2.4
Quality4.0
Difficulty32%
Would Retake205
Reviews32%
Would Retake
205
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
28
4
26
3
28
2
43
1
80
What Students Say
“Say hello to your new Bible aka The Lab Manual Jessa wrote herself”
CHM145 - 1.0 rating“If you do have to take her, good luck”
CHEM145 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
85%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
CHM144M
4.0
(1)CHM141
3.5
(10)CHEM111L
3.5
(2)CHM231
3.5
(2)CHM111
3.3
(11)Difficulty by Course
CHM143
5.0
CHM141ANDCHM142
4.5
CHM145
4.2
CHM131
4.1
CHM144
4.0
Reviews (205)
Mean lady! yells at students for "talking" when it's perfectly quiet.
Extremely helpful at office hours but was hard to follow during class and kind of intimidating. Also, she didn't write out examples on the board because she "was too rushed"-she lived on powerpoints and expected us to follow through all the problems when she talked through them very fast
She is an idiot! She has to be corrected in class by the students because she constantly F's things up! She is ok for office hrs. but she is extremly impatient. She is not nice... constantly flipping out over stupid stuff... DO NOT take her class!!
She is an idiot! She has to be corrected in class by the students because she constantly F's things up! She is ok for office hrs. but she is extremly impatient. She is not nice... constantly flipping out over stupid stuff... DO NOT take her class!!
Yasmin may not be the nicest lady, but she's a damn good teacher. Try taking Bretz in 142 after having a semester of Yasmin and you'll die. Yasmin's powerpoints are AMAZING. You don't even have to OPEN the book! APPRECIATE IT! Okay, yeah, she's really mean--go to office hours...LISTEN TO WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY--and you'll see the nice side of her.
She is hard. She doesn't give many opportunities for grades. Even tests and quizzes are only out of 10-15 points total. No homework assignments. It is hard to pull your grade up. She posts slides online, definitely use those to study for tests. Need to pay attention in class. She elaborates on her slides during class. Hard.
Yasmin is a great professor. She is really mean, but you will actually learn chemistry. Clicker points for attendance. She is very fair (dropped an exam grade for us!) Her class is hard, but she teaches well. Go to class and study and you'll get a B. Book use is low.
Had her for lab lecture. The review guide she gave us for the final was useless. The majority of the final was stuff that she never even talked about! Avoid.
Annoying, and final focused more on specific details of labs rather than overlying concepts. But you spend most of the time with the TAs so its not horrible. TAs do all of the grading.
Just finished this lab on a 6-week stint during the summer. I have to agree with most of the reviews in that she is really mean! I saw her TEAR a student's face off because he didn't bring his lab notebook, just a few pages from it to write on...She isn't tenured yet and I can't see how she will be with the way she treats people.
Yeah I somehow managed to pull off a 92, A, thanks to a curve on exam 2, but Yasmin's class is rough, even with me going to every single class - even tho she is only 27, she means business and is fast (played catch-up on weekends) - if you want at least a B, uve gotta go to class -covers a ton EVERY day, organized, TEACHES! very mean at times,fair
Jessa was a GREAT professor! Very clear, articulate, and organized. The online homework helped a lot and the tests are very fair. I do recommend going to EVERY lecture though or you'll miss a lot!
Jessa is an okay professor. Goes through tons of info every class. Lab is easy though. And clicker points are given for attendance. Don't even get the book, all the information is on the lecture slides. Grade is based on the tests, online homework, and attendance
The lab was pretty easy. it doesnt take up the whole semester. the prelab quizzes were extremely easy but the lab reports were graded kinda hard. the exam was clear and covered only the material from labs and prelab lectures. good teacher and easy class
Jessa is a great professor and is very personable; definitely knows what she is talking about. If you show initiative or concern about your grade she is more than willing to help you understand a concept. Office hours were extremely useful. Uses clicker for attendance.
The class wannt too hard. if you go to class, take notes, and study for the exams you will get an A. there are 4 exams during the semester and a final. the exams are not bad if you study. all notes are put up on blackboard
HORRIBLE CLASS. Stupidest lab i've ever taken. Jessa had very little consistancy with her TAs. Some TAs would barely read labs and some would give you a 0/20 for forgetting to sign one page. they didn't care about what was important (actually learning the material) and only about the particular formatting which doesn't matter in the real world.
Jessa doesn't want to teach. She's among Miami's faculty for research purposes only. This makes for a miserable class--demands of the teacher are never explicit, clarification is difficult to get or even unattainable, and the laboratory manual (in part authored by Jessa) is written with all the communicative passion extant in a toaster oven. Avoid.
This class was like a living hell. Absolutely nothing was clear and the professors as a whole have a total disregard for how well the students do. Jessa is good if you go to her in office hours. But you must go to her in office hours because the lab is so horrible. Terrible class design but an alright teacher. DONT TAKE THIS CLASS!!!
A terrible class. Tests and notes had some discrepancies. Textbook was listed as required, but it was never used. Most of the information from the textbook was not on the exams
Professor Jessa was AMAZING! I loved having her as a teacher. The class is just power points so take notes. If you take notes from what she says and study before the tests then you'll be set! DON'T BUY THE BOOK you'll never use it! She is funny and a little quirky but a great teacher!
I actually really enjoyed this class. She was interesting and pretty enthusiastic about class! Don't bother to buy the book, its mainly for your own reference.
I like her a lot more than others seem to. She is VERY fair on tests, and she is helpful if you ask her questions. She's very particular about proper use of the lab notebook which is annoying but you get used to it. Try to speak up in class when she asks questions and ask questions during her help sessions to get on her good side.
