1.8
Quality4.0
Difficulty16%
Would Retake193
Reviews16%
Would Retake
193
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193 total ratings5
9
4
12
3
25
2
55
1
92
What Students Say
“To professor Sorenson, Aleks is arbitrarily marking my answers wrong”
CHEM105 - 3.0 rating“THE WORST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER HAD”
CHEM100 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
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Textbook Required
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Reviews (191)
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Bland, as easily forgettable as his course material. Has frightful delusions of adequacy. You'd best solicit the favcrs of the one student in the class who actually understands the material to teach you.
dont even get me started on this guy!
I was a TA for this instructor. He lost exams and quizzes and mixed up grades. This person should not be in front of a class. If you must take him, save every graded paper and check each grade on blackboard.
This class requires tons of outside time. He is very willing to help, but he tends to be a bit confusing. Just get ready to work hard!
He is a very intelligent person he just can't teach a class to save his life. He assumes that everyone is born knowing every equation and formula that ever related to chemistry. His tests are on nothing that he will ever teach you in class.
very intelligent but can't teach chemistry to save his life. His classes are self-taught.I think he relizes this and thats why he gives so many quizzes during lecture.
You *have* to read the chapter before lecture, then he maes perfect sense. Takes his exams straight from the homework problems, so if you need an A, just redo the h.w. problems a couple of extra times (it goes faster as you go on) so you can do the exams fast enough to finish and check mistakes.
worst professor i've ever had, and i've been at two other schools (uwwc, UW-Whitewater) he's mean, inconsiderate, and rolls his eyes if you don't understand. he teaches like you already know everything, and just wait for when he marks you wrong on an exam, but can't remember why!!!
This was by far the worst teacher I've ever had. He made no sense in class and didn't care about student concerns. The average grade of my section on the first two midterms in his class were 45 % and 55%. Dont expect any great curves either.. This guy is horrible
He may know exactly what he is talking about, but he has no idea how to teach this to his students. His exams are nothing like what is expected, and he is not helpful at all reviewing the information.
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quite literally the worst teacher that i've ever had...
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This guy is a dong. I'm sure he is a briliant chemist. He knows what he's talking about. He just has no idea how to teach to a novice, and makes you feel stupid when you ask a question. So, everyone was afraid to point out that they didn't understand. I took this class again from a different professor and went from a C to an A.
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I can't believe this guy. He sits there and makes sarcastic little jokes all of lecture. He also makes us use OWL, the most retarded homework system ever. Christ this guy sucks. He can't teach at all.
offers no help attend lectures or you will not know what is going on exams are everything to him, especially the final
He ain't gonna help you worth a**** but if you read the book on your own and study like you actually wanna graduate you'll be fine. He isn't that hard if you put in some time and effort.
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horrible teacher
Not helpful. Just listening to him talk will put you in a bad mood the rest of the day. He should not still be employed. I am embarrassed for UWM. I actually dropped his class and waited until he wasn't teaching to take that course. Otherwise, I was going to take that class at another University nearby for twice the money.
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This man in horrible and should have been fired long ago.
sorenson's class is just him opportunistically rattling through as many problems as he can cram into a painfully long 50 minutes to show off what a great professor he is.(not) total waste of time.
Cracks too many standardized test jokes
I'm so angry that this guy is still teaching,I had to come back and rate this professor. I had Sorensen 2 yrs ago & I am still experiencing the effects of lack of teaching. Studying for the MCAT now &Gen Chem will forver be a struggle.He's a terrible teacher.If you can wait another semester to not have him,it will help you in the long haul.
When you ask him a question, he just puts you down instead of helps you. I would get one useful peice of information about once every two weeks out of his lectures. Avoid signing up for a class with him if possible.
He really is probably a smart guy, but he's probably one of the worst teachers I've ever had. He answers questions by beating around the bush, and dumbs you down. He's not a good person to have teaching a solid basis in chemistry because he doesn't teach, he preaches, which isn't going to help any student in the future!
This man is a terrible teacher. Probably one of the worst I have ever had. He doesn't teach, he demeans his students. He purposely tries to reduce our class average by putting questions from uncovered material on exams. The text book is the only useful part of this course. I cannot believe he is still here. He needs to go! Try to avoid him!
Worthless. Probably the least helpful person to ever teach. Plus he's just plain mean. He really doesn't care how people do in the class. If I hadn't known a lot of chem before the class I would have failed, but there are generous curves. I got an A in 102 and 104 with him.
He is really not a good teacher and I can say that going to lecture was quite useless. The notes were online and came straight out of the text book. The TA's were quite helpful and I did well on exams and got an A in the course, but his lack of teaching made be put a lot of effort into this class and I was basically teaching myself. It sucked!
