CHBE301 | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Peter Kofinas CHBE301 Expecting a W Anonymous 12/15/2025	Thermo with Kofinas made me realize I needed to change my major. He's not a very good lecturer, he'll force the class to walk him through a derivation or problem and then ridicule people when they don't know how to do it. Once when we were talking about radiative heat, someone asked if Tr was the temperature of the sun. He said "how could that possibly be the temperature of the sun" in the most condescending way, and then about 30 seconds later when he looked at his notes, he told us Tr is actually the temperature of the sun. No apology or anything, and stuff like this happened all the time. It's not that he doesn't know his stuff, but he's very bad at teaching it. He constantly made small errors on the chalkboard and then didn't correct them until the very end of class so no one had time to ask questions, chose favorites and glazed the hell out of them, and made homeworks and exams so difficult you literally need to put like 20+ hours per week in just for this one class. Unfortunately he's probably the only professor that will ever teach CHBE301 so you'll have to take him, but if you're already on the fence about whether or not CHBE is the right degree for you, jump ship before you actually have to endure this class because it is guaranteed to induce depression and suffering. Peter Kofinas feels joy watching you struggle and he will not warm up to you unless you are projected to get an A in his class. One star because I was basically teaching myself the content before dropping, his lectures were useless.
Peter Kofinas CHBE301 Expecting a B- Anonymous 12/14/2025	Really cares about students Great Professor
Peter Kofinas CHBE301 Expecting a C Anonymous 12/13/2025	As I'm writing this right now, I have a 58% in the class and don't even know if I'll pass! This class is genuinely diabolical at times. I'm convinced that Professor Kofinas is a sadist and enjoys watching his students suffer. I guess chemical engineering is all about trauma bonding. However, you can still tell that Kofinas is a good professor and wants everyone to succeed. The content moves fast and the tests are torture, so it's up to you to "convince yourself" with the material covered! It's a good idea to pay attention to what he covers in Learning Community the week of exams, as those problems might as well appear again.
Peter Kofinas CHBE301 Anonymous 12/08/2025	Dr. Kofinas is the BOYYY. Don't get me wrong, this class is extremely hard, but it's one of those things where you just have to keep trying, and eventually you'll start to get it. The exams are extremely hard, but he knows that we are going to get not-so-usual grades. As long as we try our best and provide work that shows we know the concepts, he will give you a good grade. His grading system is essentially based on how much he thinks you understand the concepts. After an exam, he provides a reflection assignment on aspects such as how you felt you performed based on your study habits, where you think you lost points, and how you believe you can improve in the future. To sum it up, it's a really hard class, but you just have to try your best and have fun; he's a really fun professor.
Peter Kofinas CHBE301 Expecting a B Anonymous 10/30/2025	This class almost made multiple people drop the major. The average on the first exam from what I can remember was in the 20s or 30s (there obviously was a curve in the end). Once I took 302, I realized the content from 301 is actually not that difficult, we were just taught it in the most difficult way. Kofinas tends to forget that we are all not as smart as he is and continuously claims that everything is "easy" when it most definitely is not for someone learning it for the first time. Also, personally the semester with 301 was the hardest semester of chemE and having a class like this just made it so much worse.
Esohe Fawole CHBE301 Expecting a B- Anonymous 08/22/2025	Not sure if I am qualified to submit a review because I had Prof. Fawole over a summer where she was gone for 2 weeks of a 6 week course for bereavement. What I saw for the other 4 weeks of class is that prof. Fawole is a sweet lady but not necessarily a good professor. Most of her material is borrowed. From a student perspective it seemed like she didnt review the materials at all. She paused on every slide to read what was on there and taught like she was learning the material while she went along. She uses another professor's lecture notes, a totally different professor's videos, and has example problems & exams from yet another professor. This made the coursework feel disjointed. I felt like I had 4 different people teaching me thermodynamics, which is already a tough subject. For the whole course we did not one thermochemistry problem. We touched upon maybe half of what the syllabus told us the course was about? I just KNOW I'm going into thermo 2 unprepared. The few lectures she showed up to ended early every time, which is great except that we didnt learn half the content. Despite all this, exams, quizzes, and homeworks were all easy. First exam had an A average and the second two were Bs. Extra credit was given. She gives lots of examples in class, but the formatting is very different from exams since a different person wrote each. Most of the assignments asked conceptual problems, and only the exams would have maybe 1 or 2 calculation problems. Readings from the textbook were never assigned, but you should do it on your own because it helped to provide some structure to the course. If I met her in person I would give her a big hug. This semester's circumstances were out of her hands, and I hope she has had adequate time to grieve; however, maybe someone else needed to step in for her.