Jessa will completely disregard you if you forget to do your online homework. Instructions are never clear. Remember this, two-week lab may mean that lab papers overlap with other labs. The class has a "do it all yourself" feel, but if you watch the podcasts and read the lab it's not bad. Although the work isn't bad, the grading is absurd.
Chem 111 is an easy class itself because it's introductory chemistry for non-majors. I found Jessa very unyielding and unresponsive. She also graded the final project almost brutally and asked in-depth questions that were impossible to answer. Graded the paper really hard across the board too. She makes the class more difficult than it needs to be.
Pretty straightforward class. She will gladly help if you ask. Most labs are very easy. The formal labs are very time consuming but there are only a few. Follow the rubric closely on these because they are graded by whether you touch on certain points, rather than overall quality.
She is almost never there. It is taught by TA's. Hard class, but good
Trickiest professor I have ever had the displeasure of taking. The content seems (and is) easy, but she has a magical way of making everything hard on the exam by making each question incredibly unclear. Also, don't buy the book if you're planning on taking this class, you literally never use it.
The class material was an ok (easy, but not too informative), but the instructor is a vicious lady. Flips out and yells for no apparent reason, seriously needs to be checked for a personality disorder (bipolar?)
She is a pretty nice lady, but exams and one group project make up your grade with some help from attendance points. Very boring but all notes are online. Exams are questioned difficultly and you never use the textbook.
Jessa was a fantastic lab professor! Since abs are big, you don't see her very much but when she walks around she is very willing and enthusiastic about answering questions. I also got many points back on TA graded lab reports when I went to see her during office hours. Great attitude, great lab professor. But lab exams are on the difficult side.
Tests are hard and easy points come from participation by clickers. Group project is easy. Class is boring but all notes are online.
she complicates simple things. Does not help. Makes you hate the lab
She makes simple concepts complex!
Very unclear on test questions. After taking AP Chem a 100 level chem should be my easiest class, however this class is less about the chemistry and more about the topics used to teach it. The tests are unbelievably hard but everything else was very easy to me. Attendence taken using clicker questions dont buy the book as it is never used.
She is very strict on her grading. Will take off points if you accidentally spill something in lab.
Large lab so I didn't run into Prof Jessa in person often. Labs are graded absurdly hard by TA's. Exam was near impossible, average score on Exam 1 last year was under 65%. Don't take it if you don't have to, save yourself!!
DO NOT TAKE! HORRIBLE!!!
Honestly, the worst professor I've ever had. She complicates such simple details. I had an A+ in 141 (lecture) and consistently did subpar on all graded reports. Which brings me to the reports.. don't even dream of getting consistently good grades. Unless you are inside of her head, you will not please what she expects on your work. Horrible lady.
Although we rarely saw her in the class, she made a point to come around during every lab class to check on every group or individual, and if you had a question, she answered it willingly and understanding that the concepts are sometimes difficult to grasp. Lab reports are NOT difficult if you have any common sense or prior experience.
Hardest 100 level class you'll take no matter what prof you get. Prof Jessa is not at fault here. She does a good job explaining things. TA's grade labs harshly. Don't even dream about getting above an A- in this class without luck. I got 4/20 points taken off a lab for a few smudges on my calculation sheet. B is a good grade in this class.
I like Jessa, but the TA's kind of ruin the course. They grade extremely hard and take off points for stupid reasons that are often vague or otherwise unclear. However, the class is relatively easy - the exams are simple and the labs are usually fairly straightforward. TA's are not very helpful usually, but it's not that hard to get an A.
Worst Professor Ever. She is unhelpful and looks down on you. Avoid at all costs.
Never around in lab. If you go to her office hours, she is not helpful and usually criticizes you for not knowing the answer already. Looks down on students, grades extremely harshly.
Ended up dropping. Here is a word of warning: The lab course is always ahead of the lecture course no matter who your lecture teacher is. Have fun learning ahead in lecture in order to stay on pace with lab! I ended up completing lecture in the spring and taking lab during the summer term. Best idea ever! You'll understand what's going on in lab!
On the positive side, the labs are mostly straightforward and the exams are pretty easy if you know what you're doing. On the negative side, the TAs grade harshly and the lab is always at least a week ahead of the lecture (and I had Cybulski, who goes the fastest) which makes it difficult to understand what you're doing and makes reports harder.
Easily the best professor I have had in the chemistry department. Goes out of her way to be accommodating and accessible to students. Very patient with students getting the hang of a college chemistry lab. You'll miss and appreciate her once you start taking harder labs.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. Professor Jessa is hardly even in lab; I have not talked to her once this semester. The labs are decently easy, but the lab reports are impossible and ask questions that were not even brought up in lab. Worst professor I've ever had.
Do not take. This lab is absolutely awful. They are the most strict graders I've ever seen in my entire life. I've spent over 9 hours on each report and assignment and still get C's even after checking off the rubrics religiously. They won't help you and don't care if you do well. Exams are impossible. Oh, and she treats you like you're a toddler.
Tbh, Jessa is a lot more helpful than her TAs. Be prepared that when you ask questions, she will answer it with another question (this is not a bad thing as it is just there to help. She is a tough grader, but she does expect you to be able to write and answer the questions. DO NOT SCRIBBLE OUT ANYTHING IN YOUR NOTE BOOK, easiest way to lose points
Most of the course is run by TAs. She's in the room intermittently, but has to rotate between several lab sections at once. Grading has pretty clear criteria, so just be sure to follow formatting rules and be careful in calculations and you should be fine. Reports can take a while. Majority of grade comes from 2 tests, not actually the reports.