Sorenson's class bends or breaks you in your career for chemistry.The test problems are in the homework assignments but are the most extreme problems in the book.Overall his class teaches you how to study on your own in order for you to go far in Chem.He has a split personality too,catch him on a bad day in his office and he'll flip out on you
Clearly the worst professor I ever had. Lectures are useless since he post his powerpoints online. Exams are multiple choice- no notes allowed. Avoid him if you can.
reads off of slides that come from the book company. wont answer emails.
Read the chapters before class. Do the homework. If you do those two things his lectures supplement your studying and the class is a breeze.
Had to always bring up how 70% of us would fail his class. Never answered one of my emails. HW takes up your whole life. Presents material as if we should already know it and it this is just a review. I was in pre-med, but after this I've decided to switch majors.
He doesn't teach at all...he reads off the slides and doesn't like to answer questions. The homework takes several hours to complete each week and the exams are HARD! You must learn to teach yourself out of the book or your probably going to fail. Will not answer emails and doesn't respond well to questions.
Sometimes a little hard to follow in lecture, but overall got the job done pretty well. His exams are curved very nicely and you never have to worry about weekly quizes during lecture. At first, online homework takes FOREVER, but as the semester went on I only spent about and hour a week on it!
This guy is the devil incarnate. You can't get berate your 200-student lecture for 50% rate of failure when your curves are that skewed, your tests riddled with traps and uncovered materials, and your hatred of life so passionate. This man is only impressive in that he still has a job.
He is a decent teacher. He reads straight off his slides which are posted on D2L, and is generally concerned with how you do. Exams are not that hard if you actually do you homework and pay attention even the slightest. Very knowledgeable teacher and willing to help you if you need it. He generally gives about a 16% curve on tests
Worthless teacher. You're better off teaching yourself through trail and error on the eternal homework.
I had Murphy for 102 and she made life hell with her homework. Hated her class but it prepared me well for 104 with Sorenson. All he does in class is go over equations, which are 90% of the exams. People complain about this guy so much but he isn't that bad. I wouldn't call him a good teacher by any means but his class isn't hard if you know 102.
Study prior exams
Dr. Sorenson is a tough but fair teacher who explains things well. His lecture style is good, but not very engaging. Tests are well thought out and reasonable, which is greatly appreciated. But good luck if you want or need help. Seriously, take a number!
dont have to attend classes. DO the homework that is posted because that will pad ur overall grade. pretty easy not much outside work
He is pretty ok professor, he curves in the end. I think he is ok, but just boring sometimes. Before class I would recommend you to read the book its really helpful and in the end do study ACS standardized test guide, it would help a lot.
Reads from the power point slides. OWL was much more helpful than he was.
Went to maybe 2 lecures throughout the year. OWL was much easier to follow than him.
Terrible professor, such a jerk to his students. He's completely unclear about almost everything he teaches. I went to every single lecture. This was honestly the worst class I've ever taken.
Terrible. Received an A only by devoting all my time to this one class. First exam grade was entered in wrong and it took till the LAST DAY OF LECTURE before he said "oops" and changed it. I had Murphy for 102 and would gladly endure that again instead of Sorenson. Note: he will respond to no email period. Or if he does he will be condescending
One of the worst teachers I ever had. He seemed to be mad at everyone and everything for no reason at all. He simply read through the power point slides for 50mins 3 times a week. I learned from the online homework(OWLs), as long as you spend sometime with those everyday you should do fine.
Like having your soul sapped out through your eyesockets. You'd be better off teaching yourself Chemistry with the textbook and through the homework system alone. Without a doubt the worst class I have ever attended, and I took Calc II in the summer. Avoid like the plague.
He's one of those professors who has to teach to maintain his PhD. He doesn't care about his students' success, nor what you have to say. Always reads his power points and does not do examples! I'd rather deal with Murphy again; at least I would learn something from her. But on a positive note: he sounds like Mr. Macki from South Park mmmmmkay
out of the context of class he is approachable and helpful... Inside the lecture he is demeaning and condescendng. Its a SHAME that everyone scores so poorly on his exams... its because he is more concerned about how he will "trick" the students than test their ability to comprehend the material. Id say avoid him... but you cant!
He was very condesending towards students and worried more about what not to do instead of the right thing to do. Horrible professor.
Good, but needs work. Why have a classroom if you just read from the book?
Sorenson is a TOUGH Chem I professor. I didn't really understand his lectures, but you have to go (he uses the clicker). If you read the chapters, do your homework and keep working problems you can easily pull a B. DOWNLOAD THE CHAPTER SUMMARIES FROM D2L. He doesn't give exam study guides, but these have everything you need to know!