Esohe Fawole CHBE301 Expecting an A- Anonymous 08/19/2025	Take Kofinas if you can. Thermo is known for being hard but definitely didn't try to help and wouldn't even give a lecture for half the class. She annot answer students' questions and ends class early, so you're left to figure out everything on your own. My advice is to take other professors if you can, or if you're left no option, study ahead.
Esohe Fawole CHBE301 Anonymous 08/13/2025	Really nice though not the best at teaching. Very knowledgeable though.
Ethan Bolinger CHBE301 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/11/2024	ngl this class was super challenging but ethan did a great job making the content more understandable. he also had good insight into the major in general and gave good advice about future classes. if he's one of your TA's, you're going to be fine
Peter Kofinas CHBE301 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/11/2024	for about 2/3 of the semester, I honestly thought he was diabolical and this would my worst class here but it's actually been my favorite, which really surprised me. he's a very cool guy and cares deeply about all of his students succeeding. the scary parts of the thermo1 first: the class content is extremely difficult, the midterms will seem impossible (highest score I personally heard for either midterm was in the 60s), the class performance will feel terrible for the majority of the semester (we didn't get any averages or data on overall class performance, something about mosquitos and elephants), and he has a very....unique way of grading home works that I have never seen before and hope to never see again. he knows this content extremely well and will repeatedly tell you that it's easy... it will NOT be easy 97% of the time and it will be just as interesting as it is difficult. that being said, i found this to be an extremely fun class and it's very do-able. this class forges friendships like no other subject ive ever taken so make friends with your classmates bc the entire class will be struggling equally. engage during lecture even if it feels intimidating because everyone is confused and he genuinely does pay attention to who's participating, go to office hours, ask questions, and practice, practice, practice. he tells very funny stories during lecture and will challenge you on the spot to explain your rational or how you would personally handle a problem which will be intimidating when it happens to you. just roll with it; it's a great learning experience in hindsight, no one will think worse of you if your thought process needs some reworking, and it will build comradery with your classmates cuz everyone is going to get put on the spot at some point. it's genuinely a challenge to meet his expectations in the course but at the end of the day, he wants to see that you are engaged with the class and that you are continually improving your understanding of the content, even if you aren't perfect. it's a difficult major in general so don't give up or drop the class just because you struggle. when you pass the class (bc you will if you stick with it), you should be very proud of how much you've learned and an anticipatory congratulations on making it thru!!
Peter Kofinas CHBE301 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/11/2024	Great Professor !. Class is very hard, but I appreciate all the example he went over on industry applications of thermodynamics.
Peter Kofinas CHBE301 Expecting a B Anonymous 12/09/2024	Extremely difficult if you take him for thermo 1 but i cannot lie... he is really iconic and funny... Everything about him that makes him a bad professor also makes him hilarious somehow. You will make good memories in this class if you actively participate. He will absolutely notice if you participate, so do your best to engage. I think it's difficult for him to understand why this class is hard, because he says things like "the exams are easy guys!" and then proceeds to give everyone the hardest exam ever with averages of 40%. Lots of the stuff he says at the beginning of the semester sounds pretty scary, but just push through and don't drop the class. Even if you get a 40% on an exam, DON'T drop because chances are, even the smartest kids aren't getting anything higher than a 60%. His grading policies are a bit weird, and he could be better at lecturing and answering questions... but just put in honest effort and you will probably pass. Make friends with your classmates and actively participate, it will feel MUCH easier if you can at least trauma bond with others.