I live across country from the school. I went back home and struck up conversation with someone who turned out to be a chemist and they knew Jessa, they said she was horrible to deal with at conferences and would talk down to everyone. I suggest anyone else over this 'teacher. They grade your punctuation on a chem lab that is enough said.
The class seemed like it was set up for students to do poorly. The labs were simple and yet they were difficult to get good grades on them. The formal lab reports had an average of around 60-65 in my class. Doing well on the exams is a matter of luck, not necessarily preparedness as they are based on completely random knowledge.
If you can avoid this lab at all costs please do. She grades like the student is writing a scholarly journal and her exams are ten times harder than what she makes them seem to be. I easily spend 10-15 hours per lab report only to get points off for forgetting to include the equation ymx+b. Office hours aren't useful at all. Again, DON'T TAKE HER!
The teacher is not helpful and is not clear on what is being graded in each assignment. She makes class unnecessarily hard and acts quite stand-offish toward students and TA's. She also does not answer questions when asked. Save your GPA, your time, and your tears; just take a class taught by ANYONE else.
If you put the work in, you will get a good grade. She will willingly answer your questions if you have a basic understanding of what you are doing in lab. Lab reports are long and non specific, but office hours help. Bottom line, read the material well and don't be an idiot and you'll be fine. Definitely have to put in the work though.
One of the worst professors I've had in college. Talks down to all of her students, if you ask her a question she makes you feel like an idiot for not knowing the answer. Grading criteria is extremely vague.
Took her lab section over the summer and it was the best lab I've ever had. Prof Jessa cracked a lot of jokes, let us play music during our experiments, and was very helpful and considerate when students asked for help or for clarification. She is the only professor who didn't make me feel stupid for not fully understanding the material at times.
Dr. Jessa is okay, my main issue is that she does not always give clear grading criteria. Anyone who has taken CHM 145 knows that it's always a guessing game when it comes to what exactly you need to have on your lab. However, she does walk around class a lot and will meet with students if they have questions.
Most of the work will be with the TA's, but you can always ask her questions and she is very helpful when she comes around to check the groups.
Made me cry when I went to office hours and told me I would fail the final (I got an B) because of a simple question. I've heard the same has happened to other people too. Her grading is ridiculously nit-picky and she doesn't explain things well at all.
Labs are taught by TA's. They are who grade lab reports. Some are more strict than others, but if you think you're being graded too harshly and take some of your reports to Jessa's office hours, she'll often give some points back. Tests are HARD. Wayyy harder than the practice exam. 2 lowest labs are dropped. 1 potential bonus point per lab.
You will put 10+ hours into a lab report having full comprehension of the topic, but most likely get 20% off for not including a random sample calculation or the correct number of sig figs in one number even though you did 8 pages of calculations and 5 data tables of numbers. I really feel like this course wants you to fail. But thats just me.
Take anyone else. Literally anyone else. She will talk down to you on a regular basis. If there is a mistake in the lab, you'll get blamed when it isn't your fault. She walks around the labs regularly, but be careful of questions you ask her because she will judge you for dumb questions and ask if you even read the lab. Textbook is your lab manual
Good option to go this class only if you are a very smart student and can somehow just get a hang of everything with some superpowers. TA's do most of the lab work. Jessa does roam around and can be helpful if you're prepared to answer a series of question for a small doubt. DO NOT DEPEND ON PRACTICE EXAMS AT ALL, the real ones are more difficult.
There is no reason to take CHM 144/145 with Jessa unless you need it for medical school. Her TAs look for any way they can take points off of your labs. She is ineffective, and I would avoid her at all costs. She also gives no rubrics when writing formal lab reports. The exams (40 questions total) are 50% of your grade--very unfair.
Papers are graded very hard. Many points are lost for very nitpicky things that have nothing to do with you understanding of the material or the time and effort you put into a paper. This being said, she is very willing to help when asked.
I'll give that Prof. Jessa is very helpful when she comes around, and is very easy to ask questions (much more than many of her TA's). But the problem is that in class, you are nothing but a number. The TA's and Prof. Jessa don't care in anyway about the success/failure of any students, much less get to know you; points taken off for minor errors
Say hello to your new Bible aka The Lab Manual Jessa wrote herself. Jessa, academic dishonesty works both ways and it is unfair to grade lab reports on specific criteria that isn't released to the students who write them. It's cheating on the part of the professor and setting the entire class up for failure based on poor design of the course.
This teacher is so petty that she actually changed my grade after she read my course evaluation! I was very specific with my complaints, so I know she knew it was me. My final grade went from B- to a C+ after she read my report. So unbelievably childish. And yes, I'm sure my grade was changed... Avoid this professor at all costs!!!
Single handedly the worst professor I have had at Miami. The biggest problem with this class is that the grading criteria is so vague. You can have full comprehension of a lab but lose points because "the lab manual says it somewhere". Avoid at all costs.
Prof. Jessa is pretty cool. She give plenty of chances to improve your grade (Bonus opp. every lab and drops two lowest grades) If your TA is bad she gives points back on lab reports. Don't think you should breeze through though, you need to make the time to do your labs well and put effort into your reports. Overall, my favorite lab professor.
I TOOK CHEM LAB, WHICH IS ALREADY GENERALLY HARD. WHEN I TOLD HER I WAS GOING TO DROP IT SHE WAS NOT UNDERSTANDING AND VERY CONDESCENDING. SHE KNOWS SHES SMATER THAN YOU AND SHE WILL LET YOU KNOW IT WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A LAB PROFESSOR, TAKE BAUMAN OR BREESE.