What could have been a tolerable class turned out to be a nightmare. The professor reads powerpoints day in and day out, ending each slide with, "You got that? Okay, fine," He does not care about you or your success. Never dare to approach him outside of class. He is ruthless and should be avoided like the plague.
I thought Sorensen was terrible before, but he's really not that bad. Yes he tries to trick you on exams (which are tough: all MC), but if you attend lecture and pay attention, go to discussion, and do AleKs, you're going to do fine. He's much more approachable and helpful during office hours than lecture.
He's not even the worst Chem teacher at UWM, but he is pretty god awful. He uses a clicker in his lecture but specifically waits until people start leaving at the end of class before he puts up the attendance questions. His exams are terrible and his lecture style is dull and confusing. Avoid him at all costs if you aren't strong in chemistry.
This was a difficult class. Lecture is useless except for the occasional clicker question. If you read the book, the power points are redundant.
Awful professor. After a student asked him to clarify a question they had, he responded "What!? You don't get that?!" in front of the entire lecture hall. Following this incident, I immediately stood up and left the lecture hall. And have not returned since(this was over a month and a half ago).
I have no idea why this person still has a job teaching. He obviously understands chemistry, but has no clue how to teach it, much less be a decent human being if someone dares to ask a question. Book did not help, lectures and discussion useless, Aleks OK but didn't help for tests much. Take this course from ANYONE else.
Tough professor. Hard exams. Endless, finicky online homework. Chem becomes your life. Lab reports long (WRITE PROCEDURES VERBATIM IN LAB NOTEBOOK). I hated the class while in it but gave me chops for later. If I had to repeat it, I'd skip literally every lecture and use the time more effectively.
Good teacher
Sorenson sounds bad, but he beats Murphy by a ton. I got a straight F with murphy, then re took it with Sorenson and got a B plus. If you don't have Murphy, you got the lucky way out. Old exams very very similar to the exams you take.
Absolutely horrible. Changed my major because of this man. He's snarky, speaks in a monotone, and constantly likes to tell students about the standardized tests he gives that 'most of us will fail.' Went from an A+ in a high school advanced course to a C+ for this guy. Avoid him at any cost if you can.
Dr. Sorensen taught organic chemistry the way it should have been: NON-INTIMIDATING. He turned what is regularly presented as a very complicated and feared course as something that was no big deal and as "just another chemistry course." This made learning the material much less stressful. Additionally, his nonchalant approach was pretty hilarious.
Avoid this teacher if all possible!! Not helpful at all, doesn't seem to care about students at all either. A lot of wasted time with homework and OWL.
If you actually want to learn, read the book because all he does is read off the powerpoint then blather on about why we should know it. He never really shows you how to do something or what things mean. I learned more from Chemistry from Walter White than from Sorensen.
He appears very intimidating but is actually very approachable and much more helpful when you utilize office hours and see him outside of class. I think he must hate teaching gen chem because he is a much better professor for the higher level classes, such as 343.
This is by far the worst professor I have dealt with. He has no respect for students and has criticized students in class. The power-points presented in lecture are bland and pointless. He repeats useless information all of the time. His voice is monotone and habitually says "ok, so" upwards to 300 times a lecture (verified).AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Worst teacher I have ever taken. Talks down or laughs at you in front of the class if you ask a question. Says things like, "How do you not understand this? It's so easy" Avoid him at all costs unless you want to fail.
Dropped within the first week, first impression was not good. Attended UW Waukesha instead and loved it there, earned an A.
The exams have nothing to do with the chapters they are supposedly covering. Random unit conversions, problems from chapters far ahead of what we have covered in class, etc. He is known by other professors, students, and even my own guidance counselor as a horrific professor.
You can tell he did not become a professor to teach, his lectures are boring and fairly useless. The online homework is very time consuming and frustrating. Did not properly prepare us for the national Standardized test that is the final(I dont remember the name). On top of all that you auto fail if you dont do 60% of homework which is worth 6%
Here is how to do decent in this class: skip lecture, do the owl, and try very hard on the labs. Owl basically will teach you how to do most of the problems which will prepare you for the exam. USE PAST EXAMS TO STUDY questions are usually the same if not similar. Everything in this class but lecture will help you.
Do your owl! I freaking love chemistry! attend lab and discussion. Lecture helps. Attend his office hours!
DO NOT TAKE THIS COURSE WITH THIS PROFESSOR! Online homework is endless and difficult. Exams are hard and do not prepare you for the final. Professor is super boring and makes the class very difficult. Tough class and an absolutely dreadful professor. STAY AWAY!
it was a very hard class and his lectures were boring and hard to follow. He tells you how you are going to screw up rather than just showing how to do it right in the first place. I skipped lecture and went to the SI tutoring and managed to pass with a B+. He must curve a lot at the end of the semester though because I should not have passed.
