The labs are written poorly, and I had trouble understanding them. The content in the labs never matches up with the lecture, and there were a few labs that weren't even related to chemistry I material. A lot of students and TA's complained about the labs because of how bad they are.

Have taken 3 labs of hers. Terrible at replying to emails. Seems to almost actively avoid meeting with students. Lab doesn't match lecture. I would take a lab coordinated by ANYONE else but unfortunately she seems to have a monopoly on undergrad chem labs. Have yet to hear any fellow students say she is a proficient lab coordinator.

Sometimes it feels as though she's trying to make student's fail.

Labs are very poorly written and directions can be very unclear at times. The practicals are very difficult and there is no explanation prior as to what will be on them. Labs also have nothing to do with what is written in class. I would not ever take a lab by this professor again.

This class is the worst class I have ever taken in my entire life. Every assignment that we do makes no sense, and she quizzes on the smallest details that were never even mentioned in the course. It is only a 1 credit lab, but it stresses me out more than my 4 credit classes do. Expect to be frustrated with everything you do in this class.

Labs are written VERY poorly and are instructions are often very unclear. Practicals are nearly impossible with no prior instruction as to how or what to prepare for. The lab does not line up at all with what goes on in lecture and has no explanation most times of how to do the required calculations. Luckily I had a great TA or I would have failed.

Shes a rude inconsiderate professor completely disconnected from her students and doesn't care about her students just her own research.

These labs are insane and sometimes they make literally no sense. It made me so anxious to go to lab because the instructions were so poor that I would often have no idea what was going on. If you don't have a TA who understands that instructions are often unclear and who genuinely wants you to succeed, you will struggle.

Going into Chemistry, I was worried about this professor as I looked at all the low reviews. Although, she never once made an appearance in my class and only reached out to her students when we had to switch to online learning. Throughout Chem, I only ever interacted with my TA who did a great job and tried her best to make sure we did well!

This lab was straight up MISERABLE. confused 100% of the time, though I generally do well in labs. lab was frustrating to the point where I went insane & had to pace the halls. spent 6-8 hours/wk outside of lab trying to finish the lab reports which were never explained well. practicals were spent titrating random things bc no one knew what to do

The pre-lab and post-lab quizzes are unnecessarily specific. My average score on the lab reports so far this semester (graded by a very kind and caring graduate TA) is much higher than my grades for these quizzes. Do not expect her to answer emails or be present in your learning.

This was the worst class Ive ever taken! The written portion of the lab is so difficult. I spent upwards of 8 hours on each, and the best score I got was 36/40. Quizzes are terrible. Lab Instructions are poorly written. The TA seemed just as confused as the students, and Pistolesi is MIA throughout the entire semester and wont respond to emails.

Awful, labs had absolutely no correlation with the actual classwork. We weren't taught how to do the quizzes, labs take hours to complete in class and out of class. Total waste of time. Labs are also graded super hard for no reason.

Wouldn't round my 89.98% to a 90 flat. It's been 4 years since I took this class and I still haven't forgotten, this professor doesn't deserve a job.

Never in the lab, only TAs are. Grades very tough, timestamps on ELN must be specific. For each lab, there's a prelab and post-lab quiz, and ELN for each lab. Multiple lab practicals as well that aren't well explained so you can't really study for them. Labs don't have anything to do with lectures. Always have to work with a partner or a group.

I wasn't sure what to expect coming into this class due to all the horrible reviews, but from my experience, it was nowhere near as difficult as I was initially led to believe. However, this all comes down to your TA. You won't ever see this professor and she won't make an appearance. The class is just time-consuming with necessarily long labs.

The lab is so difficult for no reason. Makes meticulous prelabs that go into way too much detail in hopes of tripping students up. The labs have nothing to do with the actual lecture and the instructions are so poorly written that even the TAs have no idea whats going on. Refused to round my 92.97 to a 93 and is not even present in the class.

Never in class

Super long lab assignments, the only reason I passed this class was because I had an amazing TA. Professor is never in class, never met or saw her once. If your taking this class, pray for a good TA.