If you want to regularly get D's and C's on reports for labs you did 100% correct, take CHM 144/145. Regularly takes off huge amounts of points for dumb trivial stuff like significant digits. Without dropping the lowest lab and curves, this class would be nearly impossible to get a good grade. ONLY good part is the exams are easy.
Took Jessa for CHM 144 and 145 and would take her again if I could. You will interact with your TA more than her but the gen chem labs are SO ORGANIZED compared to other labs at miami (if you don't know what I'm talking about then take BIO 115/116). They want to make you think but the exams are fair and grading is fair on labs you just have to try
She is the pettiest grader. Avoid her at all costs. Her exams are impossibly detailed about experiments and the formal reports do not give a rubric even though they are looking for the most specific things. Good luck to you, you'll probably just have to trudge through like most chem students
I had Jessa for both semesters of chem lab freshman year, and it was well known that you never, ever, go to her office hours. You will come out with a worse grade than you went in with. Otherwise she was.... fine? I guess?
Shes horrible I would take another professor if its optional
The 2nd semester of chem lab is ridiculously harder than the first. Consistently got a D on like half of my reports (I got an A in chem lecture so it wasn't because I didn't understand the material). The grading is just so nit-picky, and full formal reports suck. The exams could be worse I guess. This class scared me away from continuing chemistry.
Terrible terrible class. The laboratory in-class activities were doable, but the reports were near impossible to do well on. The TAs do the instructing and grading, and most of them will mark off anything even if it doesn't seem relevant to the learning process. Only take this class if you have to.
As much as I enjoy not being given a rubric for an assignment and receiving grades based on formatting ability and not my knowledge of chemistry, this class caused more stress than it should ever be worth. Also, be ready to be looked down upon for not knowing something and going to MRS.(not DR.) Jessa herself. If you do have to take her, good luck!
Everyone either loves or hates this class and I think a lot of people say they don't like Jessa because they just don't like chemistry. The TAs and Jessa are incredibly accessible and will help you if you are stuck. They also tend to grade more easily if you ask lots of questions and talk to them during lab periods. GO TO OFFICE HOURS
The first few experiments felt like concepts from lecture a few weeks prior. Grading is ridiculous. The TAs (yes the TAs) grade the lab reports (which are only 20 points) very harshly. Also, I missed a lab and asked if it could be made up. I was told it couldn't; however if you have an unexcused absence from the exam you can make it up with a ded.
Professor Jessa is really not as bad as everyone makes her out to be. For the most part, you deal with your TA, but Jessa has been helpful whenever I have a question or need clarification. She's tough, she won't just hand you an A, but as long as you put the work in you'll do fine.
Jessa is super nice and helpful when you're in the lab. I went to office hours with the TAs a couple times as well and they were also super helpful. Labs are graded pretty harshly, but only because the instructions are so perfectly explained and the expectations are outlined very specifically.
Make a list of details they like to take points off for(sig figs, sample calculations), check with each report. TAs and Jessa are very helpful during lab, can go to ANY TA or Jessas office hours(very accessible). Tests have few trick questions, easy otherwise. 1 bonus pt opp. per lab. Grading is too hard but not what people make it out to be
Chenistry lab has been the worst academic experience I've ever had. The professor and TAs clearly do not care whether you pass it fail. You could do everything exactly right on the reports and still miss a quarter of the points for ridiculous reasons. The only reason you might get a decent grade is because of the easy exams. Avoid this class.
Hardest class I have ever taken in my whole life. Grading is ridiculously hard and the TA's don't know anything and aren't willing to help at all. They take pride in giving low grades and don't care if you succeed in the class.
Professor Jessa seems like a nice person. Overall the class is hard but if you put in the work you will be okay. Grading is extremely hard. I passed out during a lab and didnt have time to finish it and got a 4/20 on the lab.
This class is primarily run by the TA's because multiple classes are running at the same time. The professor does stop in during class a few times to check in and answer questions. It is a very fun class if you like hands on learning. The reports for the lab can be challenging and are graded hard.
Your experience in chem lab is based entirely off your TA, not Jessa herself. A lot of my friends had horrible TAs that wouldn't help, I lucked out because mine was amazing. Jessa walks around during lab and is very helpful but don't go to her office hours, she is known for taking more points off. There are more points to lose than gain in lab.
There is nothing I enjoy more than following report guidelines and then getting graded based on a rubric that was not provided to the students and contained requirements that were not made available. This is called cheating on the professors part. Put in the work and you will get an A, but you have to overcome obstacles, as unfair as they are.
The chem lab is very difficult if you are a non chemistry major. The professor is responsible during the class time and have a really tough grade for the lab report. Even you follow the guideline, you will get half points off.
A class is completely based on the TA that is assigned to your chemistry section. Personally, my TA was way harder with the grading compared to other TA's which was completely unfair and frustration as I did not receive the grade I wanted. Lab's took me about 5 hours to complete and TA's during office hours were rude. The problem needs addressed.
Prof. Jessa is nice and somewhat helpful, and accessible outside of class. HOWEVER, this class is entirely based on your TA, which means it doesn't matter which teacher you take it with. Only take it if you have to for your major or really like chemistry. It's basically chance whether you end up with a good TA or not.
This class was not fun. It was very hard and your grade really depends on how good your TA is at explaining things. VERY test heavy. Beware that her practice exams are 100000x easier than the actual exam. She runs around and gives you the quickest answer possible. Would not take with her again.
Probably the worst professor I've ever had. Jessa tanks grades by forcing TAs to take off for minuscule details and gives tests that look nothing like her "practice exams". None of her TA's a. know how to speak English or b. know how to do the labs. She is unhelpful in doing anything except tanking your gpa or causing unneeded stress.