Worst proffesor to have for chem! Avoid if possible. Lectures are useless so just read the book. take carlson if you can!
He rambles on about cars and parking lots. Well into the course, because we were so late, he started going superfast and piled all the chapters into an exam. He just reads the slides but doesn't explain anything. He confuses the class.
Reads off the slides for the whole lecture. And don't you DARE ask a question during class. His final exam is a standardized exam like the ones from 102 and 104.. but much harder. all i can say is "ohy"
I wouldn´t have believed a professor could make me dislike chemistry; formerly one of my favorite subjects. He is a terrible teacher
This professor should really not be employed. Hands down the least useful one out there. Some how established a final grade with assignments not entered but had been completed. If you can avoid him, do SO!
Advise future students to never take this course over the summer. Have to memorize all equations and don't skip any more complicated material regardless of the time difference. Doesn't work out examples, talks through them. Doesn't provide exam averages although everyone you talk to says they got between 30-50% on exams. Connect is good source.
Chemistry isn't easy, but Sorenson gets a lot of unfair criticism. Read before lecture. Nice guy who stays after class to answer questions. Exams are tough MC with a lot of traps for knee jerk reactions. (Ex pH of pure water at 60*C =/= 7) Final is easy. The summer session goes fast- nothing is cut, so only apply if you can focus on the class 100%.
A lot of student are terrified of him because word gets around. He isn't as bad as people say, but he is still not very good at all. Avoid him if you can. Before I took 105, I enjoyed chemistry...
Sorenson is without doubt the most condescending lecturer imaginable. He will treat you as if you do are exceedingly idiotic. When his exam answers where shown to be incorrect, he did not acknowledge any skill on the part of the student nor publicly announce that there was an error, rather stating that a number of the questions had been dropped.
Absolutely awful. Worst professor that I have ever dealt with. Just reads right off the power pointo slides that he doesn't even make. Doesn't write his owe exams, and nothing he does prepares you for the final exam. I loved Chem until I had to deal with him.
Spends a lot of time talking about nothing
He might be an alright guy in a smaller setting but the large 105 course is not his strong suit. Homework is heavy, expect 12 hours of just straight homework a week. Than add in studying, pre-lab work, and the hours spent in class a week. There is nothing engineering related in the course since all of the metallurgy and composites are skipped.
I'd rather be in Lake Michigan than this lecture. The most work of any class I've ever taken. You better be decent at the Chem 102 material and be ready to teach yourself 10 chapters of chem. This teacher was rude to me in class when I asked a question. Also, lab and lecture material usually never correspond with each other.
Class was not as bad as people are making it out to be but this is a FIVE credit course. Here is what you do- do all homework, all labs, attend all discussions. Go to lectures. The book was not all that helpful- it had too much extra fluff. The material is not hard, its the amount of material that was hard. I gave an okay effort and got a B.
I think he gets a bad rep. I never tried to get help from him, but he didn't seem that bad. Go to class, especially labs and discussion and you should be okay.
I am dissapointed in the structure of the course, this semester we are part of a pilot program using ALEKS, which has been noted as not being a comprehensive homework system. After the 1st exam I came to understand that a combination of ALEKS, reading, and attending the lecture will not properly prepare you. How is this acceptable?
I actually find him to be helpful when you ask. But the ALEKS assignments are terrible. I'm spending 12 hours a week on homework because the program will give you 4 more questions to complete if you get one little rounding error wrong. Just terrible.
Not a very good professor. No tolerance for absences even military related things. Tends to get off topic or babble.. wouldn't recommend.
One on one, he's better at clarifying, but his lectures are profoundly unhelpful. He goes off on a tangent and seemingly talks to himself for the full lecture. Chem 100 is so basic for him, I doubt he can relate to us as intro chem students at all. TAs, tutoring and asking my chem friends has been helping me. Aleks homework is tough, but okay.
The exams he gives are very difficult, the homework takes quite a long time and although he gives you extra resources, they don't help much. The lectures were not very helpful. He and his TA's teach different things or use different methods since his is usually much more confusing. Would not recommend, it made me dislike chemistry.
Never take this class!
By far the worst class I have ever taken in my entire life. This is the first year of ALEKS, get ready to spend hours and hours working on the same question but don't worry, it won't be on the exam. Exams cover material you will have never seen. Get ready for the worst semester of your life, this class ensured that I will never enjoy chemistry.
How does this man still have a job??? Worst and rudest professor at UWM. It would be different if lectures were even understandable. Every test question has 5 similar answers, class average is extremely low. Failed his class and retook at UW Waukesha with an amazing professor and got an entirely new perspective on chemistry and a B+....
Made "Intro to Chem" the most confusing intro class I have ever taken. Chem is not something that comes easily for many & he makes every topic he tries to teach incredibly more difficult than need be. I attended 100% of the lectures and discussions and still had to teach myself the majority of the subjects through ALEKS. He should not have a job.