All depends on your TA. Luckily I loved my TA. But I know a ton of people who were stuck with bad ones. For the lab report, you have to do so much for the prelab and post lab. It is so tedious and genuinely ruins my week. I don't like how we learn content in the lab, and think it could be structured much better. For 1 credit, it was a waste of time

This professor does not teach the class, but the way she has it set up is an absolute joke. 178 is extremely tedious and takes up so much time. The fact the average of the quizzes is taken rather than the top score is extremely frustrating. It all depends on your TA, but regardless of who you get this class is a nuisance and all for just 1 credit.

She's never in the lab, just a TA but she writes all the labs. They're written unclear and have different directions then shown on the slides so it's unclear what were actually supposed to do. The labs are boring and take forever for no reason. SO MANY analysis questions and we never know the answers everyone just guesses.

I am not sure she even is a real person. Never replied to any emails. MIA the entire semester. Grammarly is free yet her lab manual is so poorly written. 0/10 do not recommend.

I had Dr. Pistolesi for CHEM 177L, and this course is the same as 177L. You will never see Dr. Pistolesi, and your grade depends on your TA, so if you get a bad TA, then good luck. Both courses are unorganized and have lots of work. There are practicals/midterms in 177L, which are terrible, but an even worse final project in 178L.

It's astounding to me that this professor's structure of the class hasn't changed a bit. She doesn't teach and has never made an effort to reach out to her students. The labs are tedious, poorly-written, and have so many unnecessary questions attached. This class will be made or broken by your TA, so as longas they're good you'll be set.

Worst professor I have ever had. Never met her and still made this the worst course imaginable. Pre-labs are a ridiculous amount of work and haven't changed in years. Quizzes are unfair and graded harshly with little to no help on anything.

Most of the reviews cover it. She never actually shows up to the lab as TA's run them. Her lab readings do not make any sense and the amount of miscommunication in this department is baffling. My poor TA had to deal with so much because of her pure idiocy that she demonstrates in her lab readings.

Avoid at all costs. Pre-lab and post-lab assignments seem as though they were designed to be as tedious as possible. The pre-lab doesn't even do a good job at preparing you for the lab, watching the linked videos helps more than this teacher's method of making you transcribe the step-by-step instructions into your own words. Tests graded unfairly.

If you take this course do not expect to see Sara. Your TA will make or break your grade because each TA will grade completely different. I got an amazing TA that graded easily on the ELNs, however, many of my friends were not so lucky. FYI you can cope the ELN into your search bar and copy from there into the lab notebook for exact format.

I honestly wouldn't know how Sara is as a professor because i've never seen her a day in my life only the TA for the class.

Never even met her. Only provides the lab manual that makes no sense most of the time. Labs take way longer to do than they should. I was able to commiserate with my lovely TA because even they kind of got sick of the dumb lab requirements. Overall, my TA was a better teacher than the actual professor.

Probably one of the worst organization systems of a class at Iowa State. 300pts are given within the last 3 weeks of the class. This is for a final project that the TAs are not allowed to give any help with. The final project involves performing an experiment based on the information you have not even learned yet in the lecture or lab.

This was by far the worst lab experience I have had. There is an excessive amount of work to do for a 1 credit lab with the written lab reports, pre-lab quizzes, and post-lab quizzes. The lab practicals are ridiculously hard as well. Your TA can make or break your lab, and unfortunately, I had a terrible TA. Too bad this lab was required.

Ridiculous amount of busy work. For an intro class this is miserable. Never in class. Two 40 point quizzes a week plus a 40 point ELN. Not hard just the MOST annoying class I've taken in my 4 years.

I had her for 177L and 178L, and both were awful. Pre and post lab quizzes were worded horribly and sometimes had errors. Lab practicals in 177L were very rushed and I don't know anyone who got good grades on those. 178L was even worse. There were no practicals, but a big report that was worth like 26% of your grade, and was scored super harshly.

Very strict, if you turn something late even with the time stamps on you get 0. Never met her, I would email her and never received an email back. My TA would never respond either, tried asking for help, never responded and when she finally responded, she would always say there is nothing she can do. Lots of Homework, always 40 pt ELNs & post labs

You should get the idea from the other reviews, but having this class is a nightmare. So much unnecessary lab writing, and it is so boring. You better hope get a good TA, as there are plenty out there, and it is rare that I hear someone get stuck with one who doesn't sympathize with the class. Even they know how badly this class is designed.

