best teacher i ever had. funny too

you won't find a prof anywhere that knows more about o-chem than Nelson. He's a decent teacher, but much too involved in his research and doesn't care to help you outside of class

This guy is super smart. His tests are require you to really understand material. I have gone to his office hours, and he is helpful.

he's a piece of work, knows all the students hate ochem and for that he makes the class extra hard...great teacher of the material, just very challenging

His tests were very difficult. He expects you to know every single thing he teaches. If you study you get the best education and basis in organic chem in the entire department. If you really want to know the materialhe will help you as much as he can.

very clear and informative lectures. always sticks to the pertinent material. very straightforward. exams are usually written pretty well, but are challenging

nelson is awesome! very challenging...don't even bother signing up if you think you're gonna coast though his class. definitely hard, but recommended

he's brilliant (and he knows it), but on the arrogant side. he's a pretty good teacher but you can tell he doesn't like teaching. exams are hard but you can succeed if you study well and not miss lecture.

THE TRUTH: good lecturer and a fair but very hard core grader. exams pose questions of substantial detail that require a very firm grasp of the concepts of ochem. Give his course the time and effort it needs and you'll walk away with a great understanding of ochem and a leg up for MCATs,DATs, etc

He may be the most hardcore prof I've had at Pitt, and that could be why many people don't like him. Study the concepts presented in the handouts! Everything on the exams are in there. Use the book to clarify if needed, but let the handouts be your guide. Nelson is tough, but he really does know what he's doing and he is fair.

One of the most interesting chem professors i have ever had. His class is hard but if you give it the time it deserves, you will do well. Study the notes (not the text book) and be prepared for hard and very conceptual tests. Application of his notes is more important than having the ability to recite them. Dedication to his class equals a good gra

great prof if you want a challenge...he is not as bad as everyone says he is.

easy to understand, but his tests are harder than some of the other profs for ochem. the curve ends up evening things out though

Ochem is a tough subject, and nelson is a tough teacher, BUT he is very intelligent and will teach you. other teachers either make u learn yourself or just pass you through without you learning anything. Take this guy and the much harder class(ochem 2) will be easy for you while everyone else is struggling cause their ochem teachers where terribl

Ochem is a tough subject, and nelson is a tough teacher, BUT he is very intelligent and will teach you. other teachers either make u learn yourself or just pass you through without you learning anything. Take this guy and the much harder class(ochem 2) will be easy for you while everyone else is struggling cause their ochem teachers where terribl

Nelson was a very great Ochem professor. Compared to the other professors for ochem 1, he seemed to cover topics in the most depth, giving those in his class a more thorough understanding of the material. This class is hard, but not impossible. The book is not needed, as his tests are all from the material covered in lecture. TAKE SCOTT!!!!!

***EXTREMELY HARD CLASS*** his notes are great, but the exams are harder than any i've had before. and i'm not sure how anyone gets in the room cause his ego is huge, like others have said, he KNOWS HIS STUFF . favorite line of Scotty G's "this would probably by an Sn2 reaction ... AND I'd be right" Gotta love it.

He was a good professor and was very clear on what he was teaching you. He seems like the type that is unapproachable but if you go to see him he can be very helpful. His tests were definetly difficult but if you are well prepared you will be fine.

very hard class, but very ochem class is. however at the end ochem becomes understandable because of the way nelson teaches. tests are very hard but becomes satisfying to do well ... very helpful in office hours, nice curve as well

Hard class, but all Organic Chemistry is. Lecture is absolutely essential so never miss it, but you'll learn more there then you ever would in the book. Use book to supplement what he goes over in class and you'll be more than fine for the exams. Big curve, but it's not that hard to get in the 80's for each exam minimum. Nice guy!

Scott's notes are impeccable and if you go to class, you will understand the material better than just reading the book (read: GO TO CLASS)...that doesn't mean you'll do well on exams --they are very, very hard (but there's a decent curve). He pops a few jokes now n then that keep you awake! Not a bad class at all. Fav quote? "satisfy yourself..."