Jessa is a tough grader, so definitely check over your work. Your TA has A LOT more influence over your lab experience than she does, but I found her to be helpful when she was in lab. Exams can be nit-picky so watch out for that. Overall this class is difficult, but it teaches you a lot especially if you want to go into research.
Exams are super hard and specific, but is usually nice when she comes into lab.
Professor Jessa made me want to quit Chem. She was condescending and seemed more focused on minute questions and details than student learning. She designed the course herself, but the grading is inconsistent and confusing. The TA's do their best, but they are VERY limited with what they can help with. However, GO TO TA OFFICE HOURS,they give hints
WORST PROFESSOR EVER. Thats the lasting impression she has left on me and nearly every other student I know who had her. Pray you get a good TA. She penalizes you for her own incompetence, any technical errors (on her part), and does not care about anyones success. Keep your nose down and quadruple check ALL your work. Ask questions, expect sass.
Her class makes your life horrible. She makes her TA's grade so harshly that even if you spent hours on the lab report and event went to office hours multiple times for help, you could still easily get 10/20. Practice exams are 3000% easier than the real thing.
Super nice. You can tell Professor Jessa really wants you to get the material. Her class seems to go on forever but lectures are extremely helpful & although there is a decent amount of homework, its not too hard and boots your grade.
Jessa is an extremely tough grader. It feels like you can't ever get anything right, she takes off points for every little thing. Going to office hours she rushes through things and makes comments to you that make you feel dumb. Exams are tough, the practice exams are so much easier and she discloses that. I would suggest taking a different prof.
She follows the lab booklet and runs the class alright, but it's really the TA's that actually teach the class. She is really condescending both in person and via email. She is also a very harsh grader and a stickler for stupid things like significant figures.
Professor Jessa can be really helpful when she walks around during labs. However, she seems to be out to get everyone. Her grading criteria is insanely difficult, and her exams are nothing you talk about in lab or that is in the lab manual (you just have to know it) & nothing like practice exams. I tried so hard, and I still did bad in this course
I'll be honest, I was pretty scared about taking this class after reading her reviews, but I don't get them at all! Prof Jessa was a super awesome teacher and had fair exams.
I have always loved chemistry and been good at it, but then I took these classes. With every lab report, the grading criteria seemed to change. Even if you think you understand a lab perfectly, you can still easily fail it due to the nit-picky questions that were asked. Exams don't save you either because they are ridiculously hard. Awful class.
I was part of one of the classes that went online during the year due to COVID-19. Yasmin was incredibly difficult to reach and sent you straight to the TAs for questions. If you did reach Yasmin, she was sassy and unhelpful. This class was an uphill battle. Do not take her, you will have to teach yourself everything.
The first day of lab, Jessa was very helpful when walking around and explaning the material. After that day she was sassy and difficult to work with. I expected the difficulty because of lab 144, but the harsh grading in this class is excessive. She is more concerned with the answer key for lab questions than students understanding of the material
By far the most difficult class I've ever taken. She doesn't give you the chance to ask for feedback after labs have already been completed, because if you do, she will go back through your lab and take more points off. Also a direct quote "I've made this as simple and comprehensive as possible and you still don't understand? Figure it out"
When I saw that I had Professor Jessa for Gen Chem Lab I was really nervous because of all of the reviews I had read. I actually really ended up liking Professor Jessa though. I would go to her office hours and she was extremely kind and helpful, not at all like the TA office hours. It's Gen Chem so it's going to be hard, but she is very helpful.
Avoid at all costs. Theres no way to do well on these labs. If you have a 3 point question and have 4 sig figs instead of 3, she will mark the whole thing wrong. Many TAs don't speak good english so if you write something like "all of the water evaporated from the sample," they mark the whole question wrong since you didnt use the word "dehydrated"
Overall just a bad professor. Simply does not care about the success of the students. Very sassy and intimidating (beware if you ask any sort of question). If you can avoid her class, it will be wayyyy to much work for a mediocre grade.
Despite her tough grading, I think Professor Jessa is a wonderful professor. She is always super willing to help you outside of class and takes the time to make sure you understand. If you do your work and try your best she will respect you and do anything to help. Utilize her !!!!
very fixated on small things like signatures and so. Avoid loosing points on such trivial stuff. Go to TA hours to ask questions check math before submission.
Be ready to put an good amount of effort into this class. The TAs aren't very helpful so do go to Dr. Jessa if you need help. She's willing to help but will do so in a very strict way. Many of my friends, me included, had to argue with her for points back because of the grading system of this class. The exams are difficult so study a lot!!
Overall CHM lab depends on your TAs. Luckily I had good TAs both semesters. I did though put a whole lot of time and effort into going to TA office hours where I would basically do my whole lab. I learned to do this mid way in semester 1 and continued doing it all the way through O CHM lab. Be aware that her exams are tricky and so is her grading.
Maybe get a doctoral degree first before calling yourself a "professor"?
No partial credit for anything, so if ur data, equations etc are all right, but u don't say exactly what they want u to on other Qs, you can easily get a B or C on a lab. The grading doesn't reflects understanding of chem. I have an A+ in 141 but barely A- in this class. 0 interaction with professor, she obviously doesn't care about teaching.
I only interacted with Professor Yessa once, but she was caring and went above and beyond to offer accommodations for a personal situation. I was wary of an online lab at first, but the labs were excellent and the lab manual is easy to follow. Grading is very picky and it can be easy to make a mistake, so make sure you check your work carefully.
MS. Jessa (NOT DR., NOT PROF., so dont flatter yourself) is probably the least likable instructor at Miami. She loves micromanagement, and she makes a first year course as challenging as it can be with her crazy grading rubrics. I go to office hours all the time yet stills fails on most lab reports. Take literally anyone but her for 144!