Worst professor I have ever had. He isn't deserving of the one's I gave him, I certainly would have gave him a zero in every category if this were possible. For those of you who had no other option but to take one of his classes, may the odds be ever in your favor.
He should not have a job! He has one of those attitudes that people who know less than him are dumb, what do you expect? We are college students who want to learn Chemistry. He uses ALEKS for homework and nothing we learn on ALEKS is on the tests. Doesn't really prepare class for exams. The avg for exams in lecture were in the 60s all semester long
Instead of complaining, I'll tell you how to pass. 1- He won't admit it but the final grade is curved very high. 2- Go to lecture in case of pop quizzes. 3- Book isn't necessary. 4- START HOMEWORK EARLY THERE IS A TON. 5- Do not miss labs or discussions. 5- Labs are huge- do all of them on time. I got an A in this class and my highest exam was 79.
I've had teachers much worse than him. Go to class and listen to what he says, go to discussion, read the book, do the problem sets and old test, and you'll pass. He drops your two lowest test scores. Taking it in the summer also has an advantage because you don't do ALEKS (it was extra credit). If you go to his office hours he's super helpful.
He was useful one-on-one, but lectures are long and boring. Skipping class sometimes is okay if you're doing the work for it.
Dr. Sorenson is very helpful if you go to his office hours after lecture. There are pop quizzes so make sure to go to lecture every day. Although his lectures are somewhat confusing, he makes up for it one-on-one. There is a redemption exam that makes up for your lowest scored exam! I started off very shaky-61% on first exam, ended up with an A.
If you're taking this class to learn, then take some one else. The class itself isn't so difficult, and he curves A LOT. Majority of the quiz and test questions are just repeats from previous quizzes and tests. His lectures are unorganized, and he doesn't reply to emails. If you ask questions in class, be prepared to be cut off.
I though he was a fine professor. One thing to note: there is a curve at the end, when the final grade is reported.
Really boring
Has poor teaching skills; teaches only through example
Worst. Professor. Ever. He rambles about stuff that is unrelatable to anything we actually have to know. he doesn't really write notes, its all lecture. I had to read the textbook and teach myself EVERYTHING. He's nice overall but really annoying and hard to follow. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PROFESSOR!!!
Horrible teacher. Would never take with him again. I have to retake the class with a different professor. Very unclear. Not helpful what so ever. Knowing that anyone could say this, I graduated highschool with a 4.0 gpa. and I would say I have an A-B Average currently.
It was an honor having the privilege to take his course. Thomas Sorenson is a visionary, a true believer in the scientific method and the power of public education. I have never met anyone more dedicated to teaching and the greater good. He was always there to help and guide me along my journey in chemistry.
Guys, be realistic when you give a bad review to Dr. Sorensen. If you do 80% of aleks, score 75% in exams you have an A for sure. Final exam does not count at all in your final grade even if you score less than 60%. In what other course will you get an A with an avg .score of 75%? This class cannot get any easier than it is.
He's a weird professor. He is smart, but rather arrogant. He will usually answer your question with a politician response. Often dodging a direct answer. I didn't find the class hard, but for a higher level class I would avoid at all expense.
The class is very hard yes but in the end you should do fine as long as you did good on the labs and homework. Tests have a pretty big curve at the end. Never went to lecture all year and passed with a B. Lectures were no help at all.
Lectures are pretty much pointless. They're hard to understand and follow, which was probably the reason why 75% of the class stopped attending lecture. Tests can be difficult, but half of the questions come from previous tests (which he posts on D2L), so study those. Make sure to attend every discussion and lab. He DOES grade on a generous curve.
Very confusing lecture speeches. If I didn't have prior knowledge of Chemistry I would most likely failed. Uses the word "Okay" as grammatical pauses. I think I counted 50 in 15 minutes.
Makes things more confusing. i'd rather skip class and learn from the book and slideshows
I only chose the "hilarious" tag because of how hilariously bad he is. My god what a terrible professor. We had him guest lecture three times this semester and I truly felt terrible for his students. How can such a fool be hired? Don't even bother showing up, you are wasting 50 minutes of your time.
Godawful. Arrogant, very condescending. Spends lectures complaining about how people shouldn't waste his time with questions.
Very rude and condescending way of teaching. Lectures are a waste of time. He goes through maybe 3 slides in a week when he posts a powerpoint with about 70-80 slides. Doesn't teach what we need to know and talks down to students as if we were supposed to know previously even though he is the teacher for a reason. Avoid this professor at all costs.
To professor Sorenson, Aleks is arbitrarily marking my answers wrong.