This class has been one of the worst classes I've taken. I haven't seen the professor once this whole semester and have only heard from her twice. The quizzes don't connect with the readings or what we learn in lecture. I shouldn't have a harder time in lab than I am in the actual lecture. She takes average score instead of highest score achieved.

This professor demonstrates an extreme lack of flexibility, and is not good at reaching out to her students. Overall, the course was not terribly difficult, but she made it cold and callous. Would not recommend having her as a professor.

Pistolesi is the most difficult person I've met, and I've never met her. Our TA even told us that she's too busy to talk to students, so emailing her was our best bet. Once I emailed her about a bad exam and she responded with a copied email saying she didn't give a fly's toot and that "20/70 students passed" and to stop complaining. Lovely woman.

i cannot attest that this woman is a real person because ive never seen or heard from her. EVEN AFTER EMAILING HER! its absolutely INSANE that she still has a license considering she has other people do all her work for her. she will blame you for failing, even though she doesnt even know what module we are being taught BECAUSE SHE NEVER SHOWS UP!

All she does is write the labs, nothing else. Everything is done by the TA. I have a HORRIBLE TA, crazy how she got hired. The labs make no sense and are 2 weeks ahead of lecture. You have a project instead of a practical and no one can can help you make it. My partner and I have gone to the help center and no one knows what to do or say. Use chegg

NOPE! The lab manual had a lot of typos, very little clarity, and was hard to follow. This often left me to do the experiments wrong because the manual was not thorough with explanations. Most labs were useful, but some were useless and a waste of time. There's no way to avoid her if you have to take the lab so good luck going through it.

Horrible class and NEGATIVE points for wrong answers on homework with no solutions posted

She does not respond to emails or canvas messages. People were not able to reschedule labs, leading to missed events and attending badly injured. On one of the lab practicals, no one in my section or any of my friends' sections managed to finish because we were given so little time. The ELNs are incredibly time-consuming and mostly busy work.

You will NEVER meet her. Your success in this class depends on your TA. Keep in mind she is also the professor of 178L. There are lots of assignments to keep track of. The worst part is that scores are averaged instead of highest score.

Personally, this class was very time-consuming with the Pre-Labs and ELNs. You will never meet her since a TA overlooks your lab. Unfortunately, I had an awful TA so I would be in this lab for three hours every week; even when I would finish early. Your experience in this class all depends on having a good TA, so hopefully you get lucky.

THE WORST. I do not understand how she even has a job. She writes the labs, and they're filled with mistakes and confusing wordings. Lab quizzes don't help you learn; just lower your grade since you receive an average of your scores. Luckily, I had an amazing TA since she was no help. To succeed, go to the help room and pray you have a good TA.

Sara might actually be the worst professor here at ISU. I have never spoken to her in person and instead had to rely on my TA, which taught the entire class. I cannot tell which was worse; the poorly-written lab instructions, or the horrendously designed lab practical's. Get ready for 3+ hours of work outside of lab for only 1 credit!

The class is very chaotic, with much of the work being busy work that is unnecessary and mostly irrelevant to the lecture course. I never met the instructor since the class is taught by TAs, but the amount of work assigned is ridiculous. The assignment descriptions are vague and long with no examples. Nothing is taught, just busy work experiments.

You don't even meet the professor! Only TAs teach this course, so be prepared to teach yourself!!! Lots of busy work for only 1 credit ...

Sara Pistolesi is one of the worst professors at Iowa State. Her grading criteria are unclear, multiple rubrics are available, but only one is used (but hey, your best guess which one your TA is using to grade, right?). She is not available to talk with students, and she is notorious for being snobby towards undergrads. Wish she would be fired.

Rated her last year when I took the class, but had to come back and leave another comment as she continues to be unprofessional. I sent her an email last MONTH asking for her syllabus (for credit transfer) and no answer. Shocker. Sent another, same result. She can't find a way to respond with a passive aggressive email, so she didn't answer at all.

Purposefully used trick questions on her quizzes with negative points for incorrect answers. These questions would have you select multiple statements with very small differences between some of them. Labs had lots of typos and poor wording.

Just as other reviewers have put this lab was awful. I didn't get a good TA and so the whole lab I was basically winging it. I'm sure if you got a good TA it wouldn't be that bad but there is still a lot of unnecessary busy work. I got nothing out of the lab.

