a yap sesh of information that made no sense, you end up having to teach it all yourself anyway. Recitation sheets are pretty similar to test questions. Not my recommendation for a first year student taking gen chem 1.
Honestly Pete dives into every concept in depth that it bores people of. You can very much get an A after his ridiculous curve as long as you GO TO LEC, TAKE NOTES, REVIEW NOTES, AND DO HIS PRACTICE PROBLEMS they are basically the test with diff numbers or slightly diff phrase. Chem is hard in general. You don't know your grade till the end btw.
if you don't have a good chem background, don't take this guy. you have 3 exams, and the final is his own test that is cumulative, worth 50% of your grade, and arguably unfair given what we spent so much time learning. the curves are all made up, and he is very unclear in explaining how his grading works. prepare to teach yourself everything. avoid
Honestly Pete doesn't deserve the hate he gets from some people. As long as you attend lectures and do the practice problems he gives you (*ESPECIALLY RECITATION WORKSHEETS*) you should be able to get an A. He's a funny guy and is a fast lecturer. Def go to his office hours if you're struggling or reach out to chem tutors!!!
No homework; only 3 exams, a final, lab, & recitation quizzes are included in your final grade. I *personally* didn't like his teaching style, which consists of rambling about unrelated topics that he tries to relate to chemistry. Had to do most learning outside of class via tutoring, YouTube, or with friends.
His lectures really aren't that hard to understand like everyone says. Yes you have to do work outside of class but you'll have to do that for any chem class. He is enthusiastic enough during his lectures that I'm usually pretty engaged. The tests were not difficult if you studied. You can drop your lowest midterm if it helps your overall grade
Pete was one of the better chem 1 professors. Any chem class is going to be hard and you're going to have to study outside of class. The only downside to Pete's lectures is he tends to overcomplicate things and rambles. Graded by 4 exams, but you can drop one, just makes the final worth more. No homework. Put in the work and you'll do fine.
I think he felt bad for me and passed me cant lie
Pete, in my opinion, teaches explicitly how the textbook does but better. There is a lot of work you have to do outside of class but the work directly correlates to the exams (ALL questions are basically copy paste from either the *optional* textbook work or recitation worksheets). Grades depend on 3 midterms (can drop 1), final, and lab/recitation
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
27%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+1.20 avg changeRatings by Course
CHEM310
5.0
(1)CHEM0330
4.3
(4)CHEM0320
4.0
(2)CHEM320
3.5
(8)CHEM0310
3.4
(58)Difficulty by Course
CHEM1120
5.0
CHEM0910
4.3
CHEM0120
4.3
CHEM910
4.0
CHEM310
4.0