Nelson was not as bad as everyone says. As long as you actually go to class, pay attention and study, you will do fine. The way he teaches helps you understand WHY things happen, not just memorizing it

Nelson was not as bad as everyone says. As long as you actually go to class, pay attention and study, you will do fine. The way he teaches helps you understand WHY things happen, not just memorizing it.

Ridiculously hard exams, but I walked away actually understanding some things and proud of what I learned. Loves chemistry, and it shows in his lectures. Types lecture notes, and posts practice quiz sheets which are basically the exam. Class is mandatory. Subject is boring, but he isn't. Never got above a 78 on an exam and got a B.

Scott is a great professor who cares about chemistry and his students. He has good notes and makes lecture very clear. He is approachable after class and in office hours. I never had a problem asking him questions. He also has fair exams that cover the material from lecture. Overall, a great Ochem professor who I would definitely recommend.

Dr. Nelson sees his students more as an irritation than anything else. He also moves faster and covers more material than the other ochem 2 professors do. That said, the he is very clear in his lectures and gives fair tests. If you can stand his misanthropic personality and the pace of his class, he's a good professor to have.

Professor Nelson is a geat teacher. He posts lecture notes, so his elctures are very clear. Go to class and pay attention and you'll do fine. He is a funny guy and enjoys chemistry. I like ochem because of his clarity.

Scott is a great professor. You will learn a ton in his class, and I would highly recommend him if you plan on taking the MCAT. He seemed intimidating at the beginning of the semester, but he turned out to be a funny guy. He gives fair tests (literally straight from lecture notes), and the class ended up having a decent curve at the end of the term

pretty good at explaining things clearly. however, the tests were completely ridiculous. the average for the class (for me) was a 51, and the average for the final was in the low 40s. that should say it all. most people got C's, some got B's or D's, few got A's or F's.

Dr. Nelson is such a life saver if you have to take the MCAT! He really goes through practice MCAT problems and is now making my studying for the MCAT go much smoother.

Dr. Nelson is NOT a nice guy; he's very irritable. That being said, he's a decent prof. Goes through material the slowest out of any OChem prof. Will always take the time needed to answer any question that's not "do we need to know this for the test?" (Hint, the answer is yes.) He also tries not to test on anything that he doesn't cover in class.

His tests are difficult but definitely fair. He does cover everything in class that is on the test. Just like any ochem class a lot of studying is required and the main thing that affects your grade. I think he is a very clear lecturer. He has a really funny, dry sense of humor.

Never posted on this site before, and actually never thought I would, but came to say that Nelson is a great professor. Dont be swayed away from taking from judging from the other reviews here. Study from CLASS NOTES and take GOOD NOTES in lecture... Write down what he says. Tests are fair if you study... Plus he's got some jokes.

very low test averages but gives a generous curve at the end of the semester. study notes and go to lecture and you will be fine

Take him for ochem 2. Although his exams are tough, he will prepare you for the MCAT so well. Great lecturer and although I've never been to office hours I heard he really tries to help students. All you need to know in order to ace the exams can be found in his printed notes. 74 is an A-, so just study and you're golden.

Nelson is my main man. However, as awesome as I think he is, not many others agree. I really worked in Ochem1 and understand it fully, which is mandatory in order to succeed in Nelson's class. His tests are difficult but straight forward if you know the stuff backwards and forwards. Start studying 2 weeks before the test. DO PRACTICE PROBLEMS.

I know a number of people who thought his tests were unnecessarily brutal, they definitely were extremely difficult, but a massive curve at the end of the course takes care of the low exam averages. He was a good lecturer, funny, you learn a lot in the course that's especially good for pre-med. He's not an easy professor, but I enjoyed having him.

He's a great lecturer. You are going to clear everything at least two or three times. Not real big on people talking during class or asking questions. Punted off to recitations. You absolutely must do practice problems and practice every day. Like seriously. Yes. Legit. Or you will be annihilated. Averages in the 40s-50s.

He's a really clear lecturer. Everything you need to know for the exams are on the notes he gives out. It's Ochem 2. You'll have to work for a good grade so don't expect to get it without putting in efforts. I manage to get an A from just doing the weekly problem sets and not actually those from the book.