Make sure you know how many tires go on a car and also make sure you know what the word arbitrarily means. The only reason he got ones from me is because i couldn't put zero. " WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT'S A GOOD PLACE TO STOP FOR TODAY" -Sorenson
We are fairly certain this professor hates human beings. He made fun of the one student that came to his office hours in front of the whole class
Soreson was a terrible teacher but it isnt hard to get an decent grade in his class. Chem 105 is the first weeder class in engineering and if you can't hack it, you shouldn't be in a stem field. Skip lecture and work ahead on Aleks, GO TO EVERY DISCUSSION, go to tutoring, practice off old exams, and use youtube and you can get a decent grade.
So rude. So condescending. Worst teacher on the planet. Skip lectures and just learn from the book! ALEKS is tedious but you have to do all of it. You can learn some things from it. Use the practice/past exams to study for the exams.
Not the greatest teacher thats for sure
Professor Sorenson was interesting to say the least, he often went off on minor tangents not pertinent to chemistry, and seems to have a general dislike for teaching lower level courses. It's clear he knows his stuff, but I think being stuck in a 100 level course is starting to get to him.
Sorenson is extremely difficult to follow in class, but I heard he is nice outside class The online homework ALEKS is by far the most aggravating homework Ive done Make sure you split it up over the week it's assigned! Labs and Discussion aren't terrible He does curve the final grade; aim above the class average on exams. Effort is needed!!!
Ok fine, Mr Sorenson is one of the worst professors at this school. He is very arrogant and condescending. The lectures are unbearable, and uninformative. however they are not mandatory. If you do all your work and hand it in on time you will do OK. But don't expect to learn anything from lectures. I learned everything from ALEKS and discussion.
Dr. Sorenson was the worst professor I have ever had. Don't let his sexy looks deceive you. This man is a 10/10 on the hotness scale but a 0/10 on the teaching scale. Lectures suck. Thinks hes above everyone. He's utterly terrible.
First off, probably one of the worst professors I have ever had. Is never clear in lecture and has a super monotone voice. Requires ALEKS to be done on a weekly basis even though it hardly teaches anything. You could probably pass this class with no prior chem knowledge but you have to teach yourself everything. ANY other professor would be better.
His lectures were uninspired and he has a sarcastic tone that is annoying. He writes illegibly and never fully explains or finishes anything he starts. He gives off the impression that he hates coming to his own lectures. Your best bet on exams is to study everything that he hasn't told you will be on them. Don't worry he curves the grade tho
Must finish ALEKS a week in advance B4 taught materials. Topics on ALEKS not taught 'til 2 classes or week later. LECs & DIS are behind ALEKS & none of the 3 correspond to another. Lack of communication between DIS TA & Prof. DIS TA says something won't be on exam & prof puts on exam. LEC not in depth & gets more confusing. Learned more in DIS
Overwhelming at first, a lot of homework but most isn't graded and is optional for practice. He can tangent a lot in lecture but really wants to help if you have a question. Easy to talk to and doesn't mind questions in lecture. Read and do some of the practice work and ALEKS and you should get an A as long as you try and keep up with class.
If you are in this guy's class, it's most likely you are forced to be. Do not depend on this guy teaching you a lick, he is clueless how to teach a lecture. Confusing and is a waste of time to go to his lecture. If your in 105, be prepared to teach yourself and read through 1200 pages. Also he did not prepare us for the state final whatsoever.
Sorenson showed very little interest in helping his students succeed. He is very sarcastic and very rude to students for ask for help. He is the most unprofessional professor I have ever had.
Without a doubt the worst professor I've ever had. He's very condescending and arrogant and expects you to know the material before he teaches it. If you're smart, you will stay away from his classes at all costs
I took accelerated chemistry in high school and enjoyed it to the point where I considering a career in it. Then came Sorenson. He and his terrible lectures and condescending attitude totally ruined any love I had for chemistry. It takes a uniquely bad educator to ruin a student's passion and fire for learning a subject, and he was that bad!
Its a difficult class, it doesn't help that he doesn't teach very well. Do ALEKS, do all available extra credit, show up to every lecture(beware of pop quizzes) and you will be fine.
I did not enjoy Prof. Sorenson. A very monotonous voice, he jumped around in lecture a lot, had weird comparisons to cars for everything. I learned a lot more from ALEKS and the TA. I'd avoid taking him again.
Worst teacher I've ever had. He barely ever finishes explaining anything he starts and I leave his lecture more confused than when I came every time. Avoid at all costs
He's the worst professor of UWM. There's too much material to study in such short time. Please avoid lectures. If you have taken Chem before you'll manage else you'll have a hard time. Doing ALEKS takes forever but make sure to complete it for a better grade. Heavy curve towards the end. Worst thing is you have no choice of professors for the class
Is life too easy for you? Is chem not enough of a challenge?!? Well then take Sorenson for chem 105. Instead of teaching he has the new and improved technique of discussing analogies and berating students! Want help from your professor? Too bad! Enjoy teaching yourself this entire course from the textbook!!