Peter Kofinas
CHBE301

Expecting a W
Anonymous
12/15/2025

Thermo with Kofinas made me realize I needed to change my major. He's not a very good lecturer, he'll force the class to walk him through a derivation or problem and then ridicule people when they don't know how to do it. Once when we were talking about radiative heat, someone asked if Tr was the temperature of the sun. He said "how could that possibly be the temperature of the sun" in the most condescending way, and then about 30 seconds later when he looked at his notes, he told us Tr is actually the temperature of the sun. No apology or anything, and stuff like this happened all the time. It's not that he doesn't know his stuff, but he's very bad at teaching it. He constantly made small errors on the chalkboard and then didn't correct them until the very end of class so no one had time to ask questions, chose favorites and glazed the hell out of them, and made homeworks and exams so difficult you literally need to put like 20+ hours per week in just for this one class. Unfortunately he's probably the only professor that will ever teach CHBE301 so you'll have to take him, but if you're already on the fence about whether or not CHBE is the right degree for you, jump ship before you actually have to endure this class because it is guaranteed to induce depression and suffering. Peter Kofinas feels joy watching you struggle and he will not warm up to you unless you are projected to get an A in his class. One star because I was basically teaching myself the content before dropping, his lectures were useless.

Peter Kofinas
CHBE301

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
12/14/2025

Really cares about students Great Professor

Peter Kofinas
CHBE301

Expecting a C
Anonymous
12/13/2025

As I'm writing this right now, I have a 58% in the class and don't even know if I'll pass! This class is genuinely diabolical at times. I'm convinced that Professor Kofinas is a sadist and enjoys watching his students suffer. I guess chemical engineering is all about trauma bonding. However, you can still tell that Kofinas is a good professor and wants everyone to succeed. The content moves fast and the tests are torture, so it's up to you to "convince yourself" with the material covered! It's a good idea to pay attention to what he covers in Learning Community the week of exams, as those problems might as well appear again.

Peter Kofinas
CHBE301

Anonymous
12/08/2025

Dr. Kofinas is the BOYYY. Don't get me wrong, this class is extremely hard, but it's one of those things where you just have to keep trying, and eventually you'll start to get it. The exams are extremely hard, but he knows that we are going to get not-so-usual grades. As long as we try our best and provide work that shows we know the concepts, he will give you a good grade. His grading system is essentially based on how much he thinks you understand the concepts. After an exam, he provides a reflection assignment on aspects such as how you felt you performed based on your study habits, where you think you lost points, and how you believe you can improve in the future. To sum it up, it's a really hard class, but you just have to try your best and have fun; he's a really fun professor.

Peter Kofinas
CHBE301

Expecting a B
Anonymous
10/30/2025

This class almost made multiple people drop the major. The average on the first exam from what I can remember was in the 20s or 30s (there obviously was a curve in the end). Once I took 302, I realized the content from 301 is actually not that difficult, we were just taught it in the most difficult way. Kofinas tends to forget that we are all not as smart as he is and continuously claims that everything is "easy" when it most definitely is not for someone learning it for the first time. Also, personally the semester with 301 was the hardest semester of chemE and having a class like this just made it so much worse.

Esohe Fawole
CHBE301

Expecting a B-
Anonymous
08/22/2025

Not sure if I am qualified to submit a review because I had Prof. Fawole over a summer where she was gone for 2 weeks of a 6 week course for bereavement. What I saw for the other 4 weeks of class is that prof. Fawole is a sweet lady but not necessarily a good professor. Most of her material is borrowed. From a student perspective it seemed like she didnt review the materials at all. She paused on every slide to read what was on there and taught like she was learning the material while she went along. She uses another professor's lecture notes, a totally different professor's videos, and has example problems & exams from yet another professor. This made the coursework feel disjointed. I felt like I had 4 different people teaching me thermodynamics, which is already a tough subject. For the whole course we did not one thermochemistry problem. We touched upon maybe half of what the syllabus told us the course was about? I just KNOW I'm going into thermo 2 unprepared. The few lectures she showed up to ended early every time, which is great except that we didnt learn half the content. Despite all this, exams, quizzes, and homeworks were all easy. First exam had an A average and the second two were Bs. Extra credit was given. She gives lots of examples in class, but the formatting is very different from exams since a different person wrote each. Most of the assignments asked conceptual problems, and only the exams would have maybe 1 or 2 calculation problems. Readings from the textbook were never assigned, but you should do it on your own because it helped to provide some structure to the course. If I met her in person I would give her a big hug. This semester's circumstances were out of her hands, and I hope she has had adequate time to grieve; however, maybe someone else needed to step in for her.