Scotty Pops gets a bad rap. Sure, his tests are hard which is reflected in his low test averages, but they definitely aren't impossible. He presents his lecture notes very clearly and is very willing to help you out during office hours. People avoid his class like the plague, but it's really not that bad. Ochem is a hard class, who knew???

I took him for Organic Chemistry, which is the reason I found him to be difficult. While the class was incredibly hard, every other teacher is worse. While there isn't extra credit, the tests are curved a lot; For my class you passed with a 30%. However, he isn't afraid to give no partial credit on the tests if you got the answer completely wrong.

Nelson genuinely cares about our success. He is a very traditional professor, but it's not challenging to show someone the respect they deserve. Do the homework, go to office hours, put the effort in. You will learn.

Orgo is hard so expect nothing less from his class, but his explanations are clear and organized. All the material he goes over is posted the before the lect starts, its advised to skim over it at least so you're not going in blind. Exams are rough but are fair. Practice, Study, and see him in Office Hours and you'll do just fine.

Dr. Nelson is one of the best Orgs professors that Pitt has to offer. He explains things thoroughly and is truly invested in helping the students understand the concepts and be able to apply them in real life. He's a real gem. 10/10 recommend.

I retook Orgo so I could get a better grade, and Im so glad that I chose Nelson. He explains clearly, provides lots of in text practice, and bases the exams off of lecture and book problems. Hes super nice, super accessible, and a real gem. 11/10 recommend.

Scott was a good choice for OChem 1. His tests focus more on synthesis than mechanisms. He is condescending in recitation whether you ask questions or not, but they're optional so you don't have to ruin your day by going. He's much more helpful in office hours. The tests were very fair, especially compared to the other professors. 60 average

Scotts exams are obviously hard, but with his curve and willingness to help students, he is the BEST choice for Ochem1. With any other ochem professor, earning a B will give you a B - with Scott, you can expect to be curved to an A-. The curve ensures that the difficulty of the exams challenges you without ruining your grade. More than fair.

Yes OChem is hard, but his exams are unreasonably hard; my roommate was in the honors section and her exams were so much easier. He is really good at lecturing, and I learned a lot. I feel that my grade doesn't reflect how much I've learned because the exams were impossible. He introduced sapling hw as a whole test grade, what a life-saver.

Dr. Nelson's class is hard, but he lectures well, and explains reactions and topics. You're going to have to put in work outside of class to do well, but thats what it takes to learn Ochem. Dr. Nelson is very friendly and helpful in office hours.

Dr. Nelson's lecture notes are clear and helpful. Also provide most of the test material. I really enjoyed going to lecture and learned a lot from office hours. He really cares about students and wants everyone to do well. However, it is o chem, so expect to work hard. For sure would take again, one of the best professors I've had.

Teaching orgo to students for the first time is a tough task to do, and Nelson knows that. He lectures for all 50 minutes and doesn't accept questions just because he knows how much material he needs to fit in. His notes are all online and he only tests on his notes,which will prepare you well for orgo 2. Tests are very fair if you put in the work.

Great professor, who lectures well but the notes are online and premade by him but don't help that much with overall understanding of the material. His tests are a few open-ended questions that are ridiculously hard and make up most of your grade in the class.

Pretty good professor! Lectures are a little boring due to the fact that he elaborates off of pre-made note packets, but the material he presents is relatively clear. Online HW constitutes 22% of your final grade, so take advantage of that. Exams are difficult and consist of 5 open-ended questions, so practice a ton; quite a nice curve at the end

Dr. Nelson is easily one of the best professors Ive had at Pitt. His lectures are very thorough and well explained. His tests are on the easy side (relative to the book problems he recommends), and he has a very generous grading scale for the class. Also, homework is worth an entire test grade, so thats a plus.

Very clear in lectures and provides a rough outline of notes for each. 2 exams and sapling (worth another exam score) are the only grades, but a big curve at the end helps. Recitation is optional and only run by students' own questions. Exams rely heavily on structures and very minimal sentences, and questions are very straight-forward.

Hands down the funniest professor I've stumbled across at Pitt. Dr. Nelson has a great personality and clearly knows what he's talking about. All of his lectures make a lot of sense, homework counts for a test grade, and his curve is pretty reasonable. Love this guy

Incredible professor. His sense of humor made a 10am class incredible. I was really worried about ochem but he made it very straightforward with his lectures (that he uploads before hand) Sapling homework is a test grade and he has a big curve at the end.