I was very nervous to take chem lab and Professor Jessa made it so much easier. The class is challenging, so prepare to work. But she makes herself available in office hours, she tries to make instruction clear to students, and just genuinely cares about the students and our success. I'm taking CHM 145 with her now and already feel more confident.
So sassy and condescending...
She is abysmal.
She cares about the most random, irrelevant things, and takes points away as soon as she sees something she personally doesn't like (they might still be correct to others). Don't blame the TAs; its her. Her take on chem is also amateur-ish. Does she dare share her vita? I bet her training is not even in chemistry. Minimal competence, maximum sass.
Some teachers simply do not get any better as they age and become more experienced. Jessa is definitely one of them. I don't think she's the material for a good teacher and she should seriously consider a different career.
You can understand everything there is to know about chemistry but if you don't fill your circles you'll probably end up with a D
Bad teacher and a bad person. Exams questions are set up to trick you, nearly impossible to do well. doesn't teach. Doesn't matter if you understand the material she will always find something random she doesn't like to take points off for.
Ms. Jessa is the worst professor I have ever had in my entire life. She is so condescending and disrespectful. DO NOT take this class. Save yourself while you still can.
This class was the worst one Ive ever taken in my time at this school. Grades are left up to TAs so there is often discrepancies in lab reports. Exams are ridiculously difficult/specific and are never curved. Even though we are in a pandemic, there have been little accommodations to students and the professor is extremely unhelpful.
its very hard to do well in this class because all the TAs and ms. jessa are extremely nitpicky about EVERYTHING in the lab reports. also exams are way too specific especially bc were online and cant actually do the labs. tests are designed to trick you and for you to fail and she never curves. i havent learned anything. dont recommend
This class is hard and requires a lot of outside work. Yessa herself is a nice person and very helpful but she gets a lot of hate that should be aimed towards the TAs. The TA's are the ones grading you and there is a lot of unfair grading and discrepancies in grading. That being said, it IS a weed out course so you cannot expect it to be easy.
This is a chemistry class, so a level of difficulty is expected. However, Jessa oversees easily the most inconsistent grading system Ive ever seen. Either by design or poor communication, the same lab report could receive wildly different grades depending on the TA it was assigned to. The randomized grading processes leaves many students furious.
Terrible childish "professor". Exams are specific with no useful concepts and TAs run the course while grading so poorly you have to send an email every week for them to regrade the lab properly.
She is the most vengeful and unprofessional person i have ever known at miami . Don't ever complain to her about grades: you will end up losing more points.
Yeah, no. This class was awful, and she can barely communicate what she wants done. Biased TAs, and its very hard to get decent grades even with exactly the right answers.
Childish, incompetent and unprofessional, to say the least.
Professor Jessa can be sweet, but also condescending. The lab reports are decent, but the exams are horrible. You need to know the tiniest details and she gives you no indication of what will be on the exam. In addition, the TAs grade everything, so there is a lot of variation between grades even if you have the same answer as someone else.
I have graduated from Miami now and thinking back on my time there, Professor Jessa is easily the worst professor I had at Miami. Do whatever it takes to not have to take a class with her.
One thing you need to know about Jessa is that she is somewhat intimidating and will take no excuses. Like none. Make sure you do your labs on time and don't be afraid to ask questions even if you do not get a definite answer. She is helpful when it comes to asking questions about the labs during office hours.
I had Professor Jessa for two semesters back to back. For CHM 144 in the Fall and 145 in the Spring. I read about her on this website and was a little concerned but the the ratings here do not do her justice. Professor Jessa while a real tough grader is a very kind and caring professor. She was always quick to help in class and over email.
Imagine giving a question about glassware on a final for a remote lab course
The lab reports take hours and are graded so hard. The exams test you over miniscule details. Don't be fooled by the practice exams, they don't prepare you for exams at all. I would never take this professor again if i could help it. That being said, it is chem, so it's supposed to be hard.
How this teacher (she doesnt even have her doctorate...) has a job right now is beyond me. Easily the worst professor at Miami.
She should be banned from this profession permanently. Jessa doesn't know what is the purpose of teaching. Is it meant to trick us and give us bad grades? Clearly it is, for her.
I had Professor Jessa for CHM 131 (not 111) and I loved her class considered it was required for nursing. Her lectures were very helpful and she would always make sure we understood the material before moving on. Her exams are a majority of your grade but they are easy and straight forward. Lab was boring but not hard. Definitely take her for 131.
Jessa is a very smart woman and a good teacher. The canvas for CHM144 was well-organized and the assignments to complete were the same each week for each lab. The lab reports were at times tough but certainly do-able. Achieving an A in the class was not easy but not too hard either. The only test was the final.
Professor Jessa was very easy to reach outside of class and she was always there when anyone needed help. This lab was fairly easy a long as you pay attention and the only exam was the final which was a bit more difficult than the labs. Overall recommend her and this course!
Professor Jessa is good with her feedback and getting you to the resolving point however, the way the labs are structured is not the best. The lab quizzes are very subjective at times and hard to get consistent grades on.
She was ok. Definitely could have been worse. I found myself dreading anytime I had to go to her lectures. I often left more confused then when I arrived.
This is the only professor that made me cry. Went to her office hours for help on one of the lab reports and called me an idiot for not understanding the material, screamed at me for wasting her time, and kicked me out of her office hours. Very unprofessional and by far the worst professor at Miami University.