Never showed up once and had awful instructions. TA was amazing and made the class fun.

The lab poorly introduces students to the process of a chemistry lab in a way that is engaging and conducive to learning. Absolute cluster-cuss of a chaotic, frustrating mess.

If you're a science major you have to take a chem lab. Good luck finding a better professor because she teaches all of them. TONS of homework. Get ready to cry on the lab reports. There is SO much material! Practicals are impossible to study for and the final exam is over a few labs you did over the semester, but you aren't given the equations.

Labs are not written in a way that is easy to understand

The worst professor I have ever had to deal with. Never responds to emails, and if she does, it's always very snarky. Her instructions and assignments are very unclear. Pure laziness. Only saving grace is a good TA.

Genuinely the worst professor I've ever had. Have a question? Too bad- you'd get a quicker response through carrier pigeon. The lab manual hasn't been updated since One Direction was together, and the final project? No instruction whatsoever. If I could give a negative rating, I would. My TA was great though, and I suppose the lab builds character.

This lab is a joke and I have never seen this lady in real life. Reading the lab manuals is like trying to understand a foreign language. Good luck on the final project I am pretty sure it is impossible! Send a prayer you have a good TA or you will probably hate your life this semester!

TERRIBLE. Not accessible to students at all. Lab work itself was fine, but don't get me started on the 178L final project... Sara writes all the lab work and provides NO INSTRUCTIONS but then expects certain answers? Sends emails that she knows people have modified their outcomes... then make the procedures easier to understand???? Makes no sense.

Being a lab, you don't see the professor often or in my case not at all. I understand that Pistolesi is busy and cannot devote all of her time to this class, however the bare minimum isnt even attempted for this class. The lab notebook she provides are very poorly written and any questions are better forgotten because she likely never will respond.

If you don't have a good TA (plot twist, they don't exist), then get ready to want to cry the entire semester because you'll get almost no help and no direction... say goodbye to that easy A you got in 1770L. The procedures are barely written, and you'd be more successful finding Bigfoot than getting her or her TAs to help you in a meaningful way.

It has been 3 years since I took Chem 178, and I am still haunted by how difficult the pre-lab quizzes were. This is the only class I can say that I dislike at ISU. The quizzes were incredibly difficult for no reason-- a check all that apply list that was 20 options long-- from a lab manual that was very unclear.

Way too much busy work for a 1 credit class. I never saw the professor once this year, having taken 177 and 178, luckily I had decent TAs or I would've been in trouble. The post-lab quizzes were unreasonably difficult and worth like 30% of your grade

I only saw her once the whole semester. She came in, never introduced herself then left. The class was a lot of busy work, and the ELNs were not graded the same. You have no clue what the practicals are about, and most of the time, you still have a 3-hour lab to complete after a practical. Most of the time, the lab never related to the class.

While the lab itself is fairly easy if you have a TA who is helpful, if not, good luck. Pistolesi will not step in and help, or even respond if something is going on. Grading won't be clear, because half the time it will depend on the TA.

I had this professor for both chem 177L and 178L and I struggled in both. Many times the pre-lab readings we were given were completely different than what the TAs had, and instructions basically didn't exist for our proposal in 178. We hadn't covered any of the topics included in the proposal before our first draft was due.

I have never seen her in my 2 semesters of taking her labs. The TAs she had graded so differently among sections. The labs were also inaccurate and did not give us the correct result, even after we followed the lab manual very carefully. I have never liked her labs and I never will.

The workload IS manageable. Dedicate an hour to the pre-lab and be familiar with the experiment (watch the provided videos). Some post-labs are more analysis-heavy, but shouldn't take longer than 1-2 hr. Lecture teaches the necessary content for analysis, but don't be afraid to look stuff up! TAs might grade differently, but an A is not impossible.

does not respond to emails and whats nothing to do with you and all the TAs are booty cheeks

She doesn't respond to emails, no reactions to concerns about TAs, and coursework is crazy for a 1 credit lab. I personally spent at least 3 hours on the ELNs alone,from the pre lab to the after lab sections. Grading scale is based on how nice your TA is. I feel like you are expected to be a chemistry mastermind in this course. Avoid if you can.

Attending Dr. Pistolesi's lab was one of my LEAST favorite things to look forward to during the week. Usually, labs tend to be fun, have clear instue