Okay. Scott Nelson is a shining star in the chemistry department. Funny, crazy smart, helpful, great at explaining things. Scott seems intimidating but loves questions at office hours. Gives u rlly organized printed notes, 3 exams, sapling counts as exam. Difficulty is as expected for ochem. Straightforward. take him. do it. go to acs tutors

I Liked him a lot. Exams questions are very straight forward, he is not trying to trick you with the questions. Read the textbook, understand the mechanisms, seek help at tutoring, do the practice problems and you'll be fine. Heavily Curves the class. Average is usually around 50-60 but he curves so that an A is a 75-85ish.

Dr. Nelson was a great professor! You have to work very hard for your grade because the lecture notes he gives out for practice are way easier than the problems on the exams. I would take him again!

He will introduce concepts but you have to solidify that information by taking your own notes from the book. Homework doesn't help you with the tests that much but reading/taking book notes/book problems will net you an A in this class if you take the time to understand the material. Barely went to recitation and not a single office hour attended

I thought his exams were tough but fair. His lectures were simpler than what is on the exam, but if you read the book and attend lecture then you should be fine. Doing the problems he assigns in the book is a must if you want to do well because they're like what he has on the exam. Test averages are in the 50-60 range, but he curves fairly .

Dr. Nelson is a really great option for O chem, if you attend lectures every week, do all of the practice problems in the textbook that he recommends and ask questions on anything you don't understand, you can get an A. Office hours aren't that helpful, only if you are really really behind.

Ochem's hard and can be very confusing, but Nelson makes it as simple as possible. his tests are fair, but you definitely have to put in a lot of effort outside of class to do well. ochem's hard work, and doing well in ochem requires a decent amount of effort. nelson makes that whole process a lot less painful. i definitely recommend him.

Sapling counted as one midterm, we had two midterms and a final. His lectures were very helpful and not too difficult to understand. The exams are more similar to textbook problems than the sapling. Recitations were ran like an office hour and not worth attending.

A Sapling homework grade is worth a midterm grade, and has one less midterm as a result (2 midterms and a final instead of 3 midterms and a final). Posts all lectures as a PDF before class and he rigidly stays to what is written on the PDFs during lecture. Questions are reserved mostly for recitation. Passable without going to class by reading PDFs

I am going to say that he is probably one of the best professors I have ever met at pitt. Yes, Organic Chemistry is hard and confusing, but Nelson is really a patient person to answer all the questions you have if you go to his office hours.

We had 6 quizzes during our course, which made up 50% of our grade. These quizzes had no flexibility with timing (late penalty), but seemed to get better as the course went on. The sapling wasn't too bad and lectures were very clear and helpful. The notes had all the necessary information and Dr. Nelson was very understanding outside of class in OH

Ochem is a hard subject but Nelson makes it easier to understand. For the online class, he gave us 6 quizzes and no exams. The quiz format is a little stressful due to the time constraint. Gives sapling homework which is nice considering many profs do now. Do the practice problems, read the book, and you will do well!

I loved having Dr. Nelson for OChem. His lectures tell you everything you need to know for quizzes, and as long as you pay close attention in class, take good notes, and read the textbook, you'll do just fine.

Ochem is a tough subject, but Dr. Nelson makes topics straight forward in lecture. The homework problems are good practice and count for a good portion of your grade, so that only benefits you. You definitely have to practice if you want to do well. Stay above the exam averages and your grade will probably be decent, he curves generously.

This class is tough, and you really have to work for your grade. Do his practice problems he gives before exams, re-do achieve problems for exam practice, and use the textbook and other online resources! His lectures are good in my opinion, so take careful notes. It's a lot of work, but a decent grade is possible, with the generous curve he gives

I would say Professor Nelson is definitely the best choice for ochem 1! If I had to retake, I'd retake it with him. His lectures are very clear and not too overwhelming, and his exams are fine as long as you understand the lectures and do the textbook practice problems.

ochem 2 is a hard class, so don't expect to not work hard and get a good grade. nelson is an amazing lecturer, and will not test you on material he does not teach in class. he focuses a lot on real world examples from bio which makes the class more interesting. go to every class, spend ~ 30 min everyday reviewing, and do the textbook problems

clear and amusing lecturer. though sometimes he gets so comfortable with ochem that he starts to sound somewhat bored of the topic he's teaching. for practice, he has recommended textbook problems which haven't helped me much, and posts a (by no means exhaustive) problem set before each exam. achieve serves more as a knowledge check than practice.