This class doesn't teach you chemistry, it teaches you how to write what she wants to see. Even the TAs think the grading does not make sense and this class is pointless. You can get a pretty good grade before your exam. If you do not do well on that exam, it will harm your grade to say the least.
This professor is strict, makes the TAs grade notebooks too harshly, and doesn't allow questions in class. I understand wanting students to work for the answer, but it left me confused and frustrated. I dreaded coming to lab because it was so disappointing. I could have learned so much but the focus was more on how to make this professor happy.
please run. switch your major
She really isn't that bad and if you listen in class & do the readings & practice problems. It's honestly a dumbed down chem course & all of the exam questions were pretty self explanatory if you do the work from class. I did really well & hardly studied. She can be a little passive aggressive at times but she is very open to questions in class.
She is a kunt.
Run. She's gonna getcha.
She is the foulest professor I have ever known. She doesn't answer questions, she is passive aggressive. Gives off worst substitute teacher vibes. RUN
She is not a good teacher. She expects so much for her students but is extremely passive aggressive when you ask her questions. On top of it all, the material gone over in class is a lot and the exams are tough.
exams are tough and questions follow concepts rather than concrete things that are in the notes
The course of Chemistry as a whole is just awful, and honestly it is easy to hate on whoever teaches it. Professor Jessa is nice enough but kind of passive aggressive. I feel that the content was not taught in a way that helped me learn it. However if you put in the work and study, you will be fine. Outside help is also encouraged by Jessa.
ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. What she teaches is not even close to what is on the exam and blames class for failing after the class average is about a 60%. She is very rude when it comes to asking questions and is not helpful in office hours. Tends to make people cry. Very inconsiderate of feelings and does not rly want class to succeed.
Jessa is literally the worst professor I've ever had. She always states she wants you to learn and "really grasp the concepts" but then asks about a singular glassware item we used once in a lab. Her exams are math heavy and none of her preparation material is helpful. Her ego is through the roof and I would literally avoid her class at all cost.
She was the worst professor I have ever had! She does not care if students pass her class or not. I put in a lot of time into her class and was still not able to do well. Her exams are very difficult and confusing and the homework, practice problems, and practice quizzes she tells us to do prior to the exam are not helpful and nothing like the exam
Happy holidays to you too!
This class was test and lecture heavy; however, the two were at two completely different difficulty levels. The lecture was relatively simple, and slowly introduced topics with increasing difficulty. But, something we were told to not worry about and not waste time studying would be on the test.
She is extremely helpful but you only see her about 1 time during your lab. It's really your TAs that run the lab
Prof Jessa, unlike other lab profs, actually walks around lab, answering questions; she is not tricky with her questions either. Personally, I value a prof who is straight to the point in her answers. You will receive 100% on lab notebook if you follow the grading rubric on CANVAS. She is also very helpful if you miss a lab. Best lab professors yet
Prof Jessa actually walks around lab, answering questions; she is not tricky with her questions either. Personally, I value a prof who is straight to the point in her answers. You will receive 100% on lab notebook if you follow the grading rubric on CANVAS. She is also very helpful if you miss a lab. Best lab professors yet
This lab is very difficult and the reports done after class do not have clear direction, which can lead you to get the question wrong. The rubric on Canvas for lab pages is also not helpful, as you can still get points off even following it to a t.
The worst instructor ive ever had. the lab final was so different from the study materials we were given. she does not care if you succeed at all and i would go so far to say she enjoys watching students fail. also is so rude and passive aggressive towards students i cannot recommend enough that you avoid
Jessa was always ready to answer questions. She made information understandable and walked me through difficult problems. She appreciated students who participated. I felt more successful in this lab, compared to CHM144 because of her. If you missed questions, she provided an explanation. Felt well-prepared for the final exam.
She was very helpful and answered questions during the experiments. The lab report problems were sometimes very confusing. The worst part of the course was the pointless final exam which was extremely difficult. Why do we need a final for a lab course?
AWFUL. She lectures well but makes the test absolutely impossible. Worst teacher not sure how Miami has not fired her yet.
Shes kinda on edge sometimes but overall great teacher. The hate from previous years must be from a lack of understanding. Very helpful in understanding the basis for gen chem and o chem.
Super mean to every student. She would walk in and call out students for minor things when they were still learning. Really difficult grader and in general is not a nice person. If you ever have the displeasure of taking her class, im sorry
despite all the bad reviews, I absolutely loved her. I thought she made her lectures very straight forward making it easy to know what to study for the test. she was also super kind during office hours. SHE can get sassy at times because when she is still trying to teach and students just HAVE to put their laptop away even if we have on slide left
She was a good lab coordinator and helped me with some of my questions I had. She just walked around lab and checked in on things. I had a good lab experience.
had her for lab. I always felt comfortable asking her questions when she would walk around. she explained it well and was super nice. My brother had her almost 7 years ago and did not like her. I think she has gotten nicer over the years. I really enjoyed lab but that was mainly bc I had a great TA. You don't really see the professor a lot.
She will list out clearly what she wants, and she will have a strict expectation of what she wants. Other than that, she's great. At first, I hated her, but when my friend went w/ me to her office hours, I realized she actually explained things pretty well. She's actually really nice too, which shocked me. She can be great even though she's snarky.
HORRIBLE professor! Please do not take her class, especially as a freshman! She will make you want to drop out of Miami SO QUICK. She made me cry on countless occasions (due to missing class - do NOT ask her to attend your grandfathers funeral, the answer is NO). The exams are impossible and have nothing to do with the lecture content, be warned.
The course itself is very challenging. The exams didn't always align with the lecture notes. Making time for office hours is a must. She took the time to answer my questions and clearly explain material. She is very nice once you get to know her outside of lecture.I was terrified reading the reviews but you get what you put in for this class.