Genuinely feel that he is the WORST professor I have ever had. Does not care about students, is CLEARLY sexist and will display it in class, and will make you feel like you are the stupidest person on the planet. He talks to his students like babies and expects everyone to be excellent at Chem when this is an entry level course. DO NOT TAKE.
The final was hard but if you did good in everything else you'll be fine. Theres a HUGE curve at the end. study hard for the hourly exams USING PREVIOUS EXAMS HE POSTS. He has random sign-ins/pop quizzes so if you're desperate for points go to class. so glad i worked ahead on aleks saved me time at the end of the semester
easy A
THE WORST PROFESSOR I HAVE EVER HAD. He has a terrible attitude each day in lecture, is extremely pessimistic, and made chemistry horrifying. Sorenson's lectures are pointless and only confuse you more. SO much homework. This class took up as much time as all three of my other classes. I emailed him twice and got 1-3 word responses. DO NOT TAKE.
tough teacher, but well worth it. he has a unique personality, but he truly cares about his students.
Worst professor I've ever had. Grade is based on exams and pop quizzes which are all bases off of old exams that are available via D2L. USE THEM to study. Tons of extra credit available: this will make your grade. Huge curve at the end that he won't tell you about. Lectures are a waste of time, use ALEKS or Knewton to teach yourself the material.
Teach yourself
For your safety, form a study group. Without peer support, homework is unlikely to make any sense because it has little if anything to do with his lessons; however if you do use your peers you can get great grades on quizzes. Don't skip lecture because he gives pop quizzes. Always be caught up on ALEKS; it will make or break your grade.
Im so glad to finally be rating this man. If you can't tell, avoid him if possible. He is rude and unclear. Pretends you should already know everything and makes you feel dumb if you don't. Keep up with ALEKS. ALWAYS aim for A C+/B- average on exams. Do your redemption exam. Big curve at the end. He's super nice during office hours. Good luck!
Bad Professor
I remember my TA for our discussion section telling us that we wont be able to solve a few of the problems because theyre a few chapters ahead of where we were in the class, and they were placed because students were scoring too high. Sorensen gives out a lot if homework and you are generally expected to figure out everything yourself. Yikes.
Worst professor I've ever had. Very rude to students, why is he even a teacher he doesn't seem to enjoy it. Very awful. Technically not mandatory attendance but has random pop quizzes. Attendance gives you extra credit but his lectures are awful so you do not learn anything in them.
The only criticism I have is that Sorenson loves making convoluted analogies and that can make lecture confusing. Sorenson comes off as rude in lecture but he's really nice and helpful during office hours. He also gives TONS of extra credit that you should take advantage of, it'll boost your grade dramatically.
All quizzes are pop quizzes so attendance is essentially mandatory or you'll miss them. Homework often unrelated to lectures and tests. Lectures were okay but he would often blow through important things and made convoluted analogies to cars all the time. He was nice and helpful after class/during office hours.
Lectures are not helpful but mandatory for quizzes
Lot's of pop quizzes. Doesn't know when to slow down in lecture. Most learn the entire class from the online Aleks work.
Attendance isn't required but you should probably go considering the number of pop quizzes given. The lectures are basically useless as you learn everything in your discussion classes.
I took AP chem in high school and even with a chem background, I found Mr. Sorenson difficult to follow during lectures. He does care about his students, he gives extra credit and curves most exams. If you read the book, do practice problems and study a lot before the test, you will be fine! Discussions were very helpful.
I've taken two chem classes after Sorenson, and I can safely say he's one of the best. He comes off as a bit scary, but he's nice during office hrs and eager to help. Pop quizzes, so attendance is basically mandatory. He uses ALEKS which many don't like but I like that it gives walkthroughs. He's helpful during some quizzes. He gives extra credit!
lectures were a mess, and he doesn't care if you understand the material or not, makes jokes about how easy it should be for everyone.
Horrible teacher. i went to like 15 lectures total as they were useless. however, pop quizzes in class often so try to go. i missed 7 out of 8 class quizzes, got D average on all 3 tests, missed out on half the extra credit opportunities. got a B average on Aleks, bombed the final, & came out with a C. he says well ok every few seconds. horrible
The class is fairly difficult however if you study old exams you should be able to get a B- average on exams. Make sure to attend lectures for pop quizzes and do all extra credit offered. To succeed you must strive for full completion of Aleks and good grades on all labs. The final was hard but if you did well on everything else you will be ok.
He talks about gold too much.