Dr. Nelson is by far the best professor to take for OChem 2. He is an amazing lecturer with really good powerpoints. He does not test on things that he does not discuss in class and most are referenced within his powerpoints. He also has a HW grade which can bump up your grade. As long as you study and keep up it should be fine.

Dr. Nelson is a good orgo 2 professor. His slides were well organized and I liked how he explained the material. His voice can sometimes be a little monotone, but he was a little goofy every once in a while. He was also very helpful during office hours and was a caring professor. He loves to tell you how much chemicals would cost you.

I think Nelson is a amazing lecturer. He uses slides and explains concepts very well. If you skip lecture, you will be behind. Make sure to do his problem sets and try to make sure you have a very comprehensive understanding of the concepts. Lastly, go to office hours, do the textbook exercises, and some JoeChem. Curve is very generous at the end.

The G in Scott G. Nelson stands for Goat. Lectures were extremely engaging and interesting and exams were pretty much straight from the problem set. The average being low was a reflection of the students not studying rather than Nelson, but it made the curve really nice so that's good. Take him at all costs.

Dr. Nelson is a great lecturer. I found problem sets to be more helpful than the textbook. Be ready to set a lot of time outside the course to prepare for the class. The tests require deep knowledge of reactions and what is to occur within a given scenario. Go to his office hours. You learn a lot even though it's not an easy course by any means.

I took O-Chem 1 as a first semester freshman. I did well on the first test (65/70) but I flopped on the other and final (59/80 and 71/100) but I still ended up with an A. The curve was AMAZING. For reference, Scott doesn't curve until the very end of the semester, and for our class anything above a 73% or so ended up being an A. You'll be okay

Go to office hours!!! He is willing to help and super nice. He only grades on exams, but he has great curve. Make sure you go to class. His tests are hard because you need to really understand mechanisms & reactions, but if you do the problem sets, go to office hours, and study in a group, an A is doable!!

Great lectures. Explained concepts in-depth very well. Posts slides beforehand. Not a lot of practice in class making it hard to apply concepts for tests. Weekly worksheets could only prepare you so much for the exam. Book problems sometimes unhelpful, too many to do all of them. Only graded on exams. Helpful in office hours. Big curve.

10/10 lecturer, really good at explaining everything multiple different ways during class which makes it easier to understand everything. Tough class, only one person had above an 85 exam average this semester so don't listen to the people who say its easy (they probably had a B- or lower average and just got a curve). HWs are realistic to exams.

Professor Nelson is a tough but fair instructor. His lectures can be dry, so self-studying with the textbook and unstuckstudy is a must. Exams are challenging but the curve is generous. Going to office hours is key to success.

chill dude. nice midwestern twang. tough class, nothing to do with him. optional textbook problems. also gives practice problem sets, studied using those and joechem. has a focus on biochem applications which some love, some don't. needed to memorize structures of 15 sugars and 20 amino acids. wasn't too bad. curves each test

If you are someone who learns organic chemistry through slides, he is no doubt the best professor. Very clean & through, which contains all tested material. Has a dry humor that can rub off as passive-aggressive to some, but doesn't mean it at all. Heavily curves tests. Loves to show applications of organic chemistry that is tested on as well.

Good lectures, really goes in depth. Posts slides beforehand. Not much practice - only 10 questions before each exam. Book practice not helpful. Had an extra video lecture each week - inconvenient since he posted it very late. Every Friday he would do reactions from the week. ALEKS was waste of time. Could improve on teaching how to problem solve.

Nelson made very clear what he expected of us to know and what would be on the exams. The textbook was not useful to me, and neither was ALEKS hw. Do the few practice problems he provides, go to lecture, and go to office hours if you are struggling and the class is not so bad.