Yasmin's class is challenging, but engaging with her teaching style and using resources like unstuckstudy for prep can really pay off. Attend office hours and stay on top of the material - with effort, you can succeed in this course.
she said she would eat my mom if I didn't pass one of her tests
Didn't let me retake the prelab quiz when the pictures tested on failed to load. She told me I should have known the right answer from the multiple-choice options. Not a test of knowledge and a display of what a power trip looks like.
This is one of the rudest professors I have ever had. I only had her for lab, in which I almost never saw her because the TA's ran the whole class while she walked between classes, but whenever I did see her she was always rude and yelling at students over minor mistakes. She also grades incredibly hard and takes of points for the smallest things.
Nice but sometimes passive aggressive. Will help during office hours. Exams are worth WAY too many points. Nobody got above a C on any of the exams. Homeworks barely help grade. Lab is super easy and helps your grade a lot. Gives minimal extra credit. Doesn't want to curve any grades. Exams are "from the ungraded homeworks"... i think not lol
144 was for a lab class whatever. However the final was just brutal. I don't want to brag but I didn't get below a 95% in any other class however I just scrapped an a-. For final read through the experiments and know why you do things. Don't just learn calculations
I love Prof Jessa. She has horrible reviews and I was super scared going into lab, but she is amazing. Always very kind and understanding, she is strict on attendance but if you have a specific conflict she will work with you to resolve it. Grading and such all depends on your TAs so professors matter very little other than attendance.
i ABSOLUTELY adored her. i think people don't like her because she's very direct and will call you out if you're doing something wrong, but also it's a lab with expensive equipment and dangerous chemicals so that's not a bad thing. work on lab reports in groups, study for the final (she'll curve it), and do what you're supposed to!
Everytime I ask a question in class she makes me feel so bad about myself. If I'm trying to understand something and she has to repeat it it is the most insufferable thing to her. She has a lot of good resources for her class but her lecture style and emotional respect for her students is not there.
Prof. Yasmin was amazing for CHM 231. I was so scared to take an Ochem class, but she made it enjoyable. She is lenient about homework deadlines and always wants to help us understand class materials. She is helpful during office hours. She understands we are students and does not want to overwhelm you. She offers partial credit on exams.
Makes very snide and sarcastic remarks to her students in a patronizing way. Encourages people to ask questions, but when you ask then she makes you feel stupid and asks the class “can someone answer that for them”. Don't even bother emailing her with concerns or going to office hours, you will be met with hostility.
Professor Jessa's teaching style is discouraging. She comes across as condescending and dismissive when students ask questions, which creates an unwelcoming classroom environment. Office hours were no better—getting helpful guidance was nearly impossible. If you're struggling, don't expect support and avoid her at all costs.
She is extremely rude. She makes you feel bad for asking questions. I failed most of her exams. She is good at explaining things, however she doesn't like questions. She is one of the worst teachers I have ever had.
Don't listen to the bad reviews. She is not rude about questions and only makes comments when someone either already asked that question two times before or she could tell they weren't paying attention. She is a great teacher and makes difficult concepts very understandable. Also offers lots of extra credit and is very lenient with deadlines.
Jessa frequently delivers backhanded compliments and sarcastic remarks. She seems visibly irritated when students seek clarification, as though their confusion is a personal inconvenience. She gives a lot of extra credit and opportunities to pass the class so she doesn't lose her job, as she has been on academic probation for a few years now.
Jessa seems to do anything possible to show she doesn't want to help her students. She visibly does not want to answer questions during lecture and will make you feel embarrassed. Tests are hard. Although, she offers so much extra credit which is NEEDED- concerning that she has to offer that much so you can pass. Not an impossible class tho.
i would say she was probably the most unfiltered, rudest teachers i've experienced. the comments she would make towards students were sometimes absurd. she did teach well even though the tests were hard and she was lenient with hw deadlines which was nice. just have to be on her good side for sure
She clearly does not care about the students she teachers. Will disrespect students and will belittle their questions that they ask in class. All of exams are on the hardest concepts learned in class. She also makes it diffcult to understand her teaching. I feel I didn't learn anything in this class.
If you go to class and pay attention then you will do fine, she really explains everything well but if you don't go to class or if you dose off in the lecture then it will be every confusing. Office hours are helpful, she is really good at answering questions but does not like it when you ask a question after she just explained it.
Genuinely the most unwinnable lab experience in my life. Not even a chem student, yet I was forced to take this class in which 90% of the points I miss are on purpose and procedure of the lab where I write it verbatim but miss one inconsequential detail and lose points. Miserable grading, miserable TAs, miserable experience. Unfair, if anything.
professor jessa is sweet, asks how lab is going + if you need help. this class is basically w TAs than anything. become friends w ur TA bc trust u will ask lots of Qs. chm 144 was my most difficult class bc there is harsh grading + the lab notebooks take forever. just take the chem lab that fits ur schedule!
CHM 144 was ok. I ended with a 96% after the weeks were done but I found the final exam to be not very fair and pretty difficult, dropping me down to a 91-92%. Prof Jessa was always walking around lab and very helpful, but the TAs grade the lab notebook pages very hard. Besides the final exam being unfair she is good and expectations are clear.
Class Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
85%
Textbook Required
44%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
CHM144M
4.0
(1)CHM141
3.5
(10)CHEM111L
3.5
(2)CHM231
3.5
(2)CHM111
3.3
(11)Difficulty by Course
CHM143
5.0
CHM141ANDCHM142
4.5
CHM145
4.2
CHM131
4.1
CHM144
4.0