Doesn't teach important topics in lecture. Loves to rant about gold and scenarios that don't relate to what we are learning. Curves tests.
He does not know how to use canvas so you have to figure out your own grades. He also talks down to students while in lectures and overall does not teach well in a large group setting. His examples are almost exclusively irrelevant. I have wanted to drop his class but I need it for my major. Hurts my soul to get up for his 8 am three days a week.
Probably the worst professor I have had, he is rude and goes on tangents in lectures. He claims canvas "isn't smart enough" to figure out grades even though every other professor seems to handle it fine so you. He pushes back aleks homework so there ends up being 15+ sometimes 20+ due each week instead of spreading them out during the semester.
He does not set unclear/ridiculous expectations as far as what chem material is covered. However, the amount of online work is insane (over 160 aleks modules). He uses a condescending tone and will, "speak down" to students. If you put in the work, he will appreciate it, and it will pay off. He is a very nice person, but not a nice teacher.
Yall don't do this to yourselves. Of every life choices I've made... taking his chem 100 course was definitely NOT the move AT ALL. I really outdid myself BIG, this time. Everything down the drain. Learn from aleks, online homework, and tutoring. Not from Thomas.
the class was very difficult, lecture barely helped it never cleared my questions. same with the discussion that wasn't any help either. this class was very frustrating as i couldn't find anyone or anything to help me. please save yourself the trouble and hassle, do not take his class.
Made us buy top hat so we could answer questions once every week about things irrelevant to chemistry. Lecture didnt teach me anything. I learned through reading the textbook. It was manageable before the quarantine , but he suddenly made it harder on us after switching to virtual learning. We went from having no quizzes ever to two per week.
I think Sorenson gets a lot of hate and although he literally talks about random things in lecture, he honestly isn't a bad teacher. A lot of people hate on him but I didn't find him to be a bad teacher. As long as you do your ALEKS, go to lecture and discussion, you will do fine in the class. He gives out A LOT of extra credit and curves the final
This class is one of the toughest classes I've taken. I previously took AP Chem and was told I would be fine in this class because of this. Expect hours of homework, unclear grading and sassy remarks during lecture. He does not know how to use the gradebook so you'll have to calculate your own grade and also does not give final exam scores out.
Taking Chem 105 with Sorenson was awful. Concepts need to be self-taught or learned through tutoring. He is not approachable. Quiz/tests genuinely gave me anxiety because you will not be prepared unless you've read the entire textbook. Any person with common sense understands that is unreasonable. I truly recommend avoiding his classes if possible.
pretty underestimated teacher. the lectures are hard to listen to, but overall he really wasn't as bad as he was made out to be. he provides a lot of extra credit and curves it would be kind of hard to fail this class. attendance was random in lecture done by "pop quizzes".
I wish I could give a 0, I'm sure he's not the worst person but I can not stand to listen to this guy lecture he literally says "okay" or "mkay" every 10 seconds (like that guy from south park but not as funny) and it drives me nuts. He just skims through everything very dryly and says "you should know this"- but why am I taking the class then ?
I was surprised to see Dr. Sorenson's score so low since he takes time to explain topics thoroughly in lectures. There was a textbook purchase requirement but I didn't use it once since the lectures, assignments, and Aleks website was so helpful. Not the most entertaining teacher, but the class was easy if you attended lectures and did the work!
Having over 20 hours of homework per week just in the lecture is way too much. If you don't know the "basics" before joining the class you're gonna be hurting all semester. Most students don't even go to the lectures because they can't learn anything from them anyway. All the seniors I have met are like you got Sorenson? GOOD LUCK.
For an intro chem class this was way too hard. He explained everything like you were supposed to already know it. When you take quizzes, it will only tell you what questions you got right, even with reviews he doesn't offer the correct answer. Extremely hard, grades are very dependent on exams and quizzes. Would not recommend for intro chem.
Chem105 is a hard class! A lot of content is covered in this class in a short amount of time. Go into this class knowing you have a mountain of work ahead of you which will include over 170 topics in ALEKs. Sorenson will get you through the course. You will learn a lot about chemistry with him. He gets hate from students that don't want to work.
For the love of God don't take CHEM100 from Sorenson. I shouldn't be praying thousands of dollars to take this course only to teach myself. Even his TA's tell us to skip the lectures and watch Khan Academy to learn the material. I have never had a worse experience in my entire academic career. 0/10 wouldn't recommend.
He wasn't the worse nor the best but i would recommend incoming students who want to take him to ether be knowledgeable of chem OR be fully invested in his class otherwise it will be long semester... also he Personally doesn't show a semester grade till the very end of the semester or ask for personally so if your a person with anxiety, don't take.
Class Info
Online Classes
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Attendance Mandatory
38%
Textbook Required
52%
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