Esohe Fawole
CHBE301

Expecting an A-
Anonymous
08/19/2025

Take Kofinas if you can. Thermo is known for being hard but definitely didn't try to help and wouldn't even give a lecture for half the class. She annot answer students' questions and ends class early, so you're left to figure out everything on your own. My advice is to take other professors if you can, or if you're left no option, study ahead.

Esohe Fawole
CHBE301

Anonymous
08/13/2025

Really nice though not the best at teaching. Very knowledgeable though.

Ethan Bolinger
CHBE301

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/11/2024

ngl this class was super challenging but ethan did a great job making the content more understandable. he also had good insight into the major in general and gave good advice about future classes. if he's one of your TA's, you're going to be fine

Peter Kofinas
CHBE301

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/11/2024

for about 2/3 of the semester, I honestly thought he was diabolical and this would my worst class here but it's actually been my favorite, which really surprised me. he's a very cool guy and cares deeply about all of his students succeeding. the scary parts of the thermo1 first: the class content is extremely difficult, the midterms will seem impossible (highest score I personally heard for either midterm was in the 60s), the class performance will feel terrible for the majority of the semester (we didn't get any averages or data on overall class performance, something about mosquitos and elephants), and he has a very....unique way of grading home works that I have never seen before and hope to never see again. he knows this content extremely well and will repeatedly tell you that it's easy... it will NOT be easy 97% of the time and it will be just as interesting as it is difficult. that being said, i found this to be an extremely fun class and it's very do-able. this class forges friendships like no other subject ive ever taken so make friends with your classmates bc the entire class will be struggling equally. engage during lecture even if it feels intimidating because everyone is confused and he genuinely does pay attention to who's participating, go to office hours, ask questions, and practice, practice, practice. he tells very funny stories during lecture and will challenge you on the spot to explain your rational or how you would personally handle a problem which will be intimidating when it happens to you. just roll with it; it's a great learning experience in hindsight, no one will think worse of you if your thought process needs some reworking, and it will build comradery with your classmates cuz everyone is going to get put on the spot at some point. it's genuinely a challenge to meet his expectations in the course but at the end of the day, he wants to see that you are engaged with the class and that you are continually improving your understanding of the content, even if you aren't perfect. it's a difficult major in general so don't give up or drop the class just because you struggle. when you pass the class (bc you will if you stick with it), you should be very proud of how much you've learned and an anticipatory congratulations on making it thru!!

Peter Kofinas
CHBE301

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/11/2024

Great Professor !. Class is very hard, but I appreciate all the example he went over on industry applications of thermodynamics.

Peter Kofinas
CHBE301

Expecting a B
Anonymous
12/09/2024

Extremely difficult if you take him for thermo 1 but i cannot lie... he is really iconic and funny... Everything about him that makes him a bad professor also makes him hilarious somehow. You will make good memories in this class if you actively participate. He will absolutely notice if you participate, so do your best to engage. I think it's difficult for him to understand why this class is hard, because he says things like "the exams are easy guys!" and then proceeds to give everyone the hardest exam ever with averages of 40%. Lots of the stuff he says at the beginning of the semester sounds pretty scary, but just push through and don't drop the class. Even if you get a 40% on an exam, DON'T drop because chances are, even the smartest kids aren't getting anything higher than a 60%. His grading policies are a bit weird, and he could be better at lecturing and answering questions... but just put in honest effort and you will probably pass. Make friends with your classmates and actively participate, it will feel MUCH easier if you can at least trauma bond with others.

Reviews for CHBE301